Travel Archives - Chasing Panama

Our Trip to Europe (Part 1)

Crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship!

On April 7th, we left on our big trip, starting with a two-week Atlantic crossing from Florida to Italy on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic repositioning cruise. Our ride picked us up at our house at around 8:30 am packed and ready to go. Our ship was due to leave from Port Canaveral in the afternoon and we were scheduled to board between 10:30-11:00 am. We got to the port in an hour and a half or so, dropped off our luggage, and waited to get on the ship. Our assigned boarding time did not seem to count for anything, it was first come first served. It took us a couple of hours at least to board the ship, quite a chaotic process. Once on board, we found our way to the 15th deck where there was a bar and buffet waiting for us. A couple of hours later, our cabin was ready. We had a cabin on the stern of the ship on deck 11, with a balcony. A little before 6:00 pm, we were on our way. And as we were leaving the coast there was a SpaceX launch which we were able to watch from our balcony.

It took us a couple of days to settle in to life on board the ship. Our cabin was comfortable enough, but it had a strange layout and the “king size” bed must have only been for kings shorter than 5’10” or so (I am 6’2”). There was a splendid gym which we used almost every day, quite a few restaurants and bars, a theater, shops, and the usual amenities we’ve found on the other two cruises we have taken. There were also a lot of lines and a lot of waiting for almost everything, which we found disappointing. Once we got used to the ship we were able to find our way around most of the lines. The food was mostly quite good, and the crew were friendly and easy to get along with. I have always had a fascination with all things nautical, and I’ve always wanted to actually sail across the Atlantic from continent to continent. As we spent more time on the ship we found passengers from all over the United States and the World who had the same goal. There were people who had come from Europe, just to sail home, and people who had come from as far away as Australia just to experience an Atlantic crossing. There was a man we met from Texas who was taking the cruise to Italy just to get pizza in Naples and then fly right back home.

The first couple of days at sea the weather was fine. We were at the aft end of the ship and it seemed like a lot of the things we wanted to do were at the forward end of the ship, which was over 1,000 feet long. We usually choose the stairs instead of the elevators, and we definitely got our steps in every day. We started to have some rougher weather a few days in and getting our “sea legs” took a bit of practice. One night the ship was rolling so much that one of the fire closet doors in the hall outside our cabin came open and was going back and forth hitting the walls like a loud metronome. I finally went out and made it stay shut. Then the time changes started. Our destination was six hours ahead of our daylight savings time in Florida, and the ship started changing the clocks in one hour increments every day or two. Just shaving an hour off of a day was something we really felt more than we had expected. The internet service that came with our cabin was really feeble which added to our feelings of isolation and disorientation. The crew was not fond of these shorter days as their workload stayed the same, just their free time was shortened. Our cabin was quite dark and with the curtains shut it was very hard to tell night from day. Some days we woke up so much later than usual that we were surprised when we looked at the time. Passengers with interior cabins must have been even more bewildered.

We found ourselves skipping breakfast most days because by the time we got through with the gym lunch was being served. We usually opted for the buffet on deck 15, or one of the interior restaurants when the line was bearably short. With our cabin came a decent drink package and three meals each in one of the specialty restaurants on the ship. The Steakhouse and the French restaurants were outstanding and would have been expensive if we had had to pay. In the French restaurant I discovered that steak tartare is definitely not for me, but somehow really rare New York strip certainly is.

One of the things we did on board was take the “Behind the Scenes” tour of the ship. It was a bit pricey and required advance booking, but we thought it was worth it. If you are interested in ships and what it takes to run one I certainly recommend taking the tour. We started by seeing the backstage area of the theater, then went on to the laundry area, the food storage and preparation areas, the engine control room, and finally the bridge. There is always a tremendous amount of activity on this ship. The main crew passageway running from bow to stern on the ship is nicknamed “I-95” because of the constant traffic. Running a ship with several thousand passengers and crew takes a lot of coordinated work and effort, and we got to see a pretty good slice of that.

We also saw a couple of shows in the ship’s theater. The first was a professional Broadway type production called “Burn the Floor” featuring some fantastic dancing. It was a great show. The second show featured a Beatles tribute band dressed in their Sergeant Pepper regalia, and while the music was good these guys really didn’t look too much like the Beatles. Still a lot of fun.

sgt pepper beatles — The “Beatles” Tribute Band

Close to two weeks of all sea days on a ship does get tedious, no matter how much there is to do. We also had to pay close attention to charges on our on board account because erroneous charges do appear and are best dealt with immediately.

For our next post we’ll write about passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and arriving in Europe.

Saludos, Craig

March 2024 Updates (Happy Pi Day!)

The last blog post I did was just about a year ago while we were staying in Santa Lucia, a neighborhood just outside of Boquete, Panamá, after a very windy stretch of weather. Since then we’ve been mostly staying in our house in Fort Pierce, Florida. We’ve visited family in Pennsylvania, been visited by family here in Florida, welcomed a new grandchild (Hi Ifigenia!), and all in all, have had a pretty good year.

We have also had some house related catastrophes, mainly involving water. Last April, our house flooded from a failed plumbing connection, and at virtually the same time we had a roof leak. Recovering from a flooded house is nothing we would wish upon anyone!

Next month we are visiting Europe to see Nancy’s Old-World side of the family, and to take in some sights, and we will have plenty to share with you about our travels. I have never been to Europe and Nancy has not been for a very long time. We will be going from Port Canaveral, Florida to Rome, Italy on a repositioning cruise. We are planning to see sights in Rome and Venice, and then to travel to Slovenia to stay with family and do a little exploring around Slovenia and Croatia.

fireworks from hotel balcony in Panama City

We are also looking forward to getting back to Panamá later this year. It’s their presidential election year and its hard to believe its been five years since the last election. We were in Panamá City then and it was an exciting time with lots of rallies and fireworks. On our next trip we are planning on staying in the town of El Valle de Antón which is much closer to Panamá City but still high enough in the mountains to have a comfortable climate. Of course we will have to get to Chirquí Province to visit our friends, but exploring a different part of the country will be exciting. El Valle de Antón is actually in the crater of an extinct volcano (hopefully extinct) and the terrain and roads can be very steep.

Please keep an eye out for our next post, we are looking forward to sharing more adventures with you!

Saludos,
Craig

The Mountain Towns of El Valle de Antón and Altos del Maria, Sorá

We just got back from a cool road trip to Cocle and Panama Oeste provinces to visit El Valle de Antón and Sorá, Panama.

El Valle is located within the caldera (a large crater) of what is said to be the second largest inhabited dormant volcano in the world. The crater itself is at about 600 meters above sea level and has a cooler spring-like climate. This has been on our bucket list for the past few years. The drive from Boquete to El Valle is about 5 hours with good traffic. The exit off of the Interamerican Highway up the volcanic mountain and down to the town itself takes about 45 minutes along a scenic zig-zagging road that will put your brakes to the test.

The town itself is bucolic living. El Valle is surrounded by 7 different mountains, ranging from 800-1000 meters. There are trails on each one that have vistas of the crater floor.

Because of its close proximity to Panama City (120 km), many upper-class Panamanians have made El Valle their weekend and holiday home. We visited during the week, however, and it was very quiet and relaxing. We stayed at El Valle Suites, a Panamanian style motel that was down the road from the Artisan and Produce Market. The suites are very basic with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom that had a split AC. All in all, it was clean and the staff went out of their way to accommodate. The best part of the place was the thermal pool surrounded by a grand tree that shaded almost the entire outdoor area. There are people who live at the Suites full time and met some interesting people sitting outside in the evening.

What I like about El Valle is very walkable and bike-friendly. I took out a bike one afternoon and had a leisurely stroll. The Artisan market is really cool. Local art and handicrafts are sold, and Kuna Indians offered their colorful molas and jewelry. We purchased some hand painted tree trunk slabs with beautifully colored birds on them. Attached to the Artisan market is the fruit and vegetable vendors selling their fresh produce.

A visit to Nispero Zoo

A short drive from the center of town is El Níspero Zoological and Botanical Garden. It began as a privately owned nursery. The owner gradually started collecting animals and birds. Other people also donated animals. Many of the animals there had suffered an accident. It gradually turned into a public zoo with animals from all over the world.

The place itself is really laid back and priced at only $3 for admission. My favorite attraction was the spider monkey. One can see up close the resemblance to its name! Another favorite was the jaguar and the plethora of beautiful birds including toucans and parrots.

It was an nice attraction that the kiddos would really enjoy (and the grown up kiddos as well).

A visit to Arboles Cuadrados Nature Trail

I had heard about the “Square Trees”’in El Valle and drove a bit out of town to Hotel Campestre where they are officially accessed by paying $4 each. I really like weird and obscure things so this was something I had to see. The hike itself was very pleasant. Once we reached the handful of square trees that were specially marked, I still had a hard time seeing much of a difference to a normal round tree. In fact there are signs pointing to the square trees so you could find them. Although it is hard to distinguish the square features, they apparently have square rings.

Comparing El Valle to Boquete

As far as mountain towns go, El Valle is warmer than Boquete, but I found it to be quite lovely and personally did not find it oppressive. The evenings were cool in El Valle, but not cold like it can get in Boquete. Average temperatures in El Valle can range from 68-83 deg. as compared to 55-75 deg.

Being that we were there during the week and not on the weekend, I do not have a clear picture on how busy El Valle can get, but have heard that it this sleepy little town fills up. While there, I noticed a small amount of tourists and mostly Panamanians going about their day to day lives. There was a nice amount of places to eat but some only were open from Thursday to Sunday. Boquete has much more going for it as far as restaurants, bars and live music.

The mountains of Sorá, Panama / Altos del Maria

Overlook at our Airbnb in Altos Del Maria

We spent a few days on the other side of the mountain from El Valle in a pretty little town called Sorá. This is roughly a 6 hour drive from Boquete. Our Airbnb was in Altos Del Maria which is a gated community that is like being in a national park. It boasts a first-class infrastructure including miles of paved roads, vast common areas, waterfalls, rivers, hiking trails, observation decks, parks, lookout points, flowers and trees everywhere. It was a great place to relax, however a drawback was the distance to daily necessities such as shopping, restaurants and medical care . The majority of people with homes here use it as a second home or vacation getaway.

Since we were guests of an owner in the development, we’l were able to access the secret road just for residents that connects Altos Del Maria to El Valle which took just over 1/2 hour. Without this alternate route, it would have taken an extra hour!

It was really nice to see another part of this beautiful country checked off the bucket list.

Travel to Boquete 2022

When I was younger, I used to enjoy traveling much more but now its just turned into something I dread. Of course, traveling with Covid-19 in the world doesn’t help, but it seems getting anywhere these days is just one annoyance followed by waiting, followed by another annoyance, more waiting, more annoyances, and all the time hoping everything goes more or less according to schedule.

So we are back in Panamá, after two long days of planes, delays, and automobiles. We were scheduled to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Panamá City on Saturday, and then to David Panamá on the COPA Sunday morning flight, and then get picked up by friends and driven to Alto Boquete where we are renting a house. Our Sunday morning flight was cancelled but we managed to make the afternoon flight, our friends who were picking us up came down with Covid-19 symptoms so we had to find a new ride, and we had to make quite a few changes on the fly. Luckily, we have enough friends and contacts and we were able to make everything work.

We had left our car with our friends at Value Motors in Boquete (Thank you Victor and George!) and yesterday we were able to pick it up and finally get to our rental. We spent a couple of hours with the owners (who are themselves traveling back to the United States) reviewing the water system, power, internet, security systems, etc. Houses here tend to be a bit more complicated, with various water filters that need cleaning and maintenance, back up tanks, pipes and valves, unique plumbing requirements, electrical systems and back ups, pest and insect barriers, and peculiar individual quirks that all houses here seem to have. Then of course it was time to look up some friends we hadn’t seen for the past six month or so, buy some groceries, and finally try to get a good night’s rest with nothing important pressing for the next day.

Although its only been a few days since we arrived in Panamá it feels really good to be back. Getting to our house is interesting with over a kilometer of very sketchy access roads and driveway, but once you’re here the view is spectacular and the privacy is almost total. We are directly above Bajo Boquete and we can look down on the entire town.

My apologies for the lack of blog posts lately, but now that were back you can expect a lot more activity and blog posts to be forthcoming. We welcome any comments and we will answer any questions, so please reach out to just say Hello!

Saludos, Craig

Family Matters in the U.S.A.

Time sure flies and I have been neglecting our blog. My apologies for the lapse in our posts.

Due to a family emergency, we returned to the U.S. in July. We spent 4 lovely months in Boquete, but an unexpected death in the immediate family brought us back. We’ve pretty much been laying low since then. We had to let our Boquete rental go as we are planning to be here in the US until the end of the year. We boxed up our things to leave with good friends. We also left our car with another good friend. This will make things a lot easier on us when we come back to Panamá. We love Panamá despite its imperfections, the people that we have met there especially.

Something I have been giving much thought to these past 2+ years since getting our residency is I really do miss family. I thought I could deal with it better and of course I expected all of them to just fly on down to see us. Like on episodes of International House Hunters, they all say “I want extra space for all the company we’re gonna have”! Well, that just doesn’t happen unless money is not an issue. We were blessed to have Craig’s daughter visit us but that was our one and only visitor. Just seeing them once a year when we flew back just wasn’t enough for me. The financial burdens for family to fly down, especially with young children, it was very daunting. Between 4 children and 7+ grandchildren (another on the way), I was always thinking what I was missing. I felt a strong need to have a home base in the US once again (and get our things out of storage). Craig acquiesced and here we are. Yes, I know some of you might want to judge me on this…the problems here in the US are hard to dismiss. I had to look past this and do what my heart was telling me. We purchased a home in Florida close to Craig’s family, yet easy enough to take trips up north to be with the kids. And vice versa, the kids always have a place to come down south to for get togethers. We are heading back down to Panamá after the Christmas holidays and have secured a rental for half a year. The best of both worlds. We miss our Boquete family but we will be back!

Enough about that…what have we been up to? After spending some time in Pennsylvania, we started furnishing our new Florida home and are acclimating to our new reality. The beach is a short drive away, family time with the brothers-in-law, going to the gym, walking, cycling, tikis, etc. I’ve also been doing a lot of crochet projects as there are new babies on the way.

I hope you are all well and staying safe. Oh, and by the way, before we left Panamá we were able to get our second Pfizer shots (yay!) Here are a few random pics of family and what we’ve been up to.

¡Hasta luego!

Moving to a Big House

We have been back in Boquete for over six weeks, and things feel a bit different than they do when we were here last year. Just about everyone here is very diligent about wearing their masks and practicing social distancing. There is a temperature taking station at every store, bar, and restaurant we have been to. We are living in Valle Escondido and the weather here seems to be much damper and chillier than at our last house in Alto Boquete. When we got here, we had some excellent weather for a couple of weeks, but since then things have been much damper and rainier.

After our first month here, we were able to negotiate a rental in the large house below the apartment where we were originally staying. This house is certainly the largest house we have ever lived in and its very nice, with high ceilings, big rooms, beautiful floors, and a nice kitchen. It does have its quirks, however. It tends to be chilly, the furniture is not to our taste, the hot water in the showers is inconsistent, and it echoes. Sometimes we feel a bit out of place here. But it is a nice house in a quiet neighborhood.

Leaky Windshield

The windshield in our car developed a substantial leak right in the center over the dashboard during some of the heavy rain we have had. It was quite inconvenient, but we took the car down to Value Motors in Boquete and they took care of it for a whopping $15. We have had nothing but good experiences with Victor, George, and the whole crew at Value Motors.

New Family Doctor

We have been to see a local doctor for check-ups and minor medical issues, and we found a new doctor in town. Dr. Tuer speaks perfect English, she takes time to figure out what ails you, she answers her emails, and is very attentive.

Playa Barqueta

Last week we took a drive to the beach at Playa La Barqueta to visit some friends who have a condo right on the beach. The drive was an hour and a half right through heavy traffic in David to get there, but it was quite a nice place. It was our first glimpse on this trip of the ocean on the Gulf of Chiriqui, and it was beautiful. Warm weather, the beach, good friends and, best of all, no rain all day. Even though we are only seven or eight degrees from the equator here there is something to be said for living near the beach, as long as you have AC!

Three Lost Waterfalls Hike

The other day we went on a hike with a local group to The Three Lost Waterfalls in Los Naranjos. It was quite an adventure in a very Panamanian way. Just to get there the drive is up some very windy, narrow, and steep roads, and once you are there the parking situation is pretty sketchy. Then take a walk over a suspension bridge that could use a little maintenance and up a very steep rocky trail that takes you to the booth where you pay your $8 fee. I was almost worn out from the walk to the pay station, but I had not seen anything yet. The trail was very narrow, very steep, very rocky, and, because of the recent damp weather, very muddy and slippery. We made it to the first waterfall, and it was nice. We made it to the second waterfall, and it was beautiful. Then we set off for the third waterfall and the trail immediately became almost vertical, rocky, and slippery. “Trail” is probably a kind word for this obstacle course. There were some knotted ropes in seemingly random locations to help with the climb. We did eventually get to the third waterfall, and I see why it is “lost”. It is beautiful and you certainly get your exercise getting to it. The trip back, although physically easer, is far more challenging because going downhill it is very easy to lose your footing and take a serious tumble. Help would be a long way away in the event of a serious accident. After almost four hours of trekking, we did succeed in getting back to our cars, although one or two of our companions had some nicks, cuts, and bruises. What an adventure!

Saludos, Craig

Traveling Back to Panamá 2021

It’s been a while since we posted to our blog – apologies! Now that we have returned, you all will be hearing from us on a much more regular basis and we thank all of you for reading our blog!

When we left Panamá, we did not expect to be gone for so long – we’ve spent the past seven months in Fort Pierce, Florida (on the barrier island of Hutchinson Island). We enjoyed our stay there and spent some much-needed time with family as well as lots of beach days. We were patiently waiting for the COVID restrictions in Panamá to be relaxed which took much longer than we expected. There are still some restrictions here, but things are far better than they were when we left. Panamá is reopening and we could not be happier.

Our travels back to Panamá took 4 days and it was a long tiring journey to say the least. We started last Sunday by getting our COVID tests at a rapid test center in Stuart, Florida (one of the requirements to enter the country is a negative COVID test taken within forty-eight hours of arrival). We also had to complete an online Health Declaration for travel to receive QR codes (sent via e-mail), which had to be presented at the airport. This after several days of packing and trying to prioritize the things we needed to take with us. It is a bit stressful trying to fit everything you will need into two suitcases and one carry on each and needless to say there are a few items we forgot, but here we are regardless.

Last Monday my sister-in-law drove us to the metro station in West Palm Beach and we took the train from there right into Miami International Airport. And we were not travelling lightly – it’s a good thing that suitcases have wheels or we never would have made it. Monday night we spent at the Miami Airport Hotel, which was extremely convenient, but far from inexpensive (I don’t believe anything is a bargain once you’re inside of an airport).

Tuesday we flew from Miami to Tocumen Airport near Panamá City on an American Airlines flight. All went well with the flight, and the first thing we had to do in Panamá was show our (almost) two-day old COVID tests. Then through customs and a quick taxi ride to the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel Casino, which is where we always stay when we are between flights. It is a nice hotel and it was nice to be back in Panamá!

*Ships waiting to transit the Panama Canal*

Wednesday was another early day for us – out of the hotel by six am and a shuttle ride back to the airport for the morning flight to David towards the western end of the country. It was only a one-hour flight (another nice flight – we had good luck with our air travel this trip) and we were in David by 9:30 am. Some friends from Boquete picked us up at the airport and drove us to our rental in Boquete. We dropped of our bags and then back to Value Motors in Boquete to collect our car. They took good care of our car for us, taking care of maintenance and renewing our license plates. It’s a 2014 Nissan X-Trail, a bit battered, but has always gotten us where we need to go.

So here we are back in Boquete and so far so good.

*Volcán Barú from our rental in Boquete*

Saludos, Craig

Next post: Settling In

Waiting Things Out in Sunny Florida

Four and a half months ago, we returned to the US to wait out the Coronavirus crisis here in our home country. We have been enjoying the Florida lifestyle, the sunshine and outdoor activities that go along with it. When we were debating this while under quarantine in Panamá, we knew that we wouldn’t be going back to Pennsylvania. Although our family is there, we were so done with snow and cold weather. My brother-in-law here in Fort Pierce, FL was able to find a fully furnished rental for us that was vacant (a condo unit belonging to the brother of his close friends). We are actually off the mainland on Hutchinson Island, an area within walking distance to beaches, the intercoastal and inlet…a very touristy place with a laid-back vibe. We are truly blessed!

We knew that this was temporary though. One of the reasons for moving abroad was so we could afford to retire early. Obviously with us back in the states, our expenses were raised dramatically. And the biggie…health care (we are not yet eligible for Medicare). We were self-insuring in Panamá because it is much less expensive than in the US. We could certainly do nothing and pray, or bite the bullet. Because we had a life-changing event that happened outside of open enrollment, we were able to get on a Health Marketplace plan in September. And because of our ages, it still wasn’t exactly cheap, but was much more affordable than buying privately. With no work income except social security and investment distributions, we qualified for a subsidy based on the numbers on our 2019 income tax return.

Our initial plan was to stay through the holidays. I had started the search for a rental for our return in January, reaching out to friends, Facebook, Encuentra24 and Panama Craigslist. Surely Coronavirus would be under control by then…NOT! Most places have seen a resurgence of the virus because of colder weather bringing everyone indoors, holiday gatherings and just complacency in general. And new strains of the virus have been discovered in England and South Africa. Panama had loosened up on restrictions the past few months with everything reopened. But in November, a month filled with many Panamanian holidays, they had an uptick again in cases. MINSA once again decreed that there would be total quarantine again the weekends surrounding Christmas and New Year’s, as well as back to the gender-based days for men and women to grocery shop and do essential business. And they have just announced that January will have more quarantines and curfews. I fear that strict guidelines will be in place again soon so they can get things under control while they wait for the vaccines to arrive. President Cortizo just announced that within 90 days they will start the vaccination process.

So, it looks like we are putting our return on hold. We will stay put until we feel it is safe to travel again. We’re hoping to be vaccinated here as soon as it becomes available. The quick approval of the vaccinations is very controversial, but we have decided it is right for us. Watching the news last night, I saw a piece on how people may have to show proof of vaccination digitally in order to travel in the future. What a strange new world we live in.

Here’s wishing you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with much peace and love.

*having a socially-distanced libation on the water*

Family Visits and Life in Florida

We have been back in Florida for just about the past two months. Last week we drove up to Pennsylvania to visit family, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, staying in an Airbnb, and generally doing all the things that we were unable to do in Panamá. Its interesting to see the difference in attitudes and approaches to the pandemic in different parts of the United States. Where we are staying in Florida, its like there is no virus at all, except for some people (including us) who wear masks and try to social distance with some consistency. In the Carolinas where we spent a couple of nights in hotels during our travels, there seemed to be even less care and attention given to the fact that there is still a highly contagious virus about. In Pennsylvania there was mandatory mask wearing and no seating at bars with limited indoor seating at restaurants.

This is all very different from the approach Panamá is taking. In our home province of Chiriquí there is a total quarantine this weekend once again, and many businesses are still closed, although that is supposed to start changing as of tomorrow. Hotels, lodging services, pools at limited capacity, transportation services, cultural institutions, and gambling, are among the sectors of the economy that will be allowed to open with varying degrees of occupancy. Most retail businesses and restaurants opened a couple of weeks ago. Schools, gyms, bars, and the beaches are some of the sectors that are still closed. The airports and the borders will also open tomorrow and tourists will be able to visit the country, which is good news for all. To enter Panamá, a negative Covid test taken within 48 hours of arrival will be required (PCR or antigen test). If you do not have that, you must get the test at Tocumen Airport for a charge of $50, however most airlines will not allow you to board unless you present a negative test result.

We know there is still hardship and need amongst many Panamanians and residents. We our still helping friends of ours buy food. It is distressing that some people have virtually nothing, and that the economic impact to their lives is still ongoing with no end in sight. It seems there should be more of a balance between fighting the virus and allowing people to work and to feed and take care of themselves. We are not sure what the answers are, but we help where we can.

We are still in Fort Pierce, Florida, going to the beach, going out to eat, going to the gym, going for walks, and living our lives (while taking all the precautions we can). We miss Panamá and we miss our friends there. Maybe it has something to do with the pending election here, but people in Panamá are friendlier, seem to get along better, and seem to care for each other more so than here in South Florida.

We are hoping to return to Panamá early next year and pray that things will continue to improve there. It has certainly been a long and excruciating ordeal for everyone. Let’s hope 2021 brings us some light at the end of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, we will continue to post to our blog, and we certainly welcome all comments and questions.

Saludos, Craig

Back to the USA for now 2020

It has been 5 months since Coronavirus reared its ugly head in Panamá. Our blog entries had dwindled since there wasn’t much to write about other than virus-related things. The government here has had one of the strictest quarantines in the world. After much deliberation, we have decided to return to the US, at least for the time being. I can’t tell you how this has weighed on us. We truly love Panamá, the beauty, the people, the friends we’ve made…but the feeling of being trapped was overwhelming, for me especially. It has been almost a year since we’ve seen our family and friends here and I needed a change of scenery. Not being about to go on hikes and to visit the beach are some of things I missed most. Being out in the fresh air made me feel happy, healthy and alive.

We had been watching with anticipation for airspace to open up so we could travel. Just when we thought Tocumen International Airport was set to open, the opening gets pushed back another month, then another. There had been humanitarian flights, but we held off. Since we were renting in Panama and our lease was just about up, we decided to go for it. We found a Copa flight to Miami departing August 14. I had been checking with the US Embassy frequently. There had been multiple humanitarian flights April through July, mostly with Copa Air, United, and Spirit Air. All of a sudden I wasn’t seeing any and I became concerned. What was happening was Tocumen was transitioning into a mini hub, a center of controlled operations for the interconnection of commercial flights. These would be the first steps towards restarting the airline’s controlled commercial operations, but they only represent 2% of its pre-crisis operation. Panamá is still not allowing tourists in, and these flights were for Panamanian citizens and foreign residents.

Having the proper credentials allowed us to book a flight from Tocumen. Since there are no domestic flights at this time, we had to hire a driver to take us to Panamá City for the 6 hour drive through multiple checkpoints. Our driver, Marc Vargas, not only is a world class tour guide, but also a jack of all trades and good friend. He has helped us with numerous things upon our arrival in Panamá 16 months ago. His English is perfect and he will go out of his way to help you. I had to contact the US Embassy who secured a “salvoconducto” (safe passage) for us from the Ministry of Health. This document was proof that we had permission to cross the provinces to catch our flight. Without that paperwork, we had to stay within our home province of Chiriquí. The only people allowed to fly into Tocumen are Panamanian citizens and legal foreign residents as well. We will be allowed to fly back to Panama whenever we want with a negative Covid test.

Before the journey, we sold our Nissan X-Trail, TV and soundbar, and other loose ends. The food in the fridge and other household products were given to our good friend and “maestra de español” Yaira, and her family. We donated some old clothes and books to the “Fundación Pro-Integración Capítulo de Boquete”, who provides handicapped members of our community needed equipment and funds to transport individuals to appointments, and for medications and treatments not covered by social security or public health. Needless to say it was a lot of planning in a very short period of time to execute our exit plan.

I should have taken pictures of our luggage. We both had 2 checked bags each and a carry on. Their weight limit is 23 kg and 3 of our bags weighed 22.5 – 22.8 kg…whew!!! We have a luggage scale and apparently it is pretty accurate. It took a great amount of time to even everything out. Thanks to Lee and Joann for selling us their nostalgic suitcase for $5. It came in mighty handy. In addition to the luggage, we allowed ourselves one large box each of personal belongings to ship back to the US. In a pre-Covid world there would have been multiple options, but we found out much to our chagrin, that DHL Express is the only shipping service doing business in Panamá at this time. They have the monopoly on shipping right now and are truly taking advantage of people. I shudder to tell you what it cost!

Tocumen check in — *Check-in at Tocumen*

Tocumen airport screening — *baggage screening before flight*

When we arrived at Tocumen, we appeared to be the only flight checking in and multiple preventative measures were in place. The television station, TVN Noticias, was interviewing people while we were checking in. Alas we did not make the cut.

Our 10:30 flight was a bit delayed, and finally we started to board. Craig and I had a space in between us on the flight (although Copa couldn’t commit that the middle seat would not get sold). After about 10-15 minutes in the air, the captain came on the loudspeaker to let us know that landing gear indicator was malfunctioning and they weren’t sure of the status. What would happen in this situation is drag which would use more fuel. So as a precaution, we turned around and landed back at Tocumen. Since there are many planes grounded now, we were able to get on a backup plane in a little over an hour. We boarded once again, but this time the flight attendant told us that someone would be sitting next to us. This was strange because it was all the same people in the same seats as before. Apparently a man in the back row asked the flight attendant if he could move up because he had a connecting flight to New York, and since we were already delayed now 3 hours, he wanted to give himself a fighting chance to get off the plane quicker and make his connection.

How are we feeling about everything now that we are in Florida? Very happy to be out and about doing the things we enjoy, but in a safe manner. People must wear masks going into stores, businesses, restaurants. From what we can see, people are safe-distancing. Practicing safety while keeping the economy open is what is happening here. On the flip side, we miss Panamá and the warm welcome we have received. Boquete is absolutely beautiful and I miss seeing Volcán Barú and the mountain ranges while out for a drive; the friendships we’ve cultivated along the way, even though we haven’t been able to spend much time socializing of late due to the strict quarantine; and the comfortable spring-like climate all year long.

So at the moment we are getting our bearings and figuring out our next move. A drive up to Pennsylvania to visit our kids and grandkids will be happening soon.

We haven’t closed the book on you, Panamá, we will be back!

*At the Square Grouper in Fort Pierce, FL*

Seaway bridge Nancy — *Getting some exercise walking along Seaway Drive on Hutchinson Island bridge.*

We will be continuing to post on this blog wherever our travels take us!