Let me say that with all the tasks Ray and I have accomplished these past two weeks, many people have come to Panama and done exactly what we have been doing, and all are successful...eventually. Some, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how, have even done this without the help of English speaking translators! For example, Clyde and Terry did all of this without friends here, and with very little Spanish under their belt. They learned the roads by getting lost. A lot. Others have done the same tasks, but they have taken months, because steps have been left out, papers have been forgotten, a building that they have gone to isn't really the building they have needed to be at, or there is a misspelling (sort of like the line that Ray made through his passport number). Ray and I came to Panama knowing TIP, this is Panama, and for all the time that we researched retiring here, we read everywhere that things take time. For all of the inefficiencies in these government buildings, the people that have lived here (Diego and Monica, Luis, and even the tour guide we had last year, for example) simply nod their heads, they voice the inefficiencies, they remark that there are too many employees doing just ONE job, but I have noticed these employees are also defended to the end. Yes, they are given that one job all day, but they deal with our frustrated looks and slight contempt in our eyes, and they continue their job. (There is a woman at the bank and for the one hour we were there the first day, and the three hours we were there the second, she swept the floor. On occasion, she would mop a wet print. That was her job. In one small area. She swept. And she mopped.) Adjust yourself to it, or don't bother trying to become permanent residents here.
There are many windows in these government buildings that are usually open. Windows meaning the little area the employee sits behind to do their job. Yesterday I commented to Monica that there seemed to be a lot of staff behind those windows. So far, Ray and I have not gone anywhere that seems to be shorthanded. There are also many cashier lines open in the stores in the mall. And not just for this past weekend. When we were at Westland Mall during the week last week, and even yesterday, there seems to never be a shortage of help. We have been able to find help in all the aisles as well whether it has been to ask for a pineapple corer or screening material.
There are an abundance of apple corers in the stores, but we haven't found a pineapple corer yet. Take this back, because we just found this item at Novey. And I got myself some popcorn while there. Two things to make me happy! Oh, three. Rope for my pretty purple hammock.
The napkins are small, so buy a good brand. Don't skimp on paper products here, and I always keep toilet paper or tissues in my purse, and now I will keep it in the car. Plus, many places ask that you don't flush the paper in the toilet.
The bigger geckos come into the house at around nine pm. Then it's time to close the doors. I am sure even the bigger geckos are in here somewhere. But they eat the bugs, and that is a great thing!
I still loving reading the newspaper and try to read several papers of day, but when do I find the time! I still read the Free-Lance Star (a newspaper that I read every morning before work). I read BBC news and a Spanish paper online.
There has been a rash of robberies in the city. It seems that with the holiday last Friday, these hoodlums knew the restaurants would be a bit more occupied, so they would wait until about closing time to run in and steal from the customers and owners. They also knew that the 13th paycheck or installment had been passed out last week. The big, bad, mean guys pay little kids (ages 10-12) $5 or so to do the dirty work for them. A few have been caught, but the little guys aren't held in jail. There have been 14 restaurants hit, but in the scheme of things and according to TripAdvisor, there are 478 restaurants in the city (whether they are all open still--who knows). ***Just read in my old local newspaper that the town of Fredericksburg, VA has been having a rash of robberies in homes (while the family sleeps). It happens everywhere.
Go anywhere with a back up plan, because especially in rainy season, you just never know what is open and when it is open. Like today, if the water doesn't come on, we will go out to dinner (we can wash the dishes, but it's always better to go out haha)
Which brings me to always having water stored or an extra tank of water at your house. This rental does not have an extra tank, so we keep bottles of water under the sink for handwashing, teeth brushing and possibly washing dishes (if we were to cook while it is off). The water pressure was low earlier this morning, and when we returned home from errands and our Spanish lesson, it was off completely. It will come on again at some point, but with the drought, they are really trying to conserve. We need water to run the electricity, afterall.
Panama has a site like TripAdvisor. http://www.degustapanama.com/populares/restaurantes.html I will have to look more into this and see if I can become a TOP Contributor for this website like I am for TA!
Potholes are a common sight on the side roads in this area. The main highway, PanAmerican Highway, is a rather good drive, but once you veer off to go into the neighborhoods, the roads can get rough depending on what town you are in. And during rainy season, the roads won't be repaired quickly, because they would wash out again (although we haven't had much rain). Pack patience when driving and just go around the potholes or through them...slowly. Some potholes are huge so they put sticks and wooden poles in them and put a bucket on top to alert you (not the orange triangular cones).
I haven't driven in three weeks since I drove my car, Annikah, to be with her new owner in Raleigh, NC. I wasn't on the rental car contract, so there went two of those weeks. Who knows, Ray may just have to continue driving Miss Daisy.
The three radio stations that I have tuned into here play a lot of eighties music. One mixes this music with Spanish songs, the other pretty much sticks with American eighties music but mellow and the third is American music that even had some cross over of country. Ray is a happy camper, because he can now have his IPOD playing all country music. And I will throw mine on, too!
http://www.candywarehouse.com/products/neapolitan-3-color-coconut-slice-candy-bars-24-piece-box/ This is the three colored coconut candy by Candy Farms that is sold in the States. Remember?
It reminds me of the cocada here.
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| White and red cocada |
When we were in this area in 2012 and 2013, we noticed how dark the main highway was when driving at night. There are now streetlights (improvement!) along the road, but they haven't been connected yet. They are still digging up roads and adding more.
More friendly customer service to note--we were at a roadside market to pick up a pineapple today, and the man gave us some lychee to try, and he was okay with the fact that I made a face. It started out good, but I didn't like the finish (just like with some red wines!). And the Panamanians, and even the girl that owns the store "Fantasy" enjoyed helping us and speaking with us when we tried a little Spanish. Here is a lychee or many:
Gus welcomed us home yesterday. He and his wife came over to look at the car, and he told us about the big storms that came through in the morning and at dinnertime the night before. He had a gorgeous shrub-like plant that went across his driveway and over his covered porch. It was full of flowers. He had been growing it for four years, and it came down with the storm. Sad. He reminds me of a grandfather waiting for you to come home at the end of the day. He said he liked us being next door. Happy.
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