CRAVING FOR, WON'T BUY, AND DON'T DO---WHAT?

Yesterday Ray and I drove almost to the city to the Discovery Center store.  We wanted to check out the grills there one more time, plus there was a water pump that we wanted to buy as well.  Rather than buy a $200 water cooler we picked up a simple pump to put into the big water jugs.  This way we don't have to keep refilling small bottles that take up valuable refrigerator space.  The extra large water bottles here (shown below) cost $6 maybe.  No luck with the grills though.  There were only floor models, and those grills seemed to be missing a few screws (wobbly).

This is the $5 pump.

We did not buy the $200 cooler.  First, a grill!

Clyde had told us there was an El Machetazo in La Chorrera.  We thought we would stop there on the way back to Chame.  But first, Ray had a craving.  "Yo Quiero Taco Bell"  What?  We have been to Taco Bell in the States MAYBE five times (okay, this is the number for me at least).  He wanted a burrito.  I right away questioned the meat, since Panama isn't known for the beef here (unless it is cooked for a very long time or imported).  The fast food restaurant opened at 11:00.  It was 11:10.  Two cashiers were behind the counter.  One was loading her pan with dollars and cents, and the other one was watching her.  There was a man ahead of us in line.  The electronic signs with the menu were not turned on yet.  A few minutes pass, and the one girl watching the other girl realizes the signs need to be turned on so we can decide what to order.  She turns the signs on.  At 11:20 we are now allowed to place our order.  In our perfect Spanish.  We figure out everything except the word "nor-mal" (pronounced nor-MAL as in the mal in mallowmars, and the emphasis is on MAL--only thing I can think of now).  Silly us.  And the word "regular" is the same only with a rolled "r" at the start.  We make things so difficult on ourselves.  The burrito came with fritos on it as well as a side of, yes, french fries.  Ray got his fix, and only 20 minutes after our arrival to the "fast food" restaurant. 

At the El Machetazo in La Chorerra, the only grill to be found was a George Foreman grill.  We did find that Pringles potato chips were on sale "buy one, get one free".  How they do this here is they tape both cans together.  Or if it is cookies, they tape both bags together.  This way you only have to pick up one item, and one item gets scanned (unlike in the States where you pick up one can, and then the other, and you just know that one is "free").  The cost was $3.50 for both (nor-MAL is $2.30 or so for one can).  The other draw was the unusual flavor of Chili Jalapeno.  Again, in the States I never reached for chips unless baked, wheat or loaded with flaxseed.  Maybe psychologically, I think it is comforting to have these foods in my cabinet.  Maybe I just like knowing these things are available.  

We then went back to our local El Machetazo to look at the grills again.  This time we told the boy the reason we did not want the floor model.  It wouldn't fit in the car.  It was too tall.  His "jefe" (boss) named Aida came over and asked what the trouble was with the grill.  We explained to her we needed it to be in a box, so it would fit in the car.  I was pulling pieces out of her Spanish slowly.  Slowly.  She asked where we lived.  Once we all understood everything, we had a grill being delivered to our house!  We told the driver where we lived, three men (along with the guard at the store) loaded the grill into the pickup truck, and the employee followed us to the house.  No tools necessary, and today Clyde came over to help Ray switch out the connectors and hose to the gas, so it would fit Tropigas brand of propane instead of another kind that is more expensive.  To refill the tank, it will cost less than $6 to fill it.  

Loading the grill into the pick up truck.

New grill and Tropigas tank next to Propane tank.

Today was a super busy day of our Spanish lesson at EIGHT am (!), we took our Amazon Fire back to have it figured out (it isn't working correctly even with the internet speed we have, and this was verified in the store today), picked up my blood test results, dropped off the results at the doctor's office, bumped into the doctor and told him I wasn't pleased (gave him time to look over results), back to Novey for a chain for the grill and gas tank, and then to the realtor to discuss housing options.  And finally, we made it back to the gym where the electricity was out.  We used the machines and called it a day.  There wasn't anymore we could do there.

So once again I opened up Pandora's box by having blood work done upon my arrival to Panama.  I wanted this done because 1) it was time, 2) things had run high two years ago (and I didn't return to have rechecked) and 3) it was inexpensive to do and would give me baseline. Thank you to my mom, my uncle (her brother) and my Poppop (her dad) for those remarkable genes.  Looks like I will be on cholesterol meds for the next three months.  "Too high for you" is what the doctor told me on the phone.  How did it happen that I talked to him on the phone?  Well, earlier today I picked up the results from my exam that I had done two weeks ago and dropped off blood work results.  The receptionist told me all was "nor-MAL" with my lab results from that doctor's visit.  She told me the doctor would call me once he reviewed these new results.  Instead, she called me.  She insists on calling and speaking her language.  Imagine that.  But from what I understood, I was to pick up a prescription today for my cholesterol.  We agreed on a time I would return for the prescription, but I still wanted to chat with the doctor.  I didn't know how long to take the meds, did I really have to take the meds, etc.  When I went in to get the prescription, she then called the doctor.  This is when he said "Allison, cholesterol."  Pause.  "Too high for you!"  He said "you take one pill a day for three months, and then appointment with me to recheck".  Yes sir.  Then he said an odd and horrifying thing.  "No wine.  No coke."  Okay, I thought wine was helpful with heart disease.  Right?  Well, after a little research (like I always do) I read that while wine might protect the artery walls, alcohol (any) can increase the triglycerides.  I don't know about Coke or soda though.  The caffeine?  No.  Now that I think about it, I am thinking he said to drink wine and have cocoa. Dark chocolate.  Maybe he didn't really say "coke"?  Maybe he said "more wine and cocoa"?  Again, these hearing aids aren't doing the trick in translating for me.  He does speak English, but there is definitely a gap there in my understanding his English.  I think the next time I see his truck parked in the parking lot, I am going to run in and ask.  I just want to do the right thing.  haha  And yes, I will follow the rules.  El Machetazo discounts prescriptions 17% on Fridays.  (The Jubilado Discount is 10%).  

The best part is as we were leaving the doctor's office (I made Ray go in with me this time to see if he could pull out some words she was saying to me and maybe understand a few more words), the receptionist hands me my results to file away (they kept a copy of the lab results, but the blood work results is given right back to me) and she says "high cholesterol" IN PERFECT English with a big smile.  I looked at her, laughed with her and said "yes I know, and thank you very much" in my PERFECT Spanish (this I do know how to say).  It reminded me of Mama Jita on Isla Caña the other day speaking VERY slowly for us and kidding with us--the Panamanians are super kind and friendly, and they want to practice English--even it if means practicing by joking and teasing this very confused gringa.  Ray is learning he has more than what he bargained for when it comes to being responsible for me here in Panama, and we are both learning "practica, practica, practica"  again muddling our way through this thing called retirement.