WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?

I remember asking expats before retiring to Panama along with people asking me before I packed up and moved here, what it is that most retired people do all day.  And this past Wednesday I was asked again this question by someone vacationing here and thinking of retirement destinations in a few years.  Time just goes, but everyday is pretty full and fulfilling.  I can attest to that.  And if it is a quiet day now and then, I have to learn to embrace that as well.  Mostly plans are made day to day (not normal for me) unless traveling to another part of the country or to a completely different country for that matter!

Along with adopting a room at House of Hope this past week, Ray and I have stayed pretty busy running around Panama.  First thing we tried to do last week was enjoy a beach day at Punta Barco with Greg and Thea.  Instead of packing a cooler and taking it to Santa Clara for the afternoon, we met them for lunch at Machetazo Cafe and loaded our bellies up with a three dollar/person meal.  We decided to stay more local and drove less than fifteen minutes to Punta Barco beach.  We wanted to try out our new beach umbrellas and chairs.  We set ourselves up really close to the water. Greg remembered to ask about the tide.  I, looking at the tide calendar on my Iphone 4S without my reading glasses, told the group that high tide was happening then.  1:30 or so.  Perfect.  We, in the course of two hours, moved our chairs back away from the water at least five times, if not ten.  High tide was at 4:30, not 1:30.  It was the glare on the phone, I'm sure.

New beach chairs and umbrella

The man standing far away on the beach is where we were sitting, until high tide rolled in.

Foregoing that evening's happy hour (shocker), Ray and I studied for Spanish.  We are just that good of students.  Thursday was a busy day starting off with Spanish (by the way, our teacher is wonderful and patient, she has a very friendly and kind husband, a National police officer, and a new beautiful puppy), and the day ended with us realizing that Bluwater Bistro not only has fabulous pork chops and entrees inside the building, but the best ever burgers that can be ordered and eaten up on the deck outside (according to those that eat hamburgers).  We enjoyed a lot of conversation with a great many people that night, and Friday came along with car ownership responsibilities that Ray took care of while I slept in...until seven.  Ray had made this appointment in Spanish on the phone earlier in the week,  When he arrived at the Nissan dealership, they weren't aware of his appointment.  He was third in line for a seven am appointment that they did find scheduled after all.  He was told the car would be ready by noon.  They tell him this often, and it is better to tell us we will be somewhere for many hours and then surprise us by finishing earlier, then the other way around, I think.  Since I was without a car, and I knew I would be too lazy at one pm to then drive to the gym, I decided to walk around my neighborhood.  Because I was too lazy to get out of bed and lock the gate at the front entrance behind me and keep the keys, there wasn't a way to lock the door when I left the house.  So I did the next best thing and simply propped a broom against the inside of the door (this way I would know there had been an intruder) and let's not forget the great idea of propping the trash can just so up against the front door on the outside, so I could tell if that had been disturbed by an intruder.  First, the trash hasn't been picked up in about three weeks (oh well, we just us a big trash can and sturdy bags and more bags--this is Panama), what intruders walk around at eight am (they would wait until nine here in Panama), and I do have Gus next door.  He was not awake though.  Okay, back to my walk and my secured house.  I saw a lot of cars in the neighborhood that morning.  And roofers working on the roof.  I walked circles, and more circles listening to the radio on my Iphone.  I was listening to a radio station from the DC area.  First, I listened to and caught up on the music I had been missing, and then I listened to the "one two punch of a snowstorm" that was going to arrive in the northeast over the weekend and into Monday.  Love that TuneIn app!  And IHeart Radio is just as fantastic!  

***This just in...trash was picked up today!***

Once back safe in the house, Ray messaged me that the car was done.  Before leaving, he had had a chance to walk around the new Super 99 grocery store that recently opened next to the dealership.  He found the large size tub of Jif peanut butter.  And it wasn't a bad price either at a little under six dollars for one tub.  (We buy two large containers for eight dollars at Costco in VA.  And we brought four of these back with us when we returned from VA this past month.)  Hooked on a book now, the rest of the day was spent reading and before we knew it, it was Happy Hour at Trypp Hotel.  The band that had played the week before was playing again (so good but loud if you stand too close!), and once again, Ray and I were introduced to new visitors/vacationers and possibly Panama retirees.  We had decided in advance to have dinner at a new "restaurant and dive bar" in Coronado.  Very friendly service, and two out of four meals were very good.  I will leave that as my review.

Since I blogged about House of Hope separately, I will just write here that Saturday was a very good day spent with Thea and MC.  Ray had the day to himself.  We spent time on the phone (face time) with our daughter and decided to forego night time events to stay in and watch the movie "Selma".  A quiet end to an eventful Saturday.  Friday night while at the Trypp Happy Hour, Thea had heard about an art class that was being held on Sunday.  Painting with wine and brunch.  I saw nothing wrong with that, so on Sunday I gave Ray a little bit more alone time and off I went to find this beautiful house in the Coronado Equestrian Center.  What was to be a two hour art event of eight women I knew only a little, with painting roof tiles to look like molas, turned into an entertaining three hours with wonderful ladies.  I was very concerned that my anal retentiveness and lack of any artistic bone in my body would set me back here, but I was quite surprised that once I copied a fish (sort of looks like a fish on my tile) off of the picture on the Ipad being held, I could draw anything or color anything.  Brunch and wine were very good, but the conversation and chatter among the women was much better.  Another good time out with women that also live in Panama permanently.  

Almost finished.  Needs holes drilled and varnished.

With "Downton Abbey" being stored on our Amazon Fires, Thea and I made the executive decision after painting to catch up on television Sunday night.  Ray and I picked up some pizzas and gelato and made our way to Coronado Bay to watch a few episodes at Greg and Thea's condo (Greg had sports he could watch, but Ray would be right there with us catching up on the show!).  But even better than that show, we had an idea instead to watch "Romancing the Stone", since we are leaving for Cartagena, Colombia in a few days!  Greg lost $4.99 that "I will never get back" while Ray lost "two hours of my time I will never get back".  It was a fun movie to watch to prepare us for seeing the Old City.

Not having enough of House of Hope, Thea drove us to Penonome on Monday morning.  It was our goal to rummage through and possibly organize the back bedroom that is being used as a "deposito" of sorts.  We stopped by Five Star Academy to pick up the keys to the house from MC, since the two girls that live in the house would be in school while we were rummaging and organizing.  We wanted to see what we would be able to use for our room we had adopted, or what things the house could also use.  For five hours, we sorted, cleaned, cleared and rummaged.  We were ready to go.  We tried to straighten out a few things here and there, and we pulled our ideas for our room together.  We left full of hope for MC, Skye, and all those involved with Woody's House of Hope!  

This is the back bedroom being used to store donations.  

This is once Thea and I found the futon under all of the donated bedding (on the right), and we tried to make sense of some piles.  Donations are greatly appreciated, we just wanted to see what it all was in those totes and boxes!

This is the main dining area of the house.

Kitchen sink area and pantry.  (I hope they get a new faucet someday).  

Cooking area and storage area.

With Monday behind us and plans made for future visits to Woody's, it only seemed obvious that we take a road trip of some sort, since we haven't been away from our neighborhood enough this past month.  On Tuesday, we hit the road, and Driver Marvin took Greg, Thea and I to Gatun Locks. Years ago, Greg and Thea went through the Panama Canal on a cruise ship.  They had not been to the locks as a visitor.  They were just as amazed as we were with the expansive locks in all its glory.  We caught the last ship riding through from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but there were many more on the other side heading to the Atlantic.  The ships are so close and for $5, this is a fantastic option rather than being with the crowds at Miraflores.  We hit the road just as the four bus loads of cruisers arrived to see a whole lot of nothing at that moment.  So great that we timed it just right!  

Newest locks to be installed someday soon.  Huge.

Come on through!

Opening up to allow the ship to enter to the next set of locks.

The little locomotive on the right helps guide it along. 

An idea to eat at the Expansion Locks went by the wayside, because the cook for the restaurant had been in an accident and wasn't going to be at work for the day.  And the snack bar area was closed, too.  Also, this center is $15 if not a resident or having Jubilado discount (FYI).  Instead we drove over to Shelter Bay Marina and watched the men clean, paint and repair the catamarans and yachts.  We had a very good lunch and, for it being the only real place to eat in the area, the prices were very reasonable with an extensive menu.  It is also a hotel.  The only downfall was that service is slow.  Oh that's right, we are in Panama.  

Boats at the Marina.

We continued the day and drove Greg and Thea through the town of Colón.  It was agreed that a drive through of the city is good to do so as to see the other areas in Panama.

Reminds me of Bocas del Toro, Panama

Good laughs.  Picture looks like a painting.

Pretty decent looking apartment building

Church with Christmas decorations.
Green space all through the center of the highway up the strip.

One of my ideas for this road trip about a week or two ago was to stay at the Bala Beach Resort in Portobelo, Panama.  It is actually in Maria Chiquita, seven kms from Portobelo.  But I wanted to be spontaneous and not really knowing what the day would be like, while we packed a bag and threw in our beach chairs, we decided to "wing it" when it came to reserving a room at a hotel.  Spontaneity didn't really work in our favor, because while the resort is open (it is a resort that has condominiums rather than hotel rooms), Ray managed to understand the guard when he told Ray that the person that would give us a room works from 8-4.  It was 4:45, so we wouldn't be able to go to the resort.  Much less stay there.  The orange cone and the guard stood in our way.  There goes spontaneity.  

The cone, the gate, and the resort up ahead.

So we drove to Portobelo (Greg and Thea had not been to this city), and I had told them when researching Portobelo, I knew there was a hotel that we could check out along the way.  I knew the name of the hotel and location (Octopus Garden Hotel and Dive Resort) and that it was #2 rated, just behind Bala Beach Resort, on TripAdvisor.  I also had read the reviews, and most of the reviews were not good.  There are eight hotels in Portobelo, and there are seven hotels I would not stay in with this being one of them.  Again, I do not need to stay at a $300/night resort, but I also do not want to sped $55/night for what we saw when we looked at the room we would be occupying.  We walked up to the empty bar and restaurant, looked out onto the water, saw rocks without a beach (good for taking a boat out on a snorkeling excursion, I imagine, or for divers), and the man behind the bar gave us a tour of the room.  It was unclean, unkempt and had an odor in the bathroom. No thanks.  There are many reasons people choose to stay here (it has a great reef, so snorkeling and diving is supposedly good), but the four of us decided to move along and figure something else out for the night.  Perhaps we will start packing hammocks in the car instead of beach chairs.  We drove to Fort San Lorenzo and walked around, and we showed Greg and Thea the El Cristo Negro (Black Christ) in the Black Christ Church. I have blogged about this in the past (one year ago), so I will leave details out.  It looked the same.

Portobelo, Panama

 Fort San Lorenzo (looked like styrofoam)

Our driver takes a break.

The Black Christ

Inside the church with the Black Christ on the left

Black Church Christ

The town of Portobelo

Policeman helping move a sloth along the branch.

The sloth.

Four Points Sheraton 

 Not wanting to drive back to Chame, not wanting to spend close to $300 for the night at Gamboa Rainforest Resort (even I have my limits), and not being able to stay at Bala Beach Resort, I had one more idea.  An Oferta Simple coupon (like Groupon in the US) had popped up a few weeks ago for the Four Points Sheraton in Colon.  The four of us in the group had all seen the Oferta (it was all inclusive but only for Friday and Saturday nights), but while it wasn't anything that interested us for a night away with all meals and swimming in Colón, Panama, we all had seen the hotel and thought it might not be a bad third option to put our heads on a pillow there for the night.  Driver Marvin then drove us back to the Sheraton after securing two rooms for $90 at the hotel (Jubilado discount).  I still can't believe that I live in Panama, and we stayed in a hotel next to the Free Trade Zone in Colón, Panama.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colón_Free_Trade_Zone  This is considered the "trading showcase" in Central America.  There are more than 1,700 companies with over 250,000 annual visitors buying goods and products.  There isn't any tax.  Once products are bought, they cannot leave the complex.  They get packed up and sent to the airport, or put on the ships to be exported out.  The everyday lay person (me) that wants to shop here cannot buy products here.  They search cars and taxis apparently ensuring that people aren't leaving the premises with goods.  This is a free port here on the Atlantic Side, and it is the second largest port in the world.  The Free Trade Zone also re-exports merchandise to the Caribbean and Latin America.

Looking out at the port from our 15th floor window

Many warehouses one after the other.

 The Sheraton has a very good restaurant with fair prices (for it being in a hotel, I was surprised), so we ate our dinner there, and Greg secured our Cinnabon crave.  (This hotel is near many comfort fast food restaurants, bake shops and ice cream places).  We then ventured away from the hotel to enjoy our Cinnabon cinnamon buns with some Dairy Queen ice cream.  Whoever wrote or said that they speak English in Panama, or you don't really need to know in Spanish was not telling the truth.  We muddled our way through getting Ray his usual Peanut Buster Parfait, no hot fudge or nuts simply all peanut butter, sundae.  They do not have peanut butter sauce here, but they laid on the thick with creamy Jif peanut butter just as he would have made in his own kitchen.

Another big day followed this past Tuesday with Driver Ray showing Greg and Thea Gamboa Rainforest.  An Oferta Simple Coupon just popped up that morning.  The discounted rate, though, was $179/night to include three meals, alcohol, swimming and bikes wasn't to start for a few days. (remember this was $300 the day before with only breakfast).  But it was an idea to, at some point, buy this Oferta to use at a later date.  But we had other ideas.  While walking the grounds of this very nice resort (there are some areas that need a little touching up here and there and maintenance), we decided to see a room for our future stay.  But when we were told the hotel was 30% full that night, we asked the manager if she would honor the Oferta four days sooner than the start date.  No.  We discussed the hotel being 70% empty.  No.  So off we went to the final destination of seeing monkeys!  Along a path, some birdwatchers had seen howler monkeys "20 meters ahead on the left".  They were gone.  We did see a pretty bird through a telescopic lens (we borrowed the camera for a quick peek), and a dead blue butterfly on the tour guides palm.  We also saw many live fluttering blue butterflies.   Again, I wrote about this one year ago also and posted pictures in that post.

The bridge to cross over to get to Gamboa Resort

Looking out at the pool grounds in the hotel lobby.

The hotel rooms all overlook the pool and the Chagres River.

Ray and Greg walking in search of...

The pretty, but no longer living, blue butterfly.

The one way bridge we drove over to get to the resort.

So here we are back in Chame.  We stopped at Westland Mall to shop for our room at Woody's House of Hope.  Thea and I found bedding for the room, and all that was needed was a can of paint.  That night at Picasso's, Ray and I met new vacationers that were a wealth of information for Cartagena and more!  We also met up with another couple that leaves in a week, and eight of us then enjoyed dinner at Gourmet Pizza.  Four more joined us later.  Thursday came along with the gym, paint buying, shopping more for "the room at Woody's" and before you know it, it's time to head to Bahia for Happy Hour.  Our recently met friends along with Greg and Thea then traveled to Cholo's for dinner.  THE Mexican restaurant in the area.  Ray was willing to give it another try.  He had been disappointed in his meal the first and only time we had been there.  Last night all meals were fantastic.  Service was very good.  Except for when we were told by the waiter "this sauce is chipotle/mild, and this one is habanero/hot".  He had it backwards, and I didn't realize that until I dumped a bunch of the super hot sauce on my fajitas!  I was on fire!  Other than that, the margaritas are outstanding as are the fish tacos!  We will definitely go back to Cholo's!  After face timing with our daughter and catching up, it was to bed for me!  An early day today had Thea and I painting for three hours at House of Hope. And chatting with MC when she returned from work.  We are 80% done with painting.  We ran out of paint.  Figures.  Off we go, back tomorrow to finish up the room.  Inspired.

ONE MORE THING THOUGH--The BEST part of the day happened for Ray today!  Our shipment came from Virginia!  WOW!  We now have our margarita machine haha and our Dyson Vacuum Cleaner.  And spices!  I don't know what else is in the boxes.  I am too tired to look at them.  I will unpack them much later!  I did see the box of some board games!  And Ray put together the ox cart, which my dad purchased in Costa Rica. He set out his grandmother's butter churner.  It's all just so good here in Panama today.  Excited.  Tired.  All in a great way!

Dad would be so happy!

More STUFF!

And for Ray!

WANTED AND NEEDED: VOLUNTEERS/DONATIONS FOR WOODY'S HOUSE OF HOPE

Most people believe that there is usually good that will come about with tragedy.  Two weeks ago, Ray and I were stunned and saddened to hear of the death of a wonderful lady in the Coronado expat community.  Kimberly, along with her husband, Mike, were one of the first couples we met when we moved here last August.  Kimberly, as I wrote before, organized Girls Night Out for expat women to meet and mingle from the Coronado and surrounding areas.  Skye Wikjord lived in Kimberly's condominium building in Coronado and was the coordinator for last weeks GNO event.   Through emails about GNO, Skye wrote about the "JLMChristianFoundation, Kimberly having a room named after her", even to have "a house named after her", and she wrote about the Missionary, Marie Claire.  Through our curiosity and clicking on the links included in the GNO emails, Thea and I became more aware and interested in this foundation.  We only just met Skye within the last two weeks, and this is how we learned about Woody's House of Hope.   (MC is the Founder of the foundation, and Skye is the President.  They have been friends for over a year.)

 Sitting on the mountain side of the InterAmerican Highway in Penonome, Panama is an inconspicuous house called Woody's House of Hope.   Many expats in the Coronado area know that Woody and his wife, Monique, once owned Woody's Bar in Farallón, Panama.  Woody and Monique would bus children to his restaurant from the local orphanages and treat them to meals and a day at the beach.  Marie Claire Beauvil, a Missionary in Panama since 2009, and also a full time teacher at Five Star Academy, met Woody and Monique through the orphanage.  Within the past two years, she found a house to rent with the hopes of housing twenty young women that grew up in the mountains and lived in the orphanages for schooling.  The Panamanian government controls and subsidizes these orphanages (there are many orphanages here educating children that live in the mountains when school is not in session), but once the girls graduate at the age of seventeen, they then move out and either move back to their homes in the mountains or live on their own trying to support themselves barring the chance to further their education.   MC created Woody's House of Hope so that once this education is complete at the orphanage, they would then move into House of Hope and attend the nearby college.  She named the charity, and the house after Woody.    This she has she done all the while maintaining the JLMChristianFoundation in the US as well as in Panama.

http://jlmchristianfoundation.org/panama.html  This foundation is 100% volunteer based.

Jesus Loves Me (JLM) Christian foundation is dedicated to strong Christian character and excellence education by providing a caring community where students are educated to think biblically, serve effectively and lead Christ-centered lives.  

Keeping this post about Woody's House of Hope (and the short version!), Thea and I took a drive to Woody's House of Hope last Saturday.  We wanted to meet this wonderful women we had heard so much about from Skye Wikjord and hear about the foundation from MC herself. She gave us a tour of the home, gave us her story and we talked for four hours (imagine that).  We also met two of the girls currently residing full time in the house.  It was then that Thea and I decided we wanted to take part in adopting a room.  MC and Skye are in need of volunteers. The house is a fifty minute drive from the entrance to Coronado.  Whether it is one person or several persons getting together and adopting a room in the house, the responsibility lies in getting that room ready for these young women to move in and live in for the next five years.  There is also a list of items that the house along with these girls are in need of as of today.  MC just completed, yesterday, the biggest task of obtaining the 501c3 exempt so that she may receive any amount of a donation from contributors.  Two girls are moving into the house this Saturday with their room being completed by another "adopter".

The purpose of this post is to help spread the word about this amazing foundation and to encourage others to give time (not necessarily money, but that works too!) helping MC  with this cause for at risk young women.

Below are before pictures of the room Thea and I adopted.  I am also listing the items that are in need today.  There is a large donation box in Picasso restaurant and donations are collected Wednesdays during Happy Hour.  The box can be found in the hallway next to the woman's bathroom.
***PLEASE go right to the box and drop off anything from the list (please do not stop the staff to ask them about the box as it is labeled clearly)

Monetary donations can be made through the website.  School starts in March, so school supplies are needed.  And please donate gently used clothes that you would want your daughter to wear to school.  

The back part of the room that we have adopted.

The wardrobe area.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Marble notebook 

Notebook divided with subjects

Pencils

Pens

Permanent markers

Colored pencils

Makers

Line papers

Erasers 

Sharpeners 

Printing paper

Tall kitchen size trash can

Trash bags for this trash can

Large Garden/Yard size black trash bags

Rubbermaid style totes and bins—large 

Clear bins for storing incidentals

Feminine pads 

Toilet paper

Paper towels

Ant control/Pest control items

Shower caddy 

Paper towel holder

Non-perishable food

Towel bars for back of doors (for bedrooms)

Laundry detergent

Bathroom cleaning supplies

Kitchen bin storage containers

ARE YOU LEAVING AREA?  ARE YOU GOING ON EXTENDED VACATION?  Care to donate your food that will go to waste?  

It is our hope, though, that more people will read this post, check out the website, talk to all of the volunteers, and then want to drive to the house to check it out like Thea and I did last Saturday.  And then adopt a room, or adopt a girl (this is to come!). The sky's the limit in what can get accomplished as word gets out, and with my voice, I hope to spread the word a little each day...here in this thing I call retirement.

Find House of Hope on facebook and like it!  JLM House of Hope Panama
Email to volunteer or go to website for more information:  jlmchristianfoundation.org OR houseofhopepanama@gmail.com

GETTING CROWNED IN CORONADO

Here's to having another positive dental experience in Panama with Dr. Wong who practices in the Coronado Plaza.  There are four dentists (I believe one is an orthodontist) in Clinica Dental Coronado http://www.coronado-bay.com/poi/clinica-dental-coronado.html which looks like it is on the second floor of the plaza, but it is really considered First Floor, #14.  The ground floor is called Planta Baja which is what I would consider just the first floor.  Well, Dr. Wong remembered me from the time I walked in with my veneer in a ziplock bag and he re-cemented it for me all the while recommending a crown in the future.  Yesterday, a few minutes before my appointment time of one pm, Dr. Wong walked through the front door of the office (I am used to dentists and employees slipping in side or back doors).  He was carrying to go bags of lunch.  He dropped off his lunch bags at the back of the office, and then he approached me to tell me that he had had only five minutes of lunchtime, so he was going to just grab a quick bite and would bring me right back.  I appreciated the time he took in telling me this, and also that he came out to tell me.  I also wanted him on a full stomach and happy, not grumpy, when he was treating me.  This is what I remember most about working for a dentist in the US:

The dentist works through lunch everyday.  The same two dental assistants have to then split up their lunch time.  Everyday the dental assistants don't enjoy the lunch hour together.  Everyday the patients are kept waiting for their appointment times thirty minutes to one hour plus (and they waited!).  Everyday the dentist runs through lunch time.  If there is a continuing education meeting planned or staff meeting planned, that is definitely a day that there will be not be a lunch hour for the dental assistants.  And with running behind, the patients weren't really ever told to come in later, reschedule or what was going on with their appointment time.  Pretty much sums it up for most lunch hours in an office I worked in, and while it didn't affect my lunch hour, it did affect the mood of the office.  

A few minutes after one pm, I was seated in the bright orange chair.  There wasn't a kitten to be seen in this operatory.  Dr. Wong came in and agreed with me (not Ray) in that while the composite veneer that was done by the dentist in Bejuco on emergency "I swallowed my veneer and am going on vacation tomorrow" basis was very good, an accident could happen again and that composite could break, and it wouldn't necessarily be a clean break.  He then confirmed the fee that he told me last August, and he proceeded to give me anesthesia.  He allowed the topical gel to sit on my tissue for several minutes, and then he dispensed the anesthesia slowly. 

 Lesson in dental anesthesia coming up here--it is not the feeling of the injection that causes the most soreness and pain (contrary to popular belief), but it is the pressure and the volume of the fluids being dispensed that cause the pain and burning feeling and also soreness later on the day. 

I told him he did a beautiful job!  No pain at all.  He prepped my tooth for the crown (the lab had already made my temporary crown, since an impression was taken a little more than one week ago), and then he excused himself to check the water.  He kept calling out "Luz, agua", and the rest I hadn't a clue as to what he was saying to his assistant.  It seems the handpiece was lacking water.  I was paying attention just a little bit at this point in my relaxed state, and I couldn't really tell.  He then moved me to the pretty blue chair.  It was then I could tell that the handpiece wasn't allowing enough water to flow out.  He didn't have an assistant.  He would call her name every so often, but he never had anyone on his left hand side.  He was very proficient, and he hummed a little.  The same procedure went forth as in my office except the part about the lab making the temporary crown (this was a case by case basis in the offices I had worked in).  Bluish-purple impression material, the same gun used to squirt the material around my tooth, biting on wax to show my bite, and then cementing my temporary crown were all part of the procedure.   He and the assistant also double checked the shade together.  I kept hearing the word "blanco".   The appointment time took one hour and fifteen minutes.  The one thing I do notice here in Panama is they don't seem to give too many breaks to rest the jaw!  I was again open a very long time with very few chances to close.  And once again, I was happy that I knew the procedure, and I was comfortable and relaxed in the dental chair.  I was almost asleep.  I will be called in seven to ten days when my permanent crown is delivered to the office, and no money was exchanged at the appointment.  I am to pay at my final visit.

My impression with temporary crown there with the same set up as in the US.

Once my dental visit was over, I enjoyed being numb for about one more hour, if that.  I was happy he only anesthetized my bottom front six teeth and not the whole left side of my jaw.  I had Girls Night Out to attend and didn't want to drool over my Sangria.  I never really got to the Sangria though, because while walking with Thea and two other friends to the pool, my thermos was bumping my hip along the way making a great mess.  I didn't need to drool to make a mess afterall.  Never mind that though, GNO was another success with meeting a few new women, but mostly reconnecting with some women I don't see too often.  We were there in celebration of the woman that started the event a few years ago.  She passed away suddenly last week.  She was too young (53 years old) and too much of a presence to be gone from us so soon.  She was one of our first friend's here, and I was hoping to get to know her more.  She was always cheerful and so inviting with us in conversation.  She always asked about us and about our daughter.  She read this blog and would comment to me about what we had going on in our lives.  The event was held at her condominium building in Coronado, since this is where the first GNO party was held two and a half years ago.  There was also a celebration for her this past Sunday that her husband and children threw for the community.  This wonderful lady had her plans laid out a year ago with her husband as a  "just in case, this is what I would want to happen".  Ray and I checked in on her husband and met her children at the celebration.  It was good to see the community coming together donating the venue, food and everyone pitching in to contribute to the day and to charities.  

This past Sunday was also my daughter's birthday, so we facetimed in the morning.  She opened the present I had wrapped for her while home over the holidays, and we caught up on the weeks events.  Virginia has had some icy and rainy days, and she was able to sleep in a little more on the two hour delay days, and there was a day that the schools closed altogether.  She had a wonderful birthday weekend with her friends, and my sister took her out for her birthday dinner.  One year ago, Ray and I were establishing residency with our lawyer in Panama City.  On our daughter's birthday, we arrived back to Northern Virginia with our temporary residency card in hand.  To think of all that our daughter has accomplished in just this one year alone along with what we have accomplished, while no easy feats, they are great feelings of accomplishments to have behind us! 

Since out trip to Contadora, Ray and I enjoyed another meal at Bluwater Bistro with Greg, Thea and another couple that recently returned from a four month backpacking tour of Europe.  Thea made sure there would be four pork chop entrees waiting for us.  They were amazingly good again!  We also stopped by Picasso's to listen to a singer that sounded just like Frank Sinatra, and this past Friday night, we spent time at Hotel Trypp chatting with a Canadian couple that I met at the gym, comparing notes about houses we have seen for rent and to buy, and meeting another Canadian couple along the way.   We enjoyed great conversation with our realtor and were introduced to a few more people.  We did not partake in karaoke, but there are quite a few talented singers in this community.

We also spent another day in the city with Greg and Thea running errands, shopping again at PriceSmart (we decided there were things we didn't buy last week but now we "needed"), trying out the burgers at Rockburger (nope, not me), shopping at the huge Riba Smith grocery store in an area of Panama City called Costa del Este and buying all five of the bottles of poppyseed dressing there.  I needed two bottles for my salad recipe that I was making for Girls Night Out, our Riba Smith no longer carries the dressing, so I did the best thing I knew to do--buy all the bottles I could at one time.  Just like with the hair color at Arrocha.  I bought two boxes while there, because they had the color I liked and I saved close to $5 buying it there and not in the grocery store here.  Have to save a little here and play more there.  And the best part of Saturday was that while I needed to just have my bangs trimmed, Thea also applied the color to my hair for me while I enjoyed the amazing view from her balcony.  And I could watch her mix up this product (we translated the directions from Spanish to English, and it was all normal to her, since this was her field for over twenty years with Redken), so I know what specifically to do with this brand the next time.  And there is an Italian hairdresser I am hearing great things about with the cut, shampoo, and blow dry being $25-35.  Eventually, I will have him cut my whole head of hair.  I can bypass Wandita's the next time as suggested by my stylist in Virginia.  

With our Amazon Fire, Ray and I watched the movies "12 Years A Slave" and "Wild".  While testing out Thea's amazing pressure cooker once again and enjoying dinner at their condo, we watched "American Sniper".  Fantastic that we can see the same movies that are playing today in the US here in our family room in Panama!  Back to the gym for me this week, and today, we are off to the beach!  First stop to Machetazo Cafe to load up "to go" boxes of lunch.  Now that we have tried out the pressure cooker again, and we have used our new Swirlio (another item we felt we "needed" from PriceSmart the other day) to make frozen desserts, it's time to test out our new beach umbrellas and backpack chairs.  The lazy days of summer in Panama.  Okay, lazy days in general in this thing called retirement.  

MORE LAZY DAYS IN CONTADORA

For the next three mornings in Contadora, the four of us enjoyed deck time looking out at the Gulf of the Pacific.  John's shop offered chocolate croissants two out of three mornings, otherwise, a plain croissant had to suffice.  Thea and I chose to start our mornings with banana oatmeal or eggs and toast.  On Monday, while at Playa Cacique, a couple approached me and asked me if I had found Playa de las Suecas (Nudist Beach).  I told them where my group thought the beach was, but I told them we only saw it from a cliff.   I wished them luck finding it.  On Tuesday after breakfast, the four of us found this beach.  It was like all of the others--empty and quiet.  The water was aquamarine.  We found it by taking our golf cart over a dirt road.  Another beach to explore, to pick up shells, navigate slippery rocks and peek into caves.

Here's the warning sign.

Gorgeous water, and white sand

We kept our clothes on, thank you very much.

An estuary

It is simply around the corner from Playa Larga, and there is also easy access up and over a rocky road from the beach at Playa Larga.

On Tuesday, we rented beach chairs from John ($5 for the day), and on this day, we lounged even more comfortably at Playa Larga.  Another beach to ourselves basically.   The fishing boats came in, and men were spearing red snapper.  Greg gathered and hunted our dinner for the night.  We paid $20 for freshly speared red snapper, and we secured a panga boat (small fishing boat).  We double checked with Ray to make sure the size, color, shape and feel of this boat was acceptable.  He saw that there were plenty of life jackets available, so on Wednesday we were to meet Jaime, our Captain, at noon so Greg could catch us Wednesday night's dinner.  Jaime quoted us $40 for two hours.  Plans were made to enjoy our red snapper first at any restaurant that would prepare it for us.

Ray way out there lounging.  Low tide brings us wide, sandy beaches.

Our red snapper being taken to the boat for cleaning up and filleting.

Beautiful color.  I hope he is tasty.

Getting filleted for us.

Once the fish was cleaned up, Greg and Ray hopped on the golf cart to get it onto ice in the refrigerator.  After a beach day was complete, we did a drive by first to Fonda Carlita's restaurant to see if she would prepare our fish for our dinner.  I had read good things about her restaurant, but she would not cook it for us.  We then stopped by Gerald's, and for $9/person, we would have red snapper for dinner along with patacones, french fries and bread.  The Chef, who went to culinary school in Kansas and spoke beautiful English, prepared the snapper perfectly!  Even Ray enjoyed it!  Gerald's was an easy walk from our villa, and it was an excellent first dinner there with our freshly caught fish and pitcher of Sangria.

At the end of the night, I should note that it was this night Ray beat me at cards!  Monday night there was a football game on on one computer and "Downton Abbey" was on the television.  Now that I have that straightened out...

On our final full day in Contadora, we had a fishing trip planned with Jaime.  Along the way to returning the golf cart, we met two couples that had just landed by helicopter (a shiny red one).  The one couple housesits on the island.  They have been there for three years.  Thea exchanged emails.  The other couple were friends visiting.  One man is a realtor, and the other is an aerial photographer.  We were then given the opportunity to use up some of their sky minutes to tour the islands, but we had a boat to catch.  This is how we found out the cost of the helicopter, the Hotel Contadora story, and so much more about the island.  

We met our Captain at Playa Larga, and within twenty minutes, Greg pulled in a tuna!  On our two hour tour, that turned into three (what else is new!) Jaime showed us Isla Pacheca while we tried to catch a few more fish.  Isla Pacheca is a haven for 8,000 birds nest (another thing right up Ray's alley here) and is three miles north of Contadora.  We also trolled around Pachequilla, Mogo Mogo and Isla Saboga.  On this island, there is a large resort called El Encanto with villas and residences surrounded by a rainforest.  I believe our Captain told us that Mogo Mogo was one of the islands used in the show "Survivor".  This show was filmed twice in the Pearl Islands.

Captain Jaime

Isla Pacheca (there are black dots above the island--birds)

Our dinner tonight

Statue of Mary on a rock

After two plus hours, we decided to call it a day with our one caught tuna.  We settled payment with our Captain, although there was a bit of confusion.  At the end of the day, we realized to always reiterate payment before boarding the boat.  He honored our payment and sailed away.  Thea and I then grabbed the snorkeling equipment that came with the villa and checked out the fish in Playa Galeon.  We also picked up more sea shells and made our way to The Point Resorts pool.  We floated (again, the only one's here), while Greg and Ray lounged on the deck at the villa.  That night we made our way back to Gerald's with unprepared tuna.  The Chef again said he would prepare and cook it for us.  We told him it would be an appetizer this time, and we ordered entrees of pizza, salads, and schnitzel.  We also ordered apple strudel (this is a German Seafood restaurant, by the way) that was never brought to the table.  The waitress seemed overwhelmed on this night.  And confused.  The bill was confused, too.  Once all things were straightened out, we went back to the villa to play Pass the Pigs and cards.  Ray again beat everyone.  We still had one more day with our friends.  He needs to learn to lose.  

On our final day in Contadora, we swam again in Playa Larga, lounged on the beach, and watched a large barge and boats unload supplies.  There were five golf carts and four pick up trucks on the beach packed up with boxes of food and Corona.

A large barge filled with chicken

This boat was full to the top with boxes of supplies

Greg weighs and measures his chicken

Tickets in hand, bags searched, and tendered out to Island Express 2, our trip was coming to a close.  Island Express 2 is non-airconditioned, but the breezes were wonderful.  The boat is also older and slower, so this trip took one hour and forty minutes.  Again, once we were closer to the city we saw barges, yachts with helicopters on them, catamarans, and large boats loaded with shipping containers.  

We made our way (a quick five minute walk) back to our car at the Country Inn, shopped at PriceMart, and just like that, our fabulous four day vacation was over.  And now we return back to this thing called retirement all the while planning our next adventure!  Stay tuned!

Steps to the beach from our villa.

Ray sits on the deck.

Playa Galeon

Biodiversity Museum against Panama's skyline

An interesting museum

Our deck on the right with the beach below.