FIRST VISIT TO PANAMA!

Our daughter came to visit us this past week!  It was her first trip to Panama.  When Ray and I have visited Panama in the past, she was in college. This past week was her spring break from teaching, and we were thrilled she was here with us!  Her sweet friend, co-worker and also a fifth grade teacher, Sarah, came along for a much needed break and some sunshine as well.  Those two things we knew we could give them!  It was way too short of a visit (our time together is always going to be too short for me), but it was enough to show her some of the country and why Ray and I chose to retire to Panama.

I have many images in my head of some of her expressions throughout the week,  but my favorite has to be the one of her arrival at the airport.  We had told her that once she and Sarah walked through Immigrations and put their luggage through the scanner, they should walk to the left, through the doors, and we would be there waiting on the other side of the door.  Their plane landed thirty minutes early, and I was watching the arrival of others from a different flight.  It was quiet.  I was expecting their luggage to take time getting on the belt and after just thinking to myself that it was still going to be a good fifteen or more minutes that I would be anxiously standing there waiting to see her (!), I looked up at the sliding doors, and there they were--pause--just standing there.  Poof!  There's my pretty girl looking at her friend and then out the door back at us--with a surprise look on both their faces.  What I found out later was that while they knew to walk through those doors, they had no idea they were doors.  They walked to the left side up to a solid, blurred pane of glass and then suddenly, the door slid open.  There we were on the other side.  Welcome to Panama!  Expect the unexpected!

The week was full of things we knew we would be able to show Carly and Sarah, and also things we were unprepared for with it being Holy Week, or Semana Santa.  This is the week that precedes Easter and started this past Sunday.  We made plans usually the night before, and we changed plans or added to them as the days went along.  Carly and Sarah had no expectations.  They went with the flow, and when we threw things their way, they went with it.  They were successful in landing summer jobs during a phone interview while on vacation, but that was it when it came to "work".

After settling into Casa Cuarenta in Chame on Saturday night, we enjoyed a late dinner of Italian and Greek food chased down with a pitcher of Sangria listening to classic rock and watching each other's eyelids droop at Picasso's (it was an early start and a long day even for twenty something year olds).  It was a loud band with my kind of music, but it wasn't loud enough to keep us going for very long.

The first full day of the girls vacation was spent in the mountains of El Valle.  This is where we always spoke mostly of when we were talking about moving and retiring to Panama.  Carly understands why we have chosen the beach area to settle rather than in the mountains.  She appreciates the beauty of this inhabited dormant volcano, El Valle, but she sees the amenities and conveniences we have living in Chame (and will still have when we move fifteen minutes west).

The following is all that we saw and all that we experienced together with Carly and Sarah in the week they were here vacationing and relaxing with us.

Artisan crafts at the market, suspension bridges, natural pools, butterflies, wild nature at Nispero zoo (the surprise of a coatimundi, we think, in the brush),

Tried to catch a picture of this from the brush below...he was hidden in the greenery below.

In the center,  there is a shy coatimundi (we think).

a mischievous kitten, Tito, lush and green grounds of our wonderful friend, Tonette's casita (so fantastic being able to introduce her to Carly and Sarah), and random fires burning in the distant mountains and right alongside the road (not necessarily being addressed by bomberos) were a few of the things we were able to show them their first full day in Panama.  Driver Ray managed to drive us through the thick of smoke passing a drunk driver drinking Balboa to safety of the InterAmerican Highway.  Okay, after the fire, drunk driver and curved hills coming off the mountain, the highway was feeling much more safe!

Eerie bird cages (Harry Potter?)

Turtles are just odd to me.

Feeding and staying still.

Walking the trail.

The Owl Butterfly

Endangered Golden Frog

Koi Pond

In the clouds of El Valle

The natural pool

Chilly water

Back at the Butterfly Haven with Morpho Blue on the bottom right of picture

Good luck.

Yikes.  Chatty Cathy,

Toucan.

Dipping our feet in the chilly water.

One of the rickety suspension bridges.

Sweet chick.

Taking a break in the haven.

This one is called Julia Roberts (long wingspan like her full, long lips apparently).

Fires ahead alongside the road.

The four of us

---enjoyed walking, reading and soaking up the sunshine at Punta Barco beach along with some walking, reading and soaking up sunshine at Coronado Bay beach and pool.

Punta Barco beach reading and relaxing.

A few people scattered on the beach at Coronado.

Low tide, black sand, quiet morning.

Looking west from the rooftop pool at Coronado Bay.

Fires in the distance looking east at Coronado Bay.

Me looking at Carly.

Pretty much have the place to ourselves.

Some tropical foliage

---played cards, drank wine and ate ice cream at night.  I tried my Swirly-O machine to make fresh fruit desserts.  I was impatient (what else is new especially when it comes to food and dessert) in allowing the frozen fruit to unfreeze a little, but in the end, the mango sorbet was tasty.

---enjoyed meals that were anything but Panamanian (we never made it to a fonda--oh, but we did have sausage sandwiches with pink sauce at El Pampero) in all our grunginess after a few hours at the beach.  We weren't vain, just hungry.  We still don't understand the sign, and the word Pampero seems to mean "squall".  Again, we don't understand.

---held hands with monkeys and allowed them to steal all of our grapes, because Ray and I were stupid for leaving the ziplock bag to sit unguarded for a few seconds.  The monkeys then left us and went to the jungle to throw a party for all of their relatives and friends.  We managed to save a few, and our tour guide had peanuts.  When we pulled up to the Jungle Island 3 boat that had seen us lose our grapes, one man jokingly asked, "Do you even have anymore grapes?"  We had ruined their fun, too. haha

It was most likely his big brother that was the thief.

He wants a grape.  He doesn't want to linger and hold hands.

She makes him hold her hand.

He is secretly laughing at us planning his move.

Furry thing sits on my lap.

More wildlife.

We really enjoyed the day!  Even if we were wet!

Bird. Ray's favorite.

---embraced cold rain in the Gamboa rainforest (okay, maybe embracing isn't the word for it) and realized there really isn't a house nearby.  The Captain of the boat broke his foot two days prior to our monkey tour.  Since he couldn't possibly get his foot wet (IF it rained), his grandson took us on the tour.  We were told there were raincoats available, and if it really started raining, there was a house nearby.  We left our towels and ponchos in the car.  We had even smartly applied sunscreen.  Never saw the house, or the raincoats.  But just to clarify, this boat tour was amazing.  And when in a rainforest in April, just expect rain.  Bring the gear.  And hang onto the darn grapes!

The girls took the most of the rain, since they were up front.   Gee, thanks.  Where's the damn house?

Working on the canal daily.

Passing a car carrier along the way.

---pictured what Colon could be if spruced up a bit (there is some talk of this by the current government).

Not loving trash anywhere we go.

The electrical lines amaze me (and this road is the least of my concerns)

All cars have the right of way.

The Caribbean coast

---indulged in the history of the Locks at Gatun.  (Ray noticed a catamaran that we saw two days earlier docked at Shelter Bay Marina pass us by while looking for monkeys on our tour in the canal waters.  What are the odds of that happening!)
Gatun was another surprise for us in a way.  We arrived by 10:30, and we saw that a ship had just sailed through on the side closest to us (headed to the Atlantic).  Another ship was also sailing towards the Atlantic on the farthest away side.  The tour guide that we have seen several times was not to be seen or heard that morning.  But soon a different tour guide came upstairs with a microphone and told us a ship would be coming in close to us, and once that ship passed, they would all be headed the opposite way towards the Pacific.  She spoke very fast even in English.  She told us the next ship was expected in twenty minutes.  But until then, small ships would be going through the locks.  Nope.  None of us saw any small ships approaching, and even the tour guide was confused.  She showed me the paperwork where it showed the times the ships would approach, the size, the type of ship and even what the Captain paid to enter the canal.  Things, according to her, were just going very slow that morning.  The tour guide mentioned that they were not timely.

We decided to mix it up a bit and left for lunch.  Ray could not find the tickets, so we had a new receipt printed out.  The girl at the register assured us we could walk back through after lunch.  She even followed us to our car and then signed her name on our receipt, and she told us to return by 3:30.  We ate lunch, and upon our return, the girl who had signed her name along with the tour guide remembered us.  We knew this, because they said, "oh, there you are, we remember you".  When we walked up the steps again to the observation area, there was nothing.  Oh wait, a ship was coming through and on our side.  Slowly, but surely.  We asked another tour guide many questions, since we were the only one's there at the time (the other group had already asked their share of questions).  When we left, the employees were smiling and happy that we had success in seeing a complete pass through that day.  And again, it is still amazing to me how these locks work out getting those ships up to sea level and out of there!  And I was told by Carly and Sarah (for future guests and visitors to Gatun), and I have to agree, that the best thing to wear is not a sundress, unless it is a long sundress.  It is very windy upstairs.  It is difficult to take pictures, while holding down a dress.  It is also hard keeping long hair out of the way (when in a picture) due to the high winds blowing upstairs.  On the plus side though is that the breeze is always appreciated and wonderful though.

A private tour

Getting our hair to blow just the right way.

Ship comes in

Carly not driving a mule.

Driving over the canal to Fort Sherman.

Seeing the ship off to the Atlantic.

---failed at shopping at the 13th largest mall in the world, Albrook, since it was closed (forgetting that Passover and Good Friday were the same day).

---found all the women's restroom stalls in Albrook Mall locked from the outside (so I couldn't get trapped in), and Carly explained to the men in her perfect Spanish why the women were wanting to use the men's restroom.  One woman had her small children go under the doors.  From my previous experience of being stuck in a stall at another mall, I noticed again that adults cannot climb under the walls of the stalls.

---found the movie theater open at the mall, but the stores and restaurants closed.  We could not enjoy caramel popcorn, because this movie theater does not sell caramel popcorn.

---shopped and also indulged in some history in Casco Viejo ending the day on the rooftop of Tántalo's Kitchen enjoying mojitos and then tapas!

Iglesia San Jose (Church of the Golden Altar)

Iglesia de la Campańia

Iglesia San Francisco de Asis

Can never get enough of this view.

Rooftop view from Tántalos 

Mojitos!

Just enough room to back up!

Go to this link for more information http://cascoviejo.com/attractions/ 

Playa Serena from the Bahia Complex (Gorgona)

---dined at one of the best restaurants in the area (Bluwater Bistro) enjoying more Sangria, Bam Bam Pork Chops, Chorizo and Coconut Crusted Corvina.

The four of us had such a great week.  (Bahia Complex)

---dined at another great restaurant and more Italian, Luna Rossa, on our last night together in Panama.  We wisely made reservations on the way back from the Monkey Tour knowing there would be an influx of people from the city on Maundy Thursday.  Carly left a message on the restaurant's answering machine in Spanish.  The message to us was to leave a message of what reservations we want to make, and she told the machine we would arrive at seven pm, and there would be four of us dining that night.  We sat in Holy Week traffic after eating more pizza and calzones (Italian) at Vieni Qua in Costa Verde.  We literally bumped into good friends along the way that were escaping the interior for a few hours.  We then arrived at Luna Rossa being Panamanian on time (twenty minutes late) after enjoying happy hour at Bahia to be told that all messages left on the machine that day had been lost, but we were seated right away, and yes, the restaurant was packed with vacationers.

---drank coffee.  Okay, not the four of us.  Just me and the girls.  I had someone to eat breakfast with and enjoy large mugs of Panamanian coffee with daily.  Sigh.

---went to our future home and showed Carly her future room.  It is almost done.  Another sigh.

---went to see our Spanish teacher.  Ray and I canceled our lesson for the week, since we didn't know where we would be on our lesson day, and we knew we wouldn't be good about studying our lesson.  We were able to introduce Carly and Sarah to our Spanish teacher and also to many of our friends here, because everywhere we went, someone was there.  And not just at happy hours.  But at breakfast, lunch, our Spanish teacher's house, dinner, Picasso's, okay happy hours, at the Butterfly Haven and El Valle.  And hopefully, Carly will meet many more as she continues to visit us here.

---bought more wine from El Rey grocery store.  Sarah wanted to treat us to some red.  I had stocked up on white and only had boxed red Clos wine (for Sangria, in my defense).  It was "pay for two but get three bottles".  While "pre-gaming" at the house before happy hour at Bahia, we realized when the cork disintegrated in the red bottle that you get what you pay for, and we lost a delicious bottle of red to broken down cork floating in the wine.  We moved onto white, and we seemed to manage with more Sangria, margaritas, Panama Breezes (created by Greg and named by Thea), and piña coladas.  Again, in my defense, this was over the course of seven hours!  While at Bahia, we met another couple that have found me through my blog.  Thank you for the Sangria!

---enjoyed Lebanese food and tried pineapple batidos, since Beirut restaurant in the city was open on our last day together.  I was happy we did get the girls to this restaurant.  It was not Italian.  We could do this instead of realizing it was Passover and Good Friday and all things would be closed except for let's say...the beach and pools.  But to make me feel better, they would have been very crowded!

With it being Good Friday yesterday, along with the mall being closed,  Ancon Hill was closed (we tried), the duty free shops at Amador Causeway were closed except for two souvenir stores, the view of the city closed off on one side with a barrier wall, and the casinos inside the hotels closed, sadly we knew the airport would not be closed.  A third sigh here.  Ray and I had to let our girl go back to Virginia to her life.  Her spring break and vacation was ending soon.  While she and Sarah chatted about their jobs as teachers only brief periods of time while on break (the work is never ending), they kept their work of grading papers stashed in their bags.  One thing they learned (always a learning lesson somewhere) on Good Friday, the day no alcohol is served (although I have read that hotels get around this at times) is that alcohol is sold in the airport.  On the other side of security though.  If you have a ticket, a destination, you can have a drink on Good Friday.

Random pictures of our week------

Seco--easily pourable.  

Santa Clara Beach

Red Devil Bus decked out in red lights.

Empanadas--easily attainable at Carlitos

Today, things opened up again.  The firecrackers were loud and popping along with the bass of the stereo systems in Chame.  It is noisier than during Carnivale.  One neighbor has twelve cars parked alongside his house.  Ray counted, too.  We cleaned up the guest room.  We put it back together as it was in August.  One room complete and ready for inspection.  Water pressure was low this afternoon.  We also had little to no water pressure one day this past week which is unusual or really not normal here.  Figures.  Fortunately, we did not need too much of it, since we had showered already.  I took a nap.  Ray went to the barber.  He didn't wait for his usual guy, since he had a line of others waiting for his expert skills.  Thus, he was nicked in the ear.  We went to El Rey for a few groceries.  We could not turn into Coronado, so we drove to Punta Barco to turn around where there were three policemen directing traffic.  They made us wait too long.  Cars behind us started honking at the policemen to give us our turn.  Getting back to normal, it looks like many vacationers were heading back today.  While grocery shopping, I had a white wine cocktail.  I face timed with Carly, because I did not see her enough this past week.  She made plans for the week with friends, and I did the same.  It was harder having her leave us here then with us leaving her in Virginia.  I will leave it at that and now Ray and I move forward to moving day.  Whenever this may be!  Back to the daily grind of retirement...Cheers!  Happy Easter!

My white wine cocktail.