LAZY CONTADORA (DAY ONE)

When researching travel to Contadora, we found there are two ways to get to the island.  We could take the ferry which would cost less than $200/couple round trip or we could fly for about $300.  Flying would be twenty minutes once on the plane with a little sightseeing along the way.  We chose the ferry for the cost and for the sights we would see.  At the start of the trip, the coastline of Panama City is spectacular.  The ferry was clean, with clean bathrooms, a movie playing and also has drinks/snacks to buy if needed.  We sat inside for the air conditioning and lack of the ocean splashing us.  But when we needed pictures, we simply went to the back and started snapping away.  It was a hazy day, so the skyline was not as vivid as I have seen on brilliantly clear days.

Wonder if our things are on a ship like this one.

A large rock with the Panama skyline in the background.

Reminded me of a nice pirate ship

Cinta Costera in between the boats and the skyline

First thing we did know about Contadora before our trip is that it is more of a happening place on the weekends.  The weekdays were sure to be more quiet, and I had also been told by a wonderful new couple I met at the gym to bring provisions.  I was warned that while there are three groceries stores on the island, they would have supplies as the barges came in and the shop owners stocked them.  Groceries would be expensive, and the pickings could be slim.  We decided we would be eating dinners out anyways, so we kept what we brought food wise to a minimum.  I had read not to drink the tap water, but I thought that might be for those that think Panama water isn't potable.  We drank the water,  used it to cook with, brushed our teeth with it, and yes, we also drank bottled water.  

Because of a small snafu with the villa Thea had reserved long ago in November, we were placed in another villa and, because of this, the check in time was changed to "as soon as you arrive" and check out was when the ferry departed.  This was huge.  (The snafu was that there was a "water problem" in our villa--actually, the owner was arriving to "fix the water problem".  Really?  Water problem, or the owner was just going to use his own place?)  At 9:30 am, we pulled up to the island.  Actually, a tender brought us in one load at a time.  Backpacks and beach bags secured, we boarded the tender to get to the beach, and then security checked our bags.  This meant unzipping the bags so they could do a quick peek inside.  Samuel, I think that was his name,  had a golf cart waiting for us, and he drove us up the hill to the villa.  He showed us around a bit as well while the maid finished cleaning the unit.

Bringing the ferry passengers in one tender at a time.

The first order of business was to secure our own golf cart for two days.  We found John at the Welcome Center.  John has lived on the island for three years.  He rents everything from golf carts to kayaks to towels and chairs.  He has chocolate and plain croissants as well as ice cream.  He sells t-shirts and beach bags.  We also went to all three grocery stores.  We "stocked up" on beer, soda, Sangria, water, yogurt, two apples, cheese (American slices so thin we could see through the slice), bread, pineapple, chips, and eggs.  

Can rent or buy many things in this center.

I felt lopsided quite a bit when riding in the back of the golf cart.

 Once we had the golf cart, we took an initial drive around the island.  We found Playa Larga with the now dilapidated Hotel Contadora sitting eerily along the beach with an old, washed up ferry.  The story we were told about this hotel is that until 2010 it was being run as the largest hotel on the island.  But it was a horribly run down place to stay from 2008-2010 or so.  This is because the owner, on his way to a funeral in his plane, crashed and died.  His wife was then approached by a Croatian company to buy the hotel from her.  There was no hard money laid out, she was scammed, the Panamanian Government stepped in, the hotel was stripped of its walls, plumbing, outside boards, you name it and it was taken, and now it sits there.  It can be yours for $47 million.   But back in the day, it was a five star resort with casinos, restaurants, and a black tux affair.  Millionaires, politicians, celebrities made there way to this island and this hotel in the seventies and eighties.  Now it is just sad and eerie to see a shell of a hotel.  Our neighbor told us that in the late sixties and seventies his job was to pilot people such as the Shah of Iran in and out of Contadora.  The Shah lived there in exile in 1980 (in a mansion with white columns down the street from the visitors center is what I was told).

It was our mission to locate many of the beaches on the map.  We discovered Playa Cacique with Villa Romantica sitting on the hill, Playa Larga (the longest beach), Playa de las Suecas we could pretty much see where it was hidden (this is one of the top fifty nudists beaches in the world---http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2012/06/the-50-best-topless-beaches-and-pools-in-the-world/playa-de-las-suecas) and Playa Ejecutiva.  We decided to visit Playa Cacique for our first day.   We loaded up cooler bags at the villa and had the beach pretty much to ourselves.

Looking over at Villa Romantica (to be sold in one month, oh dear, there goes another one)

Pretty much how the beaches looked on a Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday.

Rincon Hot Stone restaurant.

 Once back at the villa, we would pretty much have our own happy hour with beers and sangria being lazy on our deck until it was time to do the arduous task of getting ready for dinner.  On this first night, since Casa Tortuga (first choice) was closed all week, we went to Rincon Hot Stone.  But like all things on the island, this restaurant had made some changes.  Food was no longer prepared table side.  Service was typical of Panamanian service, but the island attitude went along with it here.  Slow.  There was miscommunication and misunderstanding with most everything ordered (in Spanish).  There was very good and free garlic bread.  But when more was ordered, it would cost $2.50.  Only bottled water sold and served (maybe they don't drink the tap water, after all).  The Corvina Pargo fish of the day was delicious.  The pork chops and chicken filet, not so much.  The piña colada was quite tasty though.  Back at the villa, Ray decided he didn't want to have me like him so much for the remaining of the trip, and instead of letting me win the card game I had been winning all along, he turned the game around and beat me.  Our first lazy day on the island came to end, but it was another full day of retirement life!

Another way to arrive in Contadora is by helicopter.  A mere $1100.

AN AFTERNOON IN CASCO VIEJO

Last year, in November while we were in Virginia, Thea sent me an email asking if Ray and I had interest in going to The Pearl Islands.  She had included in the email different places to stay, dates to travel and things to do.  Of course, we wanted to go to Contadora!  We had yet to see this part of Panama.  The Pearl Islands are a group of two hundred or more islands (or islets) thirty miles off the Pacific Coast in the Gulf of Panama.  Isla Contadora has thirteen beaches, an airstrip, three restaurants, two welcome/visitor centers, a school, and no ATMs.  We used VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) and stayed in a villa next to The Point Resort on Playa Galeon.  This beach is good for swimming and supposedly snorkeling (I saw a few fish, but honestly didn't spend a lot of time in the water here at this beach).  From the resort, we could have rented paddle boards, kayaks, snorkeling equipment and more.  This is where the ferry, Sea Las Perlas, arrives and departs daily.  https://www.sealasperlas.com 

 With the ferry departing daily at 7:30 am, the group decided to stay at Country Inn Amador Causeway in Panama City the night before our trip.  http://www.countryinns.com/panama-city-hotel-pa-8001/pancanal
 Because it was a holiday weekend and we wanted to beat the vacationers out of the interior back to the ciy (!), we decided to leave the area before noon.  We arrived first to Casco Viejo in perfect time for a quick bite at a quaint deli and store called Super Gourmet.  A wonderful deli with sandwiches, salads, all day breakfast and chocolate!  I told Ray it reminded me of a cafe and bakery in Colonial Williamsburg, Aromas, that we would eat at with our daughter when she was away at school.

Casco Viejo is the historic district of Panama City.  It was established around 1673 by Spanish Colonists, the Catholic Church, and other settlers.  It is one of the richest and most densely populated neighborhoods in Central America.   Some buildings are being beautifully restored and others are housing poor families and probably squatters (people that occupy buildings they do not own). After eating lunch, we shopped and browsed and spent just a little bit of money on water cooler bags, purses and a hat for me ($10 bargain!).   I have only toured Casco Viejo, so, on this day, it was nice to enjoy a quiet lunch, wander leisurely through the stores, and then stop for a beer and watch a football game (Packers beat Dallas) while swinging the day by at Finca del Mar restaurant.

Selfie stick in use at Super Gourmet

Cool wall in Casco Viejo

Behind these sculptures was Las Bovedas restaurant.  Will go back and dine here some day--this used to be a holding cell for prisoners and slaves.  It truly resembles the dungeon it once was in Casco Viejo.

Ruins of church 

Finca del Mar for drinks and rest

New Panama City behind us as seen from the Old City.

Once we checked into the hotel, we decided to take a short break and then dine at TGIF's.  The restaurant is attached to the hotel.  Ray and I have eaten here before, and it hasn't changed a bit.  The service was still so slow, and the food was not quite average.  But from the hotel accommodations that we were given along with seeing the Silver Seas cruise ship and many others boats pass by from our balcony,  free cookies, tea and coffee offered at the reception desk and breakfast that was included the next morning, it was all just what we needed for an overnight stay before boarding the ferry from the Balboa Yacht Club.

And so the trip to Contadora begins from the marina on the Amador Causeway to the waters of Playa Galeon.  In one hour and fifteen minutes (because we were on Island Express 3), we would arrive to Contadora.  One more day of retirement behind us with a mini-vacation coming right up!

A DENTIST, A SECRETARY, A BOY, AND A KITTEN

The good news to report from last weekend is that, yes, after driving to all three dental offices again in the Coronado area, I did find a dentist open last Saturday to fix my tooth!  She is located right on the InterAmerican Highway in Bejuco.  The good news is also that she did, in the mere ninety minutes that it took her to rebuild the tooth (exhaustion and sarcasm there), a really nice job putting me back together again before our trip to Contadora.  She spoke very good English.  She wore a mask, gloves and magnification glasses.  And more good news is that it cost a mere fifty dollars (a four surface composite, aka white filling, at the office I retired from would be $150-200).

There really wasn't any bad from that dental appointment.  Well, the bad would be the condition of the office, esthetics of the reception area, and the unpunctual arrival time of the dentist. The man sitting there when we arrived at 8:15 had an 8:00 appointment.  She, living at the back of the office, arrived closer to 8:30.  I was at this dental office for two hours and fifteen minutes on a Saturday morning.  I know, what else do I have to do on a Saturday morning.  Or that there was a woman begging for money at the office door.  I told her I didn't speak Spanish, so she asked for money in English.  The dentist gave her some dollar bills.  How about that the air conditioning was broken, but the fan actually worked quite well.  Then there was the secretary, as the dentist calls her, showing up an hour late.  With her twelve year old son.  And let me not forget about the man that had an appointment had to sit there and wait for me, the walk in patient, while the dentist built up the tooth one light layer at a time, drilled, sanded, cured the filling with the light, and repeated these steps a hundred more times to finally finish up the job.  Worst part was Ray had to sit there in a reception room with a kitten, the secretary's son, the man waiting, the begging lady begging, and Spanish cartoons playing on the television.

No I have never been in a reception room that looks like this before.  I  have been in "unmodernized" rooms, but not in this state.

This is not the chair I sat in, and the dentist's home is behind that door.

Gold Christmas paper on entrance door.

I was one of two walk ins allowed, and closed on January 9 (the day before).

Yes, the kitten was super sweet, clean and entered the operatory a few times.  

Office fees and hours of operation

The secretary's desk.

Same handpiece, burs, gauze, polishing wheels, etc

Hand developer, xray machine, lab--all looked the same.  And the secretary sitting there with us.  

While having my tooth filled, the dentist did discuss her broken AC unit with the repairman on the phone (she took her gloves off).  She also chatted a bit with her secretary (who's desk is in the room with the dental chair).  I was able to close my mouth three times in that ninety minutes.  I only had water run down my chin and neck a few times, since the suction wasn't the best, and the kitten couldn't assist her.  The secretary told the man waiting with an appointment that I was a walk in patient, and the dentist was very slow.  But the dentist didn't recommend a crown immediately for the tooth, but I have already made an appointment with my dentist.  There is only so much that can be done with composite material.  The best part of this whole experience I feel is that I was never really concerned that the dentist didn't know what she was doing, since I knew everything she was doing--it all made sense.  And she took her time and gave a lot of care to my tooth.  And it was all normal to me (as far as the procedure, this is).

After the appointment, we were driving by my dental office, and I saw people entering the office.  What?  I went upstairs to at least make an appointment for a crown to be done, and the receptionist (speaks English) seemed confused that I knew what I needed to schedule.  My dentist happened to call in (seems only the receptionist and a dental assistant were in the office catching up on paperwork perhaps or lab work), he spoke directly to me, asked me to stay for an impression and told me he remembered my tooth and my case.  I assured him I was fine after swallowing my veneer.  I sent a message to Ray (he was waiting in the car) that I would be getting an impression done then.  This would save time at my next appointment (which should be one hour, and this makes sense).  While I was in my second dental chair of the morning, Ray was busy watching a woman park her car in the space next to where he had parked our SUV.  He was sitting in the drivers seat.  The woman wanted to get a little closer, so she backed up and pulled in again only this time she bumped into the driver's side.  Instead of stopping, she just kept pulling forward scraping the car along the way.  Her husband did get out of the car and, in Spanish, he explained to Ray that his wife was a very bad driver.

Glad our car is silver.  This did buff out a bit, and there is just a slight dent.  The first scratch is  the hardest.

The best part of the day was, well, I had a tooth again, and after buying a pineapple pie at a farmer's market, we met Greg and Thea at Coronado Cafe and had a really good lunch!  We had to figure out a vacation plans for the next week.  Oh, my order was screwed up, but it was fixed really quickly.  And then, Ray and I decided to just end the day.  We tucked ourselves into Casa 40 for the rest of the day.  Too much traffic with the long holiday weekend, the morning was too long, laundry had to be done (even in retirement), packing was in order, because we had a great upcoming trip to Contadora Island.  We needed to be relaxed, and most importantly rested for our next big adventure in this thing called retirement.

ANOTHER HOLIDAY (WHICH MEANS???)....

Martyr's Day is today.  It is a Panamanian holiday commemorating the riots over Sovereignty (in 1964) of the Canal Zone.  Sovereignty in this case I would think means "a self-governing state".  There had been unrest in the Canal Zone of Panama, but the riot actually started when a Panamanian flag was torn.  The conflict was between Panamanian students and the Canal Zone Police officers, over the right of the flag to be flown next to the US flag.  Read about it more here:  http://thepanamanews.com/wp/?p=2150
This past week, the US Embassy put out an alert to "sensitivity" of Sovereignty Day, as some call this day, and for Americans to be alert over their own personal security.  It is a public holiday in which shops and offices will be closed, which brings me to my selfish point here.

Last night while dining at Bluwater Bistro (after a fabulous meet and greet happy hour at Bahia Playa Serena in Gorgona) with Ray, Greg and Thea, my veneer once again fell off my bottom front tooth.  Dr. Wong had warned me of this last August.  But we were optimistic at my dental cleaning appointment in November that it was, for the most part, nicely re-cemented.  Then, thinking back, I started eating raw carrots and celery this week.  Sheesh.  There goes the veneer on my second bite.  It either fell off in my bowl of Asian Stir Fry, or I just swallowed it with that bite.   Which brings me to the pickle I am here.  Today is a holiday.  The roads are a mess again.  There are three dentists within ten minutes of one another, and not one of the offices is open.  One dentist has Saturday hours, but will they be open tomorrow?  Or is it an extended holiday weekend?  I don't know, because when I call the office, the message is in rapid Spanish.  Tomorrow, I will try to get in to be seen, and even if I cannot have a temporary crown made (which a crown would be the next step from having this veneer done, and since I retired as a dental hygienist, I do know this for sure), I will ask to have some good old composite "bonding" material slapped on that tooth until I can get an appointment in about a week.  Because the other pickle I am in (glad this tooth doesn't hurt me, and by the way, I have never had a dental emergency before in missing a part of tooth in all the years I was right there in the dental office), is that on Sunday we leave for the city.  And on Monday we are taking a ferry to Contadora Islands for a four day "vacation".  So I will either get something done tomorrow OR be looking my best on vacation.  Can't really do much of anything else.  Ray, Greg and Thea better not poke fun at me.

 After our trip, I will post more about this island but from what I know so far, it is the eleventh largest island of the Pearl Islands archipelago (out of two hundred islands and islets) in the Gulf of Panama.  It has an area of 1.39 km, or just about 1 mile.  This is the island where the Spanish counted the pearls that were harvested from other islands.  Contadora means "the one that counts" in Spanish.  There was an underwater epidemic, though in early last century, which killed most of the oysters.  Thus, the pearl count has since been greatly reduced.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Islands

Enough, or actually, one more thing about dentistry and my tooth, BUT this goes to prove a point I used to always tell my patients (why didn't I heed my own advice?) in that it is ALWAYS BEST to pick a good time to get the work that is being recommended, suggested, and/or "watched" on YOUR time.  Don't wait for things to happen, because then you might be in Panama, like me, during a holiday with the dental offices closed.  Just sayin'.

Well, this past Saturday Ray and I enjoyed a pleasant road trip (one hour) to El Valle to see our wonderful friend, Tonette.  We had visited her before our trip home to Virginia, and we offered to bring her a few staples from the grocery stores here in Coronado.  We fell in love with her seven week old kitten, Tito, had a freshly made and delicious lunch at the Butterfly Cafe (next to the Butterfly Garden) and chatted for hours at her casita, the restaurant and her casita some more.  We also visited with a good friend of hers who is moving back to the States.  While at her house (which happens to be a house Ray and I thought we might rent in El Valle, so it was great to see it firsthand), we met another woman that lives in Gorgona nearby.  Tonette was able to gather a few things for her kitten that this friend would not be taking to the States, and we drove it all back to her casita for her.  We met her landlord and friend, Tony, along with Tony's housekeeper.  She is the one that is really helping Tonette along with her Spanish.  I am so impressed by her.    She is a joy to be with, and I hope to make many more visits to El Valle to "check in". 

Tito in the jungle.

Tito takes a quick nap.

Lovely lady, Tonette, Tito and me in her gardens near the pond.

Since Sunday, Ray and I have been busy running the road.  Not really.  We came off of pool and beach days to settling into a routine of pool and beach days haha  Last Sunday we went to the city early, since all of the Panamanians and vacationers would be leaving LATER, and spent the day at two malls, having lunch at P.F. Chang's, finding new roads around the city (it was EMPTY, so this was easy to do), and we saw a movie.  While parking at Multiplaza Mall where we have been to often (we stayed at the Marriott there many times), we noticed for the first time that in the parking garage there are numbers and lights.  The electronic numbers are at the end of each row of parked cars indicating how many empty spaces are available on that row.  Once you drive down the row, there are lights overhead signaling you to the empty space.  Ingenious.  We haven't seen this anywhere before.  Clever, and in a third world country at that!  We also drove around Costa Verde which is a development with different neighborhoods of large, and very large, homes, shops, restaurants, schools, medical facilities, a church (one that I saw), and a lot of preserved green space.  After the movie, I did win seventy dollars at the casino (penny slots), so Ray decided I was a keeper still.  We then proceeded to park along the highway and wait for an incoming phone call from our friends, Greg and Thea.  They were to arrive at the airport that night from Denver, Colorado.  On our trip back to the interior, we were amazed at the traffic heading back to the city at ten pm!  It was Northern Virginia rush hour traffic at its finest hour!  The Panamanians leave the beaches late Sunday, and then they face a four plus hour commute back to the city.  The tractor trailer truck drivers pulled their rigs onto the shoulder one after the other.  No sense trying to get up and over the mountain in dead stop traffic.  We saw miles and miles of oncoming lights while we had a quick trip back to their home in Coronado.  

The week flew by with "mundane" trips to the gym, store, beach and more.  On Tuesday, we drove to a new meat market/butcher shop near the fish market in Rio Hato.  This is about a thirty minute drive from me.  We managed to ask questions about the types of meat this butcher had in his freezers.  His freezers house a ton of beef, pork, hamburger, and lamb.  Greg and Thea came along for the ride, so while "out west", we showed them Playa Blanca resort's seventeen acre pool and beach area.  They had been down the long stretch of road off the InterAmerican Highway before, but they had not ventured into this resort.  We then wanted to check out Santa Clara again.  Ray and I have friends coming to visit in the coming months, so the four of us decided to stop at Veranos (name might be spelled wrong), a restaurant on the beach there, for lunch.  Ray and I had been to this beach with my sister and nephew in October, 2012.  I just read on TripAdvisor that an old restaurant had been torn down sometime after April, 2012, and there would be two beach restaurants built (which explains why when we were there, there really was only a shower and bathroom area with parking spaces).  Thea and I walked the beach and noticed a fonda alongside the restaurant.  There are palapas that can be rented through the female "jefe" (boss) at the restaurant, which makes this place a worthwhile place to hang out on the beach!  Food, drinks, shade, changing facilities, and more.  The fried chicken and ceviche (corvina) was delicious and the service, for the most part being Panama, was pretty quick and efficient.  

Brief interruption here about the winds of Panama.  WOW!  Sitting on the porch with my laptop listening to the magnets that hold up the screens fly off the doors (there goes having our homemade screens up on the doors in summer/windy season), and I sometimes have to hold my laptop down during the cool gusts.  I just had to race to the other side of the porch, grab magnets and then race back making sure my laptop and other accessories on the table didn't fly off and break!  The laptop lid itself blows shut as well.  WOW!  No complaints here, because I love being outside on my porch.  

Banana boat in the pool.

Cutting pork ribs. 

Here are pictures of the beach and our day out Tuesday.

Man with aquatic jet pack on feet.  

Restaurant

Wide beach (I remember it well from 2012)

Fried chicken

Ceviche

Beach and island

The rest of the week has been the usual again with going to the gym where I met a wonderful Canadian couple.  They hope to move here to this part of Panama, so we made plans to chat at a Happy Hour soon enough.  Ray and I went to Picasso's happy hour.  We usually arrive after five pm, and this past Wednesday was the same, only this time (summer season), it was packed!  Not a table or chair to be found, but I think this was even better for us.  While standing and moving around the restaurant, we met several vacationers and others that have been living here in Panama for a year to nine years!

Thursday morning we recapped our Spanish with our teacher, and we reviewed what we had missed over the past seven weeks.  She added a few more words and conjugations to our already over half full notebook to learn, since we will miss our lesson in the coming week.  We then went to the CASA meeting where we were to discuss and suggest possible ways to improve the road conditions at the entrance to Coronado.  There is a woman that will go to the Mayor of Chame to ask what it is we need to do to start a safety assessment of this area.  At the end of the meeting, many people were going to stay to make and decorate crowns for the Kings Day party that CASA is holding for the children in San Carlos.  The date of the party had been changed to this coming Sunday, and because of our trip, Ray and I are now unable to participate or attend the party.  We decided not to stay for the crown making and decorating festivities.  We left the party with another couple to show them a new housing development that is being built ten minutes west of Coronado.  This couple lives in Sora (I have mentioned them before, Paul and Nancy), and they own a bed and breakfast.  I have "virtual" friends, or blog followers, that are staying in their bed and breakfast soon (I had recommended this to them), so I hope to visit soon with Paul and Nancy and meet this new couple.  Thursday night, while at the Bahia happy hour, Ray and I were able to put names to faces we have seen for sometime, and we were also able to meet up with many people that we continuously see at these outings and events, but we had yet to actually talk to them.   We then enjoyed a wonderful meal at Bluwater Bistro, and despite not having the pork chops we had originally ordered and longed for--they are just that good--Chef Sacha came out along with the owner, George, to apologize and cook us up Asian Beef stir fry using the last of the filets.  He couldn't have made anything better for us!  And this is where I lost my veneer.  So it goes.

Let's see if tomorrow is another day with a visit to the dentist in store for me, perhaps shopping, and packing up for yet another vacation in this retirement of ours here in Panama.

  Oh, and this is what I saw on the InterAmerican Highway, and at an outdoor furniture store the other day:

Those are two reindeer riding in that truck with garland along the base.  (The heads are facing my car.)

Pigs in the back of the outdoor furniture store. (Four of them)

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!

Getting to our holiday in a bit, I am really excited about my day at the pool today.  I know, probably won't be as exciting for most, but today I was finally able to carry on a conversation in the pool with a Panamanian woman in Spanish.  For the most part.  And the same for Ray.  This past week, Ray and I have been at the beach and pool of the Coronado Bay complex.  While the beach was for walking and very quiet New Year's Eve, it was action packed on New Year's Day.  Panamanians that live full time in the city made their way to the interior, as well as vacationers from all over.  While swimming and resting at the pool, Ray and I met a wonderful family from Connecticut, and we also chatted with another woman from Colorado.  That was normal.  Good to connect with other Gringos.  We talked about our love for Panama these past five months.

Busy beach on New Year's Day

Quieter at the pool (at this point, many had gone to their condos for lunch, and then returned)

But today, we decided we would stay local and float in the pool here in our development.  We heard the sounds of children.  Oh dear haha  There were three men (Ray and two brothers) along with four children (ages 5-12) and two women (me and perhaps an aunt of the boys).  The boys were playing football (soccer in US, of course) with their dads.  So I decided I would start a conversation with the woman in the pool.  Like the little engine that could, I kept thinking "I think I can..." and I kept putting my sentences together in my head ahead of time.  I was able to tell her that my daughter plays soccer in the US, but she is twenty- two years old (she is old is what I said next, because I didn't know how to say she is older than those little five year olds!), we talked about where we lived, where she lived and that she is visiting Chame.  She spoke a little English, too.  When I started speaking in Spanish, she said something in English.  This is when I thought I need to always be on the look out for those Panamanians that may speak or understand English!  And while sitting poolside drying off a bit, I practiced listening to the banter in the pool and realizing that I could actually understand just a little bit more than what I could last year (just two days ago, I know).  Still more to learn, but our Spanish teacher would be so proud!

With summer season comes an influx of visitors to the interior.  I told Ray today somedays I want peace and quiet like we had in the months of August-October (when no one was at this pool!), but somedays I want to be entertained by little boys playing football and doing cannonballs in the pool.  Somedays I want to talk poolside to other Gringos from the US, Canada and Europe, and other days, I get a kick out of trying to figure out the conversations of those little boys in the pool with their dads.

 Also, with the holiday this past week there has been a huge influx of cars and traffic on the roads.  Along with traffic has come quite a few accidents.  There was a horrible crash at the intersection into Coronado (where the beach is), and with this, a Panamanian woman was killed.  This intersection has now been closed off to drivers wanting to turn left across the highway.  Drivers now have to proceed farther along the highway, and initially with a policeman directing traffic, we were able to make a U-turn.  The policeman is now gone.  Also, when leaving Coronado, drivers cannot proceed across the busy highway and turn left.  Now to turn left, you must turn right and make a U-turn farther east (again, with a policeman directing traffic, and he is now gone, also).  And as of today, that spot has been blocked off, so drivers have to drive even farther east to make a U-turn to go back west.  And by the way, most U-turns are illegal.  Wonder if this is permanent?  Quite possibly.  A mess.  Yesterday, Ray and I left Coronado at four pm driving the two lane highway towards Chame.  The cabs and buses made the two lane road a three lane road wherever possible.  Now on Highway I-95 in Virginia, there were those drivers that would ride the shoulder to get three or four cars ahead.  And there were those angry and, rightly so, frustrated drivers that would drive halfway in the right lane and halfway in the shoulder to block those rule breakers.  Not here.  Let the cabs and buses go ahead.  This seemed like it made traffic flow a little better, because two lanes were turned into three lanes here and there.  I have seen in pictures that in the past,  those that govern and police the highway here turn the heaviest traveled road into three lanes (so let's say going east from the interior to Panama City is a mess, one lane in the west direction would be turned into a lane for more cars to travel east).  Odd to see in the pictures, but perhaps it works.  I have yet to experience this traffic nightmare.

Another thing Ray and I have seen a lot of this past week are the fires along the road in the brush, and the bomberos (firefighters) in trucks with sirens wailing up and down the highway.  On New Year's Eve, there was a large warehouse in Coronado that burned down.  So with dry season brings traffic, fires, hotter temperatures and winds (still loving these!).  And speaking of fires, there were also bonfires on the beach and in front yards along the highway.  In the bonfires, there were those effigies being set afire.  A new year and new beginning.  The bonfires are to burn the evil spirits negativity, bad luck and failures of the past year.  Burning those life-size effigies that are symbols of the Old Year in these bonfires represent burning troubles, miseries and evil energies of the past year.  http://www.123newyear.com/newyear-traditions/panama.html
And going along with fires, flames and sparks, there was New Year's Eve and the fireworks!  What a night New Year's Eve was watching the Panamanians and the Gringos on the beach and from their homes in Coronado set up and shoot off fireworks and sky, or wish, lanterns from dusk until New Year's morning when I think everyone must have passed out from inebriation and fatigue.
Our New Year's Eve started at the gym.  This is another place where, with summer season, there are now a few more residents at the resort.  And along with me on the elliptical machine, a good friend came in to work out as well.  (Also today, the owner of the gym joined us bringing some good music along with him and making it two more people working out with me than usual in the past few months.)  Once I returned, Ray and I walked the beach, went to the pool and for dinner we dined at Picasso's.  Picasso's Happy Hour was extended until ten pm, and there was a DJ playing an compilation of music from the classic movie, Saturday Night Fever, to the Electric Slide and more.  We sat and dined with a couple that is visiting Panama for a month from Oregon.  They had just received their temporary pensionado card, and they were keeping busy discovering other towns as well as the realty in those towns.  When it was time to leave, we exchanged emails and certainly will keep in touch with them.  They are unsure when they will move to Panama, but I think they are sure Panama is the country for them to retire to now.

 After rediscovering our love for Sangria, Ray and I walked to the Coronado Bay complex where we then watched random, although frequently shot off, fireworks and lanterns.  Others were shooting off noisy firecrackers.  For three hours, fireworks were being shot off into the sky.  We had no idea what to expect at midnight, but we had been told it would be an amazing sight from the rooftop!  As midnight approached, we saw many expats with coolers and large bottles of tasty beverages.  We were entertained watching Panamanian families set up buffet tables by the pool.  A few at a time would step off the elevator with serving dishes and platters of appetizers, entrees and desserts!  According to an article in The Visitor newspaper (Panama's tourism newspaper), the table should have oranges and bread to attract prosperity.  This past week, Ray and I saw large, round, wreath-like loaves being sold at all of the grocery stores.  The vote is still out whether it is a tasty bread or not.  Horrors when bread doesn't taste good!  Another tradition is that twelve grapes are eaten at midnight to bring in good luck for every month.  We saw that the Panamanians were dressed in white and many had red hats.  Wearing new clothes, especially red, will also bring luck in the New Year.  And sweeping the house inside and out gets rid of bad influences.  I did none of the above, and neither did Ray.  We were wearing yellows, blues, greens and pinks (me).  I did have fruit in my Sangria, but not round pieces.  And our outfits were not new.  Plus, my house had been cleaned the week prior to returning back from Virginia, so no need to sweep on that day!  Once midnight struck, the confusion came as to what side we should be standing on to view the fireworks!  But we soon realized it was all so perfect.  We, along with many other expats and Panamanians, walked back and forth or stood still watching the homeowners light up the skies trying to outdo one another with brilliant colors, shapes and trails of light!  We loved seeing the lanterns float up to the sky over the Pacific Ocean.  Many families on the rooftop lit lanterns for us, so we could see the process first hand hoping the very first wind would wisk it away while I made wish after wish to bring in the New Year!  Looking east we saw multiple fireworks being set off simultaneously, and looking west we saw people on the beach below setting off their fireworks and burning the bonfires. Ray and I were there for close to an hour saying hi and chatting with friends along the way (but trying to keep our eyes on the skies as well), and we were told by many that this year seemed "scaled back a bit" compared to the last few years.  Wow!  If this was scaled back...

The beginning of setting up the buffet tables.

Multiple fireworks light up the sky.

The firework show begins

A lone sparkler in the sky

Lighting the first of many lanterns.

Letting it go up and away!

On our drive home, we left the sights and sounds behind us only to drive right underneath fireworks being shot off directly from the highway.  Once in Casa 40, we could hear distant fireworks still being shot off, a few at three am (I wasn't really awake but heard a noise hear and there) and even a few when we woke at seven am (way too early, but again, it's a darn habit!).  We were told while sitting poolside again on New Year's Day (I had to continue the pattern this past week), the fireworks went on until the early hours of the morning in Coronado.  We had a few friends that went into the city to stay in hotels to see the fireworks there, and we were told the parties went all night into the early morning hours.  I had my fill by seeing the spectacle at the start of dusk and for the next seven hours.  Ray and I were just amazed and in awe of the beauty of this holiday, and how the Panamanians embrace their time off and their celebrations.  The Panamanians are so friendly and happy despite what they have or don't have, and this is just another really great reason why we chose this country to call home when not in the US.

A pretty purple house in Chame decorated for Christmas.

And next door, the green house was decorated including a nativity scene made of wood figures.

The guard house at our entrance decorated with garland and ribbons.