My first full day in Panama turned out
to be fairly whirlwind. Getting a real taste of the Panamanian coastal heat in
my wife’s parents’ home was assuaged to a large degree by news of the snow
storm hitting Worcester. It was only 8-10 inches, small compared to last year’s
endeavors, but enough to rout any thought about heat complaints. Our only concern
was the scheduled escape of the ABFA and son from Boston to join us down here.
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| Wife with One of hre Uncles |
Our first stop of the day was the bank
to knock out some requirements for the loan we are getting for the beachfront
condo. Panamanian banks are completely different than US banks. It seems all of
the customer service assistants are young women who all dress in the same, very
smart outfits and don’t get me started on the beauty of Panamanian woman. My
own specimen of the species, my Favorite Panamanian, was right next to me so I
kept the eyes straight and forward, making these observations out of the corner
of my eye. It was real work.
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| The Honeymoon Suite |
My wife also had some work to do. She
had to decide what clothes she was going to bring for the week we’re going to
be in Boquete. I’ve written before about the care she puts into packing
suitcases, usually a multi-week event. Yesterday she couldn’t make decisions so
she went with the other alternative – she brought everything. Which was a
fairly impressive haul – leading me at one point to think I was going to need a
second car. When we checked into the hotel for the night the guy helping me
with the suitcases asked how long we were staying in Panama. He looked shocked
when I said I was only here for ten days until I revealed my wife had set up in
residence for the rest of the winter.
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| With my Favorite Panamanian |
In the early afternoon we made our way
to the mountain town of Boquete where we rented a room at the Boquete Garden
Inn (a truly idyllic location, next to a river with buganvilias all over the place).
A truly fantastic location and it
afforded us some quiet time together before the gathering of the clan which
starts tonight. Guys, here’s a pointer for a successful marriage. If you haven’t
seen your wife for a month, you can make huge points if you reserve the honeymoon
suite for a reunion, just saying. I was a hero when she learned.
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| The Happy Couple |
Boquete is up in the mountains and
well away from the coastal heat. The hotel room didn’t need air conditioning because
of a pleasant breeze and we had to use a quilt to sleep, unheard of in Panama anywhere
else. First time I’ve ever slept under a mosquito net where the ground wasn’t
my bed but it was kind of cool. If you’re ever in the area I can’t recommend
the Garden Inn any more strongly – just friendly and accommodating while the
scenery cannot be beat.
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| Longwinded Priest |
We had to leave Boquete shortly before
dinner because we had a wedding to attend. My wife’s favorite aunt was marrying
her longtime boyfriend in a church in Dolega, about half way back to David. We
were just pulling up to the house when my wife informed me I was to serve as
the best man at the wedding! I took the news in stride but since both the bride
in groom are in their seventies I figured any missed bachelor party would not
have seriously rocked.
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| Family Shot |
We got one of those priests that are
entirely too impressed with their story telling ability. A small wedding doesn’t
need a thirty-five minute homily. We all went back to the happy couple’s nearby
house for a reception which was a lot of fun. My wife and I took a lot of
ribbing about our accommodations for the night. We also finally established
voice communications with my Favorite Son who escaped the snow after a two hour
delay. He was safely ensconced in the Riande Hotel near the airport in Panama City.
The ABFA was busy pumping out photos on Facebook back to her stateside
snowbound friends (it kind of comes with the territory). They fly up to join us
tonight.
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| Panoramic Shot of After Party |
Vacation is off to a busy but very entertaining start and it’s only
going to get better as more people show up. The California contingent is in the
air as I write this preparing to deliver this young lady for some serious
grandparenting time.
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