Kasazul Days – Week of Panamanian Paradise

Kasazul from the Street

Okay, you’ve all had a well-earned break from my daily rants/musings, you’re very welcome. The vacation, however, is over, for all of us. I need no more genuine reminder of that reality than just coming in from chipping the ice off the sides of my driveway in sub-zero temperatures. It was kind of eerie to have woken up in the idyllic Panamanian mountain town of Boquete and gone to bed in frozen Worcester. The frigid welcome home would have been worse in the next door Mafioso (AKA best neighbors ever) hadn’t cleared my driveway of snow that fell during my tropical sojourn. When I last left you I was writing from the honeymoon suite of the Boquete Garden Inn. The internet access at the house we rented wasn’t up to the challenge presented by the overwhelming connectivity needs of my assembled progeny, their partners, as well as my wife and I so I never made a serious effort to write during the week. So glad I didn’t – I would have missed some of the fun I’m about to describe. This will, by needs be a long post, completely inadequate to the task of describing how much fun I had. I’ve included a lot of pictures to overcome my lack of compositional acumen.

The Bougainvilleas of the Garden Inn

Day 1- Meeting (Kasazul) & Greeting (Favorite Son and ABFA)

Again I woke up in the Boquete Garden Inn where the wife and I enjoyed some private time before the very busy week we planned/hoped for ensued. It was truly a paradise, overwhelmed with bougainvilleas, my wife’s favored flower. We had breakfast on the patio and were surrounded by birds. The owners placed the rinds of several tropical fruits out on bird stands which were patronized aggressively by a huge variety of birds, including Baltimore Orioles, Red Wing Blackbirds, and numerous others. They were obviously enjoying their southern winter.

The Bird Feeders

A Red Wing Blackbird

Saying Goodbye to the Garden Inn

Since there was still time before signing for the rental house after checking out of the Inn we used the time to walk around and get re-acquainted with Boquete, one of my favorite places in Panama. We met the owner of Kasazul around noon. Kasazul (a play on Spanish words meaning Blue House - which it certainly was) was a fantastic find. The owner could not have been more accommodating. The house is only a couple blocks from downtown Boquete and is one of the last old style wooden houses left in town. It was over a hundred years old and sported gleaming hard woods throughout – a rarity in the Panamanian termite haven. There was a spacious ground floor with two bedrooms and two upstairs bedrooms, each reached by a separate narrow staircase. Best of all, each the bedrooms had its own complete bathroom which made the stay a lot more comfortable. There was also a huge patio and private yard which we put to good use.

My Wife Walking Around Boquete

We barely had time to know Kasazul before we jumped into the car and made the forty minute drive into David to pick up my son and the ABFA at the airport. They had barely escaped a large snowstorm hitting Boston and had spent the night in Panama City. My wife’s entire family gathered at the airport to greet the incoming pair who were a little overwhelmed by the large and boisterous welcoming crew. We all decamped to the El Fogon in David for a late dinner. It was a great start and the stateside division of the family learned just how much they were loved in Panama.

Wife's Father and a More Appropriately Hatted Cousin Waiting at Airport

Family Greets my Son

The ABFA got her Hugs in As Well

We returned to Kasazul amidst what became the norm for the week, Panama’s notorious dry season winds. Since Boquete sits high in mountains it gets far more than its fair share of those winds, which we slept (mostly) through for the entire week. My son was amazed each morning the house was still standing (he had one of the upstairs rooms). The winds also contributed the nightly avocado bomb runs. There was an avocado tree right over our bedroom and once or twice a night an avocado would land on the roof is rather spectacularly noisy fashion. We made good use of the fallen fruit. After some hammock familiarization lessons, and a couple more Atlas beers, we retired to experience that first night in the wind.

Dinner at El Fogon

Son Testing Kasazul's Hammock

Day 2- Superstar Arrival Ceremonies

Flying isn't a Big Deal

A fairly early start to this morning as we jumped back into the car and came down out of the mountains once again to the David airport. The Panamanian police had set up no less than three roadblocks on the road between David and Boquete. These were a measure against drunk drivers during the culminating days of Carnivale. There was no complaining though as we were there to pick up none other than: Cali-Daughter, Wingman, and the Frails Deeds Superstar herself – the First Blog Reader! Before they arrived we picked up a second rental car to handle the increased passenger count. My wife had planned on driving this second car until she discovered, to her ultimate horror, that it was a stick shift. She hadn’t used a clutch since she first learned to drive over three decades ago and was not about to knock any rust off. I squeezed into the little car and to be quite honest I enjoyed having to shift again after so many years in automatics.

The Moment She's Reunited with her Grandma

One for the Ages

And Grandpa With Wingman

The Family Greeting

We were obviously anxious for the arrival of the California contingent. The rest of the family let us be the first to greet them. The meeting of my wife and our granddaughter was one for the ages. As soon as my wife took her into her arms and started talking to her my granddaughter broke into a huge smile. She obviously remembered the face and voice from her first weeks and the numerous Facetime calls. It was truly one of “those moments”. I received a much more solemn greeting but I did eke out a couple grins. She had weathered the very long plane rides involved much better than feared.

Easily the Biggest Star of the Week

Daughter Introducing her to Her Great Aunt and Great Grandmother

She was soon overwhelmed with a tidal wave of aunts, vying to meet, hold, and speak rapid fire Spanish at the young lady. She took it all in stride, almost as if, “this is to be expected”. The entire family followed us back up to Boquete for a family picnic at Kasazul. I was tasked with lighting the charcoal which is an entirely different process in Panama. They don’t use briquettes but highly charred wood which is not easy to work with, at least for this gringo. With my brother in law’s most welcome assistance we finally got the burgers cooked. Shortly after the meal was done the charcoal bloomed into the intense heat we had vainly attempted for nearly an hour. My brother in law opined that was usually the case.

Charming Everyone

Frisbee Heading Over the Wall

Son and Wingman at Horseshoes

Additional cousins showed up over the afternoon and as cousins are wont to do spent the entire afternoon cavorting in the yard with the variety of sports gear Kasazul provided. Both a frisbee and a volleyball ended up over the wall in the neighbor’s yard, which boasted a guard dog. Panamanians rightfully take their home security seriously so we nominated the youngest and swiftest cousin to retrieve the lost items. Since no one was home we used a ladder to climb the wall and toss the cousin over. He made a huge scene about how brave he was being until the “guard dog” made his appearance – about the size of an undersized dachshund. My granddaughter held court with her aunts passing through the variety of outfits she was gifted, including some beautiful hand sewn outfits from her great-grandmother. My son and Wingman discovered a horseshoe set which they set up and swiftly became experts at. Even my father in law and some uncles, all in their eighties, got out there to toss the shoes. It was a special afternoon.

The Cousin Making His "Daring" Escape from the Vicious Dog

And the Modeling Career Starts

Horseshoe Spectator Gallery

It was however, Super Sunday, despite the failure of the Patriots playing in their accustomed spot. The gringos in the family as well as a number of the Panamanians made our way into Boquete to locate a sports bar to watch the game. It was a huge amount of fun to share the game with them, explaining what was happening and why Peyton Manning was the devil incarnate. Sometime during the day a water main break occurred knocking out water in central Boquete. Instead of closing, all the bars continued to serve but no one could use the bathrooms – an interesting conundrum with the amount of beer being consumed. We all lasted until half time and then rejoined the rest of the family at Kasazul. A Sunday that certainly lived up to its appellation as “Super”.

Wingman and I at the Family Table in the Boquete Superbowl Bar

Day 3 – Baptismal Partying

Daughter, Wingman, Son and ABFA at Baptism

The nest morning had us running back into David leaving the pleasant temperatures of Boquete for the oppressive coastal heat of David for a very special reason. The First Blog Reader was going to be baptized! My daughter and Wingman chose my son and the ABFA as Godparents and my wife and sister in law arranged the ceremony. It was a simple, elegant ceremony, with my wife’s niece translating for the ABFA. The granddaughter handled the pawing with only minimal complaining.

The Baptism

No Gramma It Wasn't a Big Deal

Proud Family

There was a window on the side of the chapel into the main church. As we were finishing

up a large family was gathering for a funeral. I was struck by the juxtaposition of one life starting in the church as another was leaving. Life, it just keeps coming at ya. We returned to Boquete after the ceremony, meeting once again the platoon of Panamanian police poised to protect us from ourselves.

The Godparents

The Newly Formed Team

The afternoon saw us back into the cruel littoral heat for a party at my wife’s cousin’s house – she of the legendary laugh. It was so damned hot! They didn’t stint though. The menu called for the traditional Panamanian soup of Sancocho which can only be properly prepared over an open fire. They also threw on a couple slabs of meat to roast for a certain blog writer. The granddaughter was a little out of sorts as her west coast timing and routine were thrown for a serious loop over the entire week. This was addressed with her aunts and grandmother with a typical Panamanian solution – dancing. She really seemed to enjoy swirling around with the variety of ladies who competed for the opportunity.

Pre-Party Kasazul Hangs with Grandpa

And Gramma

Talking with her Uncle at the Party

Sancocho Prep

Aunt Attack

Dancing with Gramma

The Three Sisters

Later that night at Kasazul we all sat around the living room playing rummy which eventually evolved into a movie trivia contest. I think that was my favorite time of the entire very special day. After the Superbowl on Sunday I didn’t watch another minute of television for the entire week, and didn’t miss it, even a little.

And Dancing with the Legendary Laugh Cousin

Day 4 - Carnivale Day Turkeys

Turkey Dinner Served

For some reason I enjoy a fairly robust (undeserved) reputation in my wife’s family as a cooker of turkeys. This was the day my wife decided I was once again called upon to demonstrate my prowess. She had procured two birds which were delivered for preparation. My son, since we are officially passing the Christmas turkey torch to his house this year, stood at my side throughout to learn the craft, which was the most fun part of it. It was kind of fun making do with the limited facilities and the small kitchen was a hub of activity throughout the day.

Wife with Favorite Son and Wingman

And her Grandaughetr

Dressed for Success at the Party

My wife invited the entire family back up the mountain and there was a constant ebb and flow of aunts, uncles, and cousins throughout the day. The turkeys were a big hit. The weather turned a little bit on us as light but persistent showers invaded (something we called Mauka showers in Hawaii). Combined with the winds this made for an adventurous patio experience. Although some had to don artic gear to weather the low 70 temperatures the bingo and dominoes games continued into the night.

Kasazul Patio during the Party

Bingo in the "Frigid" Temps

Son Throwing Change

Father in Law Tossing Horseshoes

During the afternoon my son had to fulfil one of his responsibilities as a new Godfather which was to throw a handful of coins into the air for the assembled kids. It should be noted that my wife’s younger sister, who had been relentlessly goading my son to do this, was one of the prime chaser of coins, even elbowing young children out of the way (kidding). As the party would down we had to bid farewell to a couple of the Panama City based cousins who had stayed the night before with us. Another night of late night rummy which I am evidentially terrible at followed. The night that was marked by very high winds and rain, the first in a sequence followed for the entire remaining week.

Party Girl

Fantastic Group of Cousins

Day 5 – Down Day Up Brewery

Day Started with a Double Rainbow in the Back Yard

Since we have been known to plan too much activity for the time we are in Panama in the past we planned a down day on Ash Wednesday to rest and recover from the maelstrom of the first few days together. It was peaceful day of reading and talking. My wife was called upon as a last resort to try and get the granddaughter to drink from a bottle; something she has tenaciously refused. She was equally recalcitrant with her grandmother who gave it her best effort but left them both in tears, very endearingly.

Panoramic Shot of Downtown Boquete

Central Square of Boquete - Kasazul is a Couple Blocks Beyond 

Gelato Time

The planned rest day allowed the Wingman to venture onto the internets and as he is wont to do he located a new Brewery in central Boquete. It was within easy walking distance of Kasazul (just kept getting better). Prior to the brewery we dodged the showers for the obligatory shopping expedition which was laced with some delicious gelato. We all gathered at the brewery in the late afternoon (happy hour is still legal in Panama) including the First Blog Reader. She slept through the first half of her stay but charmed everyone in the bar when she awoke.

A Happy Couple on the Boquete Bridge

At the Boquete Brewing Company

Granddaughter in Attendance 

The beer was very good, including some fruity versions that delighted the ladies in our group. I even found a dark beer that I enjoyed (first ever). While mom and baby returned to Kasazul we ate in a nearby Argentinian restaurant before making our way back to the brewery (said it was good). I made a point of buying a t-shirt there (as I am wont to do) as we waited for my wife to return from Ash Wednesday church service (good Catholic that she is). She immediately derided my purchase by revealing she had secretly bought the same shirt for me earlier. We resolved this by giving my son the shirt (problem solved). Another night of late night rummy more than adequately served the semi-rest day.

Enjoying my New T-Shirt

Sign over the Door at the Boquete Brewing Company

Day 6- Las Lajas View to Future

Me at my Favorite Beach Captain Morganing

Any time I go to Panama I always insure my wife plans at least one visit to my favorite beach in the world – Las Lajas. We also happen to be building a condo there so I wanted to check in on the progress being made. The Legendary Laugh Cousin was trucking us all down in their new bus/van and expertly opined that we needed to assemble at my mother in law’s house no later than 8am to beat the traffic on the heavily under construction Inter-American Highway. As good gringos we were there at the appointed time. The rest of the family showed up around 9 and my wife decided shortly before they arrived to make tortillas for my son. We didn’t beat the traffic.

Road Construction

The road construction was actually impressive. I wrote about the project last year. They are turning the stretch of road between David and Santiago into a four lane highway. It’s a huge challenge but they are nearing completion. Not near enough to help us on that day but this bodes well for the future as the new road will significantly reduce the travel time between David and Las Lajas.

Wife with Her Sisters and Brother at Las Lajas

My Favorite Beach Bunny

Our Outpost

The Ex-Mrs. Cantankerous Friend Was With Us

Las Lajas was the dream location I remembered. We set up shop in our usual spot commandeering a dilapidated bohio that served us well. A theme throughout the day was missing my daughter who also loves Las Lajas, I missed her tigger jumps of joy. She decided to stay at Kasazul with her daughter, which was the difficult but right choice. The waves were typically awesome and the morning body surfing session was epic with some of the best rides I ever made, making my way all the way in to ankle depth. Wingman, my son and I teamed up to ride the waves together. We tried to coax the ABFA but she was a little intimidated by the power of the waves which divested her of her bathing suit during an early try. She was also dealing with a malady I was soon to become all too acquainted with. I got tumbled a couple of times head over heel until my technique improved and my wife badly sprained her big toe.

The Fateful Meal

With Parrot Overwatch

We had arranged for lunch at the resort’s main restraint which was sketchy to say the least. The morning’s efforts in the waves overcame my better judgment after seeing the preparation area. I wolfed down a fairly sketchy looking pork chop in short order. A soulful parrot oversaw the activity which was to doom the later part of my Panamanian stay. More on that development follows.

Heading out on our Walk With These Ladies

I was determined to make the walk down the beach to the condo location after lunch. There was a sign advertising the building on the road we drove in on and based on that sign I thought the walk would only be 1 kilometer. Either the sign was placed wrong or the Panamanians are really bad at estimating distance because we ended up walking well over two miles down that beach. A walk of four miles, in tropical heat, hot sun, with a sand filled bathing suit is not friendly to certain male appendages – just saying. I was joined on the walk by my son, Wingman and my wife’s crew of sisters and cousins. The females walked a lot slower but seemed to have a lot more fun – laughing throughout.

The Condo Construction

Pool Will Be in front of Building

Viewed from Waterline

View towards Beach from Pool Location

The construction was where I expected/hoped it would be, just about complete with the first floor and starting work on the second. My engineer son sneered at the use of tree limbs for support structures but they seemed to be doing the job. I was glad to get an appreciation of the actual location. When you add in the pool planned between the condo and the beach we’re going to be right on top on the waves. I’m psyched! Not so much though after the long walk back though.

The Sign

The afternoon body surfing session was not as much fun as the tide had changed the dynamics enough to make the long rides more difficult. By late afternoon the ¼ mile stretch of sand between the surf and the edge of the beach had been reduced mere feet – typical Las Lajas. It was a torturous ride back home through traffic, sun burned, sandy, and exhausted from fighting the Las Lajas waves all day. We topped the day off with pizza, beer, and rummy reunited with Cali-Daughter and the First Blog Reader.

Such a Fun Day with These Guys

Day 7- Birthday Health Failure

The Best Birthday Present

This day was the reason we used to cause the family reunion in the first place – my wife’s sixtieth birthday. There was a huge party planned later in the day halfway down the mountain at the same house we celebrated the marriage of her aunt a week earlier. I was very excited for the event because there are very few events in life filled with more laughter and love than a gathering of my wife’s family. Then the sketchy lunch from the day before made its presence known. Montezuma’s Revenge is not an adequate description of what struck me down. I’ve had a couple colonoscopies so the prep phase is well known to me and this was exactly like that. I decided I was going to follow my usual path which was to deny that anything was wrong. I didn’t want to impinge on my wife’s good time.

About to Leave the Sun and Head into Rain Shrouded Boqeuete

We went down around 11am to help set up for the party. Boquete lies in a small valley on the mountainside and as we cleared the small valley all the showers ended. Boquete spent most of the week were there trapped in a cycle of clouds and rain. Very atypical for that time of year and blamed on El Nino because everything is. In true Panamanian fashion the caterer decided he was going to show up three hours late so we went back to Kasazul. My wife has become a very educated prognosticator when it comes to my health and soon sniffed out I wasn’t feeling well. I think it was me shivering in the 80 degree heat that gave me away. The plan was to shuttle everyone down to the party so we would only need one car. I started feeling worse and worse. After the first trip down to drop off the Californians she asked me to pick up some pepperoni in Boquete. The fever was hitting pretty bad at that point and I walked up and down the street twice and failed to find the store. After rejoining the son and ABFA and heading towards the party I spotted the store which I had walked right by four times.

Gramma Even Reveled in Diaper Changes

My wife had mentioned to a couple of her sisters that I wasn’t feeling well so by the time I got back to the party virtually everybody at the party was concerned for my health. I tried to wave off people’s concerns but when they saw me turn down an offered beer all doubts were erased. I was parked in a chair and plied with various home remedies and mysterious pills over the hour and a half I lasted. My wife drove me back to Kasazul when the baby was due to go down for the night. I was heartbroken to miss the party and concerned my wife would not have a good time. She assured me she could not possibly have a good time if I was sick which made me feel even worse.

Family Table at Party

Always with the Food

I went to bed at 7pm on Friday night of the party I had looked forward to for months. I only woke a couple times during the night, once so Wingman could find me another blanket to deal with the shivering when the fever hit hard. Luckily my wife’s statement that she wasn’t going to have a good time was put to the lie. My son rose to my usual role as the crazy gringo at the party and was a huge hit. He even reenacted his acclaimed mother-son dance from his wedding. When I saw the photos and videos the next day of him leading a conga line dance around the back yard of the party with my wife high stepping along with him I knew I hadn’t ruined the party for her. I knew in the back of my head that there was no was no way to have a bad time at one of her family’s parties. I’m so glad she and her twin sister ushered their sixties in with such noble aplomb and was proud of my son, as well as the ABFA, for being such a big hit at the party.

Dancing Crowd

Wife and Her Twin Enjoying their Day

The party goers returned to Kasazul around 1am just after the power went out and my fever broke for the night. My wife found my stumbling around the bathroom in the pitch dark trying to find the toilet. An auspicious yet fitting end to birthday celebrations.

Day 8 – Farewell Tour Commences

While it was extremely painful to miss my wife’s birthday party the real pain started on this Saturday when we had to deliver my daughter, Wingman and granddaughter back to the airport for the start for their return trip home. I’d gotten so used to hearing the First Blog Reader emote over the past week that I realized I was going to miss it a lot. She was in high voice on her last day at Kasazul. She tried to talking to her parents from the moment she woke up and wasn’t quiet for the rest of the day. She has truly raised “charming” to an art form.

Some Final Gramma Hangs

It was another lazy day of party recovery operations. I felt marginally better (much better was the public story). My wife went to a Boquete pharmacy and laid out my sob story and returned with even more mystery pills, although I’m convinced these helped. We stopped by my wife’s parents’ home so the great grandparents could get one more snuggles with the California contingent. My wife’s father was particularly animated all week long in my granddaughter’s presence. She has that effect on you. After heartfelt but difficult farewells we dropped them off at the airport and some of the air went out of the week. It’s impossible to keep a high going for an entire week and its tribute to the people I was with that we did. The return to Kasazul was a little somber but after some of our own suitcase packing (expertly advised in my case by my Favorite Panamanian) the son/ABFA teamed up to once again to demonstrate my complete inability at rummy.

Airport Departure Scenes

Not Impressed

Day 9 – Return to Winter

I woke up yesterday to a spectacular Boquete morning which made leaving all the more difficult. We had to get down to David to catch our shuttle flight to Panama City and then on to Boston. It was tough saying goodbye to my wife’s fantastic family who were all still concerned for my health. At least that was starting to improve to the level I was publically pronouncing. I’ve got to learn the name of that medicine my wife procured. I only had one short episode of the shivers overnight. At least I was going to be accompanied as far as the Logan Airport parking garage by my son and the ABFA. That made the separation a little easier to take.

I vastly underestimated the outer attire requirements of my return. You’ll recall it was in the mid-fifties when I left in the early morning hours ten days before. The Red Sox hoodie which was almost overkill for those temperatures was badly overmatched by the chill that greeted us at Logan. It would have almost been good to still have a fever. Apparently Boston was experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in decades over the weekend – so I had that going for me. Saying our hurried goodbyes at the garage effectively put an end to the vacation for me and I felt a little depressed at the prospect of returning to the empty house. As I came out of the Ted Williams’ tunnel I was greeted by one of those roadside text signs that read, “Frigid Temperatures – Make Sure You’re Prepared”. It felt like the cosmos was rubbing it in a little bit.

Kasazul From the Back Yard

So that’s my overlong summary, if you’ve stayed with me this long you’re a real trooper. I know I’ve failed to accurately capture how much pleasure this week was for me with my wife, my kids, their spouses, my granddaughter(!), and my wife’s superb family flowing around me in the magical Kasazul. Even the downside of that fateful pork chop can’t take the smile off my face as I remember the times together. It will be a week I’ll cherish for the rest of my wife. The most prized memories, other than any time spent with my granddaughter, will be those late night rummy games sitting around the living room. I know I’ve never enjoyed losing more. I’m going to go turn on the TV now. This lonely time doesn’t warrant the attention Kasazul did.