Back in the US, Back In US – Panama Day 8.5

Don't Be Fooled

Wear Your Walking Shoes!

Yesterday was a real marathon in our return to the US.  We started out at 4am from the hotel to catch our 7am flight out of Panama City.  My wife’s uncle picked us up and delivered us to Tocumen Airport by 5am – should have been plenty of time to get in, have breakfast, then make the gate.  We spent about 40 minutes waiting to check bags because they do not have the internet kiosks that have become so common in US airports.  Very nostalgic to wait in line again, but this is one thing technology does so much better and efficiently.  For the first time American Airlines seems to have figured out that if you’re going to make people wait in line to check in that it’s probably a good idea to have enough people behind the counter to handle the number of passengers.  In the past I’ve waiting nearly two hours to get through this line – I think they changed managers because it went much more smoothly.  The American Airlines guy at our counter was very cool and actually got us on exit row seats for both flights – score!  We then had to go through the security check in which turned out to be something of an adventure.  They had one guy checking all passports but there was a family standing with him with all their baggage and the woman was pleading with him to let her board the airplane with her baby – even though she didn’t have the proper documents.  To this guy’s credit he remained completely professional with her despite some real drama from her.  He eventually called another guy up to take over for him so he could deal with her.  We sped up to the baggage screening area and ground to a halt.  They only had two belts operating, manned by about thirty people – so that didn’t make sense.  What infuriated the entire line of people waiting were the air crews.  They waltzed around the line and were allowed to go through the process ahead of us.  Just as the last crew member was checked through and they would start taking an actual passenger another air crew would show up.  This went on for about thirty minutes until the leader of the screening area notified the rising unrest in the passenger area and opened another line.  He even held up an air crew so more passengers could get through.  The air crew – I think they were from Delta – acted like teenage girls and rolled their eyes and generally threw a tantrum.  This doesn’t work with Panamanians and the passengers cheered when the guy told them they would have to wait even longer after their emotional display.  We finally made it through with five minutes to spare before the boarding for our first flight – no breakfast in Panama.  The Panamanians have an additional check at the gate area where all carry on bags are opened and searched.  This actually seemed to help the boarding process because even though we were in the last group to board once we passed through and walked on to the jet way we walked right into the plane and our seats, not having the usual 10-15 minute wait while the line ahead of you inches forward.  We were changing planes in Miami, an airport I have always loathed because of the way it was set up.  Before you always had to walk to the center and then back out the radial arms of gates to change planes.  I noticed that some serious renovation and modernization had taken place since my last trip through and hoped they had fixed this issue. It was clear that they tried – even having robotic trains to ferry people around.  I think they missed the part about not having to walk long distances though.  We got off the plane and walked as directed by signs towards immigration, and we walked, and we walked, took one of the trains, and then we walked, and walked some more.  I hear that they do a lot of drugs in Miami and whoever designed the airport was certainly partaking.  Even after we went through immigration we were only half finished with our walking and train rides, I think we ended up going almost full circle from where we started.  Immigration took a lot longer than usual – it was obvious that the days of just breezing through – even if you’re a bona fide US citizen are gone.  Another thing to thank our Arab brothers for, they’ve made air travel so special.   We grabbed a really good piece of pizza and then waited for our connecting flight to Boston.  We were delayed for about an hour and a half because they had no one to fly the plane – somewhat of a requirement.  We had just gotten into Miami ahead of some thunderstorms so the scheduled flight crew was diverted to another airport by the same storms.  They eventually made it and we were headed for Boston with a one of those pilots who likes to narrate the flight – telling us exactly where we are about every twenty minutes – I’ve always kind of liked that.  We arrived in Boston to 38 degree rainy weather (very un-Panama like).  Economy parking turned out to work really well – no long walks at all (Are you listening Miami?!)  We decided to head down to Rhode Island to recover Buddy the Wonder Pooch, grabbing our first real meal of the day around 9:30pm.  Buddy was appropriately frantic when we arrived and it was cool to see how much he had obviously missed my wife – join the club pal.  We finally pulled into the house around 11pm – totally exhausted but with a real feeling of coming home.  Getting up and coming into work this morning was a little more challenging.  I hope to post a collection of photos from the trip over the weekend – it’s good to be home. 

Farewell Tour – Panama Day 8

Where We Had Our Last Dinner in Panama

Today started early with a bus ride back to Panama City.    We were up at 5am to catch a 6am bus out of David. My wife’s brother and uncle showed up right on time, very un-Panamanian of them.  It was really tough leaving because we have so much fun with my wife’s family.  My wife had been there since the end of January so it was especially tough on her.   My wife was all excited about getting front row seats until I reminded her that there was no leg room in the front seats.  She denied this until we took our seats and she quickly went in to change our seats.  It was strange because it was the exact same bus we rode on the trip up to David but the leg room, even in our new seats, was terrible.  It was like six hours of sitting in Fenway Park for someone over six feet tall. The good thing about early morning bus rides is that it is very easy to fall asleep, even with no legroom.  We all woke up at the half way point which is an open air restaurant in Santiago where we spend a half hour.  I noted how much more comfortable a week in Panama had made me.  I ordered everything in Spanish and didn’t have to rely on my wife for help.  They showed the movie War Horse on the second half of the trip.  I think it was a pirated copy because there would be a periodic warning come across the screen about intellectual properties and such.  We stopped a lot during this second half as the drivers seemed to want to fill all the seats, even though this was supposed to be an express bus to Panama City.  I’m sure all the cash they collected got back to the company (tongue firmly in cheek).  I was struck by the kindness of the Panamanians as there was an elderly lady who apparently had some sort of bowel emergency.  The bus driver stopped the bus and backed into a rest stop and then waited while the lady was taken care of.  No one on the bus complained.  I can imagine the same thing happening in the US (yep, tongue still in place).   Our route took us over the canal where we could see the construction ongoing for the new wider canal – it was impressive.  We also passed by some of our all stomping grounds from 30 years ago which supplied a nice dose of nostalgia.  One of my wife’s cousins met us and ferried us to our hotel – same one as day 1.  We learned that the Indians closed the road about three hours after we passed.  We had a lazy afternoon, my wife took advantage of the low cost manicure and I caught up on some reading.  Tonight we went to a nearby bar and restaurant that had some jazz musicians playing.  We passed one final great evening with five of my wife’s cousins – with once again the perfect blend of serious and at times extremely funny recollections of the past week.  We even delivered the paperwork for the land deal to my wife’s nephew, our lawyer, so he can register the sale for us.  We catch a very early flight tomorrow morning and the next time I blog it will be from the US, unless the Indians figure out how to block the runways.

The Great Diskette Hunt – Panama Day 7

A Diskette - When Was the Last Time You Used One of These

I was lulled into a false sense of security yesterday concerning the land sale.  We even planned a return trip to the swimming hole in the afternoon.  We left the house early to pick up an express package from our lawyer and then withdrew the tax we would be paying from the bank.  I even wore long pants today so I saw the inside of the bank.   The sellers showed up, grandson in tow, and off we headed to the ministry of finance for what was promised to be a quick stop.   The lawyer had included a data disk which is part of the requirement for the ministry.  All was going well until after reviewing the paperwork which was in order she said that the information on the CD had to be transferred to a diskette.  I was a little miffed about having to go out again but figured it would be a simple thing and we would still be on schedule.  We headed to the center of David and began our search.  There is a computer and internet store on literally every corner in the center of town so we figured we would be in and out quickly.  I started getting nervous when the fifth store we went into said that they hadn’t offered that service for years.  The store employees, all young and polite (who knew that was possible) at each of the 13 stores we stopped in asked in a bemused fashion why we wanted diskettes because no one used those anymore.  When we told them it was for their government they nodded sagely and said that makes sense.  We were getting desperate, not to mention putting some serious legwork in (thank God I was wearing long pants).  Finally at a back desk in a children’s school supply store they said they could do the transfer but they didn’t have any diskettes.  Back into the search mode during which we finished our canvass of the center of David without any luck.  The seller drove us to a place near the casino with a long line of shops.  We started at the end with what seemed a really poor excuse of a shop, one room with a counter.  Lo and behold not only did they have diskettes but they could do the transfer.  One clerk said to the other, are you sure, we haven’t used that disk drive for years.  The transfer didn’t work but we did score a blank diskette for 45 cents.  Back to the school supply store where we made the data transfer for 50 cents.  So, after an hour and a half in 97 degree heat along with 95 cents we headed back to the ministry with the required diskette.  We got through two out of three lines at the ministry and were third in line for the final approval when they announced it was lunch time and we should come back at 1:30.  I treated the long suffering group to lunch at a place called the El Fogon, great double burger.  We were back at the ministry and were free by 2:05 and headed for our final stop which had been promised as a quick, final approval.  The swimming hole was still possible!  We piled into the notary’s office, the one with large tracts, and were told she was out for lunch and would return at 3pm.  Sometimes, life just sucks.  She finally returned at 3:30 and was very quick but then informed us that her clerk, who did the paperwork, was sick.  I think she read the murder laying lightly below each of our eyes because she volunteered to do the work herself.  She apparently isn’t as quick as the clerk because we didn’t get out of there until 4:30 – but IT WAS DONE!!!!  Unfortunately the swimming hole will have to wait for our next trip.  We returned our rental car which despite some pretty heavy use only used 3 gallons of gas for the entire five days.  I may have to re-think my derisive attitude towards the corolla.  We’re now packing and getting ready for another early morning bus ride back to Panama City.  The Indians have promised not to close the Pan American Highway for at least another day so we just might make it.  After today I’m not counting on anything.  I’m mapping escape routes through Costa Rica.

El Fogon Where We Had Lunch

The Interior

Bureaucracy Day + Barranca Time– Panama Day 6

David, Panama Which We saw a Lot of Today

Today started out poorly with a devastating head ache around 1am.  I hadn’t had as bad a head ache since my last knee surgery in 2001.  My wife came to the rescue with a double dose of ibuprofen.  We woke up to the prospect of spending the day working our way through the approval process for our land purchase.  As we were getting ready I asked my wife if I should be wearing long pants because you rarely see Panamanian men in shorts – despite the heat.  She said not to worry that they were used to informal gringos.  The sellers of the property were supposed to be here at 8am so they showed up at 10:30.  This started our odyssey.  We were prepped by our lawyer, my wife’s nephew on the proper steps.  He had prepared the sales agreement which was our starting point.  We started at the local notary, a government official.  She told us we first needed to go to this Finance ministry across town.  She gave us directions and off we headed.  We arrived at the ministry building which had no signs but lots of doors.  On our second lap around the building an amused armed guard told us to try the third door on the right (unmarked).  The people in there were very friendly but told us we had the right ministry but wrong building.  They sent us to another building across town, near a casino.  David, Panama is not easy for someone unfamiliar with it so we stopped a taxi driver and asked directions.  He navigated us to the right place.  We went in one door and were directed to the next door to the left.  When we went in there we were directed to the first door we passed and then to a third door.  There was an armed guard here who inspected the two lady’s handbags and then informed me I would not be allowed in the building wearing shorts (cue the penetrating stare at my wife).  I went to hang out with the seller’s husband and their 2 year old grandson.  I have to mention this kid, two years old and he spent the entire morning with us in a non air-conditioned truck cab and never complained or gave his grandparents any trouble.  I’m not exactly sure what happened in that building but the ladies came out and said we were headed to the bank to get a certified check for the land sale.  I made the wire transfer of money from our account in the US last week, a first for me.  Since my wife forgot to confirm the transfer took place I was in the heavy prayer mode as we pulled up to the bank.  The bank was of course a no shorts zone as well so I got to hang out with the sellers and grandson in their truck while my wife made the withdrawal. We were double parked, since parking in Panama is a lot like driving in Panama, very free spirited.  An hour later, my wife emerged with the check – prayers answered, if not in a timely manner.  As the seller opened the truck door, a gust of wind took a pile of the transaction paperwork and blew it all over the street.  See all four of us scrambling through traffic to recover the paperwork.  We now headed back to the notary and I noted that we hadn’t accomplished much as we completed the circle.  We were reunited with the lawyer we started out with (large tracts of land herself).  This time my wife suggested we get our nephew on the phone and let the two lawyers talk.  This turned out to be the magic touch.  We soon had a sale completed.  We head back tomorrow to dot some I’s and get some more stamps (lots of stamping and fingerprinting next to signatures required).  A long day but I was struck by how professional and polite all the government civil servants were.  The bureaucrats back in the US could take a lesson there.  We did all of this in some really oppressive heat, mid 90s and I was impressed by how great the sellers were.  The guy, an ecological professor/farmer, told me when you do something like this that patience is the key.  A lesson for me, since patience has never been my long suit.  When we got back to the house my wife wanted to crash (she was up early with my headache).  I actually took off in the rental car by myself and knocked out a couple of errands – impressing the hell out of myself if nobody else.  When I got back I cajoled my wife out of the air conditioned bed room and told her we needed to head to one of my favorite spots during our visits to Panama – the Old Barranca swimming hole.  She grudgingly agreed and we soon had a group of 10 family members headed out.  The swimming hole is really just a wide point in a local river but I love going there – could be the attached bar, but I digress.  It’s an interesting place with a small zoo attached.  We ended up having the entire swimming hole to ourselves for nearly three hours, my wife admitting I was right to insist on coming.  As the sun was setting we adjourned to the bar for a spirited dinner, again that great family vibe was out in full force.  There were also bats swooping in over the table keeping the bugs down.  A truly fabulous way to end a day wading through the purchase transaction.  At the end of the day we have realized part of our dream to own an acre of Panama.  Over the next year we’ll be finalizing plans for building a house on the land.

Not the One We Were at But the Same River - Great Swimming Holes

Gavilla Beach Day – Panama Day 5

View from the Bohio

Today was an event that has become a tradition of our annual trips to Panama – a family trip to the beach.  One of my wife’s cousins has an old school bus that we annually fill up with cousins, food, drink, and great attitudes and head for a Pacific beach.  Today we were held up a little because my wife’s nephew had to stop by and create the sales agreement for the land we are buying.  He promised my wife that he would be at the house by 8am.  By 9:30am, still with no nephew, the cousins had assembled and the school bus was being loaded.  The wife was repeat calling the nephew and getting more and more stressed because he wasn’t answering his cell phone.  My wife pontificated that she hated it when people don’t answer their cell phones.  I started laughing (not helping the stress levels) because both of my kids get extremely frustrating with their mother (my wife) for the exact same thing.  The nephew finally pulled up and got everything he needed from us to fill out the needed forms.  I love these rides to the beach because the noise level and one liners flying between this close knit group is so much fun to be a part of.  We were headed for Gavilla Beach, about an hour and a half from my wife’s home town, David.  This is a sheltered inlet with really calm waves.  I prefer a place called Las Lajas which has some huge waves and great body surfing, something I love to do.  A couple of years ago a friend who was visiting Panama with us hurt his neck there and since then my wife steers me away from there.  I think it has something to do with me refusing to acknowledge my age when it comes to body surfing.  Gavilla beach is reached via some extremely treacherous dirt roads.  Last year the bus got stuck and an uncle and I had to bounce outside on the rear bumper to get the bus up one of the hills.   The roads were not any better but apparently the driver was because we arrived with no problem. We rented a Bohio (a side-less grass hut) on the beach, just steps from the water and settled down for a great day.  All the Panamanians were claiming the water was extremely cold.  I told them if they wanted to see cold then they should come to York Beach, Maine.  The water was cold by Panamanian standards but was still delightful, just a little cooler than bath water.  My wife and I took a long walk together and found a really strange rock road leading up from the coast.  It was obviously old and ended just off the beach with no real purpose or destination.  I think it was some old smuggler’s road used to get illicit goods up from the sheltered but remote beach.  It made a nice story anyways.  I was definitely the whitest guy on the beach, at least until the sun burn set in.  There was an incredible thong bikini a short distance away that I spent most of the day trying to avoid staring at due to the proximity of the wife.  I estimate my success rate at 35-46%.  Another great day spent with some truly special people.  Tomorrow we start slogging through the bureaucracy for closing the land deal.  I’m guessing they’re a whole lot less special.

My Wife and I Swimming with a Young Cousin

Cousin Filled Bohio

My Wife and I Enjoying the Beach

Watching the Sun Set on a Great Day

30th Anniversary Party – Panama Day 4

Wife and I Dancing to "Endless Love" - Our Song at the Party

Today was the anniversary party and one of the main reasons we traveled to Panama at this time of year.  In addition to celebrating our thirtieth anniversary my wife’s parents are shortly celebrating their sixtieth anniversary so it was supposed to be a combined party.  Unfortunately my mother in law neglected to tell her husband about it until a couple of weeks ago.  He flatly stated that they were too old to be celebrating and that it was a dumb idea.  I think he was more pissed about not being told ahead of time and that falls directly on my mother in law.  So it became strictly our party which is fine – we still served beer.  My wife’s sister, who is a real card, volunteered to host the party at her house.  We all went up there in the morning to help get the house ready for the fifty guests scheduled to show up.  We were all finished and back at my wife’s parent’s house to rest up.  It turned out to be a good thing.  I had not been feeling well since arriving in Panama and things had been kind of break neck until that point.  I had been pulling a fever for the last couple of days but didn’t say anything because I’M ON VACATION!  When we got back to the house I took a three and a half hour nap and the fever broke during the rest.  I was ready to party.  We heard from Maria’s sister that power had been knocked out at her place due to some unusually high winds.  This had the potential for disaster because the water supply (read toilets) required electricity to operate.  Panama is also not renowned for quick reactions to power outages, especially on Saturdays.  As we headed up we loaded a bunch of buckets of water to keep the toilet operating.  Power came on about 15 minutes before the party started so I take back my unkind words about Panamanian reactions.  The party was everything I hoped it would be.  My daughter made us some CDs with music from the time my wife and I were dating.  It was disco inferno time in Panama but everyone had a great time dancing.  The CDs were a huge hit.  My wife even got to deliver lessons on the Hustle to the assembled females.  My wife’s family is extremely special.  Her mother has two sisters and three brothers.  The resulting brood of cousins generated by that generation reminds me of my father’s family and the closeness of that group.  We even had some friends from the US who were visiting Panama surprise us.  It was a great night and I got to dance with my wife to some of the music of our youth.  We were a little (lot) slower than when we first heard it but I think we enjoyed it this time even more.  Tomorrow it’s off to the beach.

Wife and I with Some Poser

My Mother in Law on Far Right with her Brothers and Sister -
Producers of Fine Cousins

Back on the Road – Panama Day 3

My "Full" Size Rental Car

Today we went through the process of renting a car in Panama which was fairly interesting.  I had reserved an intermediate car over the internet and after filling out the paperwork I was told that I was being upgrading to a full size car free of charge.  I seldom get perks like this so I was mildly impressed with myself.  I was escorted out to my car and was presented with a Toyota Corolla – definitely not my idea of a full size car.  I’m just glad I got the upgrade because I can only imagine what an intermediate or God forbid a compact size car would have been.  Driving in Panama is in a word – an adventure.  The traffic moves but seems to follow its own set of rules – most of the time.  I drove around Panama all the time when I was a young lieutenant but this would be the first time since then.  I loved it and found the driving was much less scarier than I anticipated – being a passenger is a whole lot worse.  As I was leaving the rental agency there was a police station with a sign saying there had been 115 fatalities in the last seventy days – those rules are open to a wide interpretation and apparently violent disagreements.  My job – not becoming 116.  We went up to meet with the people who are selling us some land.  They are related by marriage to one of Maria’s cousins.  There was a small monkey wrench in our plans in that the government of Panama was now charging a tax on all real estate transactions.  They proposed selling us the land for $10 and paying the tax on that and then we passing them the agreed upon price under the table.  I thought about this but I could just imagine this coming to light in the middle of our construction and halting everything.  I told them that we would pay the tax in order to keep everything above board.  We then went up to visit the land we are buying and I was once again struck by the beauty of our future second home.  I will post photos when I get back to the US.  It’s a fairly level plot in a town called Dolega and what sold me was the view from the back of the lot.  The land slopes away and provides a dramatic view of the towering volcanic mountains of central Panama.  Dolega is about 15 minutes from my wife’s home town but its halfway up into those mountains and just high enough to freshen the temperatures – a lot.  This makes it close enough to be close to my Wife’s family (an extremely important point for both of us) but high enough that this gringo can enjoy the climate.  Tomorrow is our thirtieth anniversary party and the whole reason we came down here.

A Picture of the Area we Are Buying Land In