Panama 2015 Week 8

You are all probably asking "Garbanzo! Where have you bean?"

Well Chicas, chicos and chickpeas, I apologize and thankyou if you have checked everyday for the update. 

Week 8 started off uneventful as we were staying close to the condo due to high traffic on the roads during the 4 days of Carnival. We had already stocked up on groceries and wine to keep us going until Thursday, when we jumped into our rusty-orange coloured Kia Sole and hit the PanAmerican highway and headed west.

The PA hwy has been under major construction for years, widening 2 lane sections to 4 lanes and when completed this will be a lovely drive to link Panama cities. In the meantime, we faced bumpy, potholed sections and lane restrictions that slowed our progress but (except for Bill, who had to keep a steady eye on the road) the mountain views and lush green vegetation was almost worth each and every bounce and jolt.

Cold drinks being delivered to road crew.

7-1/2 hours later we reached our destination - the bio-diverse region of Boquete (bouquet-ay), flower capital of Panama and largest expat community of Panama. A travellers paradise 4000ft above sea level, surrounded by views of rain forests, volcanic peaks, parks, and coffee plantations. 

Gardens of orchids and magnificent colours of bougainvillea were everywhere.

In the evenings, a mountain mist called "bajareque" (baw-haw-RAY-kay) decended on us and we were rewarded with full spectrum rainbows and clean fresh air. 

On Saturday, we were on the road again, only this time to the surfing town of Bocas Del Toro (mouths of the bull).

After a brief stop for directions at the local police station in the town of David (Dah-veed) we resumed our trip. For anyone not familiar with travelling on Panamanian roads, street names, major intersections and most roads are missing from the map. There are very few, if any, road signs to assist with directions or names of towns. In fact we saw our first traffic light when we were lost in downtown David. Our GPS was a great help although we lost satellite reception on numerous occasions.

Narrative of Bocas and our return to Boquete to follow in week 9 blog.

Panama 2015 Week 7

Yesterday was Valentines Day and we celebrated with sparkling wine and chocolate cake. Romance in the air and stars in the sky. Bill quoted - "Last night I looked up into the stars and matched each one with a reason why I love you. I was doing great until I ran out of stars"🌟 Ahhh!

Speaking of the night sky, we met some star gazers who advised us how lucky we are to be so close to the equator at this time of year. Above is an image of the sky visible to us this morning at 1am. You could actually see Polaris (ursa minor) and of course the Big Dipper - Ursa Major, and pointing to the South Pole is the Crux or Southern Cross and to the west we recognized Orion's Belt. I'm not sure how much longer these constellations will both be visible simultaneously, but it's an amazing sight. Note, all you would be sailors, these aforementioned stars will help quide your course should your compass go missing.

"Carnival" began on Friday in Panama and will last until Tuesday. Carnival celebrations in Panama City are second only to those in  Rio and the partying similar to Mardi Gras. On Friday night a Queen is crowned, Saturday morning the water hoses come out and people got soaked from fire trucks or garden hoses. (Copy of pic from newspaper). We managed to avoid these festivities and cooled off in the pool instead. It was suggested that we do any shopping in town before Friday to avoid long lineups and heavy traffic.

Walked the beach to the local village of Gorgona, where we found an excellent beanery. True "home cooking" with owners living in the back.

The Doors were singing  -"Show me the way to the next whisky bar, Oh don't ask why!" 😊

One of the few restaurants we can walk to from the beach.

Shave and a haircut...2 pesos! Carnival festivities are about to begin, as the guy with the clip board makes his final rounds.t

 Path access to Serena Beach, just west of Coronodo Beach.

Party time on the roof of a neighbouring condo. 

The sunset was unbelievable, shadows and clouds making a criss-cross pattern.

Panama 2015 Week 6

Hi - what a memorable Super Bowl, even for non-devoted fans like us the game was terrific even down to the last few minutes. We enjoyed ourselves poolside with plenty of good food and snacks and lots of comradory.

On Tuesday we rented a car for the day, Bill skillfully transporting us up the mountain 750 meters which offered us some amazing views of the area. 

We then ventured out onto the main (and only) highway, heading west along the coast. The Pan-American is a 4 lane divided highway, no stop signs or traffic lights, almost non-existing on/off ramps and u-turns are illegal. So we did the safest thing, drove as far as we wanted go, took 1 dangerous left hand turn in front of oncoming traffic 🙀 and then on the way home, we stayed in the right lane and made several right hand turns to investigate other beaches and developments. 

The PanAmerican is 48,000km, worlds largest motorable road, connecting all the Americas.

We stopped for lunch at Playa Blanca at a famous Canadian beach bar called "Woody's", which was recently purchased by 2 couples from Pickering. They even serve "poutine"! 

After our adventure Bill and I cooled off at the pool watching the gardener on a ladder lop coconuts from the palms with a machete. The danger being that with these strong wind gusts (they were reported to have been clocked at 164 km/hr) if a loose nut fell from the tree and landed on your head.....well, you can imagine! Ouch! The gardener took 2 coconuts and chopped off the top so we could drink the fresh water right from the coconut. A little warm, but refreshing and full of electrolytes! How good is that?!

It is the season for watermelons, cantaloupe, oranges, papaya and the sweetest pineapple. We enjoy purchasing these right off the truck or at a roadside stand. We can't wait until the mangoes and avocados are in season.

"Panama" literally translates to "bounty of fish". In the town of Coronado, the local fishermen were selling Red Snapper and Spiny Lobsters (clawless). They scaled and cleaned the fish for you at the back of the truck, ready to be cooked for tonight's dinner.

A couple of the best fishermen, brown pelicans and a happy tourist.

Buenos noches, a view west from our balcony on the 16th floor

Panama 2015 Week 5

  The winds are still blowing strong, bringing cooler air in at night giving us a pleasant reprieve.The weather forecast is calling for rain today and possibly for the next 2 days, but this will most likely result in nothing more than a sprinkle. We are very sheltered here in the Gulf of Panama and the waters are quieter still in our Coronodo bay area.

We're getting ready for a Super Bowl party tonight at the poolside cabana. One of the many casinos in town is offering free food and free booze. However, we've opted to stay close making the only ride home we need is on the elevator.

Today is our day for rest, providing time to forward some recent pictures of hard working pets caught in the act of performing their duties....24/7

Guard Geese - Louder than a burglar alarm and more ferocious than a German Shephard. They are protecting one of the multi-million dollar homes on the beach. Lucky Ducks!

This little Fireman is so darn gone cute but "dogmatic". He can't wait for his first ride on the truck.

Dog napping, waiting for the bar to open for a cold beer and a hot dog

This little guy looks scary. In fact he was giving a big smile for the camera. "Ready for my close-up"

Ok, not your typical guard dog, but he could take you out at the ankles if you got too close to his tail? It was going a mile a minute. 

While passing the market in El Valle, we watched this dog napper grab a bag of dog-food. We followed him down the street and he confidently squeezed through the fence with his "take out" lunch, or maybe he had asked for a "doggie bag"!

When the fishermen bring in their catch, there are plenty of hungry Sea Dogs waiting for a dogfish.