Larry's Central American Travels

Holiday Greetings from Larry Matthews

Reflections On The Season

I just wanted to share with you what I suspect will be a slightly different slant on this festive holiday season.

Yes, I enjoy the glow of the upcoming Christmas season and the anticipation of a new year. But, I have seen, up close, most of Asia, and a good portion of Europe during my career in the Air Force.  And, have now spent the past year in Central America. So, possibly because I spent a number of holiday seasons separated from 'home' and family,  I find it very comforting at this time of year to also reflect on how lucky I am to be an American.

We are all barraged by the media with the doom and gloom of  horrors in Darfur,  Somalia, Kosovo, Burma, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Beirut, Pakistan, etc., et al., to the point that we become numb. So, if you are not already, it is the season to become a 'the glass is not half empty, it is half full' person.  Take a deep breath and say, “Thank God I am an American.”  Go ahead, you can even say it out loud.

In the peace and tranquility of Central America, at least in the portion that I am in (Costa Rica and, now Panama), I soak up the sun, admire the natural beauty of the environment, absorb the friendship of the people and admire the laid back lifestyle (mañana will do!).  But, is it all good?  No, it is just that most of the crises (by comparison) are minor and quite candidly are probably not even on your life's radar screen.

• Alberto Fujimori, the former President of Peru was just found guilty of an illegal search charge while in office.  He still faces charges of corruption, kidnapping and murder. “Thank God I am an American.”
• The last three presidents of Costa Rica are under indictment for a variety of corruption charges. Two remain in exile.“Thank God I am an American.”
• In the prosperous country (due to canal revenue) of Panama, in past months scores of toddlers have died of malnutrition and foreign aid agencies estimate that more than half of the country's children under 5 face the same risk. “Thank God I am an American.”
• The Organization of American States has sent an envoy to Bolivia to head off an explosive confrontation over constitutional reforms being pushed by leftist President Evo Morales. “Thank God I am an American.”
• President Hugo Chavez (termed by some as 'Little Fidel), lost the referendum vote of the Venezuelan voters, that would have made him basically ´Emperor for Life', instead of just Emperor.    However, in just of matter days, he has pushed about 80% of the referendum's points through the Congress (that he appointed), surely to be upheld by the country's Supreme Court (which he appointed after he fired the previous justices). “Thank God I am an American.”
• A couple of weeks ago a rare December hurricane ripped through the Dominican Republic. Government officials, who were concerned that the Taverna Dam might break, opened all the floodgates in the middle of the night with NO warning to the already flooded population downstream. This released 1.6 million gallons of water per second, resulting in a 66 foot high wall of water rushing down the Yaqui river.  Initial estimates are 37 dead, but still counting. The resultant statements made by government officials amounted (in my opinion) to little more than, “I hate it when stuff like that happens.”  “Thank God I am an American.”
• One house of the Panamanian Congress just passed a bill to make December 20th  a National Day of Mourning.  All Panamanians who died on that day will be proclaimed both National Heroes and Martyrs.  What is special about December 20th?  December 20, 1989 is the day the U.S. invaded Panama to depose the thug and drug lord Noriega.  “Thank God I am an American.”

You may be saying at this point, “What is upbeat about this holiday message?”  It all is! - if - if you are in 'the glass is half full' mode. Our 'big' political questions as Americans presently revolve around the relevance of Obama spending some formative years in Indonesia, or a woman as president, or some statement by a former governor made 20 years ago, or whether a 55 year old candidate did/or did not smoke a joint back when he was in college.

Think about this.  Have you ever had a neighbor arrested for attending a political meeting?  A son 'disappear' because of his membership in a youth organization?  A daughter arrested and then publically lashed for 'improper' dress?  If your parents come to your house for Christmas, do they have to apply months in advance to get a visa and permission to travel from Oklahoma to Kansas?  If you attend midnight Christmas Eve church services, is it held in secret in the basement of a nondescript building because the 'ruling party' has banned your religion?  Do any of your local clergy, government officials, judges or news reporter travel with an entourage of body guards to protect them from assassination attempts?  “No?  No to all?”, you say?  Repeat after me, “Thank God I am an American.”

So, this Christmas when you wayward son shows up with a new ring in his nose, just smile and say, “Thank God I am an American.”  When your daughter arrives with the new son-in-law just think, I did not chose him and force him on her in exchange for a few sheep. “Thank God I am an American,”. And, when you take the turkey to the dinner table, be happy it is not a goat (or worse) cooked over a cow dung fire in some god-forsaken desert oasis - just think, “Thank God I am an American.” 

But, most of all, stop and think when that 3 year old grand daughter of yours comes to you grinning, and puts her arms up to be picked up, and says, “Grandma/Grandpa.”  Thank your lucky stars she said it in English, and not some version of Hindi, or a tribal dialect from the mountain tribes of Afghanistan, or one of the 20+ languages of the Philippine provinces. Just because you know that she is NOT in a statistical group that dictates she only has a 50/50 chance of being around for the next family Christmas, say, “Thank God I am an American!”.

Thus, my mantra has become, “If the glass is half full, my cup runneth over!”

To you all, I say
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
       and
Thank God I am an American.

Feliz Navidad y un Próspero Año Nuevo
           y
Gracias a Dios yo soy un Americano

PANAMANIAN HOLIDAYS JUST KEEP COMING

(Click on the thumbnails to view the photos full size)

Independence Day(s) Celebrations Are Over - But .....

The last day of November was quiet on the town square - no celebration, parade, rally or band of any kind.  After the 7-8 days of festivities at the beginning of November to celebrate Panama's independence from Columbia and another 7-8 days at the end of the month to celebrate independence from Spain, the peace and quiet was a welcome change. And, since my room in the hotel is 'on the street', it was a nice respite.  Should be quiet for a while now.  Nay, nay you fool.

On December 1st, I noticed this commotion out on the street - a street had been cordoned off.  Sure enough, the next day was a big produce sale.  This celebration is in some ways similar to our Thanksgiving.  It is an 'end of a harvest season' celebration of some sort. 

But, the produce celebration was just a precursor of things to come. Two things happen on the first of December. First off the 1st starts the festivities that culminate on the big day on the 8th,  El Día de Madre. Mother's Day is a BIG holiday period down here - one of the few holidays where they actually shut the country down. And, as you might expect the 8th was a big blow-out, all day and into the evening.

And, December 1st is also the day they turn on the PA system in the park and begin broadcasting Christmas music all over downtown  from 8AM to 9PM daily.  I have heard Feliz Navidad in about every version you can imagine - band, orchestra, mariachi, fast, slow, salsa, chorus, quartet, and individual vocal.  I swear every entertainer in the world has a version of Feliz Navidad, except Hulk Hogan.  I know this sounds like Bah, Humbug, but you can not even hear the TV.  How much longer until Christmas?

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A Trip to the Bank

You think you hate having to go to the bank?  Well, the banks here do not have waiting areas inside the bank (security).  So this is the waiting area.  The heavily armed security guards unlock the door and let a few people in at a time as customers leave.  Not too comfortable in the rainy season and a little warm in the dry season.

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I Am A Cheerleader??

A friend of mine recently was ragging me that my blog entries made me sound like a cheerleader for the Central American Tourist Bureau. Well, I guess I am usually pretty upbeat.  But, I will readily admit, ALL is not roses in paradise.  A some examples follow;

1.  Panama is undertaking a massive expansion of the Panama Canal, luring billions of dollars in maritime and high-tech investments that could make it the Hong Kong of the Americas.  Against that backdrop,  there is presently a big controversy surrounding the will of an eccentric U. S. millionaire, Wilson Lucom.  Mr Lucom came to Panama in the early 1980s (already a multi-millionaire) from Palm Beach, Florida.  In 1982 he married a heiress of Panama's Arias family (a family that has produced two of Panama's Presidents), and settled in on  a 7,000 acre ranch which he purchased from the Arias family.  The problem?  When he died last year (at age 88), Mr. Lucom's left 50 million dollars in his will (filed with his Florida attorney) to "poor children's charities in Panama."   Not too surprisingly, the widow Arias along with her children are contesting the will in Panama's notoriously corrupt judicial system. The widow has lost in two lower courts and the case is now on its way to Panama's Supreme Court.

What,  Panama's poor children?  According to several international aid-oriented organizations, "in the past few months, scores of toddlers have died of malnutrition in the small towns and villages around the country."  And (AND!), "more than half of Panamanian children under age 5 are at risk of suffering the same fate."

2.  Free Trade Agreements, as you are probably aware, are being negotiated between the U.S. and most of the countries (individually) in South and Central America. The Free Trade pact with Panama is being held up by the U.S.  The U.S. is asking for the Panamanian government to take active steps to correct several problems - one of the most important being rampant government corruption problems.  Everything from the traffic cop who accepts the $10 bill for a traffic ticket unwritten (in plain view of anyone who cares to observe) to the infamous historical corruption problems in all the arms of the national government.  Those politicians need to straighten up, right?  A recent nationwide poll conducted throughout Panama showed that 64% of the population feels that corruption is just a facilitator of expediency - just part of the process.

3. And, on the sleazy side.  Juan Carlos Dudley was found last week mid-day, dead of multiple stab wounds.  He was found in what the Panamanians call a "push" (or "push button") hotel on the Pan American highway just outside of downtown Panama City.  The police are looking for two young females who were seen in his company earlier in the afternoon.

According to the newspaper account (with added explanations from local friends), "push button" motels get their name from the fact that when you pull in the drive, you insert a credit card in the entry machine and push a button (ala a U.S. parking garage).  Then you watch to see what ground floor garage door opens.  You then pull in, the garage door closes and a door inside the garage opens to an internal stairway to your room above the garage. The rooms are rented in two hour blocks, and the push button technology provides total anonymity.

Oh, almost forgot, Senor Dudley was the vice president of the National College of Lawyers, a law professor at the university and a well known crusader constantly railing against Panama's lax laws on prostitution and other assorted forms of vice.

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Street Scenes

The guys that sweep the park (seemimgly 24/7), make their brooms each morning from the clipping leftovers from the previous days landscaping efforts

I wondered in an earlier posting how the Sno-Cone vendors managed their ice blocks.   Did they figure out how big a block would last the day or go some place and replenish during the day.  Silly me!  Leave it to free enterprise to solve that problem.

More colorful clothing from the local Indian folks.

Why does this look like some kind of pre-invasion planning meeting?

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Priority Mailing to the U.S.

Last week I had a requirement to do a priority (overnight) mailing to my son in Charlotte.  Four letter size envelopes slipped right into the standard overnight flat envelope.  DHL got it to Charlotte in 'just' 3 days and it 'only' cost $58.  Ouch!

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Another Parade?

Last Thursday night the Christmas music suddenly stopped and I thought, "Now what?"  Sure enough in about 5 minutes I heard sirens and went out on the balcony and looked up the street.  The side streets were blocked off, and a big fire truck, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, was leading a parade, complete with a marching band (turns out there were three bands).   And, behind the truck, for as far up the street as you could see, were marching units carrying flaming torches.  It took over 45 minutes for the entire parade to pass.

The entire parade (bands included) was made up of bomberos (firemen) in full dress uniform - literally hundreds of them.  I couldn't help but think, "What happens if they have a major fire someplace in the city right now?"  I also tried to figure out the relevance of (or reconcile the irony of)  firemen marching with flaming torches. Oh well, whatever.

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Panamanian Festival(s)

                             Click on the photo thumbnails to view full sized

Fiesta for Independence Day (Again?)

November 28th is Independence Day in Panama - which dictates another five days of never ending fiesta. [No, you are not confused. Yes, I Know, we already celebrated Independence Day.  But, the four day  fiesta period at the beginning on November celebrated independence from Columbia.  This one is independence from Spain!  Oh!]  My quiet little enclave on the 2nd story balcony overlooking the park/town square has been anything but quiet for most of the month.  Guess where the entire Chirique province's celebrating is centered?  You guessed it - the park is ground-point zero.

Things got started with a bang, literally a bang, at 5AM on the morning of the 26th. (Keep in mind that due to our proximity to the equator, the length of the day is nearly a constant.  Daybreak is about 6AM year round).  At precisely 5AM the firecracker barrage was set off on the street right under my window (had a momentary Viet Nam flashback as I bolted upright), followed immediately by the band striking up and marching (and playing) around and around the town square for the next hour - in the dark. When I asked people the relevance of that ceremony, I get shrugs, smiles and a one-word answer, Fiesta.

The BIG parade kicked off sharply at 9AM on the 28th.  Earlier they had set up the barriers all along the parade route (the barriers are metal - more on that later).  And, here they came - bands, marching units, bands, police units, bands, firemen, bands, student clubs, bands, civic organizations, bands, acrobats, bands, beauty queens and, oh yes - bands. 

In this country that prides itself on not having a military, I did a quick statistical interpolation and determined that, of the 3 million Panamanian nationals approximately 4 million have a uniform of some sort, and all 3 million play in a band. How about a band made up entirely of xylophones??  (No, I don't know what a statistical interpolation is.)

It is also interesting to note that they space the marching units out, with about 100 yds. between them.  As you watch the parade, you realize that this spacing serves several functions.  First off, the different band's music and cadence don't conflict with one another.  It also leaves a space where the police can guide a few cars through off the cross streets that would otherwise be trapped for the duration.  But, the major effect of the spacing is that it results in a parade that doesn't end until early afternoon.  Daddy, are we there yet?  How much longer?

A little while later I heard some commotion down on the street and when I looked down I said, "Guess it's not over."  Sure enough they started about 50 racers off and out of sight they went - a big cross country race.  Whew!  Oops, no, about 15 minutes later here come the motorcycle police from the other direction, with sirens blaring escorting the race leaders.  As it turns out the race route is a big circle through downtown David.  So for the next 3+ hours, every 16 minutes (yes, I timed it) they streamed through the park and past the hotel again.  Each time led by screaming sirens AND (remember the metal barriers?) accompanied by hundreds of spectators banging on the barriers encouraging the riders on.

Then there was the big awards ceremony held on the street in front of the hotel.  This was a big South and Central America race so as the winners were introduced, their respective national anthems were played.  FYI, the winner was from Costa Rica, #2 was from Peru and 3rd was Belize (where is Belize?).  Panama came in 4th, 5th and 6th which did not seem to dampen the locals spirits in the least.

Wow, what a day. Kinda glad that's over. What, there is more tomorrow?  Yep.  And, December 8th starts the Mother´s Day Fiesta.  ´Mother´s Day STARTS on the 8th?´

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I Finally Found the Perfect Girl Friend

Well, yea I did pick her up in a bar.  And, I am trying to get her to quit yapping at me.  But, this one has it over all the others before - makes her truly unique in my personal experience.  Unlike the others, the later I get home at night, the happier this one is to see me!

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Another Word About Uniforms

Yes, I know they say, "No military."  But, every time I see some of the National Policia that are in the 'Storm Trooper´ Division or whatever they call it, I have to smile. No, not the white uniforms in the patrol cars, not the tan uniforms walking the beat, not the uniform shorts and T-shirt on bicycles - no, the Storm Troopers.  The guys in the tailored combat utilities, berets, bloused boots and topped off with flax jackets.  Out there showing a presence and protecting you with nothing between them and the bad guys except that can of pepper spray on their hip!  Oh, and the black jack... and the billy club... well, yeah the Colt 45.  I guess the M-16 would be a deterrence as well based on the way he carrys it.

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A DVD Purchase Turned Into A Party

I recently bought a DVD from a young guy that hits me up every couple of days. I put him off several times before because he didn't have any by my favorite Spanish (Mexican) singer, Luis Miguel.  So, he got smart.  His pitch now was, "These Hombres similar to Luis Miguel," as he handed a stack of DVDs to dig through.  I at least recognized the name Reuben Blades as a Panamanian singer.  So I sprang for the $3 just to get rid of him.  I thought, ¨Guess I'll find out who Reuben Blades is now.¨

I had the DVD in my hand when I went into the little open-air, curb-side bar I frequent around the corner from the hotel.  My waiter friend greeted me and immediately had them switch off the TV news and there was my new DVD on the big screen (hugh screen). "Hey, this guy is good!"  Pretty soon people walking past were stopping and then started filling up the previously empty bar.  And all of them seemed enraptured.  Then the sidewalk railing filled up and everyone was singing along (except me), and clapping and having a big old time.

As I soon found out, Reuben Blades is a national icon. He's not just good, he's God down here.  Not only is he a popular singer, he is a composer, arranger and a movie star.  And, for the kicker - ready for this - the Panamanian Government's Minister of Tourism is none other than Reuben Blades.  And as I understand it, a very active and forceful one.  Not just a figure head. Looks like I made another amazing discovery, Huh?

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Maybe Some Things Just Are Not Supposed to Make Sense

My room in the hotel is on the 2nd floor.  Well, I hadn't noticed until the elevator was out the other day, that my room is actually on the 3rd story (I had to walk up three flights of stairs). Hmm!  When I got to looking at the construction, the hotel front desk is the only part of the hotel on the ground floor.  The rest of the ground floor is made up of retail space, a bar and the cafeteria - all of which have high ceilings (15-18 ft.). That explains that.  But it doesn't explain why when I get on the elevator in the lobby, I push the button marked "1" to go to the 2nd floor (or 3rd, or whatever, MY floor).  It also doesn't explain why, with rooms on three floors, all are numbered in the 200's. Oh, well.

Word of caution - pay attention when you get in the shower.  They have things here called hot water heaters that actually produce HOT water. (Something I had forgotten after 8 months in Costa Rica).  And, yes the water handles are marked. But,  if the faucet is U.S. manufactured then the 'C' means cold.  However, if the faucet was manufactured down here, then the 'C' stands for caliente (hot).  Oops.  But, the hot is always the left handle?  No, not always. "Why not?" I asked.  "Sometimes the plumbing is too difficult. That is why we mark the handles," I was told. Oh!

I have a DVD of a live concert by the guy I mentioned earlier, Luis Miguel.  The CDs of his that I buy (and love) are the quiet, love-ballad type. With my limited Spanish I just look for ones with 'Romantica' in the title. Anyway, in concert, like most entertainers of his caliber, he does some upbeat music as well. (I usually fast forward).  But, one of his upbeat tunes is really raucous.  And in a big amphitheater when he gets the audience pumped up, singing along, it really rocks.  And when pumps his fist and 20,000 people scream (the song title), "Suave... Suave.... Suave," it rattles the speakers.  What is the irony?  Suave is the Spanish word for 'soft'!  Huh!

And lastly, and I did not make this up. A Time Magazine poll reported that, among other oddities, 10% of the Americans polled identified "Joan of Arch ... as Noah's wife."  Nuff said!

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Smile For The Camera, Ladies

Someone was nice enough to tell me, after the fact, that the Indians do not like having their picture taken.  Gulp!  Like I couldn't tell that when I reviewed the pictures later.  Sorry, ladies.

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