Larry's Central American Travels

Still Here, Maybe Not Kicking Yet

Editorial note: I have removed the "Comments" block from this blog. Someone recently left an obscene comment that I didn't catch for a couple of days which resulted in Google placing my Adsense account with them in suspense.  So all the Google pay-per-click ads on my 150+ web sites now show public service ads. I am getting that situation resolved, however I only got a total about a half dozen comments so I'll just lessen my exposure.  If you have any comments, requests, etc. you can just email me through the link in the 'about' button on the left.

You Can't Make this Stuff Up #15

The gentleman that is one of the hotel managers just opened a Mexican restaurant just off the town square.  Everyone here in 'the neighbor' had to attend the Grand Opening (good food, Great margaritas).  His only disappointment was that his friend had not completed the mural behind the bar prior to the opening.  So Tuesday he had to drag me back over there (with the promise of a Margarita) to see his pride and joy - the mural masterpiece!  He turned the lights on behind the bar, and aha. well.....wow!  While stifling my laughter, I asked Jorge what the senorita in the mural was doing with her skirt. While he looked at me with that look reserved for conversations with a child (or the mentally impaired), he said, "She fans the fire!"  Oh!  Why do I always seem to find amusement where it isn't supposed to be?  Is it just me?  Click on the photo thumbnail to see the mural.

----------------

Why Panama?

I have a lot of people ask me the question, "Why did you settle in Panama?"  Even visitors staying in the hotel who are surrounded by some of the reasons.  I will be the first to caution people that, for Americans, living outside the U.S. is not for everybody for a lot of reasons to involved to go into here. And, I spent about 12 of my 20+ Air Force years someplace overseas, without running across any 'dream location' that I wanted to return to. So at the risk of sounding like a cheerleader for Team Panama, and while generalizing as one must when talking about an entire country, here goes:

1. Panama is not a third world country. The example I use with some people is that if it weren't for the complexion of the people (and language), you would think you were in a Midwestern U.S. city, circa mid '80s.  It is a modern country that has evolved as the banking and trade capital of the Western hemisphere, ala Singapore and/or Hong Kong in the Pacific.  The huge revenue flowing from the Panama Canal has been, and continues to be, plowed back into the economy, specifically into the country's infrastructure.

2. The telecommunications systems are world class to the point that you feel like you are inter-connected with the rest of the world.  Internet, Satellite TV, phone, etc. are top-notch. About two dozen of the channels on my TV are U.S. channels in English, and at least that many more are bi-lingual (sub-titled).  In a country with a population of three million, there are 2.4 million cell phones operating and that number of cell phones is expected to exceed the population by year's end.

3. The government of Panama is a stable democracy that functions very well.  If not THE model government south of our U.S. border, definitely a model for the rest of Central/South America. Their is virtually no political unrest, and what little there is is directed to situations outside the country (the FARC in Colombia for instance).  That is not to say that there are not a host of divergent opinions of a multitude of subjects.  But, the Panamanians are very 'civilized' in their political discourses, and even differences of opinion are handled

3. The weather in David is the most amazing I have ever experienced (and I spent four years in Hawaii).  The daytime high temperature (80-84) does not vary more than five degrees year round. Add low humidity and the normal afternoon breeze, and you are comfortable even during the afternoon high for the day (if you are smart enough to stay in the shade - an acquired talent). Due to our proximity to the equator, the length of the day is pretty much a constant as well.  We are out of the hurricane belt, and there are few, if any, cold fronts to spawn even violent thunderstorms, much less tornados. Earthquakes? No!  And the only real weather difference between the wet and the dry season, is that during the rainy season it will normally cloud up about 2-3 o'clock in the afternoon and rain for about an hour. In a nutshell, for us old geezers who can no longer stand the cold (even if that means the 50s), what's not to like?

4. Personal Security is not an issue of concern here. What little crime (by U.S. standards) there is in Panama, is primarily confined to Panama City, and the port city of Colon.  And in David, crime of all kind is virtually non-existent.  I could walk all over downtown David, day or night with no concern for my safety or well being whatever. (Try that in any U.S. city that you can think of)  And, yes an old white guy (probably rich American?) would be a prime target.  As I have mentioned before, there is a large and visible police presence, however it is not of an oppressive nature. Instead, the people as a whole do not countenance criminal activity regardless how petty the crime may seem.

5. The Panamanian are an open and friendly people who like Americans, and seem to embrace anyone who treats them with respect. Panama is one of very few places that I have been where my "what is the ulterior motive bell doesn't start ringing" whenever someone strikes up a conversation.  "Where are you from in the U.S.," is not the lead-in to a "Can you spare a couple bucks."  The Panamanians also have great respect for the elderly (yea, me), and will go out of their way to help you.  There are no panhandlers in the streets, no crack-heads stumbling around, or hookers pestering you. Just good, hard working, honest and friendly people.

6. The cost of living here is almost absurd. I could go on and on with examples.  The most expensive places in town are (in rough order highest to lowest) TGI Fridays, McDonald's, Dominoes and Kentucky Fried Chicken - because their prices are the same as their U.S.prices.  A pack of cigarettes cost $1 and a Budweiser is $.50. Not that those two items are a lifeline (or are they?), but you can extrapolate for yourself any other pricing from that base and spare me the tedium of itemizing a price list.  I can go anyplace in town (roughly the size of downtown Richmond, VA) for $1.

7. Panama's national currency is the U.S. dollar.  We are, therefore insulated from the dollar's fluctuations on the world markets.  By spending dollars, we 'visitors' also avoid what I call the 'monopoly money' syndrome. It seems that no matter how long you stay in a foreign county, what currency they use, or what the exchange rate is, if you are not spending U.S. dollars, the money seems like play money.  Not even taking into account doing mental exchange calculations in your head, plopping down the equivalent of $20 in another currency, is just not the same psychologically as laying down a $20 bill.  And the later at night it is, the worse it gets. Ha!

8. The Panamanians really no how to cook and eat!!!!  In this town there is probably at least two restaurants serving any kind of exotic cuisine you can think of.  By comparison, I thought I was going to starve to death in Costa Rica subsisting on their two national dishes - beans/rice and rice/beans.

Does that answer the question, "Why Panama?"  Are there some downsides?  Yea, some. next time!

My Latest Video

This video will give you a taste of the Panama that is not in the tourist brochures, and also a feel for the charm of this place, at least from my perspective.Turn your sound on a select the 'go' arrow. Enjoy

Some Things Are Just Not Supposed To Make Sense (Revisited)

According to the Miami Herald, the owners of the 720 coffee shops across the Netherlands (236 are in Amsterdam alone) are in a quandary.  In all these shops one can purchase marijuana and hashish legally, and then hang around and socialize while consuming it. But, starting next week you can no longer smoke tobacco in any bar, restaurant, club, cafe, etc. in the Netherlands. The operative word in the previous sentence is 'tobacco' - it is still legal to smoke pot in the coffee shops!  One shop owner complained that most of the tourist who frequent his shop mix tobacco with the pot and will, therefore, have to leave his shop to smoke it. "That is going to cost me a lot in both coffee sales, and in repeat buys of pot!"  In addition, he expressed concern that now health officials will become pests,  " coming in here and questioning customers about what is in their joint."  Life is a  b...ch sometimes.

The Panama City Bus Problems Again

The bus situation in Panama City is fast approaching the crises level. As I had discussed in previous postings, the spotlight is on this problem due to the alarming and growing number of people being killed in city bus accidents, primarily due to the independent-operator bus drivers racing one another in an effort to be first at the next bus stop. Transportation officials decided to take 'revolutionary' steps to reign in the owners of the aptly named diablos rojos (red devils) buses.  The revolutionary steps entailed checking to confirmed that the drivers were licensed, and that the safety inspections of the buses were current.  These two actions grounded a lot of buses.  In addition gas prices have parked others.  This past week only 68 of 200 licensed buses were in operation.

A recent government study concluded that the city needed a fleet of at least 300 buses to provide even the minimum of desired service.  The government has been promising to upgrade the country's public transportation system for years.  To make matters worse, fixing the city's bus problem was a major campaign promises made by President Torrijos when he ran for office (3 years ago).  To date there has been no comprehensive plan developed, or even a study commissioned.  A transportation official noted that, ".. so far, an economic alternative to the 'diablos rojos' has not been found, and no changes are planned."

However, A new regulation covering the diablos rojos fleet was published yesterday.  The regulation does not address the known major problems: shortage of buses, the lack of an accident insurance plan, enforcement of emergency exit procedures, or training and certification of drivers. Instead, the new regulation lays out new rules and requirements for the bus driver's assistants, popularly known as pavos. 

The pavos' job (pavos literally translates to 'turkeys'?) is basically to help expedite the bus along its route. They help people off/on the bus, particularly people with packages or children.  The pavos also collect fares, which means people get on the bus and go straight to a seat, and the bus goes on its way. Then once underway, the pavos then comes around and collect fares.  This procedure eliminates the delay caused by passengers lining up to pay fares as they get on the bus.

Well, the new regulation requires that pavos pass a drug test, show proof of at least a ninth grade education and receive customer service training.  The regulation also establishes penalties for drinking alcohol while on duty, distracting the driver, riding on the running board or using vulgar language. There are also restrictions on pavos  using sound systems or video players while working.  Now there is some real progress on the transportation problem?

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

Bumps in The Road in Panama

As many of you have noted I have been out of commission for about three weeks.  I have been involved (consumed) with some personal issues that I am trying to sort out.  As a result this posting is somewhat abbreviated. Hope to get back to normal (what ever that is) soon  -   Larry

A Dis-connect In The Education System?

In October 2007 the federal government of Panama commissioned a group of education experts to study an overhaul the country's public school system. A draft report was given to the Ministerio de Educacion last week.  Predictably the report recommends increasing the emphasis on science and math-related subjects, while downsizing the curriculums in humanities and civics. The study also recommended increased emphasis on language arts including Spanish.  Spanish fluency is an area that graduates do not test well in.  This study was triggered back in 2007 when more than half the country's recent high school graduates failed the entrance exams to the Universidad de Panama.

The teachers union has already attacked the report claiming that, ".. drastic changes to the curriculum will result in a shortage of qualified teachers in some subject areas while causing other teachers to lose their jobs."

Things You Reflect On

In this slowed down environment you find that you have time to sit back, relax and ponder things that just rush by in the 'hurry up' world.  And every once in a while I discover a real gem of wisdom.  To wit.

• There are 24 hours in a day
• There are 24 beers in a case

Coincidence?    I Think Not!

Thought You Would Enjoy Meeting Luis Miguel

I have really taken to a Mexican singer named Luis Miguel.  And it is not like I have discovered the next big artist to come along.  Instead, you are about to be exposed, as I was, to a veteran artist who has been a big star throughout the Spanish speaking world for years.  Luis Miguel is sort of the Donny Osmond of Mexico (no negative connotations, please), recording his first chart-buster hit when he was 15 years old.  And 25 years later, he is still one of the biggest names in Spanish music with a fanatical fan base all over the world, including a monster following in Portuguese-speaking Brazil???

Just click to listen.  Enjoy

[I received several favorable comments about the following article when I first posted it back in 4/2007.  I have just recently had several people contact me who wanted assistance finding it in the archives.  So, why not just re-publish it?  Sort of a 'best of'?]

Reflections On An Isolated Beach in Costa Rica

We are leaving the comfort of the terrace at the Mary Luna Marina in Golfito, Costa Rica after a pleasant lunch and we are going back out into the bay. I've spent this Saturday morning on the boat cruising the bay with my friends Brad and Suanny (The proprietors of Pacific Tides Realty here in Golfito). In the morning the bay cruising was gorgeous! The tides were just right and there was no wind, resulting in water in and around the bay that was like glass. We could slip into small coves, and then 'park' without even throwing out an anchor. And the still water provided water vistas that were astounding. In 20 feet of water, you could count the rocks on the bottom, and view the lava formations and the sea life in a fascinating scene glowing with a luminescent blue/green shimmer.

Brad and Suanny had both taken a dip a time or two in our morning venture. I was more than content to 'guard the boat' and hide under the canopy out of the increasingly insistent broiling sun. Brad had also done some snorkeling in one of the coves and had seen several nice red snappers, so about lunch time we did the 15 minute run back to Golfito to get his spear gun, and while we were in the neighborhood – lunch at The Mary Luna. A halibut steak (SO fresh, I expected it to 'flip' on the plate), a snapper sandwich, a little cervice, a little cold Chablis (well, probably not A Little). Oh my- perfect! And now, we are off again.

I thought about it all through lunch, and the closer we got to that long, seemingly endless isolated beach that we passed in the morning en route to the 'snapper hole', I said to myself, Why not? So, I suggested, “Why don't you guys drop me off here on the beach and let me do some beach combing while you are snorkeling?” Brad eased the boat up close and I stepped over the side into the knee-high warm water and then waded the last 10 feet or so onto the beach.

I begin walking up a beach that is probably 30-40 yards deep (from water to where the rain forest starts), and runs in both directions at least a ½ mile before it curves out of sight. After I have walked about a hundred yards, I suddenly think, Walking for what? The 100 yards ahead looks like a carbon copy of the 100 yards behind. So about the time the boat disappears from sight, I find a grassy spot underneath a tree on the edge of the forest. As I get comfortable, the first thing I think of is, What's the difference between a rain forest and a jungle? They sure look the same, at least to the un-educated eye. Note to self – look it up. [I'm still not sure. Still on my list! Maybe, manna?]

As I search the horizon, I am struck by the fact that there is not a single sign of human existence. There are no boats to be seen in any direction, and no planes overhead. And, there are no houses, not even smoke from cooking fires of unseen dwellings. There is not even a clearing in the forest or on the beach on the body of land about a mile across from me - for that matter, on the land masses that I can see far off in the distance to my left and right. None!

As I continue to survey my surroundings, I am struck yet again. There is nothing in sight that is moving! There is no wind and the tide is neutral this time of day. As a result, there is no surf so the water looks like glass, and there is no sway to the foliage in the forest. And, there are evidently no winds aloft either because the tall cumulus clouds in all directions are absolutely motionless. I feel that I am part of a hugh panoramic still photo of some kind. Amazing! I must be staring slack-jawed, and, this phenomena goes on minute after minute, unchanged. Am I in an Ansell Adams still life?

And then, the silence strikes me. Now that Brad's boat is out of earshot, there is silence – total silence! The cacophony of sounds that bombards the auditory senses in Golfito, endlessly and at high volume levels, is erased, totally eradicated! As I take in the silence, my wacky mind goes to work and interjects a thought. What guy was such a good salesman that he convinced the management of Safeway, Food Lion, Giant Foods, et. al., (all of whom supposedly operate on close profit margins) that they needed to spend the money to pipe Muzak into their stores? Attention Shoppers - elevator music to the bread aisle, please. Oh, well, the many wonders of........

About that time I think, I wish I had brought my book (I have re-discovered reading), then I reject that idea as virtually a sacrilege. Reading a book would be a distraction. The John Grisham novel I'm reading has been on hold for several years, it will wait. I wonder if this experience qualifies as sensory deprivation? If so, I'll take some more!

And then I realize that it is not really silent here, it is just quiet – very quiet! The water is in fact lapping on the beach making a barely audible hissing sound – I have to strain to hear it. Did that sound just start or is my volume level just readjusting? And then I hear the song of a Toucan, the Costa Rican national bird. I listen hard, holding my breath. Yes, there it is again. And then another – this one closer. And yet another. I listen intently, and now there are several. Yes, if you listen hard they do sound different from one another. Is it there distance from me that causes a difference in sound. Or is it the bird's age, or size, or gender? That one is so close it startles me – and then another. Did the noise of the boat or my stomping around on their turf induce a silence, or is it just chorus practice time? Well they are really cranked up now! Wish I'd brought a tape recorder – you can't adequately describe this! I turn real slow and squint into the forest hoping to be able to see the ones that sound so close. No luck, so just shut up and listen, I think. The Mormon Tabernacle Toucan Choir. Ha!

“My God, what was that,” I actually say out loud. I almost jump out of my skin at that noise. Then I remember the – I have heard about the Howler Monkey. Little devils are very big at all, but they let out a howl that sounds more like a bear than a monkey (though guess I am speculating somewhat about what a bear sounds like). How's that for a contrast. Maybe, the howler is a baptist and doesn't fully appreciate The Mormon Tabernacle Toucan Choir? Whatever, it is pretty obvious, the toucans pay him (her?) no mind, they hardly miss a lick.

I decide I will test my theory about whether I am an intrusion and slowly stand and turn around. The chorus continues but, I still can't see either of the two or three birds that sound like they are right above me in the trees. So, I ease a little to my right, and then, some more. The foliage is so thick, I can't spot them. As I move down some more and there is a break in the jungle (er, forest). I am looking at a small clearing maybe 20 yards square just inside the tree line. My thoughts of walking in, are fleeting as I quickly reconsider - me in shower clogs and swim trunks stomping around in knee high grass in the land of the deadly fer-de-lance, coral snake and the bushmaster. And I smile as I think of the general aversion I have developed in the last few years. To wit, I do not want to die in some off-the-wall crazy manner. In a manner that would prompt those who know me to shrug, go “tsk ..tsk”, and comment something to the effect of “that figures.”

I return to my spot and get comfortable. My mind starts whirring. I think, If I were to walk from Point A to Point B in that clearing, would I be the first person to have ever traveled that path? Maybe even the first to traverse that entire patch of land? Oh, that is absurd! Or, is it? This part of the peninsula is uninhabited for miles. This isolated beach runs for miles. And if someone in the past had beached right here at this very spot, they would walk back there for what? Interesting thoughts - and I hadn't had that much wine at lunch.

I have been here I would guess about 45 minutes, I didn't wear my watch. The wind has picked up slightly, so my living still-life panoramic portrait is now a slow-motion montage. The clouds move and reform almost imperceptible, there are a few breakers on the bay and some of the trees and foliage sway slightly in the breeze. But I have still not seen or heard a boat, plane, etc. And now my imagination really kicks in. Kicks in Robinson Crusoe-ish. If something horrible should happen to my friends while they are scuba diving around the corner, would there be any reason for anyone to be looking for me, much less away several miles away over on this deserted beach? In the next few days, would the people on a passing boat just wave back? Is this the route the Sanza flights from San Jose takes on let-down into Golfito. If I spelled out 'HELP' in the beach sand, would anyone see it? I would probably mis-spell it. Ha!

I can now hear a boat coming and it appears to be Brad and Suanny off on the horizon. If I hid behind a tree would they panic? Better, not press my luck – what if they didn't bother to stop and look? Ha! As if on cue, there are two additional boats coming from off in the distance, one from each direction. As Brad works the boat up close to shore, Suanny is standing in the bow, smiling, holding a cold beer. “Here, this will hold you till we get back to the Mary Luna”, she chuckles. It turns out, the 'snapper cove' was barren when they got back to it. “Anything interesting on the beach?” Brad asks. As I respond my, “No just chilled out,'” is drowned out by the afternoon Sanza Airlines flight passing overhead.

Till Next Time. Pura Vida!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++