Craig, Author at Chasing Panama

March 2024 Updates (Happy Pi Day!)

The last blog post I did was just about a year ago while we were staying in Santa Lucia, a neighborhood just outside of Boquete, Panamá, after a very windy stretch of weather. Since then we’ve been mostly staying in our house in Fort Pierce, Florida. We’ve visited family in Pennsylvania, been visited by family here in Florida, welcomed a new grandchild (Hi Ifigenia!), and all in all, have had a pretty good year.

We have also had some house related catastrophes, mainly involving water. Last April, our house flooded from a failed plumbing connection, and at virtually the same time we had a roof leak. Recovering from a flooded house is nothing we would wish upon anyone!

Next month we are visiting Europe to see Nancy’s Old-World side of the family, and to take in some sights, and we will have plenty to share with you about our travels. I have never been to Europe and Nancy has not been for a very long time. We will be going from Port Canaveral, Florida to Rome, Italy on a repositioning cruise. We are planning to see sights in Rome and Venice, and then to travel to Slovenia to stay with family and do a little exploring around Slovenia and Croatia.

fireworks from hotel balcony in Panama City

We are also looking forward to getting back to Panamá later this year. It’s their presidential election year and its hard to believe its been five years since the last election. We were in Panamá City then and it was an exciting time with lots of rallies and fireworks. On our next trip we are planning on staying in the town of El Valle de Antón which is much closer to Panamá City but still high enough in the mountains to have a comfortable climate. Of course we will have to get to Chirquí Province to visit our friends, but exploring a different part of the country will be exciting. El Valle de Antón is actually in the crater of an extinct volcano (hopefully extinct) and the terrain and roads can be very steep.

Please keep an eye out for our next post, we are looking forward to sharing more adventures with you!

Saludos,
Craig

A (Very) Windy Weekend in Panamá

On this visit to Panamá, we are staying at a friend’s house in the Santa Lucia neighborhood of Volcancito. It’s a beautiful house overlooking a fairly deep gorge with a nice view of Volcán Barú. The elevation of the house is around 4,100 feet and its been sunny, cool and breezy.

We’ve spent enough time in Panamá to be used to wind and power outages, especially at this time of the year. On Friday as we were going to bed the wind really started picking up and by midnight it was getting pretty strong. We didn’t think too much about it but then in the wee hours of the morning the power went out. When the power goes out in this house (as in most of the houses we have stayed in here) the first thing that happens is the battery back-up for the router starts beeping, first fast then slowly, and then everything stops and gets very dark. Its enough to definitely wake me up, and between that and the wind noise it took a while for me to get back to sleep. Just as I was falling asleep the power came back on, with a few beeps and various lights from chargers and this and that, along with the ceiling fans starting to spin again. I was wide awake again, but I thought that all was well and end of story. But the wind got stronger and gustier, and a bit later the power went out again, came back on, and then towards daylight went out again and this time stayed that way.

Saturday is the day the gardener comes and he always enjoys a cup of coffee before he gets started, which we were unable to provide with no power. He told us the entire district was without power and said that it was probably a large tree down over the wires somewhere. Mid-morning the power was back and the gardener got his coffee and once again we thought all was well. Until 1:30 when it went back out again, this time for the afternoon. All the while the wind kept gusting and blowing relentlessly. Finally late in the afternoon the power was back and we had dinner, and were just settling down to watch tv, when at 7:00 pm we lost it again. We waited for a half hour or so and then went to bed where we read and listened to the wind. There is’t that much else to do with battery lights, candles, and no internet, and we started to fall sleep around 9:00.

I had trouble sleeping because the the wind was gusting to the point that we could feel it pushing against the house, blowing loose objects around and rattling the leaves and branches. I did eventually fall asleep, because I was awoken at around 10:30 when the power came back on. The wind was almost a bit scary, it was so strong. Shortly after midnight we lost power again, it came back a little later, it went out again, came back, went out and finally came back before daylight. Every time the power came back it seemed like the wind got stronger and gustier, as if it was trying to knock things about and down. It would get silent and quiet and then come back like a hammer. It almost seemed alive, and my imagination was running amok.

Early Sunday morning our power cam back and this time it stayed. One of our water tank lids had blown off but luckily stayed in the yard, and there was a lot of wind blown debris about. A friend of ours that gives guided four wheeler tours told us that when he went out on a tour Sunday morning trees were down everywhere. He has lived in Panamá for many years and he said this was one of the worst wind storms he remembers ever seeing.

I’m not sure what kind of clash of weather systems caused our weekend of wind but it was something. It came mostly from the north from the Caribbean. I don’t think the Panamanians let it slow down their Carnivál celebrations too much but it was certainly an interesting weekend, even for Panamá.

Saludos, Craig

Ukraine

My apologies, I don’t have a lot of words or pictures to share this week, just a few thoughts…

Nancy and I have been in Panamá for the past month and a half, before that in Florida for a time, living our lives and pursuing our goals and ambitions. We try to avoid discussing politics or national and world events with too many people because different opinions can lead to arguments and bad vibes. Sometimes however there is no escaping what’s going on in the world.

We have been watching the situation unfold in Ukraine this week. As you all are probably aware, Russia invaded Ukraine after a troop build up that lasted for months. This invasion should have caught no one by surprise given Russia’s history of aggression. There are no possible moral or legal justifications for the actions being taken by Russia. The brutality of this aggression is deeply troubling and the lives being lost have been as heartbreaking as the heroism and the resolve of the Ukrainian people has been inspirational. From the president to the people from all walks of life are rising up to defend their homeland. We hope and pray that their efforts and resolve and sacrifice are not in vain.

We were troubled by the lack of more international effort to aid the Ukrainian people and their country. At first it seemed as if Russia was getting the equivalent of a parking ticket as punishment for invading a sovereign nation. Thankfully the sanctions are increasing in potency and more aid appears to be on the way as international anger grows.

We stand with the people of Ukraine.

Nos preguntamos ¿qué será de todas nosotros?

Saludos, Craig

Impressions of Boquete 2022

We have been in our new rental in Volcancito for just about a month, and I want to share some of our thoughts and experiences.

Although getting to our house involves a 1.4 kilometer drive over some very rough roads without a guardrail to be seen, once we’re here its a great house to be in. We have the last place on the road, and there is almost no traffic and very few people. We have a lot of privacy and splendid views of part of Boquete from our terrace and even more spectacular views of the downtown from a lookout point just across from our driveway. We are in the middle of the dry season but its also the windy season and from our vantage point the weather is endlessly fascinating. In the mornings and evenings we can see bajareque rolling down from the mountains to the north of town and covering much of the downtown in a cold damp drizzly mist with beautiful rainbows above. Sunrises and sunsets are accompanied by precipitous rises and drops in the temperature with changes in the light and clouds happening minute by minute. The weather and climate are one of the things that draw us to the highlands of Panamá and reminds us how lucky we are to be here.

We have been hearing from some long term expat residents Panamanians we know how demographics seem to be changing rapidly here. There are a lot more expats (gringos) here now and more on the way, judging by what we hear about the real estate market. We have heard of some people actually buying property sight unseen, and just pulling up stakes and moving here. We would never advise anyone to move here without visiting, getting to know the area, getting to know the culture, learning some Spanish, and just taking things step by step. Unfortunately there seem to be a fair amount of expats here who have no interest in learning the language or the culture, and even worse in our view, bringing their politics, biases, prejudices, and pettiness with them.

Panamá is a great place to be, but it’s not the United States or Canada. Electricity and internet tend to go in and out, sometimes for extended lengths of time. Water may be off unexpectedly, also sometimes for extended lengths of time. On one occasion a few years back we were without water for eight days. We used what we had in our tank for flushing toilets and cooking and we took showers at our gym. Some of the roads here are beyond sketchy and if you stray off the beaten path at all a four wheel drive with decent ground clearance can be a necessity. Panamá seems to be a country where no one ever looked at a hill or a mountain and said “That’s too steep for a road”. Off the highway a lot of two lane roads are about a car and a half wide, often with a cliff on one side, a steep drop off on the other, and tremendous potholes in between (if the road is paved at all). A lot of the drivers here do not drive slowly no matter what the conditions may be, which just adds to the excitement.

But with all that being said, we love being here. We enjoy learning Spanish, leaning the culture, and meeting new people and making new friends. The people of Panamá are, in our experience, some of the friendliest and nicest people we have ever met. Everything it has taken for us to be here has been well worth the effort and investment and we’re moving forward with our adventures.

_{Saludos, Craig}

Living in Panama – The Ultimate Guide for Expats

Travel to Boquete 2022

When I was younger, I used to enjoy traveling much more but now its just turned into something I dread. Of course, traveling with Covid-19 in the world doesn’t help, but it seems getting anywhere these days is just one annoyance followed by waiting, followed by another annoyance, more waiting, more annoyances, and all the time hoping everything goes more or less according to schedule.

So we are back in Panamá, after two long days of planes, delays, and automobiles. We were scheduled to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Panamá City on Saturday, and then to David Panamá on the COPA Sunday morning flight, and then get picked up by friends and driven to Alto Boquete where we are renting a house. Our Sunday morning flight was cancelled but we managed to make the afternoon flight, our friends who were picking us up came down with Covid-19 symptoms so we had to find a new ride, and we had to make quite a few changes on the fly. Luckily, we have enough friends and contacts and we were able to make everything work.

We had left our car with our friends at Value Motors in Boquete (Thank you Victor and George!) and yesterday we were able to pick it up and finally get to our rental. We spent a couple of hours with the owners (who are themselves traveling back to the United States) reviewing the water system, power, internet, security systems, etc. Houses here tend to be a bit more complicated, with various water filters that need cleaning and maintenance, back up tanks, pipes and valves, unique plumbing requirements, electrical systems and back ups, pest and insect barriers, and peculiar individual quirks that all houses here seem to have. Then of course it was time to look up some friends we hadn’t seen for the past six month or so, buy some groceries, and finally try to get a good night’s rest with nothing important pressing for the next day.

Although its only been a few days since we arrived in Panamá it feels really good to be back. Getting to our house is interesting with over a kilometer of very sketchy access roads and driveway, but once you’re here the view is spectacular and the privacy is almost total. We are directly above Bajo Boquete and we can look down on the entire town.

My apologies for the lack of blog posts lately, but now that were back you can expect a lot more activity and blog posts to be forthcoming. We welcome any comments and we will answer any questions, so please reach out to just say Hello!

Saludos, Craig

El Salto Hike

Covid & Sunday Lockdowns

It is Father’s Day here in Panamá and back home in the States. We hope all you fathers out there have a great day!

We are still living in Valle Escondido here in Boquete Panamá and we are currently spending our Sunday under curfew/lockdown, which means we cannot leave the house. This is the fourth or fifth Sunday spent under lockdown and we hope it ends soon, although it is bearable for one day a week. A day in lockdown does make it OK to be lazy for the whole day.

As Nancy mentioned in our last post, late last month we received our first shots of the Pfizer vaccine which means we are due for our second and final shots withing the next week or so. We are waiting for news as to when those shots will be available for us. We hope we hear something soon as we are anxious to get fully vaccinated. Here in Panamá masks and social distancing are still mandatory, although other than that (and Sunday lockdowns), life is normal. We go to the gym several times a week, we go to restaurants, we go on hikes, we go to our medical appointments, and our freedom of movement is mostly unrestricted. We still hope more vaccines will be available here soon. The more people who get vaccinated, better off we all are.

Hiking

Last Thursday we went on a hike up to El Salto, which is a mountainous area very close to Volcán Barú the highest peak in Panamá at 11,398 feet. According to the altimeter ap on my phone at the highest point on our hike we got to almost 6,500 feet after starting at about 5,900 feet. The hike was uphill almost all the way, and I could feel the altitude. The views were spectacular, the scenery was beautiful, and the exercise was great. We left early to beat the rain and we were back before it started. We are getting rain almost every day now as the rainy season picks up momentum. A couple of weeks before we went on a long hike up to an abandoned building that is know locally as El Castillo embrujado de Pepe or The Haunted Castle of Pepe. It is the remains of a huge house next to a coffee farm that was started, but never completed, and it is an interesting site. Of course, the locals say it is haunted. There are many places here that are worth seeing and they can be anywhere. You can turn off one of the main roads around here and start down a rocky narrow road the does not seem to lead anywhere, and it takes you to sights you would never expect to see, and neighborhoods that you would have had no idea were back there. A sturdy vehicle with four-wheel drive is a good thing to have as many of the roads are pretty sketchy and this seems to be a region where the hills and mountains never looked to steep to put a road on.

Life goes on for us here, and every day brings something a bit different. We are hoping we will have good news about our second vaccine shots very soon.

Stay safe and well!

Saludos, Craig

Moving to a Big House

We have been back in Boquete for over six weeks, and things feel a bit different than they do when we were here last year. Just about everyone here is very diligent about wearing their masks and practicing social distancing. There is a temperature taking station at every store, bar, and restaurant we have been to. We are living in Valle Escondido and the weather here seems to be much damper and chillier than at our last house in Alto Boquete. When we got here, we had some excellent weather for a couple of weeks, but since then things have been much damper and rainier.

After our first month here, we were able to negotiate a rental in the large house below the apartment where we were originally staying. This house is certainly the largest house we have ever lived in and its very nice, with high ceilings, big rooms, beautiful floors, and a nice kitchen. It does have its quirks, however. It tends to be chilly, the furniture is not to our taste, the hot water in the showers is inconsistent, and it echoes. Sometimes we feel a bit out of place here. But it is a nice house in a quiet neighborhood.

Leaky Windshield

The windshield in our car developed a substantial leak right in the center over the dashboard during some of the heavy rain we have had. It was quite inconvenient, but we took the car down to Value Motors in Boquete and they took care of it for a whopping $15. We have had nothing but good experiences with Victor, George, and the whole crew at Value Motors.

New Family Doctor

We have been to see a local doctor for check-ups and minor medical issues, and we found a new doctor in town. Dr. Tuer speaks perfect English, she takes time to figure out what ails you, she answers her emails, and is very attentive.

Playa Barqueta

Last week we took a drive to the beach at Playa La Barqueta to visit some friends who have a condo right on the beach. The drive was an hour and a half right through heavy traffic in David to get there, but it was quite a nice place. It was our first glimpse on this trip of the ocean on the Gulf of Chiriqui, and it was beautiful. Warm weather, the beach, good friends and, best of all, no rain all day. Even though we are only seven or eight degrees from the equator here there is something to be said for living near the beach, as long as you have AC!

Three Lost Waterfalls Hike

The other day we went on a hike with a local group to The Three Lost Waterfalls in Los Naranjos. It was quite an adventure in a very Panamanian way. Just to get there the drive is up some very windy, narrow, and steep roads, and once you are there the parking situation is pretty sketchy. Then take a walk over a suspension bridge that could use a little maintenance and up a very steep rocky trail that takes you to the booth where you pay your $8 fee. I was almost worn out from the walk to the pay station, but I had not seen anything yet. The trail was very narrow, very steep, very rocky, and, because of the recent damp weather, very muddy and slippery. We made it to the first waterfall, and it was nice. We made it to the second waterfall, and it was beautiful. Then we set off for the third waterfall and the trail immediately became almost vertical, rocky, and slippery. “Trail” is probably a kind word for this obstacle course. There were some knotted ropes in seemingly random locations to help with the climb. We did eventually get to the third waterfall, and I see why it is “lost”. It is beautiful and you certainly get your exercise getting to it. The trip back, although physically easer, is far more challenging because going downhill it is very easy to lose your footing and take a serious tumble. Help would be a long way away in the event of a serious accident. After almost four hours of trekking, we did succeed in getting back to our cars, although one or two of our companions had some nicks, cuts, and bruises. What an adventure!

Saludos, Craig

Traveling Back to Panamá 2021

It’s been a while since we posted to our blog – apologies! Now that we have returned, you all will be hearing from us on a much more regular basis and we thank all of you for reading our blog!

When we left Panamá, we did not expect to be gone for so long – we’ve spent the past seven months in Fort Pierce, Florida (on the barrier island of Hutchinson Island). We enjoyed our stay there and spent some much-needed time with family as well as lots of beach days. We were patiently waiting for the COVID restrictions in Panamá to be relaxed which took much longer than we expected. There are still some restrictions here, but things are far better than they were when we left. Panamá is reopening and we could not be happier.

Our travels back to Panamá took 4 days and it was a long tiring journey to say the least. We started last Sunday by getting our COVID tests at a rapid test center in Stuart, Florida (one of the requirements to enter the country is a negative COVID test taken within forty-eight hours of arrival). We also had to complete an online Health Declaration for travel to receive QR codes (sent via e-mail), which had to be presented at the airport. This after several days of packing and trying to prioritize the things we needed to take with us. It is a bit stressful trying to fit everything you will need into two suitcases and one carry on each and needless to say there are a few items we forgot, but here we are regardless.

Last Monday my sister-in-law drove us to the metro station in West Palm Beach and we took the train from there right into Miami International Airport. And we were not travelling lightly – it’s a good thing that suitcases have wheels or we never would have made it. Monday night we spent at the Miami Airport Hotel, which was extremely convenient, but far from inexpensive (I don’t believe anything is a bargain once you’re inside of an airport).

Tuesday we flew from Miami to Tocumen Airport near Panamá City on an American Airlines flight. All went well with the flight, and the first thing we had to do in Panamá was show our (almost) two-day old COVID tests. Then through customs and a quick taxi ride to the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel Casino, which is where we always stay when we are between flights. It is a nice hotel and it was nice to be back in Panamá!

*Ships waiting to transit the Panama Canal*

Wednesday was another early day for us – out of the hotel by six am and a shuttle ride back to the airport for the morning flight to David towards the western end of the country. It was only a one-hour flight (another nice flight – we had good luck with our air travel this trip) and we were in David by 9:30 am. Some friends from Boquete picked us up at the airport and drove us to our rental in Boquete. We dropped of our bags and then back to Value Motors in Boquete to collect our car. They took good care of our car for us, taking care of maintenance and renewing our license plates. It’s a 2014 Nissan X-Trail, a bit battered, but has always gotten us where we need to go.

So here we are back in Boquete and so far so good.

*Volcán Barú from our rental in Boquete*

Saludos, Craig

Next post: Settling In

Family Visits and Life in Florida

We have been back in Florida for just about the past two months. Last week we drove up to Pennsylvania to visit family, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, staying in an Airbnb, and generally doing all the things that we were unable to do in Panamá. Its interesting to see the difference in attitudes and approaches to the pandemic in different parts of the United States. Where we are staying in Florida, its like there is no virus at all, except for some people (including us) who wear masks and try to social distance with some consistency. In the Carolinas where we spent a couple of nights in hotels during our travels, there seemed to be even less care and attention given to the fact that there is still a highly contagious virus about. In Pennsylvania there was mandatory mask wearing and no seating at bars with limited indoor seating at restaurants.

This is all very different from the approach Panamá is taking. In our home province of Chiriquí there is a total quarantine this weekend once again, and many businesses are still closed, although that is supposed to start changing as of tomorrow. Hotels, lodging services, pools at limited capacity, transportation services, cultural institutions, and gambling, are among the sectors of the economy that will be allowed to open with varying degrees of occupancy. Most retail businesses and restaurants opened a couple of weeks ago. Schools, gyms, bars, and the beaches are some of the sectors that are still closed. The airports and the borders will also open tomorrow and tourists will be able to visit the country, which is good news for all. To enter Panamá, a negative Covid test taken within 48 hours of arrival will be required (PCR or antigen test). If you do not have that, you must get the test at Tocumen Airport for a charge of $50, however most airlines will not allow you to board unless you present a negative test result.

We know there is still hardship and need amongst many Panamanians and residents. We our still helping friends of ours buy food. It is distressing that some people have virtually nothing, and that the economic impact to their lives is still ongoing with no end in sight. It seems there should be more of a balance between fighting the virus and allowing people to work and to feed and take care of themselves. We are not sure what the answers are, but we help where we can.

We are still in Fort Pierce, Florida, going to the beach, going out to eat, going to the gym, going for walks, and living our lives (while taking all the precautions we can). We miss Panamá and we miss our friends there. Maybe it has something to do with the pending election here, but people in Panamá are friendlier, seem to get along better, and seem to care for each other more so than here in South Florida.

We are hoping to return to Panamá early next year and pray that things will continue to improve there. It has certainly been a long and excruciating ordeal for everyone. Let’s hope 2021 brings us some light at the end of the tunnel.

Meanwhile, we will continue to post to our blog, and we certainly welcome all comments and questions.

Saludos, Craig

Groundhog Day?

The other day I asked Nancy if it was Saturday and she answered “Every day is Saturday. What difference does it make? It feels like Groundhog Day over and over…”.

Here in Panamá a few weeks ago we had hopes that things were slowly starting to return to normal, or at least “The New Normal” as people seem to be calling the post virus world. Since then the cases here have been increasing almost every day, parts of the country have returned to total lockdown, and the situation seems out of control. Availability of hospital beds are getting low, people seem incapable of social distancing, mask wearing seems to be a problem (for reasons that escape us), what contact tracing is occurring doesn’t seem to be having any impact, and there does not seem to be any solutions in sight, other than maybe a vaccine – whenever that may happen. There are rumors that the Chiriqui Province where we live may be going back into total quarantine “for fifteen days”. We can see that fifteen days turning into weeks and then months, just like the first total quarantine. Nancy is part of a couple of local Facebook Groups and I stay on top of the news and its easy to see people are really getting more and more restless and angry. We are starting to believe that when this pandemic starts to draw to a close the damage to the Panamanian economy and people’s lives is going to be lasting and brutal.

It is the rainy season here and the weather seem appropriate for the situation.

We are hoping we have some more positive news soon…

Saludos, Craig