thefouramigosblog

We left Pedasi at 7 am this morning after giving Victor, a really nice the guard at the ocean lofts, the food and paper goods we did not use.  During our stay Victor was helpful with our Spanish lessons and was always available if we needed anything.  He made Linda and I cups out of coconut shells and a gourd. He brought the golf cart down to our unit this morning so we wouldn’t have to lug everything to the car On foot.  Victor was so thoughtful and we will miss him.

The ride to Panama took 5-1/2 hours today.  When we drove from Panama City to Pedasi October 1st, tthe drive was close to 10 hours.  Bruce was following the speed limit back then.  Now he drives like a Panamanian.  We made several stops on the way, took a wrong turn but still made pretty good time.

Our first night we are staying at Country Inn and Suites, the same place we stayed when we arrived.  When we checked in, it was only 1:30 so our rooms weren’t ready. We decided to get a cab and go to the “Old Panama” better known as Casco Viejo. On our way, our cab driver Moyo, locked all the buttons on the cab.  Apparently, we were driving through a somewhat unsavory neighborhood and he wanted us to be safe.  Many of the buildings are undergoing major renovations and from the wrought iron grill work you can see French influence similar to what you would see in New Orleans or Charleston, South Carolina.  The churches are a very significant part of Latin American countries and they can be very elaborate.   This church housed some very important art work from the 16th century.    This second church is La Iglesia de La Merced which dates back to 1680.

At Iglesia de San Jose the main focus is on the famous Altar de Oro or Golden Alter.  It is surprising this was not pillaged during the time that pirate Henry Morgan sacked the city.     Iglesia San Francisco de Asis is undergoing reconstruction. It is one of the smallest churches but one of the most ornate.  It was ravaged by fire in 1737 and again in 1756.

The buildings are very colorful and reminded me of Rainbow Row in Charleston.  In the square many people gathered.  Some selling hats, others selling cold drinks and ices.  Children were playing and adults were conversing.  Some were in native costume.  It was very colorful and lively on the square and a great place to people watch.

We only spent a few hours in Casca Viejo and there was still so much more to see.  I even enjoyed looking at some of the splashy graffiti. It’s a city vibrant and alive.

We did rest our weary feet and cooled off in a little restaurant  and continued our walking tour   down interesting streets.  Finally, it was time to meet up with Moyo to take us back to our hotel but before that I was able to get a shot of the new Panama City taken from the old.

We we went for a swim in the pool and dressed to go out to dinner.  Moyo didn’t show up at 7 to pick us up so Jorge took us downtown to the Hilton.

The first restaurant we sat down to eat at was the Society Cafe.   We ordered our meal — and waited and waited.  They did not bring us bread, refill our water glasses or bring us our salads.  After 30 minutes I called a manager over – he went in the kitchen and then came out and said 5 minutes.  We waited and waited another 15 minutes.  By that time we were done.  We left.  We walked across the hall to Ruth Chris Steakhouse and had a spectacular meal.   Our waiter was attentive and polite.  I had the best Mahi Mahi that I have ever had.  Stan said the same about his salmon and Bruce and Linda loved their tuna.  Unfortunately we were all too full for dessert.

After dinner we went downstairs to the casino.  We played slot machines for half an hour and then our driver was there to take us back to our hotel.

Although we spent a lot of time driving today, we saw a lot and made some good memories.

We woke up this morning to bright, sunny skies, happy to have our last day be such a beautiful one.  I’ve been working on finding a place for us to come back to next year and nothing has quite moved me.  I was corresponding with two agents, Jade and Sylvi from Sol International and they had a property we might be interested in.  So by 8:30 the four amigos were headed out, over the mountain to Playa Venao to meet with Sylvi.  We met her at our favorite restaurant, although it wasn’t open yet and Javi was not around.  After a quick hello we followed her over some very scenic road.  We drove about 40 minutes up a mountain, steep curves being out done by other steep curves.  It was amazing but a little frightening.  It’s like riding on a roller coaster without being strapped in.  When we finally got to Villa Toscana I fell in love. The view was spectacular.  You could see the mountains all around and the pacific in the distance.  The house is set on top of a mountain and we could feel the cool breezes as we stood on the balcony.  Actually there were several balconies.  The house has two bedrooms and three and a half baths.   I was so disappointed after I looked at my pictures.  I accidentally changed a setting that caused me to over expose the shots.  My photos do not do this place justice.  It surpassed all of my expectations for a place to live here.  Bruce and I decided immediately that this was our place so we started the process.  I’m hoping all goes through for next spring.

Another big bonus for me came after we drove about a tenth of a mile from the house.  Guess what I saw hanging out in the trees?  That’s right!  My favorite howler monkeys.  We couldn’t really stop for long, this little guy was in a tree on a curve in the road, and it would have been dangerous.  But we stopped long enough for him to model a few poses.  What a ham!  I really want this house now that I know there are howlers in the neighborhood.

We made one last stop at the bakery for a baguette to go along with the pasta we are having tonight; then went back to our place to change into our suits for one last swim.We had a great time in Pedasi and met a lot of interesting people.  Hopefully we will see them next year.  Tomorrow we head to Panama City for two days before we head back to the States and reality.

We cooked our last dinner together and played two games of cards.  We each won one.  Now how fair is that?  Life is good!

It was one of those days. It started out raining and rained on and off all day.  I heard from the realtor about a property we wanted to see, but waited around for hours to see if we could set it up for today.

Linda and Stan came down to our place and I fried up some egg sandwiches.  A bird was making an awful sound outside and I thought it might be my buddy the macaw.  It wasn’t.  I really need to get a bird book so I know what bird I’m looking at.   After breakfast we hung around awhile trying to figure out what to do.  It really wasn’t a great day to go to the beach and we all needed to go to the bank to break some larger bills.  This was our first experience dealing with a Panamanian bank.

It was about 11:30 and Bruce and Linda went into the bank while Stan and I waited in the car.  The guard opened the door for them, made some sign at Bruce and pointed at benches for them to sit on.  It’s not the same as banks in the U.S. where you just walk in and do your banking. The guards are in full battle gear – they mean business and take their job seriously.  Later we realized the guards gestures meant that the tellers were eating lunch and they had to wait on the bench until lunch was over.  Mind you, no one in the bank spoke English but this was conveyed in gestures and from the limited Spanish Linda and Bruce understood.  Once the tellers finished lunch, they let Linda go first.  We are not sure if it’s because she is female or was older than the other person waiting.  In any event it was a very different experience for them.

After the bank we headed to Lupe’s for coffee and pastry.  We love her coffee.  I forgot my phone so I wasn’t sure if the real estate agent tried to call.  She did but by the time we emailed back and forth it was too late to go look at the house.

We went for a swim in the pool in the rain this afternoon, Bruce and Stan took naps and Linda and I read books.  I also started packing.  Since it was too late to look at the house today, I set it up for tomorrow.

Tonight we went to dinner with Mark and Latina to Villa Romana.   Mark and Latina live at the ocean lofts and moved here from Hawaii last year.  . The Villa Romana is a lovely restaurant and Inn overlooking the Pacific, located on the dirt road by Playa Destilderados.  We were able to see the sunset since the rains had stopped. We had a wonderful meal and the service was great.  I had tuna and steamed vegetables.For dessert Bruce and I shared a passion fruit cream cake.It was a lovely evening getting to know Latina and Mark.  They have been very helpful during our stay in Pedasi.

On my way out of the restaurant, I photographed the full moon. It was a beautiful moon and the skies were clear tonight.  Hopefully it will be a bright sunny day tomorrow.

To finish the day, we played another game of setback.  The boys won – it’s now 17 to 12 girls.

i can’t believe we only have 3 more days in Pedasi.  We’ve grown pretty comfortable here, know a few people and can get by with our limited Spanish.  I have to say the Panamanians have been very welcoming and patient with us.  The people we’ve met have been warm and friendly and have helped us with our Spanish.

Today was a beautiful day and we had made plans to go to the beach at the end of the dirt road.  Bruce and Stan really wanted to go boogie boarding and Linda and I like this beach because we can go in the water without drowning.  We packed our drinks and off we went. What a lovely beach it is.  The tide was out so there were many rock formations that we couldn’t see last time we were there.  Little pools of water formed around the protruding rocks some with tiny fish that were left there when the tide went out.  The sun was strong and these tiny pools felt like bath water.  Linda and I splashed through the pools and then gained the courage to go into the surf.  Linda and I were standing in ankle deep water when a wave caught us off guard.  It knocked Linda down and she was laughing so hard she couldn’t get up.  Just when she was getting up, womp, another wave hit.  All I could see was her sunglasses and the top of her hat.  We had lots of laughs.  Bruce and Stan joined in the fun and all four of us went frolicking in the surf.

The boys had the best day ever boogie boarding.  They were able to get some amazing rides on these perfect waves.

We spent 4 or 5 hours enjoying the beach.  The beach is almost a kilometer long from end to end and during the time we were there, we saw only one family with two teenage boys who were surfing.  It’s amazing to me how peaceful the beach can be when its swimming season.  At home the only time I may find an empty beach is in the middle of winter.  The beach has a name which none of us can remember so we decided it would be called Long Beach.

I’ve never mentioned in my blog about the Prince of Lichtenstein.  His property takes up a good part of this dirt road.  We were hoping to see him but apparently he is not currently in Panama.  According to the folks around here, the reason the dirt road has not been paved is because the Prince likes to drive his ATV on the dirt road.

It was going on 2, we were getting hungry and didn’t bring any food with us.  We went back to our places, took quick showers and headed to the bakery.  We had vegetarian pizza which was very good.   We also bought a loaf of bread to have with spaghetti but it turned out we were too full from the pizza that all we had was the bread and pineapple.  We decided for dessert we were going to Smileys for chocolate cake and ice cream and to hopefully hear John play the piano. Unfortunately we were too early so we didn’t get to hear John play.  We saw some people we’ve met and said hellos and goodbyes.  The only person missing tonight was Anne.

In keeping with my wildlife theme I had to take some photos of the wildlife of the day. Now geckos and toads don’t compare to howlers and macaws but it was the best that I could do today.  By the way, the geckos make loud noises that can wake you up and the toad leaves piles of poop that looks like it’s from a much larger species.  Now isn’t that interesting!

After Smiley’s and my photo shoot, we played another game of set back.  The girls won, breaking a 5 game losing streak!

I love traveling to different countries to experience the cultures, the people, the foods.  But one of the things I am always looking for is wildlife.  And for those who know me, I do have sort of a primate fetish.  So does my sister Linda.  For that reason, Linda’s and my sole purpose for going to Playa Venao today was to see the howler monkeys.  We drove the 40 minute drive on some challenging roads only to be told that they often hide out on rainy days.  And it was a rainy day.  Needless to say, my sis and I were very disappointed.  Then we went to the beach and the waves weren’t very good for boogie boarding.  Bruce and Stan were disappointed.  We were striking out all the way around.  So what were we going to do?  I looked at the map and we decided to drive to this nature preserve hoping that would be interesting.  As we were driving, all eyes were looking in the trees hoping to spot some howlers.  Stan was the first to see them.  Linda and I were thrilled.   Watching a baby interact with his mother was hysterical.  I really think the young howler was a little male because he acted like such a boy. We watched them for quite awhile and then headed on our way.  I know Linda and I could spend the afternoon just watching them.  When I look into their eyes, I can sense their intelligence and watching the mothers with their young is like watching a human interaction.  This community of howlers had approximately 10 with 3 or 4 young.  They coordinate their moves, they communicate, they groom each other and they play.  There is nothing better than seeing primates in their natural habitat and nothing hurts my soul more than to see them confined.

Our ride to the nature preserve was quite a long and difficult one.  There were pot holes the size of craters and when we bounced we flew out of our seats.  Bruce took it slow otherwise we would have felt as though we were on a bucking bronco.  And all of that to get to a mud flat and a swamp. This was not worth the time or the wear and tear on our bodies.  However, I read in a National Geographic Traveler book on Panama that this island nature preserve is the home of several nesting turtles and that they have overnight accommodations to see the turtles.  I probably should have read that earlier today so we would have known what the preserve was all about.  Maybe in the future I will do the overnight trip.

The four amigos were very hungry by now – it was noontime and we never had breakfast – so we headed back to Playa Venao Restaurant where our favorite waiter, Javi, waited on us.  I had a great lunch of tilapia, salad and rice.  Linda did as well but with the papas.  The boys had fish and chicken sandwiches.  The boys went off to boogie board and Linda and I watched the surfers, chatted and drank coffee.  The breeze wasn’t as powerful as the other day so it did get slightly warm.  Bruce and Stan did not last long.  Bruce tried to boogie board but the breaks were too close to the shoreline and after Stan saw Bruce eat sand, he decided he wasn’t even going to try.

Linda and I wanted one more chance to see the howlers so off we went one more time.  I spotted them high in a tree on the other side of the road.it wasn’t a great place to take pictures but it was great to see them again, probably for our last time.

Our drive back to Pedasi was uneventful but we did decide to stop in at Lupe’s for coffee and pastry.  We all needed something sweet.  On our way back to the lofts we stopped by Timo’s place to check out the houses he has for rent.  Timo is back in Bogota so Margaret, his property manager, showed us the places.  Very nice.  She also manages the places where we are staying now.

A beautiful Moringa tree was cut down next to our place.  The Moringa tree is a source of healing.  In fact, the green macaw was eating the seeds from this tree the other day.  The seeds can be cooked or roasted.  The leaves can be used in salads or teas.  Even the bark and the roots of the tree are medicinally beneficial.

This is the Moringa tree and the pods as well as the endangered green macaw eating the pods.

What a mess in front of my place today.  And the tree cutters are coming back at 7:30 tomorrow morning.  I guess I will be up early tomorrow.  I want to get some of the Moringa tree.

Tonight we ate salad and bread for dinner.  We played cards again and the boys won.  It’s now 16 to 11 – they are gaining on us.

It’s been a lovely day – any day I can see monkeys is a great day!  Oh how fascinating all this is!

This morning I slept in.  It was wonderful.  I woke up at 8:30 and quickly dressed because we were going to look at a possible rental for next year.  We did and it was lovely.  Only problem it’s a bit above our budget and won’t be available until August.  I guess we will have to see what happens.   After our quick tour we headed to Panaderia Pedasi for some great coffee and pastries.   When we returned to Ocean Lofts there he was.  At first he was in a tree but then he flew down to the golf cart that the guards use to transport people and luggage.  I am beginning to think he loves to be photographed.  He actually was posing for me.  After awhile he flew off and spent several hours in a tree.it started to rain but we all decided we wanted to find this beach we heard about where we could go snorkeling.  Unfortunately it is off the rough and craggy road we drove on yesterday.  After driving a kilometer, Bruce felt it wasn’t safe without 4WD.  On our way back I took some photos of the angry sea.   The sea is ever changing – one day it’s calm and soothing; the next day it’s intense and dramatic, each with its own beauty.  The sea and its sounds are a place for meditation, to heal the spirit and to find guidance.  The solitude at the ocean in Playa Destiladeros has been inspiring and at times can almost take my breath away.  To be able to walk miles along a beach without encountering people and vendors or hawkers selling their wares is amazing.  I didn’t think places existed like this anymore.  Although our ride was short we did have time to take in the splendor of the sea.

The rest of the afternoon we lazed around, took naps and read our books.  For dinner we went with Anne to Smileys.  We tried to go to Segretes but once again it was closed.

After dinner, the cards came out.  The boys beat us again.

i woke around 8 this morning and began writing my blog from the day before.  I was sipping my first cup of aromatic Panamanian coffee and contemplating what to write when Bruce said grab your camera and come outside.  And wow!! I was glad I did.  At first, since Bruce and I are not really bird people, we thought this brightly feathered creature was a parrot.  So I said to Bruce go see if Linda and Stan are around to see the parrot.  Stan was the one who identified this beautiful bird as a macaw.   The macaw ate seeds from the pods on the tree right in front of my house.  He didn’t appear nervous and allowed me to photograph him for about 15 minutes before he finally flew off.  Another amazing moment in Panama!

We spent a good part of the day poolside.  The ocean was hazy for the first time since we’ve been here, so much so that when we first arrived at the pool you could hardly see further than 100 yards off shore.  What a contrast from the vibrancy of yesterday.  Anne was at thepool along with her beloved little bird!

For dinner we had barbecued chicken, rice and broccoli. It was a delicious meal and Bruce did a great job cooking the chicken.

I took a little stroll through the walkways between the units looking for interesting birds or wildlife to photograph. It was getting dark and there wasn’t too much to see so I headed back to join the others.  We played two games of set back.  The boys won one of them.

Now ow it’s going on midnight and the power went out.  It’s very strange because all of it is not out but our air conditioning is, so it may be a very hot, stuffy night if it doesn’t come on soon!  That’s life in Panama!

What a fabulous day we had yesterday.  We went for our morning walk on our beach. The surf was calmer today, the air smelled fresh and there was a promise of a beautiful day.  After our stroll we went for a dip in the pool.  It’s become our new gathering place.  Hannah and Jordan seeing the deep blue skies decided not to leave so early.  We chatted for awhile and wished the newly weds a safe journey home.The locals told us of a beautiful beach at the end of the dirt road by our place.  It’s rough,bumpy and steep but we drove on so many roads that fit that description we thought we would give it a try.   Wow- what an awesome beach.  Finally a beach where the boys can go boogie boarding and my sis and I can go in for a swim.  There was also an area where a loan surfer was shooting the curl.  We found a little shaded area to put our towels and the boys were off on their boards. Linda and I went for a quick dip and sat on a rock as the waves splashed.  One almost knocked us over.  We were playing mermaids but didn’t make the cut. Finally, after a couple of hours, Bruce and Stan were ready to call it a day.  They said it was the best boogie boarding yet.  On our ride back which is only about 3 kilometers of rough road we stopped so I could take some photos. The road doesn’t look too rough here so we were able to stop so I could take some photos.  Most places did not have room for two cars.

All of us were a little hungry so we headed to Lupe’s place for cafe.  It was quiet in town today but we found the vegetable truck that comes down from Boquete and bought a bountiful of veggies.   Bruce and I went for a swim before heading to Linda and Stan’s to make shrimp scampi over linguini, bread from Lupe’s and a salad from the veggies we bought that day.  We had a delicious dessert of pineapple and banana cut up.  We finished our day with another game of set back – it’s 14 to 6 the girls.

Today was laundry day so we dropped our basketful of dirty laundry off, came to an agreement that it would be ready today at 6 and then headed to the Panaderia Pedasi for coffee and pastries. While drinking coffee Thomas came in as well as another ex-pat, Michael.  We talked about looking for a long term rental and Michael gave us a lead.  We also met Ovivdio who owns a local hotel, who gave me several leads.  The interesting thing and what a small world it is, Ovivdio went to USC in the 1980’s and has an aunt who lives in Florence.

From Michael’s suggestion, we met with Jessie who works at a local law office, Sanchez & Sanchez.  She took our information for what we are looking for and stated she will send me photos of places by email.  She made a great recommendation for lunch so we went there next. We all had rice and beans, fish and salad for $2.50.  This was the first time we ate at a Fonda.  A lot of local people eat here and many workers.  It was great. On our way back to the lofts we stopped by to visit a friend.  He wasn’t home but he has a nice pool and outside living space.  Later we went for a dip in our pool and met a charming couple, on their honeymoon, who were from upper New York State.  We decided to have dinner together this evening but first we needed to pick up our laundry.

Dinner this evening was at Bienvendush, which is a Mediterranean restaurant run by an Israeli woman.  Hannah and Jordan, the young couple from Rochester, are quite the world travelers and Hannah can speak Spanish.  We all enjoyed delicious tapas, smoothies, homemade pita bread, a very interesting dessert and Turkish coffee.  Although we waited for a very long time for our meal, the proprietor was the chef, cook and dishwasher, it was well worth the wait.  For Hannah and Jordan, they leave Pedasi tomorrow for a rainforest near Panama City and then head home on Sunday.  I can’t believe our time here is winding down as well.  But I don’t want to think about that – I just want to savor every moment.

We started our day with a short drive to Playa Venao.  The boys wanted to go boogie boarding and Linda and I had our hearts set on seeing some howler monkeys.   We reached Eco Venao and there they were.  Linda and I were psyched.  Unfortunately, I forgot my telephoto lens so I wasn’t able to get the best of shots.  Plus they were backlit – but they were fun to watch.  One mother appeared to have twins because she had one in the front and one on the branch in back of her.  We counted nine with 3 little ones.  Bruce met the owner of Eco Venao spa who was originally from Canada then South Carolina then Panama.

After our monkey siting we headed up to a little restaurant for cafe and fruta before heading out on our hike to the waterfall.   Some of the trek was pretty steep.   But the falls at the end although not huge, was really neat.  I took my boots off and cooled my feet in the natural pool.  We stayed awhile, drank our waters and prepared for the hike back.  At the end of the trail we had to go through a gate and there was this beautiful horse grazing.  I had to take a photo and she didn’t mind.  We stopped at the little restaurant for a Piña smoothie and then headed to the beach. On the way we passed a truck selling pinas.  We bought an armful for $5 and I mean Bruce’s arms. These are pretty little cabanas where surfers stay on the beach.   Our favorite little restaurant – Playa Venao Restaurant where we ate lunch and Linda and I sat chilling out while Bruce and Stan hit the surf.  They caught a few rides today.  And our favorite waiters, Javi and Gabriel.  Javi is a surfer and Gabriel is learning. He has been working his way through South and Central America.

It was dark after arriving back in Pedasi and the four amigos weren’t very hungry.  We thought we’d head to Smileys for their terrific chocolate cake and ice cream but it was closed.  So we went to the town square and found an ice cream shop.  All town squares in panama have a church and this one is no different.  A lot happens on the square after dark – from parents with little children to teens gathering around, this is the heart of the city.  I even saw someone who appeared to be an ex-pat with his laptop under the bright lights in the gazebo.  We ate our ice cream, took numerous selfies and headed back to the lofts for another game of setback.