thefouramigosblog

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.

We started our day with a morning walk on the beach.  The waves were quite impressive this morning, the sea appeared quite angry as the waves pounded the shore.  From the distance we could see big black clouds and sections of rain so we weren’t sure what the day would bring.    As usual the only creatures we saw were some birds and crabs like this big fellow.  We did disturb him and he went scampering off into the surf. After cleaning up we headed out to the bakery.  Our usual bakery was closed so we went to Panaderia Pedasi owned by Lupe Claros.  Her coffee and cakes were delicious.  I also left my pocketbook there, containing passports, money, credit cards.  We were 20 minutes down the road when I realized I forgot my np bag.  We drove back and Lupe had put it behind the counter.  So very honest people.  We also met an ex-pat Thomas who told me they started a writing group there.  Now that’s something I’d be interested in since this blog is the first writing I’ve done in years and feel very stale.at long last pocketbook in hand we drove on to Las Tablas and Playa El Uverita.  Although this beach is not as beautiful as ours, the water is calmer and gentler for my sissy and I.  I don’t know if Bruce and Stan would like it as much though because it didn’t seem to be good for boogie boarding.  We met a man from Germany and asked about houses to rent.  A realtor came and showed us three places that were absolutely horrible.  House hunters International it was not.  In fact we all agreed that they would have to pay us to live there.  So we will have to do further research if this is a place to settle. On our drive back we had to stop for a cattle herding on the road.  We stopped for an afternoon snack of ceviche, did a little food shopping in Las Tablas and headed on down the road to Pedasi.  I wanted to get back for the sunset and a dip in the pool. Bruce smoked his cigar by the pool while we watched the sunset.  I did take a walk down on the beach to capture the brilliance of the sky.  It should be a beautiful day tomorrow.

Today we had a very laid back day – went to the pool for a little while, read my book and took an afternoon nap.  That’s what I call lazy in retirement.Tonight we went to dinner with Anne at Smileys.  We had a great meal.  I had seared tuna with coconut rice and beans and a salad.  Linda and Anne had that as well.  Bruce and Stan had amberjack.  For dessert we all had chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.  As we ate our dessert you could not hear a peep out of us.  We were all so focused on our delicious desserts. After dinner we came back to our place for our continuing set back tournament.  Linda and I are ahead 13 games to 5.  It felt good after being so defeated at the pool table in Bocas Del Toro. Tomorrow we head to the beach for an early morning walk and we have to go to the bakery.  Bruce is missing his daily pastry.

I woke at 6:30 this morning hoping to get a glimpse of the toucans and I wasn’t disappointed.  There were several of them making quite a lot of noise – it was quite a harsh sound.  It was fun watching them jump from branch to branch appearing quite awkward with their huge beaks.  All at once they took flight – one, two, three and all were gone.   

 Several other birds appeared and when a group of parrots took over the branches, the toucans returned to kick them out. Papi, our host for the past several days went to Fordham University in NY but has lived in Panama for over 30 years.  His colorful personality and charm has made our stay at Boca Ridge Hotel exceptional.  He treated us like royalty from the moment we arrived and his staff has been a delight.

Some of the beautiful flowers that surround the pool make it a lovely place to sit and relax and meditate. The long boats are typical for the natives in Panama.    We spent a few hours driving up the mountain to a dam and a lake.  Stan was fooling around pretending he was going to dive over the edge.  We were actually looking for howler monkeys but no luck.

The afternoon we spent taking a dip in the pool.we read our books and took a little siesta.  Tomorrow we have a long drive heading toward Pedasi.

I woke at 7 hoping to catch a glimpse of the toucans but they had already come and gone by the time I came down for my morning coffee.  The views from the patio overlooking Bocas Del Toro were breathtaking.  The flowers that surround Bocas Ridge are very beautiful.  Large hibiscus in reds, pinks and yellows abound.  At first it appeared that it was going to be a partially rainy day but we decided to hire Papi’s friend to take us around to all the islands. Papi being such a gracious host drove us to the docks where we met Federico, the captain and Johnny, his mate.      El Destino II was the name of the panga that we were on.  Federico was a good captain and Johnny helped with the language barrier.  We left the docks and headed out through the mangroves and and over 100 islands that make up the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro.  As we rode through two small uninhabited islands surrounded by mangroves we saw coral colored starfish in the water below. Our first stop was at Cayo Coral where we were all in need of a banos.  Johnny fed the fish around the dock and we saw angel fish, bottle nose fish, and several other colorful fish. The longer we spent out on the water, the nicer the weather became until we had full sunshine. Our next stop was Bocas Town because Johnny and Federico wanted to get me a coconut to drink.  We walked around the town, went into a shop, drank some coconut milk and then we’re off to find a beach where we could swim. We found a lovely beach with soft white sand.  The water was warm and inviting – we couldn’t wait to dive into the clear Caribbean Sea.  After a quick swim we had lunch under a thatched roof hut.  Fish and patacones.  Delicious.  Of course, we didn’t wait an hour after lunch to dive back in the sea.  We assume that was an old wives tale perpetuated by our parents to keep us out of the water a little longer so they wouldn’t have to watch us.  At the end of the trip we said our goodbyes to Federico and Johnny and told them what a wonderful day we had.  Papi came to the docks and brought us back to Boca Ridge Hotel.  We had coffee and dessert – ice cream, brownies and coconut flan, as an afternoon dessert.this is a giant grasshopper that I saw at the hotel. At the end of the day, we had a light supper and played three games of pool.  The girls finally won a game!