thefouramigosblog

Bruce and I are finally getting out of bed and it’s 11:30 in the morning.  I don’t know what is up with this sleepiness.  The bed is so comfy and the gentle rocking of the boat has been great for my sleeping.

Back to yesterday, we finally arrived at the pyramids after a beautiful scenic drive.

At first it seemed odd that the pyramids were in the middle of a town.  However, once they had been discovered the pyramids then became a protected park.

Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian researcher, opened the park.  He spent his life  working on the theory that there were contacts between ancient civilizations across continents using small, primitive water craft.  The designs of the pyramids are very similar to those found in Mexico, Guatamala and even the oldest pyramid in Egypt.  It was a very educational and informative visit.

On our way back to the ship I photographed some beautiful flowers.

The entrance to the port looks very similar to the opera house in Sydney, Australia.

On our return, Bruce and I grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the gym.

After a good workout and some relaxation time, we went to our veranda to wave goodbye to Tenerife.

Late afternoon we had coffee with friends, then dinner with two charming couples from Virginia and Maryland and than a really great show.

We loved the Canary Islands and I could see myself coming back to spend a little more time.

Bruce and I are really getting into this life.  Not a care in the world – no rooms to paint, no clothes to wash, no meals to cook. Room service every morning delivering my coffee before I have to take the elevator to the gym.  Then relaxation time in the Persian Garden on the heated beds to help ease our poor muscles.

Today was warm and sunny and our first day lounging by the pool.  In fact it was the first time we went in since the weather has been a little chilly.

I read a lot today between taking short naps.  In the late afternoon we went to French class then on to have coffee with friends.

Instead of going to dinner in the main dining room, I decided I wanted to try to get a sunset picture so we had a quick bite in the cafe and then went up to the sunset lounge.

It was a lovely evening watching the sunset followed by a singer/dancer who was lively and entertaining.  He performed music from the 50s and 60s as well as some songs by the famous rat pack.

 

 

We’ve been at sea for nearly a week and I am beginning to know my way around.  The first few days I was clocking extra steps on my Fitbit because when I needed to be in the bow of the ship I was in the stern and vice versa.

Yesterday I really didn’t do much at all.  I didn’t even make it to the gym.  The steward brought coffee to our room at 8 but we just climbed back into bed and slept until 10.  I missed a morning art class.  Oh well, I can’t do everything.  We did go to an Italian class in the afternoon and had coffee with friends after.  Last evening we dined with another couple we made friends with on the ship.  They are from Cape Cod, which is really our neck of the woods.

Today I was much more alert having had a great night sleep with the rocking of the ship.

 

We had a little snack after our workout.  I spent some time in the Persian Garden relaxing after an awesome spin class.  Bruce headed for a seminar on navigation which he said was interesting but he missed the relaxation time.

Bruce and I spent some time on the bow of the ship, reading our books and then met up with Mary Beth for a little socializing.

Tonight we ate a little healthier at the cafe and saw a great show.

Tonight we are retiring a little earlier.  Losing an hour each night reeks havoc on our sleep.

The early morning hours brought gray skies and cool winds. As I awoke in my comfy bed, the rocking and rolling of the ship made it nearly impossible for me to open my eyes. I felt like a babe rocking in her mama’s arms the sheets and comforter warm and silky against my skin. But I had scheduled morning coffee delivery at 7:30 and the steward was knocking at our door.

As soon as the steward left, back into bed as we watched the rolling of the waves out our veranda door.

I’d like to say our laziness ended there but it didn’t. We spent nearly 6 hours at the gym but mostly in the Persian Gardens. There we lounged on hot lounges that worked to ease sore muscles, went into the sauna, steam room, eucalyptus sauna and then the chill room. After that we spent some time in the Zen meditation area watching the sea, napping and reading. It was a tough job doing all this relaxing.

Later in the day we had coffee with friends then showered and changed for the elegant chic dinner dress this evening.

After dinner we saw the last few minutes of a show and then participated in a slot tournament. I thought I was doing well but I came in dead last.

As we travel across the Atlantic, I am meeting some fascinating people. One lovely woman is from New Zealand and she is traveling alone. She spent some time in the US visiting some cities that she wanted to see and plans to spend time in Venice and Paris. She said she is doing things on her bucket list. I’ve met several women on this journey who are traveling alone, some who have done it quite a few times. I find it amazing and inspiring to be with women with such courage.

We woke to a gentle rolling of the ship that lulled us into a slightly meditative state.  Our coffe and tea along with fruit and croissants was delivered to our cabin shortly after wakening.  Although a bit cloudy and cool on our veranda we decided to have our morning coffee listening to the vibrancy of the sea.  It is hard to do this for too long less we never move.

Our cruise director held an informal seminar on some of the shore excursions which we attended.  Then we spent some time working out in the gym and having some meditation time in the Persian Gardens.

While walking the decks Bruce and I ran into Mary Beth and we spent some time chatting.Bruce and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading poolside and relaxing in the hot tub. We also had coffee with friends in the late afternoon.

Dinner was great tonight.  We met a nice couple from Perth, Australia and another couple from Florida.  I had the escargot again.  I never seem to tire of this delicasy.  After dinner we saw a magic show, had a late night snack and now off to bed.

It’s been a lovely day – I think I really like cruising.

T

Bruce and I left Columbia late in the afternoon on Monday arriving at the home of our two amigos in the wee hours of the morning. I slept until 9 and spent a relaxing morning idling by the pool.  Beautiful hibiscus surrounded the pool area making for a very lovely backdrop for our visit with friends.

In the evening we headed to Myrons Deli for delicious blintzes and Reuben’s.  The boys of course had their usual knock worst.  Bellies filled we played in the casino awhile until all were ready to head home.  No one was a winner tonight.

 

Last night we stayed at Country Inn and Suites but we had to return the car to the airport by noon today so I thought I booked the Crown Plaza at the airport.  We headed out at 9:30 – Bruce didn’t want to feel panicked if we happened to get lost.  And of course on our first attempt at leaving the hotel we were lost.  So we backtracked to the hotel and started again.  This time we did great.  We drove by the interesting cork screw building.  It looks like something from a Leggo set.   We made it all the way to the hotel without another problem until I tried to check in.  So happens there are two Crown Plazas and I booked the one in Panama City.  Luckily the receptionist spoke really good English.  She called the other hotel and cancelled that reservation.  I had to use the lobby computer to book this hotel so I would get better rates.  By now it’s 11:00.  Our rooms were available so we brought our luggage upstairs then headed out to return the car.  The airport was across the street so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?  Well we were lost again, had to backtrack to the hotel, I ran in and asked for directions and we were off again.  We made it to the car rental place at 11:50 – we had 10 minutes to spare.  What an ordeal.  All went well and the hotel shuttle took us back to the Crown Plaza.

We all wanted coffee so we hopped a cab to the metromall.  Dunkin Donuts.  It was great.  The Metromall is the largest mall I have ever been in. They were setting up for Halloween.  I was surprised to see that they celebrate Halloween in Panama.    After coffee we walked around then took a hair raising cab ride back to the hotel.

I didn’t mention that in the midst of all this I put my camera down in the lobby of the hotel.  I never missed it but they found it and I was able to get it back without ever going into panic mode.  We sat around the lobby for awhile.  You can see the mountains in the background. Late afternoon was nap time and time to reconfigure our luggage for travel tomorrow.

Dinner tonight was in the hotel restaurant.  The food was good, although not as good as last night.  What was most memorable about our dinner tonight was the oddity of our waiter.  “Was he here or wasn’t he” that is the question.  He continually disappeared, forgot to bring us bread, our food order was taking a very long time and at one point another waiter pointed at us and said go serve them.  Mind you, it appeared we were his only table.  When he came to our table he kept looking over his shoulder as though the police were after him.  Then he disappeared completely.  The manager ended up being our server so I can only surmise that our waiter got the boot.  It was by far the worst service we have had in all of Panama so we were not surprised when he disappeared.

i started writing this blog earlier today instead staying up until the wee hours of the morning.  Bruce took my picture while I sat in the lobby writing about our restaurant experience.

We decided to hang out at the hotel, grabbed a table in the restaurant and proceeded to play another game of set back since this was our last night in Panama.  Score 18 – 13 girls.Linda preparing to play with bug spray in hand.  She had a tough time with the noseeums – they really did a number on her.

I’m feeling a little blue tonight having to leave this beautiful country. But homeward bound we go and I look forward to seeing friends and family!

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.