Girlfriends and Casco Viejo

This week was a busy work week, but in a good way. It first time that I realized how big of a language barrier my Spanish speaking skills are, and how much I miss some of my friends. We had to go to the city for a few things, which meant I had time to explore! It was busy, but over all pretty good.

I went to a trip to the grocery store this week, and a clerk asked me something. For whatever reason, that moment made me realize how my Spanish speaking skills lag. It caused me to wallow in self pity realizing how bad my Spanish speaking skills are and how much I miss speaking with my friends and the world without it being a struggle.

Friends. There are only two people I regularly communicate with in person-one being Robert, and another whom I see one time a week for an hour-none that I would dare consider having a girl talk with. I miss those friends in person. Robert reminded me of the similar struggles I had when moving to Arizona. To clarify, I was not missing Arizona or Oregon...or the US for that matter. I think I was just missing having a close girl friend I could talk to/hang out with in person and also being able to efficiently communicate with the outside world. It was a good reminder that if Spanish is a barrier, go talk more! I know this should be easy, but it is not uncommon for expats who have lived here for years to speak minimal Spanish.

Tuesday was our big day for Panama City. We drove people we knew to the airport and also needed to get a towing hitch put on our car. This made for a long day. We woke up at 3am and began heading for the City, passengers and all by 4:15am. The drive took over three hours to the airport-something for any visitors to look forward to! The tow hitch was going to take approximately four hours to complete. Robert and I decided to get a ride to the nearby McDonalds for breakfast.

Their menu was more simple than I last remember seeing it (not that I frequented McDonalds in the States). No matter, I always get my usual Egg McMuffin with no ham. People often ask if things like McDonalds tastes the same as it does back in the US. I can say that my breakfast tasted the same. One thing I found unique is that McDonalds sells chicken beyond the chicken nuggets!

Eating here did not take long. Robert and I were tired but ended up exploring an old town of Panama called Casco Viejo. A hotel in this area was used during the shoot of the James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, which was dubbed to be Hati and Bolivia. This little piece of Panama City was founded in 1519 by Spaniards and the Catholic church. However, Captian Morgan sacked the original city in 1671, and it was rebuilt and founded a couple of years later. Casco Viejo, spanish for "Old Town," can be identified by its beautiful brick roads and old buildings-many which are being restored. It is also known for it's cathedral, which was abandoned until a major renovation began in 2003. 

Although many restorations are occurring, you can still find original walls that were built with the intentions to detour pirates (Maybe Johnny Depp will pay a visit?). You also get stunning views of the main part of Panama City along with the view of ships heading into the Canal. 

A scenic bypass followed by ships in the distance. The difference between high and low tide on the Pacific side can be as much as 20 feet.

This area also offers the perfect opportunity for anyone looking for a souvenir. There is an abundance of shops that offer something for everyone. There is a row of tables, which made me think of somebody in particular who could spend hours in this spot alone!

Needless to say, I fell in love with the old charm feel of this area. There seemed to be a lot of urban/chic and upscale dining options. I will definitely come back to visit, but moving here would not be an option. After walking and exploring, we decided we had our fill and wanted to go back to check on the progress of the car. It was done soon after-just in the nick of time to get ahead of city traffic making our arrival time at home close to 5pm. 

Panama has new license plates for cars every year, which means you have to register your car every year. I have been told that people who do it themselves sometimes only do it once, as it can be a time-consuming and stressful endeavor. There are locals that are familiar with the process that can be hired to renew the registration for you. Our car needed to be registered so we could legally drive our car without the worry of it being impounded. It took a few days to get (and some minor hurdles) but it was kind of cool to have a new license plate. These license plate numbers stay with the cars, so it is important that the numbers from your old and new license plates match. Here are some plates from previous years:

Over all, life is still good. We continue to get more and more rain, which is very much needed at this point. Unfortunately the waves have not been very good for surfing, which marks about four weeks since we have gone out. I am going crazy and am hoping surfing is like riding a bike. The upcoming week will require us to go to the city in order to proceed with getting our drivers license. That should be another exciting adventure since driving in the city always is. 

The First Rain and Cake!

This week was pretty low key. The highlights of the week included a power outage, the first rain, and a trip to the mall. No surfing this week, although the surf has been perfect.

We have had multiple power outages this week. Some are sporadic and remind me of somebody playing with a light switch; they did not last long. Tuesday our power went out for six hours. It is fortunate that we have candles and flashlights. I am not sure what caused the outage. Talk about bad timing! It was right in the middle of me making dinner and doing laundry. The clothes had to be re-washed and dinner had to be postponed (making it in the dark, I messed up anyway).

The first rainfall since we moved down here began. It was wonderful. The rain here is a lot like the monsoons in Arizona; it will pour for 20-30 minutes and be clear and sunny the rest of the day. I recently learned a new word for a lover of rain, the air was crisp and clean. The fields that were burned smelled like rich soil. The beach was moist, and the flowers in our yard were sprinkled with water drops. It is hard to imagine anyone who isn't a Pluviophile.

Robert and I had to run a few errands at a town about 40 minutes away from where we live. Because we were out that way, we figured we may as well go to the mall. I figured since we were there I would go into the Levis store and buy a pair of jeans. 

One of the store clerks attempted to help me. I spoke very broken Spanish, apologized for my horrible Spanish.  

As I was ready to check out I said "Yo soy listo. Uhh Estoy listo pagar." I am ready. I am ready to pay. 

Etoy and Soy both mean I am. I know in the Spanish language they mean different things, but differentiating them for me is still difficult. As I write this, I realize how I should have used 'estoy.' Lesson learned and on to the next mistake I make in Spanish. Can I at least get an A for effort for all of you who can think of 5 other ways I could have handled the situation?

The mall has a movie theater, which we were considering going to Fast and Furious 7. When the movie first came out, the movie had Spanish subtitles. Now the only versions at this theater are dubbed over.  It is good to note this as I am a fan of the Hunger Games and have yet to miss seeing the movie opening weekend.

We got lunch instead. We usually get pizza, but I was curious what the Taco Bell was like in Panama. I am always curious what American restaurants taste like in Panama. I am not sure if this is an occurrence in the United States, but at least in Panama, you get fries with your combo. The fries were surprisingly good and reminded me of eating curly fries from Arby's. Yum!

The best got saved for last. There is a dessert place that has cake like I've never tasted. I have blogged about it before. This time Robert got a honey cake desert and I got almond. Yumm!

The outing at the mall was probably the most exciting thing this week. I would like to make it a point to go see a movie in Spanish at some point, but deep inside I wanted to know what was going on in Fast and Furious 7. As I mentioned before, no surfing lately, but I am hoping it will change soon; all of my bruises are fading! 

Easter and Pedasi

This week marked our first Easter in Panama (remember the anticipation from last week?). We also took a little trip to a town called Pedasi, which is about three hours away from where we currently live. This was an adventure since it is in a fairly rural area (population 2,000) and also has a growing expat community. The dogs got to come too!

Easter, while I would like to say it was out of the ordinary with all these "new" traditions, it really did not seem that way-unless you count all of the traffic heading back into the city. Good Friday was the holiday that got my attention the most during Semana Santa, which was discussed in the previous blog.

We obtained a canned ham for an Easter meal. Sorry to all of you canned ham eaters, but this was one time I was thankful I am a vegetarian. Amazingly enough, Robert managed to turn the ham into something that looked some-what appetizing.

Other dishes included me making baked beans for the first time, which turned out pretty decent, if I say so myself. Drinks included lemonade with coconut milk/water that I had left over from when I made coconut whipped cream, which was used for part of the dessert dish. Over all, our Easter was quite and enjoyable. 

Lemonade with coconut

Pineapple with coconut whipped cream and pistachios. 

We also took a trip to Pedasi and brought the dogs. On our way to Pedasi, we came to a very rural village (population maybe 100?). The beach was a hidden jewel with nobody around. Although the waves were not good for surfing, there were plenty of tide pools for me to explore which only made the beach that much better!

Our next stop was Pedasi. We stayed at a bed in breakfast that allowed pets. It was quite the experience for me. Why? I've never stayed at a hotel in Panama before and I've never stayed at a bed and breakfast. The room we got was fairly inexpensive compared to other rooms in the area. It was basic and very small; not including the bathroom, the room was probably 10 feet by 12 feet-just wide enough to have space on each side of our queen size bed. While there was nothing in the room besides a small night stand, a bathroom and a bed, it was all that we needed. 

The beaches in Pedasi were tranquil, but also fairly busy. There is limited beach access which meant the few spots in Pedasi that were accessible had others along with you. The beaches seemed clean and reminded me of a nice fishing village maybe ten or fifteen years ago. The destination is also popular as you can get a 20 minute ride to a nearby island that has good scuba diving and snorkeling.

Pedasi gave me a chuckle and a memories from my childhood. I got a small bag of cookies in which I found a pog! I've seen a few kids playing in grocery stores. Ahh nostalgia!

The highlight of the trip was going to Playa Venao, which is a good 30 minutes outside of Pedasi on a good but rural road. This beach is where the DaKine ISA World Junior Surfing Championship was healed back in 2012. The wave sizes vary, just like the swells. From what I have read, this spot can be great for beginner and amateur surfers, and it can also be fun for more experienced surfers. It has been about a week since I've surfed, and these waves only increased the urge.

Despite the picture, the beach was actually very crowded

Pedasi was enjoyable. It was a lot of driving and I think the dogs are happy to be home. The highlight for both Robert and me was paying a visit to Playa Venao. The longer we spend in Panama in a beach community, the more I begin to feel like home and the more I begin to realize how amazing and beautiful Mother Nature really is.

Semana Santa and Good Friday

This week was Holy week, or Semana Santa. We got to witness our first Good Friday in Panama, which was a special experience. It is estimated that about 80% of the population in Panama is Roman Catholic. Because of this, Semana Santa is hard not to avoid.

Yesterday marked Good Friday, which is a big deal in a predominant Catholic population. Yesterday alcohol sales were prohibited. The liquor isles in grocery stores were taped off, the sale of liquor in restaurants were restricted. It was amazing and actually pretty cool to see. The restriction of alcohol for any period of time was a bit of a culture shock. You're telling me that State and religion can coincide peacefully!? 

The owner of the house we are renting told us about the procession that occurs on Good Friday and encouraged us to try to watch this event which began around 9pm, causing some street roads to be closed off. In essence, the procession is when clergy and church members gather and walk in the community praying. This is supposed to symbolize the final day of Jesus.

The route was by our house so we just happened to get outside at the correct time of when the church clergy and parishioners began to walk passed our house. Small floats were created and were part of this walk-each having unique symbolisms. The most iconic float that we saw was a glass coffin with Jesus inside and men dressed as romans with spears walked alongside this float. I wanted to embrace what I was seeing and I feel like that can get lost by taking pictures. I did find some pictures from the internet to help capture a bit of what we saw.

Photo link

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The spots that the clergy stopped and prayed. All of the parishioners walking behind the clergy stopped also.
Photo link

I have been told that Easter, in many ways is spent with family and going to church. Easter eggs and the Easter Bunny are becoming more popular here, but mostly because of the influence of expats (just like Thanksgiving is becoming popular here and so is Black Friday). I am not sure what tomorrow will bring as far as Easter egg hunts or beach goers, but one thing I will probably count on is that tomorrow will be a very big day for church goers.