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

Photo link

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.

We Went to the Vetrinarian

This week has been full of firsts for us. We were supposed to have surf lessons on Wednesday, but to unfortunate luck, we had to cancel and take our little dog to the veterinarian. Our lesson was rescheduled for Friday. 

For any of the readers who are squeamish, now may be a good time to stop reading since I am going to be discussing why we had to make the visit to the veterinarian. . 

Original photo

Original photo

About a week ago our little dog had a weird discharge coming from his anus. I didn't think anything of it; maybe it was just dirt from outside or maybe it was an upset stomach? Wrong! It turns out that the problem was progressing and he had a ruptured anal sac. Anal sacs in dogs are like an Appendix in humans; they are pretty much worthless-at least for domestic dogs.  

We discovered what may be going on in the evening, too late for the veterinarian to be open. After a to of research, we decided that our little dog would be okay if we waited the night and took him in to get checked out the next morning. He had to be put under a local anesthetic, with the needle stuck in his arm (and wrapped of course), received a deep cleaning of the area, had antibiotics given to him and several prescription medications; the total bill was $78. 

Deep cleanings and local anesthetics have been a daily ritual Wednesday through Friday. He goes back in Monday for a check of the area. In the mean time our little dog gets to wear "the cone of shame" when one of us cannot monitor him, which he is not fond of. The antibiotics seem to be working also, which means unless he is outside, he'll be sitting on the couch with a towel under neath him. Our little dog has seen better days and hasn't been his chipper, normal self. Who could blame the little guy?

Surfing is coming along. As I mentioned earlier, we haven't really been able to go this week as much as we wanted. I thought we had a lesson first thing Friday morning. The manager seemed a bit caught off guard when I mentioned the lesson, so she asked us to go check out the waves as she did not think they would be appropriate for our skill level. 

Robert and I stood looking at the seemingly endless set of waves for about 20 minutes. Further down the beach the waves, according to the manager were at least 6 foot waves, which is what she surfs; she has been surfing for 5 years. The jellyfish are gone and now the big waves are coming in. I look forward to the day that we can ride these waves, but for now we will ride the wave after it breaks (see picture below)

Robert and I had a good session. Yesterday was the most number of times Robert and I caught waves. It is gratifying to see that just five lessons ago we couldn't stand on a board for more than a few clumsy seconds and now we are beginning to learn about the boards and stand up a little bit longer each time. Our lessons are two hours long and I think I could have been out there for another hour at least.  

This week I thought I would try to find a good ketchup recipe to try. For whatever reason, I do not really like ketchup in Panama. If I really wanted, I could probably try to find the ketchup I used in the US, but ketchup really only consists of tomato paste, vinegar, and some spices/sweeteners. Why not?

Despite the heart shaped spot of honey I put into the ketchup, the recipe was not loved. Luckily there are plenty of other recipes to try!

Work is keeping us both busy, but we remind each other daily how much we like the pace of Panama. Time does not seem to stop for anyone, but the pace of life is nice. I could not imagine wanting to be anywhere else. Panama is very foreign to me in many ways and although I do not fully understand the  language and culture, but in the short time we've been here, it feels very much like home. 

Catching a Wave, and Other Milestones

We continue to stay busy with a lot of new things, including work. We continue to explore bits of Panama and hit a milestone that the dogs have loved, which involves the fact that they are now out of in home quarantine and got to go on regular walks. We have also officially sold our house in Arizona.

This past week Robert and I began taking surfing lessons. This sport is by far one of the most difficult things I have done, probably second to hiking down the Grand Canyon to Plateau Point and back in one day (which is a 12 mile/20 kilometer hike).

I have found surfing to be mentally and physically challenging. The mental part of it comes from all of the physically challenging aspects. We have had four lessons and there has not been one where I have come out with some kind of souvenir/injury on my body. 

Day one is the day I got stung by jellyfish. Go figure, now is jellyfish season and there are a lot of little broken up pieces floating in the water. Those feel like quick little needle pricks that go away as fast as they hit. I get pricked by those, but I also had a more serious one on my arm. Vinegar and shaving cream took the sting away. Lesson number two resulted in a cut in the arch of my foot. It probably wouldn't be so bad except for the location and the fact that sandals and tennis shoes irritate that spot. Surf lessons number three and four resulted in bruises on my hip bones. This was something I was expecting, since you have to keep your chest lifted (think Cobra pose for yoga) when you are paddling and are trying to catch a wave; that is a good sign, right? 

Jellyfish sting on my arm

Robert seems to be faring a little bit better. He has avoided any big jellyfish stings,  but has had his share of cuts and wipeouts.

Because of all of the physical stuff, your mental abilities get really challenged. This sport is masochistic and is a hard workout. To put it in perspective, Robert burns roughly 1,200 calories when he surfs for two hours. As hard as it is, Robert and I are both addicted. Both of us have caught several waves which makes the hard parts worth while.

Processed food is some what hard to find and can be unreasonably expensive here. I have been trying to make a lot of food from scratch. While you can find mayonnaise pretty easily, I decided I would take a shot at making it for no other reason than the fact that I had what I needed: eggs, oil, and mustard (in my case, I found pineapple mustard that is amazing). With my emersion blender at hand, within seconds the sight of mayo was coming to life.

It's magic!

I am not a fan of mayonnaise, but this was not awful and Robert seemed to enjoy it. It was suitable for a classic egg salad, which was perfect for a lazy/tired after surf snack. I have also become proficient at making refried beans and have found a decent taco seasoning which we both seem to like. It is simple: canned beans with a healthy dash hot sauce (Caribbean hot sauce) and some cumin, heated in a pan-we do not have a microwave. We go out to eat less and less frequently and as a whole, have been eating healthier. 

When we moved the dogs down here, they had to be in home quarantine for 40 days, meaning they could not be around other dogs. There are multiple reasons for the quarantine, including the idea that the government does not want there to be a rabies issue. The dogs are very happy that they now can anticipate a daily walk...and they do!

On another note, we also have officially sold our house in Arizona. All I have to say is thank goodness for the internet and email. It was a good house to live in and a great neighborhood, but I do not think I ever anticipated on growing old in that house. 

The most interesting experience with the house was trying to find a notary down here to sign some of the documents. At first we thought we would have to go to the US Embassy in Panama to get a US notary in order to have a notary from the US notarize the documents. The wait was going to be at least two weeks. That did not work so other possible options included flying to Colombia, Costa Rica or Miami, Florida.

For whatever good luck on our side happened, we were informed that a Panamanian notary would work. We were able to find one about 45 minutes away from us. The challenge was the common theme for locations in Panama is there really aren't addresses here. As we asked for directions, we were told to go straight and find the park. Sure enough, we did and the notary was easy to find. The directions given and talking to the notary were all in Spanish. I think Robert and I are starting to get an ear for the language, but being able to speak it is going to take time. 

Time and time again things in life continue to surprise me. If you would have told me even five years ago that we would be doing what we are doing now, I would have told you that you have lost your mind. Now I am finding it more and more unusual to not have a conversation in Spanglish with people other than Robert. Things in Panama are simple and relaxed. The more time I spend here, the more time I understand how people in Panama are the happiest in the world. 

We Bought a Car

We are fortunate enough to have been able to borrow a car. We live approximately 10 minutes away (13km or 8mi) from the town where our business located so having a car is important to us. However, like all good things that come to an end, it was time for us to return the car and purchase one for ourselves.

There are several challenges when looking for a car. First, Robert and I needed a car with specific towing abilities. I like trucks, but since this car is going to be our only car for the foreseeable future, I was hoping not to have a truck and a full sized SUV, if possible. I was not sure whether or not this would be possible, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Ultimately we narrowed our list of desired vehicles we were searching for. The main car on our list was a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder, or newer. If that was not possible, we were hoping for an affordable Toyota Land Cruiser (not the Prado version), or a Nissan Armada (which we did not find out until later that those do not exist in Panama). If an SUV did not work out, our next options included a Toyota Tundra, or Nissan Titan. Of course, we had a specific budget we were aiming for also.

Another challenge is the language barrier. Robert and I are gradually getting better at our Spanish. Congratulations to us, we probably have the Spanish vocabulary of a 2.5 year old. The final (and scariest) challenge was finding a good car. There are no lemon laws here so many people take a trusted mechanic with them to make sure the engine is not going to fall out as you are leaving the lot. With a specific budget and a very specific list of cars, let the hunting begin.

Robert and I read quite a bit about what to expect when buying a car from Panama. Unless you buy a brand new car, it is likely your car is going to need some kind of work, whether it is new tires and an oil change, or something a bit more drastic. There is a place in Panama City where cars go to die and get reborn again. This isn't always the case, but I've also read it is not an uncommon practice.

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Yay, we are walking into a death trap and have a very narrow list of cars to pick from! This is the place where it is common for dealerships to turn back the miles on the car so they can get higher prices. My anxiety was high but what better way to be welcomed to the big leagues. May your Spanish speaking abilities serve you well!

Original photo

Hmm...maybe it wasn't that bad, but I was still on edge.Robert and I were hoping to be able to drive the cars, but we quickly saw that many car dealerships pack cars in like sardines, making it like one of those slide puzzle games to get the cars out. 

Robert had an idea of two dealerships that sold the Pathfinders we were hoping for. When we went to our first stop, the person did not speak English and we spoke limited Spanish. Luckily we can say "¿Tienes un Nissan Pathfinder?" "Do you have a Nissan Pathfinder?" was a very quick way to get our needs met. The first person said yes and had a driver take us to the body shop where it still needed a bumper. The car was nice but we wanted to see if there was anything else for us.

We went off to our next dealership, which looked like a mechanic shop. We asked the mechanic if he had cars for sale and told him what we were looking for along with our price range. All of this was in Spanish...very, very, broken Spanish. The mechanic said yes but to give him one hour. We thought we would continue to look around in the mean time. 

The mechanic we found seemed nice and eager to help. He said he found a truck for us but no Pathfinder. He tagged along with us to several other dealerships until we found the vehicle we ended up purchasing, which also happened to be one of the original dealership we were looking for.

I was hoping to have the mechanic look at the car to make sure nothing major needed fixed. The person who sold us the car was English speaking and said the mechanic wanted to change the oil and do routine work on it. No big deal considering. Plans to use our newfound mechanic did not work out and we ended up dropping him back off at his shop, unsure of exactly what condition our new purchase is in.

We have had the vehicle for about a week now. So far the only major things that the car needs include a brake light and we got the oil changed. We'll also need to get the tires changed eventually, but they will work for now. While this experience was somewhat stressful, and very overwhelming, Robert and I are both enjoying our new car. It has everything what we need and the dogs seem to like it (our big one keeps trying to jump inside for a car ride), which is another bonus.