Short Walks, Day Trips and New Friends

El Valle

As the guide book states, "El Valle is a picturesque town nestled in the crater of a giant extinct volcano, ringed by verdant forests and jagged peaks".  It is about 45 minutes from here by car and we arranged to take a day tour there with a Panamanian tour company. 

The valley is about 3 miles across and is surrounded by the hills seen in the distance

The thing that El Valle is most famous for is being home to el rana dorado (the golden frog).  We visited a conservation center where they are working to preserve this endangered species.  It seems that there is a virus spread by fungus that is killing off many species of tree frog across the world. 

One of our stops was Chorro El Macho or Manly Falls.  There were many old Indiana Jones-type suspension bridges we needed to cross to get to the falls. 

Chorro El Macho in the back

William and his wife were with our group.  William is from the Nederlands and his wife is from Pakistan.  William works all over the world for the European Union and they were spending the week in a number of countries in Central America.  The gentleman next to me was our guide, Jose.

Our lunch spot, a small family-run restaurant on the main street of El Valle

There is a large market with Central American crafts on one side and produce on the other

Panamanian Hospitality in the Neighborhood

We live near Gorgona, a very small village that has 2 restaurants.  We previously shared pictures of La Ruina (one of the restaurants) and wanted to share something about the other one across the street.  The second restaurant is called Rincon Catracho and we were told it was open for breakfast and lunch Thursday through Sunday.  We decided to walk over on Friday morning and have breakfast.  When we got there we could see that is was closed, but I wanted a closer look at the menu that was written on a chalkboard posted outside.  As I was looking through the gate, the lady who runs the restaurant (who speaks only Spanish) asked us to come in.  Through gestures and with our little bit of Spanish, she communicated that she would make us breakfast. 

The restaurant is also her house and all the tables are under a covered porch in the front

The mural pretty much captures life in Gorgona

Getting ready for breakfast.  Yes there were also real chickens running around.

Breakfast was excellent!  It was the only place we have ever been where there was horse on the menu.  (Neither of us selected that as our entree.)

New Friends:

Over the last few weeks we have met many wonderful people living and/or taking extended vacations in the area.  Last night we were able to have dinner with the people who picked us up on the side of the road (previous blog post) and took us to the book signing.  They brought along another couple and we had a delicious dinner at the restaurant here at the condo complex.  Most of the people we have met here are world travelers, so it is great to listen to all of their interesting stories!

Beaches and Booksignings

Beaches and Booksignings

Life on the Beach

     It's been while since the last post.  Two things have been going on that account for the silence.  One is that the internet and cable generally have been out a lot of the time.  We watch the router and when we see 4 lights lit we know we have cable TV and wifi service.   One light means the power is on but nothing will work.  We've have more one light time than anything else lately.  Last night two cable trucks pulled up just before dark and things seemed much more promising.  Today I can post.
     The other reason for not posting much lately is that life on the beach does involve doing too many blogworthy things.  That is not to say it isn't a great thing.  It hasn't rained here in February.  Every day includes long walks on the beach and sun time around the pool.  There is something positive to be said about sitting on our balcony in the shade with warm breeze overlooking the bay and ocean reading a book.  The only negative aspect to the weather is that it is occasionally very windy.  That posed more of a problem for the young man trying to windsurf the other day than for us.

Dogs at dawn: Pretty much each day begins with a long walk on the beach and surrounding neighborhood.  We've started seeing the same people each morning doing the same thing.

This jellyfish is the most impressive one we've seen on the beach so far (about 15" across).  Looks pretty fresh and a little scary.

Beach volleyball.  Probably the only "action" shot of me during February, (I'm the one who is second from the left)  The group regularly plays on Thursday and Sunday evenings.

Peggy and the birds.  Peggy has a favorite beach spot where these rocks appear at low tide.

Beach art

The Book Signing

     A week ago Peggy and I decided to walk to a local restaurant that is about 2 miles from our place.  When we were a couple of blocks from our destination a couple about our age slowed down to ask if we would like a ride.  We said "sure" and they drove us to our destination only to discover that it was not open on Tuesday (contrary to what was on its website).  Charles and Barbara then told us that they were on the way to a book signing dinner in nearby Coronado and asked if we wanted to tag along.  We said "sure" and had a great dinner and fun conversation with a number of people including one woman who had lived and worked for many years in Wisconsin.

Peggy with Greta Sherman, the author of The Humpty Dumptys, a book about family dysfunction and the tragedy of child abuse.  It is an interesting read and the first of a trilogy.

Discovering Our Neighborhood

     After one week in our new spot we're starting to learn our way around.  The fun part is discovering what is nearby and figuring out the rhythm and patterns in this neighborhood.
    Our new routine includes early rising and 3 mile walk on the beach.  After breakfast we take some time to sit around the pool to soak up some sun and get some exercise doing laps in the pool.  In the evening we take another walk on the beach.  In between we read and occasionally explore the area.
     A couple of times we've taken the short cab ride into the central area of nearby Coronado to decide which of the four supermarkets we prefer to get our groceries from.  One of the stores is somewhat like a Target with food.  We've found just about everything that we might buy at home for our weekly groceries.
     On one of the rides we tried out the restaurant that was rated #1 on Trip Advisor for Coronado.  Unlike some cities where the rankings are out of a total of hundreds of restaurants, this restaurant was ranked #1 of 27 in Coronado.  On the ride back to our temporary home, the road was filled with walkers and the cab driver took an alternate route.  Turns out that on that alternate route we discovered two local eating establishments within a very short walking distance of where we are staying.

We walked to La Ruina for a drink and met Frank who owns the place with his Panamanian wife.   He is retired U.S. military and had been stationed in Panama.  Our neighborhood is in a place called Nueva Gorgona.  Turns out the the original Gorgona was flooded away when Lake Gatun was created as part of the Panama Canal.  Frank set up this bar and restaurant on the ruins of an American military site, hence the name.  Like most things in our neighborhood, Frank's restaurant and bar are a work in progress

The inside of La Ruina is pretty charming.  We plan to return and check out the food.  The specialties are Panamanian seafood (prepared by Frank's wife) and pub food.

Frank recommended the restaurant right across the street for breakfast.  We will be trying it out soon as well.

     When we take our morning walk and it is high tide, there is a lot less beach area to walk on.  Today we decided to go off the beach and walk on the street just off the beach.  What we were treated to was a better view of some of the beach properties.  An interesting feature of these properties are the gates.

A more typical local home in Nuevo Gorgona

     Nueva Gorgona is a lot busier than it appears at first.  There is a public park area close by and just about every night there are organized futbol (soccer) games going on under the lights.  It seems like there is something to celebrate almost every night as we can see fireworks going off in the area.  Saturday night the air was filled with music.
     This beach area is where Panamanians go to get away from the city.  Things pick up on the weekends as the public beaches and complexes like the one we are in get busier with people enjoying the beach, the ocean and the pools.  There is a genuinely happy vibe here with families spending fun time together swimming and lounging.
     There also appears to be a regular circuit which the Canadians and Americans and other English speaking people travel to hang out.  On Wednesday nights there's happy hour with music at a restaurant/bar nearby called Picasso's.  At our place there is a happy hour on Thursdays.  My impression is that a lot of ex-pats who own businesses in the area use the gatherings as a way of networking.
     A group of people get together before the happy hour for beach volleyball games on Thursdays and again on Sundays.  I was lucky enough to join in on the games this past Thursday.
     There's not much in the way of touristy things in this area.  Basically being here is all about enjoying the weather (to date we've had rain during three of the days we've been here), experiencing the ocean (something we don't see much of at home) and relaxing. 
     We are working on renting a car for a few days in a week or so to allow us to explore a little further out in this part of Panama.  One of the challenges we've been facing is that the internet/wifi is undependable here and doing things online becomes problematic.  Time will tell whether we can get the rental accomplished.

It's not that unusual to see chickens and other critters in the yards of the homes in the neighborhood.  There are several roosters on our property.  We spotted a huge white rabbit in the yard next to La Ruina and were in the process of debating whether it was real or not when it took off.

Life at the Beach

Life at the beach is quite relaxing.  Things have been very quiet so far this week.  I think that the week-end may be a little bit livelier.  Tonight is a special Happy Hour at the complex and the restaurant opens tonight through Sunday. 
We have heard more English spoken here in the past few days than we did the whole month of January in Panama City.  There are lots of folks from Canada in the complex.  

We typically start our day with about a 3 1/2 mile walk on the beach.  Sunrise here is around 6:30am. 

There is a variety of housing along the beach.

From the very new, very upscale

to the "I am sure that this was very nice at some point in time"

In our area that are 2 public beaches amongst the houses and condo developments.  These are the shelters built to keep folks out of the sun.

Down the beach from our condo, we found a place where the local fishermen keep their boats.  As you can see they use very small boats, but go out daily and catch fresh fish (including lobster and shrimp) for anyone who wants to buy. 

The white building in the center is the fish market.  The blue building is a restaurant for the locals.

Another restaurant in the same area.

We have been told that the best time to get fresh lobster and shrimp is early in the morning - right around sun-up.  Many visitors familiar with this area frequent the fish market.  Both Gene and I wish we liked seafood - oh well :(

Nueva Gorgona - Our New Place

The move from Panama City to Nueva Gorgona (about 50 miles away) was very easy and successful.  We used a transfer service and everything went as planned.  We had a very nice gentleman pick us up in his SUV and take us to Bahia Playa Serena.  He even suggested that we stop at the grocery store before getting to the condo... which was just what I wanted to do.
Playa Serena is a Pacific beach town that many ex-pats and Panamanians use as a vacation spot.  Our condo is beautiful and more than big enough for Gene and I.  Here is the House Hunters version (for those who love that show).

The kitchen, living room and dining room are all one huge room.

The front wall of the bedroom is all windows that can fully slide open.

The most interesting thing in the master bathroom is the shower with windows all around looking over the Pacific.  There are shades that can be drawn LOL!

The 2nd bedroom sleeps 3 - if anyone is thinking of making a quick trip down

The apartment runs the full width of the building.  The kitchen looks over small mountains/large hills.

View out the kitchen window.  The sport courts are free for us to use.

Our patio

View down the beach from our patio

There are at least 5 pools to choose from

We are on the 8th floor of the center building.

We hope to mostly relax and maybe do some day tours while we are here.  We don't have a car, so we will rely on taxis to get us around the area. 

Take care: Peggy

Convent ruins from the site of the original Panama City

Time Travel and Searching for Einstein

     You may have noticed that Peggy has been doing most of the blogging lately.  My neighbor, Henry Morales, a Venezuelan Canadian who lives for golf, has been keeping me busy golfing.  Because Henry has his own golf cart and has been a resident here for months, we can golf every day for no charge.  With Henry's in laws visiting, Henry's wife can't go golfing with Henry, so I have been.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
   

Time Travel to Panama La Vieja (Old Panama)

     We decided to check out the Metro (subway) system.  From the main station we rode the subway part way and took a cab the rest of the way to Panama La Vieja.  At that location one finds a museum and what's left of the original Panama City.  The city was founded on August 15, 1519, by the notorious conquistador Pedro Arias de Avila (who you probably know as Pedrarias, right?), and burned down during a battle with the equally notorious Welsh pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. 

The national terminal  located at the Albrook Mall.  This is the staring point for regional and local bus routes and is connected by overhead walkway to the Metro station which is the starting point for the subway.  The subway currently has one route which was completed in 2014.

 

The Metro trains are new, clean and run very efficiently.  The challenge was to figure out how to purchase the rechargeable card that is used to pay for the ride and get through the turn styles.  The instructions were in Spanish and the person selling the cards didn't speak English.  I plunked down a $20 bill and did my best to say I wanted a card for each of us and I wanted each loaded with $10.  I couldn't understand, at first, why the lady was hesitant to simply do as I asked.  At first I thought maybe I needed to pay extra for the card.  Not having any smaller bills I put another $20 bill on the counter.  What the lady was trying to tell me was that it didn't make much sense to buy two cards because we could simply swipe one twice (once for each of us) to get on the train.  The amounts I was suggesting to load were a little silly as well considering the one way trip was about 35 cents per person.  She gave us a card loaded with $2.00 and we pretty much had all we needed for our trip on the train. I've called it a subway because most of it runs underground although you can see from the picture that it also has an elevated track and stations for part of the route.

One of the structures at the ruins is the cathedral tower, one of Panama's national symbols.  From the top of the structure there is a great view of the the ruins site, Panama City and the ocean.

Arch and well ruins.  One the nice things about the site was that there were signs with English explanation of the structures and drawings of what the original buildings would have looked like.

Searching for Einstein

     While looking through our tour book about neighborhoods in and near Panama City, I saw a picture with the following caption, "A massive bust of Albert Einstein is a handy landmark in El Cangrejo".  The tour book doesn't contain any explanation of why the bust exists, but I was determined to find it.  After a fairly long cab ride from our travel back in time to the ruins of the original Panama City we were pretty hopelessly stuck in noon time city traffic.  We bailed on the cab and set out on foot, without a map in 90 degree weather, to find Einstein (just because he was there).

Eureka!  Located in one of the tiniest "parks" in the heart of a congested area of Panama City is Albert's bust.  I took a picture and we ate lunch at a New York style deli.

Urban "hiking"

   Today was the day for turning the rental car in.  After 29 days and over 1,000 km of using the car I drove it back to the airport.  I'm very proud of the fact that the car was returned with no dents, scratches or additional charges.
    From the airport I took the Metrobus (regular city bus) back to the main terminal at the mall and then a cab from the mall to our temporary home.  Regular bus fare is 25 cents although I took the bus with fewer stops which took the tollway (Corredor Sur) and paid $1.25 for the one way trip.
    Getting a cab is extremely easy as they are everywhere.  Cab fare is reasonable and negotiable.  Often the cab drivers speak English and it is interesting to learn a bit about their history.  My cab driver's grandfather was from Barbados and came to Panama in 1906.  He worked on the canal's construction.  My cab driver was a veteran of the Panamanian army/air force.  Along the way "home" we stopped at a couple of sites that I often drove past but was unable to take pictures of.

Statute in honor of Arnulfo Arias Madrid, who was elected (and overthrown) president of Panama four times.  He is flashing a "V for victory" sign at figures representing the Panamanian people, who are struggling to their feet.

The Bridge of the Americas we used nearly every day to travel across the canal.  The aging nature of the structure and its "used" pavement made the trip something of an adventure.