Big Panamanian Hurdle Surpassed!

We did it!

We now have Panamanian drivers licenses.  What a bitch to get!

I have talked about pieces of the process but not all of it, so I will summarize now.

Both of us travel by air to PC; go to the US Embassy to get our US drivers licenses authenticated; on to the Department of Exterior Affairs for stamps (remember, they love stamps); then to Nacional Bank for more stamps; then  back to the Department of Exterior Affairs for even more stamps; get a blood test; go to David for an eye test, hearing test and finally after  paying $40 each and much checking of all the stamps, we get the license.

All in all, about $600 total and 3 days of our lives for the licenses.  And I thought the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles was bad.  Not even close.

But we got them!  It's over!  Ya!

Most Expats say that this is the biggest hurdle in relocating to Panama.  

Now, for some more builder nonsense.

I have been calling our builder 2 to 3 times a day all week with out any success.  Today, I think I am calling a friend and dial his number by accident...and he answers.  I am shocked and without words for a while.  Is this some spiritual principle, you can only get what you DON'T want?  Is this the universe telling me I can only talk to my builder when I don't want to talk to him.  Or, is this some reverse psychology cheaply employed to disguise his Panamanian Avoidance Dance? 

We arrange to meet later today.

I call him a the prescribed time, and, of course, no answer.

No problem, I go over to his house.  All his vehicles are there. His ranch hand says he is home. But, he will not answer his door after I beat on it for quite a while.

Such is life in Panama.  Our builder has taken the Great Panamanian Avoidance Dance to higher and higher levels.  

What next?