Just before I arrived in Panama last December, the Caldera river flooded in a big way. The last major flood was in the 1970's so many people remember it.
Starting in 2007, a hotel was constructed on piece of land about a half a mile from the river...far enough away to be out of the flood zone...or so you might think. Many people here remember where the river was in the 1970's flood...right across the new hotel site.
But memories are short.
Even though the river is not within eye site of the hotel, a short walk to the river will tell a different story. The river bends just above the hotel. The line of the river above the bend is in a perfect straight line with the hotel. If the river jumps it's banks, it is aimed straight at the new structure.
And that is exactly what happened. The river flooded in front of and around the hotel, scouring out the dirt and rock below a good portion of the foundation. The pictures above show the structure cantilevered over a huge void. About 45 feet of the foundation is off
the ground and unsupported.
I got to meet with the owner and discuss fixing the building. This is the kind of I work did in my past life in Colorado so it was fun to be able to contribute to a project in Panama.
I don't know if I will be involved in the construction. Only time will tell.
But a strange twist showed up this afternoon. The editor of the monthly newspaper found out I may be involved with the reconstruction of the hotel and he is looking for someone to write a series of articles about the project from a technical perspective but still understandable to the lay person.
Enter Tom.
I have been translating engineer speak to clients for decades so this should be right up my ally.
I did tell the editor that my writing style was "smart ass" and he might not like it. He told me that is why he is called "editor" and he would take care of the style issue.
Now wait a minute. I'm not going to let him...
I'm already off and running, objecting to editorial control and I haven't even started to write. Now that's real smart, don't you think?
It is fun to slowly get involved in the community.
2 comments:
That building is ugly as a blow-torched ass. You should tell him to blow it up. Or maybe, get hired, work on re-stabilization for a year or so, then tell him it's hopeless, he screwed it up and he should blow it up and build something pretty that would look nice in Boquete!
Thanks for holding back and not telling us what you really think! It may be ugly but it has the best restaurant in Boquete. The says he will have the same chef and kitchen crew back when it is fixed. I can't way.
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