We went to David mainly to buy appliances for the house. But, first we stopped by the attorney to get some paperwork for opening bank accounts.
Opening a bank account takes an Act of God, on the order of parting the Red Sea. Yella took this on and has been working on it for over a month. I would try to describe the amount of paperwork but why bore you. It's a lot.
Then, we went next door to compare prices at a store...and left the paperwork there. We didn't discover it until we were home. Boy, will that put a damper on your day!
We were all set to buy our appliances at a highly recommended store. This store has customer service and stands behind there stuff, unheard of in Panama. This store will ACTUALLY service appliances the next day. Whoa, must not be Panama!
But, the curse of Boquete strikes us hard. We run into someone who suggests we buy at another store because it is cheaper. We forgot to consider the experience of the adviser who is fluent in Spanish and has mucho contacts in Panama. What makes sense for this person may not be a good choice for us.
Greed prevailed and we got pulled to that store. Serves us right, that's where we left the paperwork.
Once we finally got to the good store, yes the prices were about 6% more. But they deliver with a 4 wheel drive truck RIGHT TO OUR HOUSE. With any other store, I would have to get a pickup truck to fairy the goods from the store's delivery truck to our house. A major hassle because of the coordination. I would have to hire a truck and there goes the price difference.
We spent the rest of the day running around David looking for a part to connect the dishwasher drain to the kitchen sink above the trap.
No where...nada...there aren't any in David. You have to go to Panama City.
Why?
Panamanians do not use dishwashers. They have no idea how to use them, install them or plan for them. They don't use them. This is a strictly gringo thing.
And, to make matters worse, dishwashers don't work well here. I could give you the technical details but I won't. Just remember that hot water is produced by a gas, on demand heater which is devilish to operate. Hot water is a precious commodity in Panama. And it negatively effects dishwashers.
We hit 7 stores looking. So frustrating! Driving in David is treacherous at best. Driving all day in David is plain old crazy.
By the time we returned to Boquete at 4 pm, we were nuts and raw. Then we had to go to a rehearsal.
I think we over did it today.
But, there is a good ending.
Rehearsal was a hoot and revitalized us. We are taking the evening off, what is left of it.
Feels good to get a major part of finishing the house completed. We should have the plumbing fixed and the appliances installed by the middle of next week!
So close!
Tomorrow, we fire it up again. Back to David and more.
2 comments:
I don't supposed it ever occured to you that maybe, just maybe, a dishwasher is not a critical fixture in a household of two people? Spoiled gringo. :)
For a moment there, I thought you might not have a WIFE! But, then I remembered, you do have one. The dishwasher thing may be easier to understand from that perspective.
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