It's the Flower Fair Time

For 10 days in January, the BIG EVENT of Boquete happens.

It is the Flower and Coffee Fair. Primarily, Panamanians attend the fair. About 10,000 people will pay to get into the fair and I don't know if that counts the disco. For some perspective, there are only about 15,000 in the whole county.

It has a split personality.

During the day, it is a family affair. People visit the flowers and food vendors and mill around.

During the evening and until dawn, it is party, party, party with a disco on steroids. The music pounds down the valley for miles and miles.

An unsavory element is attracted to the area during the fair... thieves.

This year, the national police have set up road blocks a few miles outside of Boquete. Every car is checked. Drivers have to show papers to get through.

I have no idea if this will help but it is a clear message that the police are on alert.

The Panamanians are as outraged by theft as are the gringos. And, they get hit as often as we do. Everyone, except the thieves of course, want this to stop.

This is also the time of year that the snowbirds return.

I have mixed feelings about this. Last year I spent a lot of time developing friendships with the snowbirds, not thinking that they will be gone for the better part of the year. Consequently, I got very lonely after they left.

I vowed to make more friends with the permanent residents. They are harder to find though. They don't hang out in public places as often so you have to dig them out.

And I did it and I'm still doing it.

So, do I want to derail my efforts to befriend full time residence by spending my time with snowbirds? HMMMMM????

Some of them are good friends.

I think I will just watch it and make sure that I don't stop my work making full time friends.

I miss my computer! There are many uses of it that I can't do on Yella's computer, like music. If I mess with iTunes on her computer, it will update my iPod from a different database and completely screw up my iPod. .

I just miss having my own.

Looks like it will be late February before I get one for myself.