Being a Cork on the Ocean

The fishing is fantastic in the ocean around Pedasi. It is world renowned and highly sought after. Especially for Yellow Fin Tuna.

We decided to try and slay a few tuna.

The fisherman met us in our hotel the night before and arrangements were made. The cost...$130. All inclusive, boat, fuel and tackle.

Now, I don't know about you, but I was thinking of fishing the way it is done in say Mexico.

You find a large, clean, dry dock, with a gleaming white substantial boat. You are met by your host with a huge tray of fresh, cut up fruit and all the drinks you could possibly want.

Not!!!!

These fishermen, pros who have been doing it all their lives, have Pangas. What is a Panga you ask?

Well, it is a row boat, about 22 feet long with a 40 horse power outboard motor on the stern. No life jackets, no oars, no radio or cell phone, no...nothing but a highly skilled fisherman, very limited tackle (but all you need) and a sense of adventure.

The adventure is the operative part.

The boats are launched into the surf off the beach. This is a tricky and dangerous event. I should have known we were improperly dressed when the fisherman showed up in a bathing suit.

We were in jeans and long sleeved shirts to protect us from the sun.

What a mistake!

We got thoroughly wet launching the boat. Then continued to get wetter as we plowed through the ocean swells.

I am used to waves on lakes, not the ocean. These waves were jumbled, coming from all directions. It was impossible to keep the boat in a comfortable position.

We went WAY out in the ocean, beyond the sight of land. That puckered me up!

I kept thinking, what and the hell are we doing out here?

We did catch a couple of Bonitos, a fighting fish that is not eatable.

But, a lass, no tuna.

I made in 3 hours before I started hurling from sea sickness. And I took sea sickness medication before we left. The action of the boat on the jumbled waves was ridiculous.

When we got back to the beach, I was SO GRATEFUL.

No more ocean fishing for this landlubber.

However, this fishing trip would have cost around $1000 in other tourist locations. For us it was only $130...safety be damned!

P.S. We met a couple of guys who had been out in a little different location fishing the same day we were. They caught 16 tuna. Damn! We got skunked.

Pedasi & the Azuero Peninsula

Half way across Panama, traveling from west to east, is a broad, large peninsula hanging down into the pacific.

I had never been there but I have heard good things about it.

So 2 of my friends loaded into my newer, recently purchased 2001 4Runner and a road trip was born.

As we turned south off the Pan American Highway at Divisa, I immediately noticed a totally different look and feel to the country. Almost like this was not Panama anymore.

Large agricultural industry. Major slater houses, huge grain facilities, bustling cities, new road construction on a new 4 lane highway from the Pan American Highway to Los Tablos, fenced fields with massive crops of rice and sugar cane and, of course, cattle everywhere.

This is a prosperous area of Panama.

South of Los Tablos, a city where Carnival each year is legendary with drunkenness and 24 hour a day partying, the road is 2 lane, well paved and straight, making it a pleasant hour long trip to Pedasi.

Ah Pedasi...

This small quaint town, maybe 12 blocks by 12 blocks, is a fishing village with tourism just starting. There are many beaches within 30 minutes of Pedasi, some 5 minutes away.

It is hot, hot, hot in Pedasi and the entire peninsula. Between 11 and 3, no one is out walking around. After sundown, the village explodes with activity. It is now cool enough to get out.

There are a few gringos in town, mainly operating bed and breakfasts, and surfing tour and school companies.

We being 3 men, were thankful because most of the tourists were co-eds in bikinis.

We were only in Pedasi for a day and half, much to short to fully enjoy the area.

I will be going back.

I included some pics for you. A couple of cafes, the place we stayed, of course a sunset, and this odd bus that is a traveling hotel were people sleep in the bus...I've never scene that!

The Squirming Turd

Trouble in the toilet!

We went to the beach and stayed with some friends in their house, right on the beach.

Fantastic!

They mentioned that we may see a moving turd in either of the toilets.

A frog was living in their sewer system and, from time to time, he pops up in the toilet. They have been trying to catch him but he is too fast.

When you see the frog, it looks like a squirming turd.

This is disconcerting for sure.

But then you realize something is living in the toilet.

Even more disconcerting.

Living on the beach is not for the faint of heart.

Every night, bats fly around the covered porch. They keep a screen door closed to keep the bats out.

Plus, mating cockroaches fall on you from the ceiling while you sleep. Not pleasant even if they are harmless.

Little tiny ants are everywhere! All food is kept in the refrigerator which is ant-less.

And the maintenance on the house and appliances is vicious. Paint peels, metal corrodes, computers crap out in a few months and on and on...

Many years ago, I had a dream of living on the beach. I suppose many people have that dream.

It is not all it is cracked up to be...too much work, money and inconvenience.

But I do like to visit!

My oh my, we had a wonderful time!

Just Living is a Full Tine Job

The car sagas continue...

I was traveling around with Keith the Car Guy, one of my best friends. We stopped at the body shop for a little touch up to one of his cars. The body man told us about a 2001 4Runner for sale.

It had 200,000 kilometers (about 120,000 miles) which is a little high for me.

But, we went and looked at it as a replacement for my 1999 4Runner that has been nothing but trouble from the purchase in early 2009.

As it turns out, it is in great shape. All the fuse covers, little doors, sun visors, vent controls, etc. are on the car and working. Not like mine! Where all this stuff is missing or broken.

I went home, reluctant to switch cars. My old car, granted a mess, is a known mess. The devil I know is better than the devil I don't know.

I woke in the morning more willing to consider this other car.

I got a call from Keith. He said we needed to go immediately to look the car over and test drive it. So down the road we go, about 30 minutes from Boquete.

The car runs perfect. No smoke from the diesel which is unheard of. All diesels smoke at least a little.

We drive it back to Boquete and had our mechanic check it over. He finds about $400 worth of remedial maintenance required. (Shocks, brakes, turn the the discs, universal joint, power steering pump seal)

Not bad for a 9 year old car.

So now it is decision time. We can get it at about the same price I can sell my old car. With the commission to buy the car and the maintenance, it will cost about $1,000 to get the newer car up and running.

So tomorrow, we leave at 7 am to buy the car, then onto David to buy the parts. Then the mechanic will have it for a couple of days.

Now the slick stuff.

We will take the new tires I just put on my old car and put them on the newer car. As well as the front bearings we just replaced on my old car.

The labor for all this switching and the remedial repairs might be $60.

With any luck, I will have a car that was taken care of rather than the neglected, piece of shit I now have.

I hope, I hope, I hope...

All this car stuff has taken over 6 days of running around, with more coming in the future. That's why I say that simply living here takes all your time!

Something is Breaking Open

Our first year was spent building our house.

The second year was spent recovering from building the house.

Sound weird?

If you read my blogs in the first year, the need for this year of recovery will make sense. So if it doesn't, read the first year of blogs, painful as it may be.

Now, quite organically, opportunities of work and being of service are showing up.

I haven't chased them. I haven't sought them out. I haven't put any effort into finding them.

They are just showing up.

And a variety to boot.

One opportunity is to join the Internet marketing age with affiliate marketing on the Web. Not my first choice, but interesting.

A second choice involves writing business plans for companies applying for financing. Also not my first choice but lucrative in a few hours per week.

The third choice does light me up...economic development. There is a man and wife here that are experienced in economic development both in the US and Central America. They are the folks working on the aquaponic agriculture.

He also has a grant to start the process for building a highway on the Caribbean coast of Panama from Colon to Almirante, about 200 miles of roadway. There is no access by land to this stretch of coast line. It is a huge need.

This is right up my ally. Not only am I familiar with road building but I am very interested in the economic development side of this project.

A place to be of service...while using my old skills.

Hmmm??? Maybe that will work.

For now, I am pursuing all avenues and I will see what pans out.

Keeping it organic, you know.

Listen to me, getting Pollyanna in my retirement.

Disoriented

I'm sitting here, in my shorts and sandals, on a glorious, sunny mild afternoon...after a magnificent hike in the hills on this see-for-ever morning.

Watching a playoff football game in Chicago in a SNOW storm.

Sitting in the jungle watching football doesn't fit.

Panama is the land of baseball. They are crazy about baseball.

More than once, I have met a major league baseball scout in David. If you follow baseball, you know that there are several big stars from Panama.

Futbol, (soccer) is a minor sport in Panama. Across the border in Costa Rica, futbol rules! But not here.

In either case, football is an odd event in paradise.

I get homesick from time to time for all that is American. And watching football brings this up.

There are many things about the US that I love. The familiarity, knowing the language, understanding the way of life, being able to find whatever you want or need, the customs and the culture.

My old friends!

And I would be working if I was still in the US. I love to work. It defines my life in a very familiar way.

Watching football leaves me a little homesick.

But then I see the snow...and remember the cold, frigid weather.

No thanks!

Even if I returned to the states, I would not live in the cold again.

It sure is fun watching it snow...from paradise!

US vs Panama perspective & Car Repairs

It's been a while since my last post. I don't know how I got so busy.

Daniel and Lily were visiting which was great fun.

One of the interesting things to watch was their reaction to some of the Panamanian ways of life. Things that we reacted to when we first got here but it is now normal.

Especially justice...

If a gringo gets in an auto accident with a Panamanian, the gringo is ALWAYS wrong and will have to pay the ticket and damage. ALWAYS!!!

Why?

Because we have the money!

Justice here is defined by money rather than what is just, as in the US. What is just here is who has the most money and can afford to pay. Not a North American sense of justice.

This drives gringos crazy. But it is the way it is.

Also, many cars and trucks smoke...a lot! That is sure to offend a gringo.

And the roads are ROUGH. Daniel said on his last day that he wouldn't miss the rough roads.

Believe it or not, we have gotten used to them.

On the positive side, New Years Eve we went to a party that built a huge bond fire and shot off professional grade fireworks, all stuff that is illegal in the US. Daniel was jumping around shouting "I love Panama, I love Panama, I love Panama."

This is the land of "Do What You Want".

I spent 4 days this week getting my car repaired. That's four full days of running around buying parts, dropping the car off at different places for repairs and generally pulling my hair out.

The car was vibrating. So my buddy and I took it to our favorite mechanic. He diagnosed it as bad front wheel bearings.

So down to David to buy the bearings and a few other things.

He installed them but when we stopped by the next day to pick the car up, he told us he found a rear bearing that needed replacement. So back to the parts store for more parts.

We stopped by the next day, got the car and it was still vibrating. He diagnosed it as a bad U-Joint.

So back to the parts store then to the mechanic.

We picked it up the next day and all was good.

Then I went to David for new tires and alignment. That took a few hours plus the 2 hours to and from David.

Almost a full week.

The good thing is the cost. Parts for the huge front bearings, a rear bearing, a few bushings, front brake pads and U-Joint were $200 and the labor was $30. That's right, $30 bucks.

Tires are expensive here. Not more than the US but as much so they were $625 balanced and mounted. The alignment was $14. Amazing!

This is a strange land. So much great stuff and so much frustration.

Sometimes you don't know which direction you are being pulled.

One thing is for sure: You can't possibly understand the US until you leave it.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to live in another reality.

Progressive Agriculture

We visited a friend who has a farm and works with the indigenous people to provide sustainable farming. He has been doing this in Costa Rica and Panama for over 10 years.

He has a huge aquaponics greenhouse set up on his farm.

This is a stunning system. Maybe you have heard about.

It is a closed system. Nothing added, and amazing production out.

It uses a fish pond...any size from 25 gallon tank with Goldfish to a large pond with Talapia. The waste from the fish starts to pollute the water. The water is pumped up to growing beds which fertilizes the plants, gravity drains the "cleaned" water back to the fish tank. You eat the fish and vegetables.

Plants grow up to 4 times faster in this system.

Granted, my explanation is simplified but not by much.

The indigenous people live on depleted and worthless land that can no longer support sufficient crops to sustain them. They are in need of very, very cheap ways to produce food because they have almost no money.

He set up a demonstration aquaponics farm to prove the system and train people.

He already invented a wood burning stove that costs $0.17. This is critical because the indians die in their 40's because they breath wood-fire polluted air. His stove burns clean and is dirt cheap.

I love the inventive talent here. This is an eclectic collection of people, some of them brilliant, some talented and, sure, some criminals.

I am frequently amazed by what is available from their talents.

Hiking & Frustration

On our way to the premier hike in the area, Rafael called to say he was bringing a load of gravel up to our road.

The road needs a few loads to fix where he screwed it up 5 months ago.

I told him I wouldn't be home to supervise the placement of the material. This is absolutely necessary. The truck driver will put the stuff where ever he wants, with no thought where it ought to go.

I am paying $20 a load so I want it placed effectively.

The last load went up our road, past our house to the farm above us, never to be seen again. Who knows where it is. It is not on the road or anywhere we can find. It has disappeared into road rock heaven.

Very frustrating.

So I thought Rafael would postpone the load until I could be here...BUT NO!!!!!!

The load comes today while I am gone and is once again placed above our house where it does us no good.

For the second time.

I call Rafael and tell him. He is equally frustrated and can't even believe it happened again.

So it goes in Panama. Even the Panamanians can't believe the shit that happens here.

We did go on an awesome hike though.

It the higher reaches of the Boquete area, Bajo Mono (low monkey), there is a magnificent hike that starts at a suspension bridge over a literally roaring river.

It is great fun to stand on the bridge while someone else walks or runs across it, throwing you about with the swaying.

This is a wild trail. First growth jungle. So much growth and life that you think a handful of sand thrown in the air will come down with vegetation growing on it.

The trail is in the cloud forest...always wet, muddy and beautiful...and green, green, green!

It makes you think of dinosaurs roaming the jungle in days past. With prehistoric beasts chasing and eating each other in some wild, food-chain dance.

Daniel and Lily loved it.

Well, one out of two is pretty good. A great hike and another load of road gravel lost in The Land of You-Don't-Get-What-You-Want!

Things!

So much has happened in the last few days...it is hard to remember it all...should have found time to blog about it as it happened.

Here's a quirk.

I was in the restroom at El Ray, a huge supermarket in David. I was at the urinal, using it, and the female attendant came in and started working, with me in progress. I guess this is the custom here.

I was so shocked I almost turned round and...well, you get the picture.

We are in rainbow season now. The fine mist that cascades over the continental divide from the Caribbean creates the most amazing rainbows. I tried to capture one in a picture for you. I think these pics actually show the massive width of the rainbows.

We attended a big party on New Years day, one of the most fun parties of the season.

About 150 people, games, live music and great company. Such fun!

We left for 3 days at the beach the next day. Our accommodations were not the best. Off the beach, difficult beach access, misquoted prices on the rooms, all added up to some trouble.

Still, in spite of the difficulties, it was a fantastic time! There is something magical about the beach and the ocean.

I think I could sit and watch and listen to the ocean forever!

We ate in a small, Italian bed and breakfast for the first dinner. They cooked for only us. Authentic Italian food, served over 2 and half hours, on the patio with bats flying over head. You would think this would be disconcerting but it wasn't...just part of the magic!

It is satisfying to experience different cultures.

Daniel and Lily, his girl friend, have been here for a week. It is great fun and we love having them! And they wear me out. I guess I am not young anymore! It is all so worth it though.

We took Daniel into town this morning to experience our lives here. We ate breakfast, ran errands, did banking and visited with numerous friends.

Small town life suites me.