Panamanians Love the Elderly

I was walking into the Tuesday Morning Gringo Market and Meeting...more about this later...and I saw a Panamanian lady helping an old gringo lady.

The local woman was about 40 and the old lady is in her 90's. The lady was holding the old woman's hand, smiling and talking to her in a gentle, affectionate way.

The old lady looks up and asks, "Where are you from?" The local lady says, "I'm from Boquete."

This indicated that they didn't know each other and had never met.

Yet still, the Panamanian lady acted as if the stranger was a family member or long lost friend.

That is the way of Panamanians.

They respect, honor and appreciate the elderly. And children, in the same way.

This is one of the most endearing qualities of the Panamanians.

The culture has a built in admiration for grandparents and children. They are treated tenderly with love.

How I would like to have this quality too!

Another quality of Panama is CHANGE.

Always change. It can be so aggravating.

Just about the time you think you know what to do and expect, it all changes.

Grrrrr!!!!

So frustrating, but that is the way it is.

The Gringo Market used to be huge. Several different types of unique bread, all kinds of jewelry, homemade soups, jams, pot pies and more. Organic vegetables galore.

That all changed when the local officials started to demand health certificates and inspections.

Out of the blue, this came charging down on the market.

Most vendors where not interested in the extensive training and hoops they were going to have to jump through.

So now, the market is less than half what is used to be.

Why? Boquete saw a way to make money off the gringos. All this health stuff required licenses and training which cost a lot of money.

Panama is obsessed with extracting money from people because their taxes are insufficient to run a city or county government.

I don't begrudge them the money but the red tape is mind numbing.

Here's a tip of the hat to the lost great Gringo Market. May it rebound and prosper in the future!

The yin and yang of Panama.

Panama giveth and Panama taketh!

Discourse on Standing Ovations

In my life, I've had 3 standing ovations.

All of them were totally unexpected.

I think everyone should get at least one in their life. It is definitely a peak experience.

My standing ovations were not for my virtuoso performances or magnificent talent.

The first, when I was in the 8th grade, happened while I was performing at the oh-so-dreaded annual kids piano recital. No one wants to attend one of these. Hours of sitting through laborious, young talent.

I was playing piano on one of those rickety old fold up stages used in schools in the 50's and 60's. They were so unstable and wobbly that I am sure no one uses them any more.

There were 2 huge potted plants on the stage with an old, heavy upright piano and me. I was playing a bouncy song called The Donkey Serenade. The left hand had to bounce up and down the key board, causing my body to sway vigorously.

I was not skilled but enthusiastic. As I played, the potted plants started to sway, more and more violently as the song progressed, requiring 2 people to lunge at the stage and catch them before they toppled. This all happen with my thunderous end of the song. Long on enthusiasm and short on skill but...

A standing ovation.

The second one was during a performance with the first band Yella and I put together shortly after we got married. We were playing in the Ozarks at a resort. Our guitar player was not only very good, but a little bit of a prick.

I was playing congo drums and he was playing guitar. He kept speeding up the song, trying to run me into the ground. I was utterly caught up in the moment, banging on those drums to save my life.

Ultimately, he couldn't play fast enough to make me look stupid.

The audience erupted in a standing ovation. More to acknowledge me succeeding in the face of his mean spirited challenge than my talent.

The third one happened last month while our band, Anything Goes, was playing at Las Ruinas.

It was a magical night...great audience, in one hot set of dance music. We introduced a new song, Oye Como Va by Santana. Great song, fun night.

I had worked on the song for 8 months and was finally ready to play it in public. So off we went.

It was a great song, we played it hot and fast, the crowd was ready to party and I got through the damn thing.

It wasn't a real standing ovation because everyone was already standing and dancing...the entire place, inside in the restaurant and outside in the parking lot, were up and jumping around. The ovation went on and on, with many cat calls of encouragement.

So what is my point?

None of the performances that caused the standing ovations were for great performances but they acknowledged success over adversity, or unbridled enthusiasm or playing over my head.

My reaction to each one was the same...I was surprised and caught off guard, physically knocked backward to the edge of the stage, and awed, and humbled.

It is a grand privilege to be involved in something like that.

People love seeing success over adversity. They love to root you on.

Yella's Birthday

Yella was in a play on her birthday so we waited a couple of days to celebrate.

We decided to go the The Rock, the most upscale, high end restaurant in Boquete.

I have avoided going there because of my experience with the restaurant during their Grand Opening over a year ago when we presented the play, Sylvia. We actually did the play in the restaurant to a max crowd of 60 people each night, for 6 nights. We sold out every night.

The management was so stupid about everything, and aggressive and angry to boot, that I vowed to never eat there.

This place is owner by a German company out of Panama city. Germans are reputed to be difficult to deal with and my experience validates that reputation.

Aggressive, unreasonable, belligerent people.

Well, never say never.

This last Monday night, John Day was playing jazz at the place so we decided to go and support him.

We almost didn't get a seat, the place was full...on Monday night...only part of it was the draw of the music...they have been pretty busy for over a year.

The service was impeccable. The food was beyond description. I really don't know how anyone gets food to taste that good. Couldn't be good for you!

Add the music, a light rain, a room full of people we know and the quality food...

A wonderful night!

One Hell of a Night and Morning

I attended another Chiriqui Players production last night, "Trip to Bountiful". Once again, a home run for the troop...this time with an added twist...music.

John Day--an internationally renowned musician, composer and artist--wrote, directed and performed the music in this play. The songs were old protestant hymns and gospel.

This is not my music, for sure!

Yella was the lead singer with 2 other ladies doing the harmony and one playing harp. Paul Day played bass.

Yella told me about the rehearsals for this music. She is a 40 year pro and she was being challenged constantly about minor--oh so seemingly minor--bits of timing with the singing.

The result was nothing short of spectacular!

Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton move over. There is a new trio in town!

The vocals were so tight, it sounded like one magnificent voice.

At one point in the play, I thought I was listening to recorded music but it was live. It was that good.

The rest of the play was as good as the music portion.

This morning, I rode my bicycle into town. I haven't done this in a year.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride, so off I went.

When I got to town, I toured the local gathering places and landed at Olga's, of course!

I had coffee with the director of the play who is a friend a well as a remarkable director. We yukked it up about life and rehashed the play. Fun!

Then the male lead in the play showed up, he is a young guy (about 30 years old) and told us he was meeting his twin brother and a bunch of traveling co-eds for breakfast.

They all showed up and the place got a lot more energetic. Let the hormones flow!

I also ran into our keyboard player and his wife so we talked about music for a while.

On the way home, I ran into some friends that had seen the play and they were blown away. They said, "We had no idea these plays were this good!" I said, "Where and the hell have you been? This has been going on for over a year."

I also didn't know how many people love these old hymns.

I missed it. I was raised Catholic and we had different music that I would prefer to NEVER hear again.

Kinda Like It Here

Change can be challenging.

A fact of life, for sure. Everything changes.

Most of my thoughts about living in Panama are positive and pleasant and satisfying.

Here's an example...

This morning I stopped into Romaro's supermarket. It's Saturday, big time local shopping day and the place is mayhem. The isles are jammed with customers and product stockers...don't know why but Panama stocks its shelves during the day when the place is packed.

As I'm standing in line for the cashier, I think how pleasant it is to have nothing to do but wait.

Relaxing.

Now that is definitely a non-gringo thought!

Maybe I am going native.

It helps to have a good mindset.

Being gringo, I am definitely a go-getter. I love to have a sense of purpose and something to accomplish.

You know, "Getter Done!"

And I do have a couple of big things in my life down here.

Learning how to play lead guitar is making a dream come true. I didn't even know I dreamed about being a lead guitar player. It became evident as I started to learn.

I was hooked on guitar playing the night we played Santana's Oye Como Va and everyone in the place and all those in the parking lot were smiling, dancing and yelling their appreciation at us.

That did it! I was hooked!

The accomplishments and milestones playing the guitar give me joy, and at times, move me.

Nothing better than being moved by life!

The other activity is starting a business in Colombia.

This is an intellectual endeavor. I like to use this most questionable part of me, my mind. As always, the mind is a dangerous thing...something to be avoided at all costs.

But it is fun to use! And I am learning about aspects of the world that are truly amazing.

So, my life is full of satisfaction.

Maybe that is coloring my outlook on living in Panama.

Who cares.

I love it here!

Too Many Trips To Take

My good friend finds/buys used cars for gringos.

He solves a big problem for most of us. Panamanians don't keep up maintenance on their cars ...it's just not in the culture, probably because they don't have the money for it, among other things.

Buying a used car is dicey because there are so many hidden problems with the lack of maintenance.

Plus, most of us don't speak enough Spanish to conduct a multiple thousand dollar transaction. My friend is proficient in Spanish.

He has been a wonderful resource for us.

Everything is different here. Mechanics, although very cheap, don't buy their own parts. So you not only have to speak to the mechanic, but you have to go buy your own parts...in Spanish.

He is going to the Caribbean side to buy a Hilux pickup next week and needs a driver. It is a great trip over the continental divide plus we stay the night in Bocas del Toro which I love. And he pays the expenses.

Can't beat that!

Now, I have a trip to Colombia shaping up for next week too.

I have never been to Colombia and I want to go.

Plus, I am starting a business in Colombia. This trip is for the business.

I will get to see one of the most beautify countries in the world and advance my prospects of making some money.

Ah, but these trips conflict.

Hmmm????

I don't want to give up either one. But, business come first.

If it comes together, Colombia here I come.

Little Things Are a Big Deal

There is probably much in common with Boquete and small towns everywhere.

If something is scheduled during a week...like a chili or mexican cook off, a play, live music at a restaurant, etc...it is the talk of the town ALL week.

Anticipation is rampant!

Then, when the event happens, a big portion of the community shows up.

I learned this about small towns by accident in the 70's.

I was in rock band which played all original music. That, of course, meant we didn't get any gigs because people wanted to hear what was popular, not some unknown band's original music.

One of our members had family in a small town 3 hours from our "big" city. He put up two--and only two--posters announcing a dance that we put on in this small town.

We rented a couple of off duty cops for security, a meeting hall for the dance and we took a few friends to man the doors and collect money.

We had no idea what would happen.

We were busy setting up and doing sound check for a couple of hours before the doors were opened. We had not looked out to see if anyone was coming. We were busy.

When we opened the doors, 400 young people rushed into the place.

We were blown away!

Where did all these teenagers come from?

They loved us even though we played nothing that they recognized.

That's when I learned about an event in a small town.

It doesn't take much to get a lot of people out.

Oh, by the way, this band continued to set up dances in small towns for a couple of years, continued to play original music and made more money per gig that the most successful bands in the "big" city.

Now, how is that for entrepreneurship!

So last night, a jazz band played at Las Ruinas, the best venue in Boquete.

Jass is not a type of music that is a big draw. Most People don't listen to jazz.

Doesn't matter here.

Big, enthusiastic, appreciative crowd.

The music was spectacular!

Believe it or not, one player was internationally known and revered. He is now living in Boquete for a couple of months.

Aren't we lucky!

Sitting in a 3rd World nation, in the Jungle.