Dottie Thompson, Penny Barrett, Fran Hogan, Olga Alexander, Brenda Hoffpauir and I (oh yeah…and Brenda’s Jack Russell Terrier Abbey) went fishing on Lake Gatun which is a huge lake built by the US to feed water to the locks on the Panama Canal. Peacock Bass is the fish that populates this lake and it is great!! We caught 108 of those little suckers and Dottie made us a fabulous fish dinner with them. Click on the link above to read about this fascinating place. Here’s some photos….
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Does anyone wonder why I love living in this place???
Returning home in late June from the US where I moved my mother across the state of Florida, I then faced doing the same for myself…packing up and moving from the house I’ve lived in for almost 6 years, to a smaller and more manageable condominium in the Boquete Country Club. I actually bought the place in early February, but had to do a renovation (even though it was brand new, never lived in before)…because, that’s what I do!! It turned out to be fabulous, and I finally moved in July 20. Here are some photos:
My building is on the left
This is how the building materials came in
There's a back yard, so we began preparing for the garden with a bamboo privacy fence
A round patio was built in the center, and pathways designed around it
We tore out the old kitchen and chiseled LOTS of concrete
Everything had to be removed, even those concrete toe kicks on the floor
Notice the line showing the low profile of the old cabinets
The solid concrete ceilings required me to run lighting and 220 for air conditioners, and then drop a drywall ceiling 6" below that
Water filtration was added outside the kitchen, and air conditioner/dehumidifiers in the living room and bedroom
Ceiling drywall continued
Adding a big drain pipe to take water away from my terrace
Hmmm...what to do about those cars right outside the windows?
A space gobbling laundry sink had to come out
Lots of holes in concrete to repair broken pipes and stuff
New kitchen cabinets were being built nearby from teak wood
Master bedroom closets were NOT going to hold all my stuff!
New floor pad for bigger closets, and wires for hanging TV chiseled in the walls
Taller closets take shape, big mirror and TV installed....all in the master bedroom
Painting begins...lovely shades of grey
New kitchen begins to come in
Shoji Screens...solution for those windows looking out at the cars!
The shoji screen wrap all the way around into the foyer
3 sets of sliding glass doors turned out to be inadequate and had to be replaced
Doors in living room, and both bedrooms had to be totally replacedDue to no gutters 4 stories up, my new garden began to become a lake
Due to no gutters 4 stories up, my new garden began to become a lake
And the wind below rain onto my terrace without gutters...and the wind was very strong
A glass wall solved the wind and some water problems on the terrace
At my expense, gutters were installed on the roof 4 floors above me to manage the rain and keep my garden from being destroyed
OOPS....more destruction of walls all along the way to fix leaks and bad stuff
A new glass wall went in behind what will soon be a beautiful metal art fountain
Hole for fountain was wired for electricity
Meanwhile, my neighbors were totally unaffected by the goings on inside
Toilets had to bed raised
Metal cabinets were built to provide storage and hide the water filters on the terrace
THEN….the movers came! Downsizing is no fun….and, I had to leave some things in the house for my tenant, since we do not close on the sale until January 3rd. So in the meantime, keeping up the house (and paying for it) is my responsibility. I’ve got a wonderful woman and her little dog living there and taking care of everything for me……moving was no picnic, but luckily I had the world’s BEST moving company….. Panama International Packers and their wonderful guys.
Everything was packed well and protected
Valentino was so careful with my precious stuff
NOW…..it’s time to see the totally finished product….after 6 months of renovation (yes, of a totally new, never-lived-in-before, condo) and every penny I could get my hands on….it’s finally over. I’m living here and LOVING it! It was totally worth it. Of course, there is no one living on either side of me or above me, so part of what I love (VERY QUIET) could change when neighbors move in. But for now, everything is perfect! The drier climate is great for my lungs and I have a chiropractor living right across the street so my back is very happy. I have a guest room with a single bed and a queen size sofa bed for visitors. So, come on down and see me…..and enjoy these photos of how it looks today.
Dining room area with seating for 6
Second Entrance foyer
Open living room
Living room from opposite side
Living room into kitchen....TV area
Now THIS is a kitchen I can enjoy
Living room opens onto a great terrace
Lots of room for entertaining
Gutters make a big difference to my garden
WOW....do I love this garden
My own private paradise
Both bedrooms have little terraces of their own
Bedroom is comfy
NOW..lots of closet space
Downsized from 2 guest rooms and an office to 1 guest room that is also the office
Nice guest bathroom facilities
And…finally I’m able to entertain
Well, now you’ve had the tour and can picture me relaxed and enjoying my new digs. There’s room (remember the sofa is a queen sized bed) for more than 1. Come on down and enjoy a vacation in my new home….rates are reasonable (hahaha).
In April of 2011 I visited mother in Florida, and she decided to sell her house in The Villages and move into a beautiful independent living development in Melbourne, near my son Paul. So I stayed 2 1/2 months to help her. Sold her house in 1 day, closed in 3 weeks and moved in and got settled. I stayed 3 weeks with her in her new home. She’s trying to adjust and some days are better than others. She has a lovely 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment, her own laundry room and granite kitchen, indoor and outdoor pools, fabulous food in a beautiful dining room, movies, activities, a bus and a Town Car with chauffeur, but she still has her own car.
My son Paul and his family helped
Waiting for the movers to come, Paul assembles stuff
Here's mom's job during the move
As soon as I got back to Boquete, I had to pack up and get ready for the move down to my new condo. More to come on another post.
In February of 2011 I joined a group of Canadians, Australians, Danish and Sweds (I was the only American) in Bucerias, Mexico which is 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Coast. The weather was amazing! Beautiful blue skies every day, low humidity and gentle breezes. We had morning workshop sessions with Andrew Schneider and his wife Bonnie, who live the winter months in Boquete. The workshop was spiritual in nature, teaching us how to open our hearts and make our lives better. Afternoons were spent by the pool or shopping in the beautiful, artistic town. Below are some photos of the resort where we stayed (Star Bay Resort), and of the village itself. My roommate was a woman from northern Canada named Charmain Wagner and we shared a beautiful suite complete with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, dining room and living room, looking out at the ocean. The slideshow of photos below will take a few minutes to load, depending on the speed of your connection. It will automatically progress through the slides without you doing anything, but if you want to remain longer over any one of the photos, click the square STOP button at the bottom.
In January of 2011, I was invited to Coronado for an amazing horse show and party. Coronado is a beach town with high rise developments favored by both Panamanians and ExPats. Peruvian Paso Fino Horses are gated horses whose front legs are trained to walk in a certain way….much like Tennessee Walking Horses, but more pronounced. My host Rogelio and his wife Kathy made me very comfortable in their hacienda on the ocean. Here are some photos of the horse show and the hacienda. Funny thing is, they had other house guests who were from Ecuador! Coincidence!
The slideshow of photos below will take a few minutes to load, depending on the speed of your connection. It will automatically progress through the slides without you doing anything, but if you want to remain longer over any one of the photos, click the square STOP button at the bottom.
In January of 2010 I left the US after 3 months with my mom, to join a group of people from Boquete in Argentina. We visited Buenas Aires, Mendoza and Cordoba and then I continued alone on to Iguazu Falls…one of the 8 Wonders of the World. I actually spent my birthday there at the Falls. I hope you enjoy my little travel log!
Buenas Aires
This is a city created by the French, and their architectual fingerprint is everywhere. Charming tree lined streets with Paris style buildings but of course, also the steel and glass high rises so common in big cities. Buenas Aires city proper houses 3,000,000 people, but that number swells signnificantly on work days when the surrounding Province of Buenas Aires contributes many of it’s 11,000,000 inhabitants to the working city.
One of dozens of buildings that remind you of Paris
Of course, there are Cathedrals
And towers…..
And tree lined streets….
And fountains….
And the President lives in the Pink House…..like our White House
Presidential Palace…right there on the main Square
And paper mache ladies
An area called Palermo has these colorful houses
There is a huge cemetary in the area we stayed, for all the wealthy people of the past years…..Eva Peron (Don’t Cry For Me Argentina) is buried here. It is interesting that when she and husband dictator Juan Peron were driven out of the country, and Eva died…she was buried in Europe under a fictitious name, to avoid her body being dug up and mutilated. Juan married again, and after his death, his widow brought Evita’s body back to Buenas Aires to be buried here in her family’s crypt.
The outside wall of the cemetary
Lynne, me, Penny B and Janet inside the cemetary
Eva Peron’s Crypt
There’s Tango, of course….and the BEST was at a renovated Art Deco theater on 9 de Julio Boulevard called Tango Porteno. The show was fabulous and the food delicious…..friend Larson and I went one night.
Picture taking at Tango Porteno….
Hard to capture photos there, but here’s the cast and orchestra, above them.
Full cast curtain call…
Bar at Tango Porteno
Another night we went to a club called Senor Tango….not as good a production, but what’s not to like about the Tango????
Dancers at Senor Tango
One night we were treated to a fabulous exhibition of actors, singers and horses at the Opera Pampas. These photos cannot adequately depict the show because they were always moving very fast….and I didn’t think to video it! Suffice it to say it was a history of Argentina in a huge arena with a dirt floor and big stage (click link above for more info)….we had an Argentinean Grill dinner before….
YUM….big ribs and stuff for dinner
Everything about Argentina includes their famous gaucho horses
The stage performance and singers were awesome!
Buenas Aires sits on a HUGE river called Rio de la Plata that at some places, you can’t see the other side. Smaller rivers feed off of it and run through the city.
Tall ship in the river outside a restaurant we ate in
Lots of lovely European type restaurants are everywhere…
We had a nice lunch here…
One day we went to a street fair with stalls selling everything…lots of antique “smalls”…and lots of entertainment going on.
NOW….SOMETHING NEW IN MY BLOG….VIDEO! THAT’S RIGHT. I’m just getting the hang of this, so excuse if it’s not the best! But I learned alot and will improving on my technique. In the meantime, press the PLAY button at the lower left corner of this video….I’ll be using more video later in this page!
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Street corner tango….
Gaucho at his stall at the street fair….
In the cathedral shown above, there is a special gallery in tribute to the overthrow of Spanish Rule by the hero, San Martin. This gallery showcases Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador. There are guards in uniforms of that time, that are changed on the hour. This is much like the changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, only these guys will give you a little smile.
Guards march to & from their billet to & from the Cathedral every hour
Entrance to the Tribute Gallery….you can get a little smile from the guards
El Tigre
Just upriver from Buenas Aires is the sweet town of El Tigre, on the El Tigre River. We took a train there, and then boarded a boat at the port to see the sights. Friends Sylvan and Barbara Cohen have recently bought a condo in El Tigre, and I can really see why they decided on this place. (NO, I’m not moving to El Tigre!!)
This was our sightseeing boat
This is the El Tigre River
There are houses of all kinds on the river
And Clubs like this one for the local fishermen
I never did find out whose Club this was…..maybe the Lawyers???
EVERYTHING on the river is brought by boat…here’s a grocery boat!
River girls….me, Raquel (from California) and Lynne (Raquel’s hostess)
Well, as much fun as Buenas Aires was…..it was time to leave for Mendoza. This is the Province and City where all the fabulous Argentinean wines are grown and we fortunate to visit 4 different wineries. Here’s some things you may or may not know about Argentina’s wines/vinyards.
Mendoza
Olive trees grow on every vinyard….and all the wineries bottle their olive oil. We were grateful to be given a bottle of this fabulous olive oil by the good people at Familia Zuccardi where we enjoyed a tour and EXCELLENT lunch in the owner’s dining room. I bought a wonderful knife there, with leather braided handle and leather scabbard.
Modern and super clean stainless steel ages some of the wines…
My Zuccardi knife….what will I do with it? I don’t know but it sure is pretty!
Our bunch at lunch at Familia Zuccardi in the owner’s dining room…YUM!
Now this is what I consider the proper size for a wine bottle!!
We girls paid VERY close attention on these winery tours…
So…here’s some skinny about wine. Of course you know that Argentina is best known for it’s fabulous MALBEC, but they also bottle Merlot, Siraz, Chardonney, Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling wines (you can only call wine grown in the Champagne region of France, Champagne….all other wineries call theirs “sparkling” wine). So….the reds are aged in oak for a while and also in stainless steel for a while. Temperatures are carefully monitored, and each wine maker decides on everything….when the grape is picked, how long it stays in each medium (steel or oak), etc. He’s the Jefe! And, oak comes in either French Oak or American Oak…..no other. Usually a winery uses 70% French and 30% American in their barrells.
These are the oak barrells….French & American Oak
Wine In The Skin…..these are Malbec grapes…picking starts in March
One of the wineries we visited had a big and wonderful museum! It was fascinating to see how the industry started. Here’s some facts….originally grape vines were brought to Mendoza by Spanish settlers and was only pressed for home consumption. As technology improved, so did the quality of the home consumption product. Mendoza is in the far west of the country, near the Andes Mountains, so it was not exported at all. By the mid-20th century, Argentineans were comsuming about 96 litres of wine per person, per year so they didn’t have to export it…there was plenty of market demand right there in Argentina…..wagons that took the wine to the various cities within the country were replaced by trucks, and as roads improved, so did the distribution of wine…still within Argentina. People worked 1/2 a day, went home for lunch, had wine and went to sleep. By the 1960′s people began to work full days, so the wine consumption dropped by half. The exports of other goods going out of Buenas Aires and other port cities, made it possible to begin exporting their wines. And now, Argentinean wine is considered some of the most prized wines on the planet.
These machines were used in the old days to insert the corks in the bottles
In the old days, each vineyard had a distinctive label on their barrell, so indicate which winery’s wine was in the barrell
Copper kettles were used in the old days…today it’s stainless steel
In the old days, a worker at the winery had to supply his own tools…so there was a blacksmith on site to create what the worker designed for his own use
This cattle skin was fitted between poles to serve as a place to press the grapes. The neck was sealed off and then opened to allow the wine to pour into the barrells
The town of Cordoba wasn’t anything to see at all….thus no photos. It is the biggest manufacturing center of the country…factories. We actually went to the Mall and saw a movie! But the one interesting thing we did see there was the childhood home of Che Guevara. He was born in Santa Fe, Argentina but his parents moved when he was 7 to near Cordoba for the dry climate, because of the child’s very severe asthma. They were a middle class family, and Che was in school to be a doctor.
One surprise was a video we say, in which childhood friends, neighbors and teachers were interviewed about what he was like as a young person. Without exception, they report that he was always putting others before himself….he was a kind person who helped the less fortunate whenever he encountered them. He was a born, natural leader, but never used his traits to the detriment of others…indeed, just the opposite. He was a loving, giving, generous and very popular person.
If you saw the movie Motorcycle Diaries, which is about his trip around South America with another young man, you will recall how he was helpful and friendly to everyone, and how he worked in a leper colony, and went over and above the efforts of others, even swimming across a big river (with crocodiles) to get to the lepers who were kept on the other side from the missionary settlement that cared for them. It was a fiesta, and the lepers were unable to participate, so he went across the river and in the middle, his asthma kicked in…he almost died, but he didn’t want the lepers to be left out of the celebration. It is interesting to think about what would have been Cuba’s outcome, had Che (instead of Castro) been in the lead of that country after the revolution. He died in Bolovia,where some say Castro had him killed because of his popularity among the Cubans.
Che Guevara’s childhood home
His real name was Ernesto
Iguazu Falls
Now Iguazu Falls (one of the 8 Wonders of the World) is an entirely different story. WOW….I spent my birthday there, and was blown away. Here again I will use some of my newly acquired video skills to give you more of a sense of it than you could see in a still photograph. The falls are so powerful, and generate so much energy and mist that it is even difficult to see them properly on a video.
One thing you should know is, these falls are more than just one or two areas…..they are kilometers long, and you walk to different places to view the segments….even taking a train to the BEST one, which is called Gargantua del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). So….hang onto your seat!
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Pretty amazing…..huh? Here are some stills
These are the Two Sisters Falls
View of a tiny piece of the Falls
See the tiny red boat in the water….it was a very BIG boat, actually
The noise is deafening….a VERY loud roar!
Wanda Mines
Iguazu Falls is situated in a national park and nearby is an area where mines are located, extracting semi-precious stones. I visited one called the Wanda Mine, and it was amazing. The government issues permits to private mining companies who are authorized to extract 20 meters down (about 65 feet). The first layer reveals Amethyst, Quartz, Agate and Crystal bubbles. Below that are found Topaz and Aquamarine.
Bubbles containing air, gas and water are trapped within volcanic lava during an eruption period, and the amount of each determines what kind of stone results. Some of the volcanic rock is at the surface level, and is cross cut so bubbles are revealed right at earth’s surface in the ground.
Surface lava reveals bubbles
At upper right, a Quartz bubble with a Crystal bubble trapped inside…….a Double Bubble as it were!
The owner of world famous Swavorski Crystals has a home nearby….guess he likes to be near his source of revenue!
The first 10 meters down contains Amythest, Quartz, Crystal and Agate. The miner looks for a thin white line in the volcanic rock because that line is an indication that bubbles are nearby. A small explosive is set off to reveal about a 10 foot section of rock containing bubbles.
Entrance to the mine
Cross cut of bubbles embedded in the volcanic rock
Bubbles can be irregularly shaped and very large
Agate bubble
Amethyst bubble that has been removed from the mine
This was a fabulous way to spend my birthday, and it is an experience I will never forget! Argentina was fabulous and I look forward to going back again someday.
My flight back took me through Santiago, Chili…I couldn’t leave the airport but the familiar sight below was a great place to spend the stopover. Pisco Sours have become my favorite drink down here. They originated in Peru, and it seems Chili has adopted the drink as their own. This bar was next to my gate at the airport.
Indeed, I had my last Pisco Sour here…luckily we have them in Panama too.
Let’s see….where did I leave off with my last post…oh yeah, I had just been to Argentina and was returning to my beautiful home in Boquete, after having lived in Ecuador for over a year. So…let’s begin there….around February 1, 2010.
Well, my tenant (a single woman from Iowa) and I reached an agreement to share my house since she has a lease until the end of June and I want to come back into my home. She immediately took off for a 3 week trip to Mexico to see the Monarch butterfly migration and other wonders. After coming back for a week, she took off again for 10 weeks in Colombia. She’s due back tomorrow and will be moving out on June 15. So…I’ve had my house virtually to myself since I got back. It was a great solution for both of us.
So, as usual I’m looking for something about my house to pound on!! I have 4 bathrooms in my house, but they all have showers. I do have the hot tub outside, but in rainy season I’m unable to use it much. So, I decided to install a bathtub in my guest shower (the only one big enough to accommodate a bathtub) while my roommate has been in Colombia. Unfortunately, the ONLY white plain bathtub in Panama with left hand controls was accidentally dropped in the warehouse and broke. The only other one they had was a right hand control, which required the plumber to chip out the floor and run drain and water lines to the other side of the shower stall. It was quite a process, but he was impeccable and got it done beautifully, with some creative concrete work to fill in the unused space around the tub.
I’ve had some really special time with various groups of women that I know and love here in Boquete, since I returned. One day, Babbe Earle asked us up to her little hacienda on Jaramillo Mountain with beautiful views down to the Pacific.
Babbe & John Earle's House
We had a potluck lunch
It was a perfect day for art projects (Marni, Carol & Marnie)
Gina & I watched Barbie at the easel
And….there was SHOPPING! Babbe’s daughter makes fabulous pearl necklaces and earrings….so we all got a strand of what we are calling Sorority Pearls that we wear with jeans and tee shirts. It’s very elegant
Picking out our favorite pearls....
Lazing the day away in the sun!
On another day, Carol and her husband Peter had a party at their place to celebrate Peter’s birthday, and to say farewell….they return to their beautiful home in Vermont for the summer…..they’ll return to us when it gets cold up there! Pretty fabulous life they have….and their house is on the mountain, just above Babbe’s….so the views are spectacular. This day we were mostly in the clouds, so couldn’t see down to the Pacific…but who cares, in a surrounding like this!!
Carol & Peter at his birthday
As you can see, their house is literally up in the trees….
Their bedroom is the highest tower...imagine waking up to the view from up there!
Inside the house
Bocci Fun
Another friend named Carol Putnam has moved back to the US and I will miss her terribly…..we shared a going-away dinner
Carol will definitely be missed
Now it’s time for some words and photos from the garden!
Did you know how Pineapples have babies???
Beautiful hibiscus on my terrace
This one is called Navidad (Christmas)....it has taken me 2 years to get the first bloom off my little cutting
Twins
Coral
Giant Pink & White
Here’s a video clip I shot in the garden this morning….
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An American metal artist has arrived in Boquete, and I needed a new gate. He designed something beautiful, and on the opposite side I saw how very, very secure it was…..so I asked him to continue his work along the top of my rock wall. This was my only vulnerable spot and now it is totally secure. He curved short metal pieces and cut the ends sharp….so no one in their right mind would try to crawl over my rock wall now.
From my side, the appearance is very organic..you can barely see the bars
But from the other side....OUCH!
Back to adventures…..so one day a bunch of us women drove the brand new paved shortcut road over to Volcan on the other side of the volcano. We came around a curve, and some Panamanian workers were there…can you imagine…3 gringo cars screeched to a hault, all these women climbed out and started taking photos….and asking them to take photos for and with us. Then, we just as abruptly climbed back in our cards and sped off. I would love to hear the talk around those guys’ dinner tables that night!
Girlfriends On The Go!
Road Guys!
When we got there, we played Mexican Train and then went to dinner at Cerro Brujo, which is a wonderful little jewel of a restaurant in Volcan, whose female owner/chef created a wonderful party for us.
We spent the night at the resort/spa that is immediately next door to my very first property here, in Bambito. The next day, Denise had a fabulous brunch for us (lobster quiche, champagne, salmon rolls) under the trees. We felt so blessed to be living in this paradise!
When Denise bought this house it was covered with vines...and had no running water in the kitchen!
Denise, Debbie & Helen
Denise, Carol, me, Helen & Debbie and our Mimosas
The setting for our brunch was heavenly!
Our scrumptous brunch!
Does it seem like all we do is eat down here?
OK….you might be getting bored watching a bunch of women eat and drink all the time….so here’s an adventure when we included some guys.
Cam, Marni and me….at the beach?? Yeah, that’s right…in a friend’s condo down on the Pacific…but we had to bring those nasty computers
Barbie and me at the beach
This guy came riding up out of nowhere!!!!
Doing dishes was interrupted by the urge to DANCE!
Bonnie, John & Marni doing what they do best! Hanging out
Just so you don’t think that all I do is play……I’ve taken on 2 volunteer jobs doing publicity for our local community theater and for our annual charity auction. The first thing I did for the BCP (Boquete Community Players) theater was to….GUESS WHAT? Yes, to create a blog for them. Check it out: www.bcpboquete.com I am pretty pleased with it. The annual auction is www.bid4boquete.com and I got my bank to become the event sponsor for a $5,000 donation. So I’m pretty busy with these 2 volunteer jobs, but they are only temporary. It was just a great way to get back involved with Boquete, and do something good for the community.
And, finally….for those of you who wonder if you can find a good cup of coffee when you come to visit me in Boquete, check this out:
They say that, in life, change is the only constant. I guess I must agree. I have sold the condo in Cuenca and have decided that Boquete is the place for me to call home. When I bought in Ecuador, I said I would give it a year and then decide which place I would sell and which I would keep. I lived in Ecuador for 13 months have made the decision that Boquete, Panama is my place in the sun (and in the rain too). Knowing you would all then ask “WHY???”, I have answered that with the several reasons given below:
* My Mom….my dad died in February and my mom is now alone and lonely in the US. My residency visa in Ecuador gives me only 90 days each year, for 2 years, out of the country. My first year ends November of 2009 and way before that I ran out of days that would allow me to be with her. I decided it wouldn’t be good to stand over her grave and say “Well, I would have spent more time with mom in her older years, but I had to get that residency visa in Ecuador”. She is way too important to me, and she needs me with her more often now. So I will spend 3 months in Florida to be with her through the holidays, another month in the summer and will bring her back to Boquete for a long visit with me there beginning July 1st.
Mom chilling out
* The Weather…..I am a Florida girl and the lush tropical rain forest of Boquete suits me better than the chilly upper Andes climes of Cuenca. I found myself growing weary of the weather at 8,000 ft above sea level although my lungs really loved the dry air. Although there are sunny, warm days, the vast amount of cloudy grey sky days and very cold nights just aren’t for me. While it is more humid in Boquete, the close up verdant green mountains and beautiful flowers…and the ability to wear lighter clothes and most of all…sit out on my terrace at night with friends, was a biggie for me. Boots and jackets are fun, but not all the time.
* The Community…..Boquete is a very rare place…and the people there are also very special. There are dozens of things to get involved with to help the local community, and Boquete’s ExPats are always cooking up something fun to do together. Cuenca is a very special place, but the ExPat community is VERY different from that in Boquete. Maybe it is because Cuenca is a big city and people live mostly in condos and farther apart than in the small village of Boquete. Whatever the reason for the difference, I much prefer the ExPat community in Boquete.
* The Politics….Rafael Correa is an educated and exciting president with great ideas on how to improve life for the people of Ecuador. He is, however, in complete power and is very close to the political ideas of Chavez of Venezuela. His recent placing of a 43% tax on everything that comes in from any foreign country, combined with the 12% sales tax, means that none of the US brands we find easily in Panama can be found in Ecuador….the 55% tax just makes them unavailable. There is a tax of 1% (soon to be 2%) on any money that leaves the country….meaning the wire transfer of funds to Panama or the US are subject to VERY big fees. Recently, despite Correa’s claims of transparency and putting away corruption, his sister was recorded soliciting a bribe to make a law suit against Chevron Oil go away….Correa’s response was to set about to close down the private television station that aired the recordings. When a recent rumor circulated that he was going to abandon the US dollar in favor of a new SA currency, he announced that anyone found circulating this rumor would be jailed. These minor issues can grow to larger issues. Finally, the growing scorn of the government toward the US is cause to pause and consider what would happen should the 5 new bases in Colombia really become a thorn in his side. Chavez has recently invited both the Chinese and the Russians to become more involved in his politics, and the recent photo of him embracing Mohamar Khadafi was just scarey. Again, this is not Correa, but as they say…you can judge a man by the company he keeps. So far these are only shadows in the background, but they added to the decision against having a major investment in Ecuador at this time.
The Culture…..one reason I moved to Cuenca was to enjoy the vast cultural life and one of my main loves was the Symphony Orchestra. Also, there was a very good Cultural Calendar published each month, allowing me to know where things were going on (concerts, art exhibits, museums, etc.). The government declared that the economy required they cut funding for the Symphony and the Ensemble orchestras, and they stopped printing the Cultural Calendar….they even stopped publishing the online version. Many locals say that this is really because Correa does not attend to the needs of the rich…only the poor…and that the poor don’t go to the symphony, concerts, art exhibitions, etc. It is said they plan to reinstate this vital organ in the future, but for now it is defunct. Whatever the reason….one of my main reasons for wanting to be there was removed from my life.
So……here is the last report I will file as a permanent resident of Cuenca. I’ll return from time to time for a visit, but at last I am free of the restrictions of permanent residency. Below are photos taken just before I left…including some views of the capital city Quito, the visit by ex-husband David Ripple (to spend our would-be 30th wedding anniversary together), and some celebrations just prior to my departure.
Independence Square in Quito
More views of Independence Square in Quito
Municipal Building in Quito
Colonial shopping arcade in Quito
David Ripple & me at the Piedra de Aguas Spa
David & me at Inca ruins
So….my friends Mary Ann & Greg decided to tie the knot back in Vermont, and then returned to Cuenca to begin their residency. Mary Ann (you may recall) threw me a birthday bash this year and hosted a Christmas dinner for friends last year (see previous posts). So…it seemed a good idea to toss them a wedding reception as a farewell event in my condo. Even the guy who bought my condo came….here are some photos of the event.
Newlyweds Mary Ann & Greg
Girlfriends (L to R) Natalie, me, Christa, Cameron, Mary Ann & Marie Claire
Guyfriends (L to R) Adrian, Alan, Greg, Dan, Peter & Mike
My friend Peter and me…he will be missed
Turn about is fair play….Mary Ann decided to throw a SURPRISE going away party for me…..and was I surprised!!! I have never had a surprise party before…..
As I came into the room to see all the smiling faces shouting SURPRISE!
Shock at seeing someone I had just hung up with on the phone 2 minutes earlier....SHE was already at the party when we talked!!!
Gathering of surprise friends
So….I’ll be going to Argentina and Uruguay in January and then returning to beautiful Boquete. It will be good to be back home.
Ecuadorian visa rules require me to spend 9 months each year in country, for the first 2 years. I took 6 weeks of my 3 month out of country allotment to return to Boquete to take possession of my house, and prepare it for a new tenant. My friend Wanda from Miami came too…to pick up her permanent residency visa and spend a week. Then, the work began…the house needed major overhaul and maintenance, so the next 5 weeks were a lot of work, with a little time for socializing.
We're enthralled by the live entertainment.....
The night after I got back, Erin and Dave Ross threw a huge party for our friend Garn’s 90th birthday, complete with live entertainment by the Boquettes (the new Do-Op Girl’s Group singing the Oldies), and others.
Panamanian guitarists serenaded the birthday boy.....
And he got the Presidential treatment, with a Marilyn Monroe (at an older age) ballad of “Happy Birthday….”
Our own Marilyn singing...Happy Birthday to Garn...Roady on keyboards
I forgot how much fun it is to live in Boquete…..there’s something going on all the time. I really miss this group of ExPat’s when down in Ecuador. It’s great to have a life in these two very different places….
Live music at Guari, Guari in Palmira on a Sunday afternoon
The Boquettes singin' the Oldies at Guari, Guari in nearby Palmira
Here's the monthly Ladies Who Do Lunch club ...a group I started 3 years ago, and it's still going strong!
View from Rancho de Caldera, a small, beautiful resort near Boquete
Three of my girlfriends celebrated Gemini birthdays and they invited me along for their spend-the-night fun at Rancho de Caldera….
Linda, Mikey, me and Sharon....... (birthday hostess, owner of the resort, Gina was busy at work)
The next day, the rest of our women friends joined for lunch and a dip in the infinity pool
Wonderful women live in Boquete, and look for any reason to come together
Yes, some of us really did get in the pool....out of camera range!
The world famous Boquete Chicas (a group of 45 single women living in Boquete, who get together for fun and to support each other in times of need) got together for the monthly birthday celebration. This month we went to Volcan (on the other side of Volcan Baru) for lunch and a visit to the VERY interesting Petroglyphs.
Chicas nestled between the giant petroglyph stone, calculated to be almost 3,000 years old, and beautiful Lobster Claw heliconia flowers
Chica Louise Orr isn't really this tiny....it's just a giant plant!
The petroglyph place has more than just rocks with carvings….it has plants of all kinds!
And talk about giant plants.....this is a LEMON!
In 1949 National Geographics visited this site, and discovered things they date back 5,000 years! The stones below have magnetic energy in them that is registered with a compass…..and there’s a spring that creates a stream that flows AGAINST gravity….up the volcano (instead of down)
These stones are amazing...with carvings that date back 5,000 years
This blind dog's leg was broken, which makes it seem he is begging with palm up. He is one of many Dalmations living at the petroglyph place.
One of the great things in Boquete is the Tuesday Morning Information & Networking Meeting, started several years ago as a simple monthly pot luck in the home of Sylvan and Barbara Cohen. As the number of ExPats living in and visiting Boquete grew, so did this meeting. Every week, a speaker is asked to present information of interest to foreign resisdents. Depending on the topic, the meeting is attended by 40 to 80 people each week. I was asked to present information and field questions from the group during my stay there….about the differences between Panama and Ecuador, and Boquete and Cuenca, since I now live in both places. It was well attended. I got an assist from Cheryl and Richard Johnson, who live in Boquete and visited me in Cuenca last September….they know more about the area around Quito than I do. Just after this, they returned to Ecuador, and bought a condo in Cotacachi, north of Quito. They too will live bi-country….spending the rainy season in Boquete down in the drier climes of Ecuador.
Explaining Ecuador to the Tuesday Morning meeting in Boquete
There are a few sure things about Latin America….bars on your windows, dogs on the street and roosters that crow at first light. You get used to it…..actually, you begin to love it. But some roosters have a special job…that is cock fighting. I know, I know….me too, but it’s the culture and I prefer it to bullfighting. So below is one VERY valuable guy who was transported up to Boquete from somewhere in the country, via the trucking company that does so much for us by getting our stuff where we need it to be. He has his own, color coordinated, leather bag for traveling to the fights. I kept looking around the trucking office to see where the crowing was coming from….then I spied the bag with his cock’s comb sticking out the right side.
Look closely at the top right side of this red bag...just above the black plastic. A fighting cock is peeking out on his way to the matches.
One of the changes in Boquete since I left 9 months ago, is the new shop Tucan Tiles…..the woman owner is a fabulous artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She designs the tiles, and hires local women to do the production work.
Local woman helps produce the tiles at Tucan Tiles
And here’s my very own tile…oh, it’s of roosters!!! No, not because of the cock fights here….because my maiden name “Hahn” means “Rooster” in German. I have wooden roosters topping my kitchen cabinets in Boquete, so it seemed appropriate to get a Rooster tile from Tucan tiles…I love it.
Beautiful Rooster Tile in my kitchen
So…I know you’re asking yourself….what about Zap the Dog? Well, yes…in addition to bringing her toys back from the US (she just LOVES fibre-fill), I visited with her several times at the home of her new parents, Donna and Ken O’Brien. I am so lucky to have found this loving home for her…..and she’s growing up to be a lazy old dog. She’s 3 1/2 years now but I still remember that day 3 years ago when I found her starving at the Zapadora open house…and took her home, just long enough to get her healthy, spaed and find her a new home….well, you know the rest. She was my constant companion until I moved to Ecuador, where my condo doesn’t allow dogs. Here she is….I know she looks like an ordinary dog…you’d never know she was so extraordinary just by looking at her.
I still love this dog!!!!
During my visit, I took her to the beach for a 2 day romp….unfortunately, she was attacked by another dog and while attempting to extricate her by pulling on her tail, I dislocated 3 ribs….ouch! (Yes, that is the attack dog in the shadow).
Lorraine and me from her patio overlooking the Pacific...and Zap, of course
I must say that one of the highlights of my visit back to Boquete was getting to play the amazing new course, Cielo Paraiso (Heavenly Paradise)….which is definitely is! LONG holes, up to 500 yards, offer amazing views of both the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful rainforest mountains. I cannot wait to return and play there again.
Finally!!!! A REAL golf course in Boquete. Here with my friend Michael Mullin who lives here with his beautiful wife Debbie. Yes, that is the Pacific Ocean in the background.
One last thing….remember last November, the 40 year flood that practically swept Boquete away? To refresh your memory, here’s a hotel that was just completed 6 months earlier. Below that is the repair job being done on it as I departed Boquete…..
The waves were crashing above the first floor windows and water was over the road
The road, rough as it is, is open now and reconstruction has begun!
Yes….those are the very tiny footers you see exposed at the bottom of the photo…..the entire building is sitting on a little dirt and rock in the center of the structure. They are now pouring HUGE footers inside the empty space.
So….that’s my report on my trip back to Boquete….GOD, I love that place. I returned to Cuenca on June 29th, and am glad to be back in my cozy condo….of course, I found lots of projects to increase the beauty of my condo (cabinets, tile work and lighting), and spent the first 2 weeks working on it….now it is finally finished! Stay tuned for my next report from Cuenca.
My son Paul was the first person to visit me in Boquete....here we are at the Bistro, with murals of coffee and orange pickers that were painted in the 50's
My Canadian friend Annette Preston bought a house at the beach near Las Tablas
Some of my very best friends at a luncheon (L to R..Georgiann, Olga, Helen, me and KitzieAn auction in the gardens of the Panamonte Inn for a local charity
My jewelry exhibit at the Art Expo
A bunch of us at the Bistro doing our thing!
Don & Nancy Huff (and me) in Bocas Del Toro
A breakfast with friends in Portobello
The airport runway on Contadora island
Life in the 3rd World sure is wonderful....on Contadora Island
Exile home of the Shah of Iran, on Contadora
One day I heard a noise in the road outside my house....looked out and here is what I saw
Waterfront in Bocas del Toro
Allison & Scott (left) with me, Teri & Don Murray in PC at dinner. Go to www.earthrace.com to see what Allison & Scott did on their vacation....she's a 500 ton ship's captain...he's a Marine Engineer.
Women gather for Elizabeth's birthday at her coffee plantation
Parade in Boquete
Friend Wanda Stoll visited me in Boquete...AND applied for her permanent residency. Wanda and I worked at Eastern Airlines in the 70's.
Of course, Wanda went tree trekking
This is what tree trekking looks like from afar
We have 40 Chicas (single women) in Boquete...we have a monthly birthday lunch or dinner
Dancing is one of our favorite passtimes....I am taking tango lessons
My parents came to visit in May of 2007
It was great showing them around Boquete
Cousin Joy brought her daughter Tracy down for a little vacation. I gave a party to introduce Tracy to the best of the best of Boquete
Joy, Penny & Tracy
Girlfriends enjoying a special overnight at the beautiful Rancho de Caldera, just over the mountain from Boquete
Linda, Mikey and Me, with Linda's friend in front
Zap and I went to the beach to visit Lee and Lorraine Handler at their new house right on the Pacific
Zap, Penny & Lorraine....Life is good!
Girl’s birthday luncheon at Rancho de Caldera….complete with infinity pool
Retired Life is SOOOO strenuous...and what DO we do all day??
We’ve got a new Do-Op girl’s group in Boquete…..they are called the Boquettes and WOW are they popular!
Boquettes sing the Oldies at Guari, Guari on a Sunday afternoon
