It’s Been a while

I really didn’t feel much like writing while America was embroiled in one the the nastiest yet most important elections of our lifetime.  We have still been having fun but have been closely watching all the drama unfolding in our beloved Country.  We even were able to cast our vote online in late September which was very important to us.

Its  been two months since my last blog and we haven’t gotten sick of Aruba yet.  Some of the reason was because we have gotten into an island rhythm.  An island mindset, if you will.  What a great gift to be able to live in a place with swaying palmtrees, gentle breezes, exotic sea creatures, interesting wildlife and really nice people.

I was missing my family and was able to have a nice long visit here in Aruba with my two daughters and my grandson.  We spent lots of time at the beach, snorkeled in deep water over a ship wreck, hiked, climbed a mountain and went spelunking.  My grandson and I even dipped our feet in a stream while fish nibbled at them and, as crazy as that sounds, was pretty cool.  We fed donkeys and goats, did karaoke or at least my grandson did.  We hiked and explored. Lets see, what else has happened?  Sam grew and cultivated a rather handsome beard.  We also got to know several people pretty well that make their home on Aruba.

Pop Pop

Spelunking

Cave photo session

Arashi Beach

Sun Damage

La and Aidan

Family Shadow Night

Rock time

One of our favorites is Leon.  He is the main guy on our favorite beach, Moomba.  He works hard keeping the people happy with drinks, food and beach chairs.  He teaches us Spanish and makes sure everyone has everything they need. Leon is 18 and seems much older.   He works very hard to improve his present and future. Leon emigrated from his native Columbia with his Mom and other members of his family and is learning Dutch as well.  He got his certification as an inspector here in Aruba and is looking to ultimately join the FBI in the US.  I have no doubt that he will achieve whatever he sets out to do.  He is smart and very determined.  He always greets us with a smile and we look forward to seeing him each time we go to the beach.

Also, we survived Hurricane Mathew with minimal impact but some damage on the island.  They are quick to clean things up to make ready for tourists. A few weeks later,  while my grandson and daughter were still here, we experienced a rainfall like no other.  It took the islanders by surprise and caused a lot of flooding.  Not realizing how bad it was, we attempted to drive to the beach and came upon overflowing streets and floating cars and had to make several detours returning to our resort an hour later somewhat shaken but safe.    With some answered prayers and great navigation skills by my go-to guy, we made it back safe for a movie marathon and some much needed cocktails.  Even in paradise, things can get dicey.

 

Aruba With a Twist

We are on the move again.  We spent an incredible summer working, visiting, playing and rediscovering our home base in Charlotte, NC.  There was lots of time with family, ball-games and hanging out with new and old friends.  It was everything a trip home should be and all the comfort familiarity can bring.  We enjoyed every minute of it and now are looking forward to our next adventure.

Just a recap.  My husband Sam and I sold our house and most of its contents in June of 2015 and spent last September through April adventuring and discovering Panama.  It was an amazing cultural exploration and a true journey of self-discovery. We worked on learning a new language and meeting interesting people.  Living and navigating a new and exciting country tested and delighted us.

So, this year our first stop is Aruba.  I know, I know if you have read my blogs, you know this isn’t new but now here’s the twist. We always wondered how it would be to spend an extended period of time in Aruba and just see if we can get sick of our favorite place.  So, for the next four months we plan to be beach bums.  It is very interesting how deep you can immerse yourself in local culture when you stay for a long period of time.  Even a tourist destination like Aruba can take on a new shade or two when you stay in a place making it your home.  Anyway, I can think of worse experiments if it goes wrong.  So we will be looking for the unfamiliar as well as the familiar.  We will embrace the local color as well as the tourist attractions.  Also, we have family and friends coming to visit so it will be exciting showing them our favorite places.  So, to me, the metaphor here is…. how much candy can you eat without getting a stomach ache.

The challenge here is realizing you are really not on vacation every day.  This is where we live for the time being.  So, you can’t go full-out vacation mode even though it is tempting.  First of all money is an issue, things you would normally not worry about, fancy dinners, expensive excursions will be more rare.  We need to eat right and get into an exercise routine.  It’s doable but restraint is the key here.

I am so grateful for this experience and thankful I have the kind of partner who is not only wonderful with details but is on the same crazy page I am.

Thank you to the readers of this blog.  Your comments and feedback have been so encouraging and helpful.  I love the idea of taking you all along on this journey and I appreciate you taking the time to read and follow.

I promise to be honest and truthful even if this turns out to be a beach bummer, which right now I can’t imagine but you never know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hasta Luego Panama

 

Our friend Alicia explained that you should never say Adios to friends you want to see again.  It’s too final.  So it’s  hasta luego (see you later) Panama.

Our six months in Panama have ended.  We are home and have begun post-processing our great adventure.  It is pretty amazing to think we actually lived in Panama for six months.  It was exciting, interesting, daunting, sometimes frustrating but memorable in every way.

There were quite a few things that didn’t make my blogs.  So here is a recap.

We spent quite a bit of time at the largest mall in South America called Albrook.  Not only could we find most comforts of home but there was some great people watching and food experiences here.

We did some biking on the Amador causeway.

Food and drink played a large part.

We played a little golf and went to an outdoor boxing match.  We were impressed by the Iron Man Competition.  The swimming part was held at the dock right outside our hotel.   There was music, parades, holidays and cultural shows.  History and gorgeous architecture everywhere.

 

We finally managed to make it to Contadora Island.  A beautiful day on the beach!

We also visited Coronado, an expat community a little over a hour from Panama.  Our friend Don showed us around and introduced us to his friends.  We looked at some beautiful and reasonable rentals for future reference.

I can’t even begin to describe the amazing flora and fauna.

Sam was always exploring and managed to log 30 miles walking a week.  He discovered the military bunkers located all over the Amador area and the Islands nearby.  Some were from the American time in the canal, some were from Noreiga’s regime,  even some from World War I.  Our local historian/hotel handyman, Jesus would fill him in on bits and pieces of the fascinating history of the canal.  It was such fun to discover the man-made and natural wonders surrounding us.

 

The best part by far were the wonderful people we met on our journey.  Friends that you cannot hope to have in a short visit but you become close over six months.  Most of the Panamanian people are kind, hard working, family-oriented  people that I will never forget.  Also, we were able to meet many fellow travelers who invited us to visit them in their own homelands of  Columbia, Chile, Romania and Canada.

Vince the Canadian

Throughout this journey I have focused on the positive aspects of Panama.  As with any journey or any place on the planet, there are positives and negatives.  There was the traffic jams, language barrier, occasional bouts of homesickness.  The struggle to find a hairdresser, etc.  All in all I wouldn’t have changed a moment.  Much love and respect goes to my husband and travel partner for his knack for photographic documentation and persistence in getting all the right shots.

Thanks for joining us on this trip.  Stay tuned for more, we are just getting started!

 

 

Welcome to my World (part II)

 

When last we met, I was relaying anecdotes from my daughter Lindsay’s recent trip to visit us in Panama.  The thing about having a visitor is that you see your surroundings in a whole new light and discover things you thought you already knew.

Eager to visit the Pearl Islands and without time to visit my first choice which was Contadora Island, we made a return visit to Toboga.  It’s fun, its cheap and its beautiful.  So we took the 11:00 a.m. ferry and arrived with the usual locals carting all sorts of supplies on to the island.  This adds to the non-tourist vibe that we have grown to love.  So, we have been to Toboga a few times but Lindsay’s reaction reminded us of our initial impression which was awe.   She said it reminded her of those little villages on the coast of Italy.  Of course, none of us have visited the coast of Italy but we have all seen those pics and it seems to fit.  Along, the way we found a secluded beach for Lindsay to practice her “Toboga Yoga”.

We were excited to show her around and explore.  It is truly beautiful and sort of like a fairy tale.  Flowers, butterflies, roosters and chickens.  Small, brightly painted houses with well-kept, uniquely decorated trims.  The American owner of Calaloo, a charming little restaurant, shouted out to us as we passed and we assured her we would be back for lunch.  Every place you turn is a photo op, and we took full advantage of that.  We took in the sights and did return to Calaloo for a delicious lunch of fresh ceviche and beer.

We met a really cute couple who looked fresh out of college, they turned out to be commercial pilots and spend their vacation time and free air fare visiting all the places they usually only see from airport terminals.  Definitely a “don’t judge a book by its cover” moment.

A couple sitting in the back of the restaurant overheard our conversation with the pilots and came up to us when we were leaving to say they were from the same area that we grew up.  So Sam began to talk with them and discovered he knew the woman and had double-dated with her and her boyfriend in high school.  Truly a small world.

Then off to the beach.  We had fun getting our feet wet, talking with our new found friends, shelling and weirdly discovering a fresh bunch of broccoli washed up on the beach, clearly rejected by some passing ship or restaurant in Panama City and not appreciated by the fish.  A great day in Toboga.

For Lindsay’s last night we visited the Cinta Costera (coastal ribbon) which winds around the outside of Panama City.  We started at the Mercado de Mariscos for dinner exploring each fonda’s menu until Lindsay settled on one selling grilled coconut shrimp.  I settled on grilled shrimp in passion fruit sauce while Sam chose pescado frito and patacones. Everything was delicious.  The Cinta Costera comes alive at night with food and souvenir vendors and Panamanian families meeting friends, playing pick up games of basketball, working out in the outdoor public gym and generally having a great time.  We enjoyed the great people watching but panic set in at the lack of public bathrooms.  We found a cool Panamanian diner and noted the location for a future dinner.  I insisted Lindsay try her first raspara, which is the Panamanian version of a snow cone enhanced by a covering of sweetened condensed milk.  Her choice of passion fruit was sweet but delicious.

We reluctantly said goodbye the next morning but had such a great time sharing our world with someone we love.

Welcome to my World (Benvenidos a mi mundo)

How exciting!  Our first visitor!  Using my motherly skills of coercion, I gave my daughter the gift of a plane ticket to Panama for her Birthday and Christmas present which she readily accepted.  She is becoming quite the traveler. I can relate totally to the addictive nature of traveling.

The highly anticipated day arrived, and we arranged a trusted English speaking driver to pick her up at the airport. That evening we caught up by the pool over a bottle of wine until we were discreetly asked to take it inside by the tap tap tap on the window by a fellow guest.

Always being one to maximize her fun, Lindsay was meeting a friend in the San Blas Islands on a sailing adventure.  Transportation for her and a crew member was arranged and they were to be picked up at 5 a.m. the following day at our hotel.  But first a small request by the Captain,  “Can you pick up provisions? San Blas is a group of islands inhabited solely by the Guna Yala Indians and devoid of supermarkets or even a convenient store.  Since Sam and I are usually up for a challenge, we offered to help.  So we took our large suitcase to the Supermercado at the mall to pick up the list of items. Limes, potatos, eggs, parmesan cheese, boxed milk, cabbage, etc. and of course Ron Abuela Rum and wine.  Sam, the logistician, carefully packed the groceries in our suitcase and then repacked in boxes when back at the hotel.  The jungle ride to the dock is rumored to be quite bumpy so we had little hope for the eggs, even though carefully packed in their cartons inside a Nike shoebox recently habitated by Lindsay`s newly purchased boat shoes.  At 4:30 a.m. the next morning we helped her move provisions and equipment to the lobby.  Everything went smoothly which made me feel much better about the trip.   She ended up staying an extra day and after quite a delay arrived a little tired but happy.   The eggs also made it without a single yoke being spilled.

The next day was relaxing at the pool and then Happy Hour at the Balboa Yacht club.  The bartender, Jonas making amazing passionfruit margaritas and moitos.  Then off to Isla Flaminco marina for seafood and then a rooftop nightcap with a view of Panama City and Salsa music.  A great night.

No trip to Panama is complete without visiting the old city of Casco Viejo.  We went in late afternoon did some exploring and had dinner at a particularly interesting venue.  Lindsay was craving fish that wasn’t fried and maybe a more upscale restaurant.  I picked out an interesting place that got great reviews.  This place is located in between two buildings.  It is a permanently stationed food truck inside a completely gutted old building.    “Mom, this is a food truck” she said and gave me a look that clearly said this wasn’t the restaurant she was hoping to find.   The metal doors with “The Fish Market”  messily scrawled in chalk opened just as we were walking by.  Scattered around this interesting building were white picnic tables and a menu with about 10 items on a large chalk board.  Twinkling lights were scattered everywhere and huge white columns rose from among the picnic tables, food truck and little cabana bar.  The whole effect was magical.  The food was outstanding.  Beautiful fresh grilled fish nestled among greens and decorated with an edible flower, coconut and kiwi mojitos and key lime pie for dessert. Everyone was happy.

Next door, a beautiful rooftop bar at Barlovento where we had a cocktail.  Then off to Tantalo rooftop where the views are spectacular and the pulsating Salsa music dared you not to dance.   Tired but satisfied we found a cab and headed back to our hotel.

Next – Taboga Island in Bienviendos a mi mundo – Part II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toboga – Island of Flowers

We purchased a ticket at the dock in Amador for the Isla Toboga fast ferry. We checked in with Steve, who runs the fast ferry business along with a logistical service for supplying  ships going through the canal. “We handle every request and have had some interesting ones like finding a captain’s favorite hot sauce, he explained.”  Steve is a very happy Canadian who arrived in Panama 8 years ago and never looked back.   So we departed Amador and Steve told us he would have someone meet us on the dock in Toboga to explain the points of interest and how to navigate the island on foot.

It was a 25 minute ride and I was searching for my elusive whale friends on the way but no luck.  I think it is just out of season for them.   I had done some research and was really interested in a church that was established on the island in 1512.  It seems that beautiful Toboga had been conquered and invaded a number of times by the Spanish, English, pirates and even during the construction of the canal,  was used to quarantine workers who contracted yellow fever and malaria.  We arrived at the dock a short time later and met our guide who told us where to find everything and explained how safe it was to walk anywhere we wanted.

We went on a Friday so the island was virtually deserted.  There were very few people around because they were at work.  So let me explain.   They mostly work at a neighboring island which is a refueling station for ships. They leave every morning for a 5 to 10 minute boat ride. Then they come home to their beautiful little island every night. Pretty sweet commute.

We decided to take our walking tour first before going to the beach which is unique in itself but more on that later.  We saw the steeple on the church and headed in that direction. The church is located in the town square.

The word charming barely covers it when describing the somewhat hilly walk along the ocean.  The narrow streets are barely wide enough for a small car and we saw only a few.  On this particular day it felt we had the whole island to ourselves.  The  walkway was dotted with multi color houses and buildings and small alleyways and streets. The beauty is really only surpasssed by the amazing smell of the multitude of flowers blended together in a beautiful perfume.  We arrived at the town square and noticed the church was closed. Our guy at the dock said just ask someone they will open it for you.  Trouble was there was not anyone around except two German backpackers, young women in their twenties.  We quickly noticed the angry clouds gathering and we looked for some shelter from the impending downpour.  The German girls found a spot in a doorway off the square.  We joined them and  learned they had been traveling for several weeks.  Their English was pretty good and we managed to have a nice conversation.  They were planning to go on to Costa Rica next.   They were going to try to climb the mountain on Toboga which promised a great view of the surrounding Pearl Islands.  The Mom in me had to bite my lip to keep from saying “not in those flip-flops, you’re not”.  The rain was stopping, and we wished the girls well and headed down to the beach.

So, the beach was very interesting.  A wide strip of soft sand with water on two opposite sides.  We spent a beautiful afternoon collecting shells, exploring and relaxing.

We reluctantly started heading back to catch the ferry, but along the way we decided to stop for a beer at a little “fonda” or stand.  The beer was $1.00 which was great but the only nearby bathroom cost $1.00 to use so it was hard for us to reconcile having more than one.

Toboga is definitely worth another day-trip for more exploring and fun!  Can’t wait!