Shopping Again!
Just in case you are interested, there have been 1,450 viewings of our little blog since it went up. I’m impressed!
Everyone we talk to here encourages us to give the little restaurant in the recreation complex another try so today we decided to try breakfast there. After all, how badly can you screw up bacon and eggs? When we arrived we were the only customers there. We managed to order without too much difficulty and then they went away to make our meals. It seemed to take about 20 minutes for the food to be ready and the fresh coffee to be brewed. When it came, it was perfect. The eggs were done right, the bacon was done extra crispy just as requested and the toast was right. We lingered over breakfast enjoying the beautiful scenery as the building it has windows all around and the views are, to say the least, spectacular. Breakfast for two $11 with tip.
We asked about the Internet and were advised that someone was to come today some time to fix it and that it should be working tomorrow. I headed back to Antonio’s house who had so graciously offered us the use of his Internet yesterday but he was not home so I went down the 20 or so tile stairs to his back yard and sure enough, I was close enough to get a signal. Now I don’t know how many of you have tried to balance a notebook on your knees while running the mouse down the side of your leg in the bright sunlight but it really takes time to get anything done. The simple fact that you can’t see the screen or where your mouse is due to the sunlight really sucks. To make matters worse, it started to sprinkle lightly. I’m really looking forward to having the connection back in service at the restaurant!
Yesterday, I showed you the inside of the monster house that the commodities market claimed from the well to do Panamanian Jeweler. Today I have a few shots of the outside of this magnificent home. Here they are.
Nice shack eh? Well we were about taking house pictures, I thought you might like to see some of the other houses here in Cerro Azul. Here is a small selection that should give you a flavor for the area.
We have decided to stay here for another week so we headed back down the hill to get some more supplies. This time we tried the Super Extra store, which turned out to be about three times larger than the Super 99. It has a pharmacy and bakery (yum yum) and reminds me a bit of Superstore or Wal-Mart. You can buy tires, clothes, fresh fruit, meat, and anything drinkable. As we wander the aisles of this gigantic store, I can’t help but notice how much processed garbage is on the shelves here. When we first came to Panama, you were hard pressed to find much of that but today it is the norm. A simple example was we wanted a small amount of butter. The diary case probably had five or six feet of every conceivable kind of margarine o the face of the earth. We finally found butter in one little corner and got the last package. Super Extra has a better selection of wine than the Super 99. We found three bottles of Argentinian red at respectable prices. A Malbec for $5.50, a Malbec for $4.20 and a Cab Sav for $3.06. Again, these are all in the $20 to $30 dollar range at home. Oh, and did I mention the bakery? We got four sweet buns for $1.60.
Next we needed to refuel our little Toyota. The traffic was so insane that it took us almost 30 minutes to drive half a block, u-turn at a traffic light (yes it’s legal here), and return half a block to the Texaco Station. Fuel was at about a quarter of a tank and it took $30 to fill it.
The find of the day was a fresh fruit store, or more like hole in the wall. Andrea scored a nice ripe watermelon, a pineapple, and a couple of oranges for $2.70.
Well, as you can see we never made it to the jungle today but its on the list for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
6 Responses to “Shopping Again!”
I am really enjoying your blof…it’s so well done. One little request….could yo use a larger font….I have to dig out the reading glasses. As usual, great photos. Cheers
Hi Pam,
Glad you are enjoying the trip. Sorry about the font but this thing is template driven and I don’t have a giant print option available.
But what about the Clamato!? LOL
Seriously though. Picture 12. I could wake up to that view for the rest of my life.
cheers
Sorry, Seeker. We never found your Clamato! Suggest a second suitcase full when you come. Glad you enjoyed the photo.
Really enjoying reading this… appreciated all the pricing information on different utilities, food, and supplies
Hi Phyllis,
Like those prices, eh?