Cerro Azul | Keith's Panamanian Travel Ramble

The Rincon Vallero Banditos’

Hi Travellers,

Today is our second full day here in El Valle de Anton, commonly known as just El Valle. Just where is this place? If you look at the small map below, you will see the route we took from Cerro Azul to El Valle (look for the red push pins at either end of the magenta route).

Here at Cabanas Potosi, the owners keep a few birds. Today’s feature picture is of the one who actually runs the place. He lives in a cage for the night but when he wants his breakfast, he just makes it so noisy that the owners bring him food. He spends the day out of the cage, in a large tree and is somewhat temperamental. He will visit the guests with the owners sometimes and will show a full range of behavior from being fun and chatty to being miserable and ornery. He sometimes plays games with people with cameras and likes to hide from being photographed. Andrea was patient enough to get these shots of him today. When he deems it is dinner time, he calls for his dinner, which is promptly delivered to him and then retires to his cage for the night. Quite a life!

El Valle is a place we have been before but we have never stayed here, just day tripped from other locations. It is growing dramatically but still maintains it’s small town charm. Weekdays are not very busy here but on the weekends it is a popular place for the Panama City folks to head to beat the heat. You also get tour busses full of tourists stopping by on the weekends so the visitors can shop at the market. On a holiday weekend it is common for all the hotel rooms in town to be full! One of the popular draws here is the large public market where you can buy hand crafts from all over the country, plants, fresh fruit and vegetables.

The owner of our resort, is from an old Panamanian family that has been in El Valle for generations. They are owners of large tracts of land here which has become very valuable over the last few years. She tells us that people usually stay here for just three or four days because that is how long it takes to see everything here.

The town site is primarily on level land on the floor of the valley. Mountains surround the town so it is really quite picturesque. The weather is cooler than Panama City and this is one of the few places in Panama where you will find fire places in houses. Both days we have been here it has rained for a short time late in the afternoon. Today, I took some shots of the main drag here. It really doesn’t do the town justice because there are some beautiful large “old money” homes here down some of the side streets. I will see if I can get you some peeper shots tomorrow.

Today, I experienced some typical Panamanian bureaucracy. I was looking for a WiFi connection, which is still not too common here. We found a couple of restaurants that have it but the library advertises free WiFi service for everyone. I went to the library, a nice airy one story building with wired computer workstations around the perimeter of the large single room. Book stacks were neatly arranged into the center of the room and there were lots of tables and chairs for the use of the patrons. I walked in, sat down, and started to fire up my computer. I found the WiFi network and tried to connect to it but it failed. After a few moments, one of the librarians came over with a scribbler, looking for the MAC address of my computer so they could authorize it’s use on their router. I scratched my head and tried to figure out why they would bother with such a step as the service is free and available to everyone that wants it. Why not just have an open public connection? Oh well, I guess it must give someone a job!

For dinner tonight, we headed to a restaurant that we have been to on other trips. This is also a favorite, we found out, of Antonio, our friend from Cerro Azul. The hotel is a little too Panamanian for our taste (yes it’s possible) but the restaurant is awesome! This restaurant is at the Rincon Vallero Hotel. Outside the main entrance is spectacularly landscaped with some beautiful local species and the entrance has a mature vine sporting lots of large blue flowers covering the entrance trellis. Once through the front door you will see a multi level restaurant divided in half by carp pools. There are plants everywhere and the sound of a small waterfall off in one corner. The set tables are dressed with bright red and white table coverings, glasses and place settings that just invite you to sit and have a meal. Soft Spanish music plays from the sound system. This place creates an impressive atmosphere! We were the only patrons in the restaurant.

While looking at the menu, a duck and a goose waddled in from the hotel courtyard entrance. It looked like they knew exactly what they were doing… heading for a table of pastries wrapped in plastic wrap. The goose looked like the instigator as he could almost reach the basket of goodies by stretching his neck through the wrought iron railing. He was just about to snatch his snack when the server came back and shooed the two would be banditos back into the hotel courtyard. We saw one other thwarted attempt later in the evening.

I didn’t order duck or goose for dinner but the corvina (sea bass) special along with a sumptuous papaya fruit shake. Here is a picture for a certain person in the audience! The service was excellent as was the food. Dinner for two, including tip $33. Once again, this place gets a double thumbs up for landscaping, atmosphere, service, food and pricing. Don’t miss it if you come to El Valle.

One Very Special Property

Hi Travellers,

I have one more thing to cover before we close the book on Cerro Azul. Last Sunday, in my post “The Expat Affair”, I mentioned a special property that is now for sale in Cerro Azul that I wanted to tell you about. I have made it the topic of this whole post due to the extraordinary value and beauty of this property. I want you to see that this area is not for Hillbillies. This home is the quintessential entertaining center. I now have the details so here we go.

“This air-conditioned 3-bedroom/3-bath house is situated on 2,580 square meters (0.60 acres) of pristine land.

The home is designed in stunning contemporary Spanish architecture with 390 sq. meters (4,100 sq. feet) of grand living in 3 levels with slate floors throughout, Berber carpet in all three bedrooms, and protected by electric gates and an exterior wall.

The main level consists of a large open concept Living/Kitchen/Dining area complete with fireplace and a bar with plenty storage for liquor and glasses. The new Italian Scavolini gourmet kitchen has gorgeous granite countertops, plenty of modern space-saving storage, a stunning amount of counter space and stainless steel appliances. Frosted glass upper cabinets allow filtered light to keep the kitchen bright and airy. Conveniently next to the kitchen is a huge pantry complete with Washer/Dryer and storage for kitchen appliances. The dining area has built-in storage for china, linens and silver drawers.

Also on this floor are a guest bedroom, bathroom and garage with a tool room. The balcony runs completely across the house with sitting, dining and barbecue areas. Each room on this level has its own access to the balcony. The sunset views from this balcony are breathtaking.

There is a grand staircase in the foyer that leads to two bedrooms with private baths in each. The master bedroom is over sized with a sitting area. The master bath is very unusual with a walk-around shower. Both bedrooms have balconies and amazing views.

Downstairs are an air-conditioned darkened home-theatre room and a game room with pool table, gym, and a Yoga area also with spectacular views from its balcony.
This level also has large storage room with a 7000 KW generator hooked up to the house and designed to keep the entire house with power.

In the backyard an unbelievably immaculate garden with flowers, orchids, orange and lemon trees and a seasonal swimming area with a deck. A concrete bridge leads you to the gazebo with patio furniture and hammocks…perfect for reading. Also included is a caretaker’s cottage at the very end of the property completely removed from view.

Priced to sell this home is offered partially furnished at USD $315,000 firm.

The property has excellent drinking water, electricity, telephone, two separate Internet providers, (ADSL and Wireless provider for backup), and satellite TV.

“Los Altos de Cerro Azul” is a private residential development in the mountains of Chagres National Park: one-hour east of Panama City (40 minutes from Tocumen airport). This gated community is guarded with 24-hours security and has an impeccable record for safety.

A January 2012 property appraisal estimated the market value at USD $411,000.”

Contact information:
Bernardo Lopez
(507) 6766-5970
panalat69@gmail.com

Now imagine the price of this property at home, and remember it comes with many of the furnishings you see in the photos! There is a caretaker living on the property who looks after the exterior of the property and landscaping as well as other tasks designated by the owner. He is paid $350 per month. This could easily be equated to condo fees in many of todays modern complexes and would be at a bargain rate when you consider all he does.

Cerro Azul Final Impressions

Hi Fellow Travellers,

Today, we leave the beauty of Cerro Azul and the perfect climate we have experienced for the last couple of weeks. We have decided to move a little further west to El Valle, a beautiful small mountain town that is a popular day trip destination for locals and tourists. It tends to be cooler than the city, at 800M elevation, and there is always a pleasant breeze. There is a popular farmers and craft market here that bustles with activity on the weekends. During the week, this sleepy little mountain town is slow-moving and enjoyable. There are lots of walkers on the street and bicycles are a popular method of transpiration.

We have one last stop to make so I can get a couple of shots of, what I think is a spectacular property here. It’s an old property that l think was built in 1985 and is supposed to have won an architectural award. It is beautifully sited on six almost totally level lots and provides an unobstructed 180 degree view from the wrap around deck that includes the City. There are two apartments in a separate building and one other out building. It has been well maintained and includes beautiful heavy wood furnishings. Apparently it has been on the market for a long time and we think the price is at about $235K. Amazing value if its true!

As we pack up our little Toyota and say good-bye to our now quite large group of friends, I would like to leave you with a few of our impressions of this area.

1. It is an area that many, unjustly, consider to be quite remote, even though it is only about 45 minutes drive from Tocumen airport. It will take you longer to driver across the city than to drive here;

2. If you are going to visit here, you need to have a car and be comfortable driving mountain roads;

3. Remember that you are in a National Park and conduct yourself accordingly;

4. Accommodation here is difficult to find before coming to Panama. There are no hotels except a hostel that we found in our Moon travel guide but it is outside the park and it looked closed when we drove by it. Try the Canada Panama Realty website, as they have rentals available (See the Business we Support list at the bottom of the right column of this blog for a link). You can also contact Antonio, who has a couple of suites available in his home with Internet (See the post called “Another Place to Stay in Cerro Azul” in this blog for information);

5. Be ready to cook most of your meals while in Cerro Azul. The only restaurant (of sorts) is at the Club, but it closes at four PM daily and is not open on Monday. You can pick up lots of supplies at the Super 99 or Super Extra markets at the bottom of the hill before you come up. Of course, you could drive the road into town for dinner but the road is not good to drive in the dark. It is narrow, hilly and curvy and there are very few street lights. Locals walk on the side of the road and they don’t seem to be aware of the need for light-colored clothes to be able to be seen at night. Drivers here tend to drive in the center of the narrow road and are slow to move back into their own lane when they approach traffic going in the other direction. Be careful;

6. Don’t come here if you are looking for a partying infrastructure. There are no clubs. If you want to party, bring it with you. This place will appeal mostly to people who love the outdoors and those that enjoy nature and hiking;

7. Take a few moments and get to know some locals. We found them to be extremely friendly and helpful in providing information about the area and suggestions of things to do. There are lots of Expat Canadian and Americans here so English-speaking people are relatively easy to find;

8. If you need an Internet connection, there is one available at the restaurant in the Club. It works great when it is working but has been subject to a bit of down time;

9. Do take advantage of the beautiful big pool in the Club area. It is quite cool, as Panamanian pools go, due to the elevation here; and

10. We have seen many places in Panama and this one is our favorite! Partly because it is a well-kept secret and is not busy and partly for the perfect climate. Be sure not to miss it when you come to Panama.

Our trip to El Valle takes us down the mountain and across Panama City to the Pan American Highway. This is the highway that runs from here all the way to Canada! We met some people here that drove down from Quebec… 9,700K. We cross the canal on the newest and only other bridge, the beautiful Centennial Bridge and head west on the recently improved modern four lane divided highway. Be careful of semis hauling containers. We passed two along the way where the container tipped off the chassis on a curve. Its 175K to our destination but it takes us about three hours due to traffic and a lunch break in Coronado at one of our favorite restaurants. We left the Pan American Highway and headed up the newly paved two lane road for 25K to El Valle.

Andrea booked our accommodation over the Internet. It’s a place called Cabanas Potosi and the rate was $44.50 per night. Oh, and you also get the seventh night free when you book a week. Now I don’t know about you but that rate made me nervous until we read the client reviews and found that almost all of them raved about the place. After finally locating it and turning through the main gate, you could tell the place would be fine. The gardens are elaborately planted and manicured perfectly. There are four units arranged in two buildings. The grounds are massive and there are little round concrete tables and benches scattered around the property, each set in a perfect place such as sheltered in the shade under a tree, nestled in the center of ring of tropical plantings, out in the open or secluded. There is a covered patio with a ping-pong table and hammocks are stretched between trees in groups or singly. The place is neatly painted and the rooms, although not elaborate, are neat and clean and contain a fridge. The place is casual and everything you see suggests relaxation! I love it all ready. What do you think?

Romeo and Juliette – Not the Play!

Howdy Travellers,

Today we were up early to fully enjoy our last whole day here in Cerro Azul. We started the day with a visit to our next door neighbor, Jim, to investigate his Big Green Egg. Now I have never seen anything like this but apparently, they are the latest craze in outdoor cookers. We sampled the results of this thing yesterday at the expat party because Jim brought a 25 lb turkey cooked in this thing. It runs on charcoal and I mean wooden charcoal, not briquettes. He showed us that this cooker runs so tight that there was still a good supply of charcoal left in the cooker after cooking the turkey. He said he ran this thing for 6 hours at about 325 degrees to do the most juicy, sumptuous, perfect turkey you have ever eaten. The juicy white meat melted in your mouth. Now for those that know me they know that turkey is the only thing that rates above bacon and this one rated very highly against bacon! The thing is called a Komato Cooker and it is a ceramic egg that does an amazing job on cooking meat. Apparently it has a cult following so if you want the latest and greatest, just Google Komato Cooker and dig out your wallet! If you want consistent perfect results from your grill, you have to get one of these suckers!

After investigating the best thing in outdoor grills, we headed down the road to pick up our friends Connie and Dave, who are from Vancouver Island. Our goal was a hike in the jungle to the Romeo and Juliette falls, a pair of waterfalls in the area. We drove a short distance to the trail head and started out for the falls. Now I have told you that we are in pretty hilly terrain but this was a 1.5K hike all down hill. After 45 minutes or so, we reached the falls which are spectacular and very restful to sit and watch and refreshing to stick your feet in. Don’t do it the way I did by missing the rock on my journey across the river. It’s better to take your shoes and socks off first. My experiences with rivers that look like this is that they are fed by mountain streams and the water will numb any limb that is placed in it for even a few minutes. Here the water is not cold but warm enough to be very pleasant. We sat on a huge boulder in the center of the river for a while simply enjoying the sounds of the water rushing past and the birds in the forest around us. There are some bugs here that rub their back legs together, like a cricket, to attract a mate. It makes quite a noise and the forest was alive with the sounds of these guys all looking for dates. There were some spectacular gigantic fluorescent blue butterflies in the area that moved too quickly for me to get you a picture, so you will just have to take my word for it that they were something extra special to see. After a rest and visit with our friends, we started back up the hill to where we had left the car. Now this hill is steep! There are no flat parts! It took around two hours of steady climbing to get back to the car.

Because birds are in such abundance here, I thought a few more shots from around Connie and Dave’s feeder might be of interest. These birds are spectacular and a constant reminder of the beauty of the nature that surrounds us. Sadly, tomorrow, we leave Cerro Azul. We are headed for an eight-day visit to El Valle de Anton (pronounced L Val-yay). This is a place 175 Km west of where we are and it is also in the hills although a bit less elevation at only around 800M above sea level.

The Expat Affair

Hi Everyone,

Today is Sunday, here in Hillbilly Heaven and the weather is again perfect for this busy day in Cerro Azul. There are lots of families and groups of people up from the city to spend the day in the cooler weather here, escaping the sweltering Panama City heat.

As we made our way over to the club for breakfast, you cross a bridge over the river and when you look down river you see little covered picnic areas with barbecues. One was occupied by a larger Panamanian family group with mom and dad in the small shelter with the barbecue smoking, and the rest of the group were sitting below in the river, chatting and playing as the cool clear mountain water rushed by. They were a friendly bunch and waved while I took their picture.

In the late afternoon around three, we made our way to Jim’s house, where we and 50 or so other expats from the area were invited for a little pot luck dinner and get together. There really was no particular reason for the gathering, according to Jim other than to say goodbye to a couple who were returning home after several years in Panama. Now this is one of the things that I really like about this place. There are lots of Canadians and Americans living here and all that we have met are friendly and seem willing to be helpful to new people. We met lots of new people today and found it a really interesting bunch. Some are permanent residents while others just part-time. Some own homes in the area while others rent. All seem to have interesting stories and they all love the Cerro Azul weather. Here are a few shots from the party.

At the party, we met Greg, who has a very unique house for sale. Several people had suggested we have a look at his house because of the landscaping, architecture and decoration. It’s one of a kind, we were told. I’m going to save the pictures for a day or so until I get some more information from Greg and then I will dedicate one whole post to this incredible home. The house and property are appraised at much more than the selling price. You will be amazed at the value for the money here as many of the furnishings are included with the house.

Another Place to Stay in Cerro Azul

Hi Travellers,

We awoke during the night to the sounds of rain beating down on our big stone deck. It didn’t last long and when the morning came, the deck was dry. After breakfast, we discovered that we have new neighbors in the next house. More Canadians! This guy and his son were down for a couple of weeks. He has owned the house for about five years and comes down two or three times per year. Take a look at the view he gets from his living room. It’s the top-level with wall to wall glass. Spectacular!

I visited with Antonio while updating the blog this morning. He is a warm, hospitable, interesting character who is helpful by nature. He has two suites in his house that he rents out. Accommodation here in Cerro Azul is pretty hard to come by. I mean, there seems to be lots of for rent signs around but I would bet that you would never find them on the Internet. I know the effort it took me to find the place we are staying. There is supposed to be a Hostel in the area but that is outside the main gate and part way down the hill. If you want to stay here and experience this place, you need to rent a house or a suite in a house. You will also need to rent a car to get here and around.

There is a one bedroom suite on the lowest level that has a full kitchen, a bathroom and a nice living room. It comes with a WiFi connection and a flat screen TV. It is nicely finished and immaculately clean. The view from the deck is to die for! Nothing but trees and birds and hills for as far as you can see. This little gem rents for $US75 per night with a minimum of two nights or $US450 per week or $US900 per month! Along with this you get an onsite owner that speaks fluent English and Spanish and has lived there for 15 plus years. There won’t be many questions about Panama or the area that he won’t be able to answer for you.

On the level above there is another unit that can be rented as a one or two bedroom suite and has a private bathroom. Each bedroom has its own access to the large deck with a spectacular view. There is no TV (which is not uncommon here) but there is a WiFi connection so you can stream to your heart’s content. Rates are $US50 per night for the one bedroom or $US75 per night for the two bedrooms. Weekly for the two bedroom you pay $US450 and for the one bedroom, $US300. No monthly rates for this accommodation. For some pictures of the accomodation check out www.cerroazulsuite.blogspot.com/

If you are interested in renting either of these suites, just email Antonio at smaharba7@hotmail.com.

As the weather wasn’t all that great, we decided to head down the hill and do some comparison shopping. Today’s feature image is of the local Do It Center. These modern big box chain stores are kind of 75% Canadian Tire and 25% Home Depot. We prowled the store and found prices are much the same as at home for things like appliances, ceramic tile, lighting fixtures, and plumbing stuff like faucets etc. You will find both unfamiliar brands and those that we know. We went next door and checked out a furniture store with similar results. This store really didn’t have anything much different from what we have at home. We need to find a furniture store that has furniture more Panamanian!

We next headed to a mall! We stopped at the Metromall, a modern gigantic super mall with three or four levels and all the stores we have at home plus a few. If you didn’t know better, you would think you were in a shopping center in Canada or the US. We ate at one of the many restaurants before returning up the hill at the end of the day.

We will be getting company in our little house tomorrow. Some friends of the owner will be moving in to the upper part of the house so we will have to tone our noisy partying down a bit. If the weather is good tomorrow we will be off for another hike in the jungle. See you later.

The Hillbillies Visit The Trump Tower

Hi Travellers,

Well, its 7:45PM and I just got back from my nefarious attempt to steal an Internet feed to load yesterday’s blog but everyone in the house was out and the Internet was turned off. I guess you will just have to wait! I will try again tomorrow morning. I’ll just pour myself another glass of this excellent 2009 Chilean Carmen Valley Central Cabernet Sauvignon and tell you what happened today.

Now, it seems that my descriptions of us being up in the hills and in a somewhat remote location has earned us the new title of Hillbillies from some of our friends. Perhaps my descriptions were a bit too graphic but I can assure you this is not Hillbilly country. Its much too upscale and almost all of the residents we have met still have all their teeth and don’t hold their pants up with a piece of worn rope. We also haven’t seen a shotgun anywhere. The house next door has a driveway containing a very new H3 Hummer with very expensive looking custom wheels and a chrome winch and cow catcher affair on the front that looks like it could stop a train. Today we decide to get away from the crowds and head downtown.

As we approached the main gate leaving the park, we saw something on the road. It was brown and furry and moving at the speed of a turtle! We pulled over and, sure enough, it was a sloth making his way painfully slowly across the road. Traffic is pretty busy here today so he was lucky he didn’t get run over. They move so deliberately, as if in slow motion, dragging their body across the terrain one slow step at time. I grabbed the camera and got out of the car, thinking that I probably had a victim that I could get some close up shots of because he couldn’t move fast enough to get away from me. I didn’t even have to rush. Now I can imagine what was going through his slothful mind… what is this idiot tourist going to do to me with that camera? Now, if I could just go a little faster… Well, other than a couple of glances my direction, I got complete ambivalence. It kind of reminded me of trying to ask girls out when I was in high school! He finally got up the bank and up the closest tree, where he promptly went to sleep after all the exertion.

On the way down the hill, outside the park, we pass a beautiful lake that was busy today. I snuck through the fence and got a couple of shots for you.

Because this is Sunday and Cerro Azul seemed pretty busy, we decided to take advantage of the lack of traffic and head to the downtown core, which would be really busy if we tried to do this on a weekday. We guessed right! Traffic was light. From our driveway to the downtown core takes about an hour, using the new toll road Corredor Sur (Corridor South). Traffic was light and most of the way it is a speedy 110K. There are two tolls to pay of $1.40 and $1.25, at different locations. We guess that using the toll road shortens the trip by about an hour due to traffic, lights, jambs, and just the general insanity of going the old route and driving in Panama.

Us being Hillbillies and all, we decided to head for the high rent district to spend some of Grannies money (Andrea wanted to be called Ellie Mae but you and I both know the real truth here!) in Punta Paitilla which is a little peninsula into the Bay of Panama right off the downtown core. There are several very, and I mean very nice residential towers. The new Trump Tower is just one. We picked a tower and approached it, thinking I would get some nice shots in the lobby, but the sharp-eyed security dude headed us off before we could even start up the front stairs and politely stymied our access attempt. We turned around and thought we would have a look at the Trump Tower. First stop was the gift shop, thinking I would pick up a Trump something golf shirt or such. The young guy in the shop was the owner (from Pittsburg). We got talking and found out that his shop had only been open for about three months and it was going well. He pays $40 per Sq.M for rent. I asked about the Trump shirts and he said they are trying to bring them in from the US but any merchandising with the Trump name is heavily protected legally and he was still going through the legal hurdles. He said the hotel was averaging only about 25% occupancy and then told us something that surprised us. Trump apparently has nothing to do with the building, except lending it his name for a price. There is your useless factoid for the day!

We prowled the mall in the Trump building and found only a couple of stores actually read to open. There was a very cool wine tasting bar that we have to go back to and a gelato bar that we couldn’t get by. Gelato for two was $9.35. Remember we are in the Trump tower!

We wandered the obviously high-end neighborhood and found a beautiful little park, right on the ocean. It was shaded by huge canopy trees and there were a few locals sitting or playing with their kids on the well manicured grass. It made for a beautiful sight with the ocean in the background! We found a Super 99 store in the area and stopped in to pick up a couple of things. Just like Co-op at home, they adjust their stores to the neighborhoods they are in. This store was much different from the Super 99 we bought supplies at before going up to Cerro Azul. Marble floors, wide aisles, neat shelves and staff who spoke some English were all noticeable differences. Just like at home for stores like this, you pay a small premium.

We thought we would grab a late lunch before heading back and selected a little restaurant in the mall with the Super 99 called Marina Marina. This is a combination restaurant serving bistro/fusion type food. Attentive English-speaking servers, good service and tasty food made this a great experience. Lunch for two $27, including fresh juice, sandwiches, and cappuccino.

We had planned to leave downtown with enough time to get back up the hill in daylight. With so much local traffic up in the Cerro Azul area we knew that there would be lots of traffic coming back to town on the road and didn’t want to deal with the unpredictable Panamanian drivers in the dark on a narrow winding badly lit road. We managed to get home in tact but wonder how many of these drivers survive driving here. They drive with headlights off in the dark, they don’t stay on their own side of the road even when oncoming traffic is obvious. If they have to stop for some reason, they just stop in the driving lane and get out of their vehicle forcing everyone else to go into the other lane to go around them. They pull out right in front of you without warning. We find driving here in Cerro Azul during the week just fine with only the few permanent residents around but need to be on guard all the rest of the time.

Our activities for tomorrow remain undetermined. Let it be a surprise!

The Concrete Jungle

Hi There,

Today we were pretty lazy. It’s nice to have a down day. It is curious weather going on here. It is a nice temperature, I would guess in the low 20sC but the humidity is still quite high. Any light effort will produce a wet shirt. The sun comes and goes almost instantly as the clouds race across the sky. One minute you can’t see the next mountain and the next you can see Panama City. There is a light misty rain that comes and goes but never stays so we decided just to ignore it and continue whatever we are doing. The one constant is the breeze, which is a bit heavier and gusty today. All in all it’s the kind of weather that is not unpleasant and it wouldn’t stop you from doing anything but maybe sunbathing. I used to think that Calgary’s weather changed quickly but this is much quicker although not as wide a range of conditions.

Paul had told us that there are 2,800 lots, here in Cerro Azul. Of those, only about 500 have been sold and of those only around 100 are permanent residents. Most of the people here come only for the weekend and summer vacation. Today there was evidence of many more people being around than we noticed during the week. It is still not what you would call busy, due to the scale of this place, but there is a definitely noticeable difference on the weekend.

We loaded ourselves up into the Toyota for the 10 minute drive down to the Club to see if the Internet was fixed and to grab some breakfast. I had pancakes and bacon, which was done perfectly. Don’t anyone tell the girls at Ricky’s that I had something other than bacon and eggs for breakfast. They would never believe you! Well, there was a nice strong wireless network but it turns out it is secured and is a park administration network that they wouldn’t let me have access to. The tourist network is still not fixed! I think I will take a course on hacking wireless networks before our next trip!

This afternoon, we decided we had been here long enough and had not yet ventured into the jungle! It was one of the reasons why we came to this National Park. The trails are all pretty well marked at the trailheads with distances etc. but with limited Spanish it could be a toothpaste ad and we wouldn’t know the difference. We talked to one of our neighbors about safety and hiking and they said that we wouldn’t have any problems but to wear closed shoes as you could step on something nasty that might want to take offence. Off we went to a trailhead near the Club. The gate had been closed all week but today it was open so we drove right down to the river, about 500M or so. This place is set up better than some of our National Parks at home. Parking at the trailhead in a paved parking lot with lines. there is covered shelter if you have to wait in bad weather for someone to pick you up. We set off on one of the trails that takes you down to the Rio Las Cascades river. This is not a large river but I bet it is lots bigger than this during the rainy season (May – November). There is little danger of getting lost as all the trails are concrete walkways, about 18 inches wide and with a steel rail wherever you might need support. You could almost call this place wheelchair accessible, except for the stairs. The little concrete walkway tends to keep people on the trail and not wandering through the adjacent areas. It minimizes the environmental damage while not presenting too much of an intrusion on nature. I was surprised to find this level of infrastructure in place but I guess because it is within the housing development, they needed to do something. I’d be willing to bet that if you came into this park from the river side you wouldn’t find any infrastructure at all.

We enjoyed a nice walk in the jungle and were only accosted by one wild animal… a small (three-inch) lizard that was sunning himself on the walkway railing. Although it was touch and go for a few minutes, none of the combatants suffered any serious damage! Of particular surprise was the almost total lack of bugs. It makes for a very pleasant visit.

Tomorrow we will poke around this area a little more. You can turn down some of these little streets and often be surprised with what you will find!

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!

Cerro Azul Real Estate 101

Hi Everyone,

On the way to find our realtor for our tour today, we met his neighbor, Antonio. He is retired and from California but they have been back and forth several times before he finally built his dream house here in Panama. Quite the place! He keeps two large dogs that speak only Spanish, to keep the animals away from the property. Apparently it works pretty well, it almost kept me away! I told him about our internet problem and he invited us in to use his, which we did. So, just where are we? If you look at the map, you will see Tocumen Airport at the bottom and 76 Via La Paz Castillo at the top. That is where we are.

After we did our Internet business, we went next door to meet Paul, the brother of the person we are renting from. Both are Canadian and have been in real estate in this area for about 15 years. This is a single development here of 2800 lots, 500 of which are sold. Paul says that their slump, due to the economy, was in 2009 and it got better in 2010. 2011 was their best year so far. Their inventory of resale homes is depleted due to the interest here. There is no MLS here so an agent will try to sell you their own properties. Depending on what you want, there are lots of cozy smaller places that you could buy for under $100K. Construction prices run from around $50 to $100 per sq. ft. depending on how elaborate you want your home and they have access to an English speaking builder (Paul’s son). They sell a lot of lots. Lots here go from around $20K up to $70K for the more desirable properties being those that have the best views, the most privacy, the best topography (meaning enough level ground to build a house on), and size. Generally, the Panamanians buy in the $20K range with foreigners buying the better property. We saw several lots and it becomes easier to guess the price based on knowing the criteria. We found one that was of particular interest to us. It was a large lot in the 1800 Sq. M range on a ridge with views in both directions and right at the end of the road. Traffic or privacy would not be a problem. On the next lot was a derelict house that Paul has researched in detail. He wanted to find the owner and offer to buy it from him. The house was owned by an old Panamanian woman who died but had one son, which nobody can seem to find. The house has not been visited for years. Paul tells us that if it was him, he would build on the empty lot in such a way as there was no windows on the back to see the derelict house. Next he would cut the out of control jungle and paint the front of the old house. If nothing happens for 15 years, you can then claim the property under squatters rights and the government will give it to you. We didn’t know that Panama had squatters rights in place but apparently it does and if it takes 15 years for a piece of abandoned property to be claimed, it seems much more reasonable than Costa Rica’s relatively short timeline. It seems that this place is experiencing a renewed interest and no wonder because there are only a limited number of lots and they are located in a national park. The area is popular for Canadians and Americans and is just starting to catch on with the European crowd.

We did see one house. It is a big sucker, coming in around 3,000 Sq. Ft. It was built 20 years ago by a well to do Panamanian jeweler before he became interested in commodities which eventually lost him this house, the jewelry business and his house in the city. The house is now empty and has been so for about two years. It is a striking house from the exterior due to the vast amount of glass. Here of some shots of the massive main floor. Bedrooms and bathrooms are all king sized and there is a third floor with a loft suite. The attic is also a good size. When you look at the workmanship here, it strikes me that this would be hard to get today. Large hardwood beams supporting the roof are open to the house and the intricacy of the beam arrangement over the large turret is interesting. I just realized that I missed getting a shot of the outside of this place so will have to catch it up in the next day or two. The house is listed for $308K but Paul tells us the owners would accept $275K. He says that if someone wanted to turn the main floor into a steak and lobster restaurant, only open on weekends, that it would be a license to print money because the closest such place is all the way across town in Panama City. All we need is a chef!!!

Living costs here in Cerro Azul are relatively small. You don’t need air conditioning or heating so electricity is not much. Antonio tells us he pays around $30 per month for electricity. Water is $10 to $15 per month. DSL Internet service is $16 per month with your phone. Gas depends on use. Everything here runs on propane. You can get the big tanks (hundred pounders) that have to be swapped out by a truck or you can have a few 25 pounders and look after the filling yourself when you go into town. Antonio says he uses about three per month for him and his wife and because the government subsidizes the 25 pounders, they only cost $4.50 per fill. He says that the hundred pounders are expensive. Oh and then the equivalent of a condo fee that every lot pays. It covers the maintenance of the pool, tennis courts, and restaurant complex as well as trail maintenance, road repair and debris cleanup when needed. For all that you pay $27 per month. A handyman will cost you $25 per day.

I wanted to check out the pool, so we piled into our trusty Toyota and drove down to the pool complex. It takes about 15 minutes. The area is beautifully kept and includes the pool, tennis courts, the restaurant building and several little picnic areas carved out of the hillside, each with its own bright little blue roof. The area has lots of concrete walkways to get you from one place to another. The gigantic pool was actually quite cool, compared to the one at our last hotel, but very clean and very refreshing. As you can see, there are no people here. It only gets a bit busy on weekends.

Well after all that, we needed dinner. We had decided earlier to try a restaurant outside the gate about 6.5 Km from here. Due to the winding road, it takes about 25 minutes to drive there. It is called La Posada De Ferhisse and is definitely Panamanian. We were pleasantly surprised when we walked in to be given menus with both Spanish and English so we could point out our selections to the wait person who seemed to speak only Spanish. We ordered roast chicken and fish of the day. Along with salads and a couple of soft drinks, the total came to a whopping $12. Oh, and by the way, the food was really good! We would give this place a double thumbs up!