Keith's Panamanian Travel Ramble

The wanderings of Andrea and Keith around Panama

Posts tagged ‘dinner’

The Mystery Car

We awoke this morning to the distant beat of jungle drums echoing off the mountain walls as the sounds made their way down the valley to our ears.  When I opened my eyes, I realized it wasn’t jungle drums at all but rather the base from some Panamanian dudes stereo off in the distance being played at the only volume setting permitted for music in Panama, that being maximum!  The always barking distant dogs were strangely silent this morning as if they knew why the veterinarians that I told you about yesterday were in town. Oh well, there was still the roosters!

Breakfast today was at the Restaurant Artesanias in the Hotel Residential El Valle.  It’s right on the main drag and looked inviting.  It was also close to the already busy public market where we were headed after breakfast.  The menus here, as in most other places have the offerings written in Spanish with the translation to English in brackets following.  It works pretty well and we have not had too many surprises yet.  Today we ordered fresh fruit smoothies, pancakes and coffee.  I can’t believe a day without bacon!  The food was fine, nothing special but the smoothies were huge and very flavorful.  Breakfast for two $10.  This place would be worth another try but we are running out of days to double up on restaurants.  Give it a try if you are in town.

Last night, while at dinner, we saw a beautifully restored old car drive up and park in front of the Catholic church.  The occupants headed in for Mass.  I had left my camera in the car and the lighting was poor so I did not get a picture of it.  Today, it was loaded aboard a trailer hooked behind a Toyota Tundra capped pickup and parked by the side of the road.  I got a couple of shots of it but still don’t know what make it is.  There was no recognizable (to me) insignia on the car to identify it.  Maybe someone out there could tell me what it is so I can pass it on to the other readers.  I took a pretty close look and the quality of the restoration workmanship was perfect.  Even the wide white wall Firestone tires were in perfect condition.  I love the color, which I know could never have been authentic.  Can anybody help?

The main drag was starting to back up with all the traffic headed to the market and the church.  Crowds spilled over into the street.  Lots of small vans from resorts in other places arrived filled with tourists looking for bargains.  A couple of large tour buses were parked in an empty lot across from the church.  When we walked around the market it seemed a bit smaller than we remember from earlier years.  The back part of the market behind the plant section is empty and not full of vendors selling plants and flowers.  The tent behind, where many of the Kuna artisans display their Molas had fewer tables.  Up front, in the craft area was still busy with many good quality Panamanian crafts being offered.  The fruit and vegetable part of the market is a bit bigger with fresh product piled high on the tables and lots of locals availing themselves of the expansive choice.  I prowled and got a few pictures to give you an idea of what goes on here on Sunday at the market.  Tomorrow, the streets will be empty again and El Valle will return to its more normal slower pace of life.

We headed back to the resort for a little quality hammock time.  I have to keep my tan up!

For dinner tonight we decided to try Chinese.  There is one Chinese food restaurant in town in a new mall called Pekin.  It has a convenience store, hotel and a Chinese food restaurant all called Pekin.  We went in and ordered.  We found the food a bit disappointing compared to the other meals we have experienced around town.  They don’t take credit cards as many of the restaurants now do and the servers appeared to speak no English where most other places we have been they can at least speak some.  The food was hot and the service adequate but we wouldn’t bother with it again.  It was an unremarkable meal.  Dinner for two $23.

Fierce Mud Covered Natives of the Backwater Jungle

Hi All,

Today we awoke to a bright sunny perfect day here in El Valle.  There was quite a wind storm last night and one of the metal roof panels got pretty noisy during the night, rattling with the breezes but by morning we still had a roof and everything was back to normal; that being perfect!

We went to Artash for breakfast and an Internet connection again and got talking to Natasha.  She is a pretty Russian born Canadian girl who is now living in Panama and has an interest in Thai yoga!  She speaks several languages.  Sounds a little united nations like to me but she has a studio out back of the restaurant where she practices her yoga and even leads an occasional class or two.  She gave me a short tour and posed for a few shots of her in a couple of yoga positions.  She has striking big blue eyes and a huge smile!  Here in Panama you find people from all over the world.

Later in the morning we decided to check out the local hot springs.  It is located in a small public park down by the river and is a popular spot both for tourists and locals.  You park at the end of the road and run a gauntlet of small boys all offering to watch you car for you.  I think it is the only English they know and they all have huge friendly smiles.  It’s not really about security but more about trying to separate a few coins from the wallets of the patrons.  After paying the $2.50 entrance fee you walk across a small bridge that spans a lazy small river and leads to an area containing covered picnic tables, change rooms, a massage room, showers, and a number of concrete pools of varying sizes.  The place is well used but neat and well-kept.  There is no trash around.  The bathrooms were immaculate and cleaned after each use.  I was surprised at the number of people around wearing the official purple park golf shirt signifying they were staff.  They are there to direct the public in the use of the facility.  There is a mud bath that seemed to be pretty popular.  I got a couple of shots of people with mud covered faces looking a lot like the fierce natives of the backwater jungles in the past must have once looked except they wouldn’t have been wearing the designer bathing suits sported by todays users.  The sign said the temperature of the pools was 38C, which is not really hot but just kind of warm.   I didn’t do the mud facial, even thought somebody I am travelling with told me I needed it but I did try the pool which was a comfortable temperature for a warm day.  After being in the hot pool for about 30 minutes, the shower, when you get out of the pool was very cold!

I told you the other day that I would try to show you some of the elaborate estates around here so on the way back to the hotel we stopped a couple of times for some pictures.  Girls, if you are looking for sugar daddies, it seems that this might be a promising place to start.  What do you think?

When we got back to the hotel we met a new couple that had just arrived from California so we joined up with them and our friend Octav for dinner.  Tonight we chose Brochette’s Restaurant on the main drag right across the street from the library.  It is the restaurant that is part of the Anton Valley Hotel.   As their name implies, they specialize in brochette, five different kinds and they are all scrumptious and loaded with garlic.  We ordered main courses as well and enjoyed a leisurely meal of excellent food and good companionship.  Dinner for two, including drinks, appetizer, main courses and coffee $26.  We have eaten here before and they consistently produce good food to an often full house.  Don’t miss this place for at least one meal.

El Valle is actively working on some things to improve their community.  One such thing is to try to get the large population of dogs under control.  There is now a local ordinance where owners of dogs not tied up are subject to fines.  Tomorrow about 50 veterinarians will arrive for the day to spay as many female dogs as owners will bring to the free clinic.  The population here is quite progressive in tidying up some of the annoying problems that seem to get ignored in many other places.  Impressive!

The Spring Fed Pool

Hi Travel Fans,

We thought we were the only people in our little resort until last night when we heard a vehicle drive in and then drive out.  This morning, there was a new face here.  Octav is from Victoria and had recently lost his wife.  He decided he needed to get away so came here to Panama, all on his own.  He is 78 years old and, we are told, probably would not be able to rent a car due to his age.  He had a bit of a bad experience in Panama City when he arrived to find out his hotel didn’t have his reservation and he needed to find an alternate in a rush.

Panamanians show a lot of respect for older people and the owners of this resort, to their credit, are typical examples.  They were concerned about this older man traveling on his own and without a car so had decided to make him breakfast, to his surprise.  We offered to take him into town and got talking with him.  He is a fascinating man, born in Romania and having worked all over the world as an electrical engineer.  He speaks several languages but his Spanish is limited, he says.  He speaks far more than us.  He tells the most fascinating stories about some of the projects he worked on in various parts of the world.

He decided to join us while we had breakfast at the Artash Restaurant in town.  We had been there once before and enjoyed the casual friendly atmosphere.  The restaurant is located on the covered patio outside a Panamanian house.  The property is elaborately landscaped which provides a privacy separation between the eating area and the rest of the property.  It is run by a young couple.  Arturo and Natasha.  He is Panamanian and she is, more recently, from Canada.  The restaurant runs in his families old home.  The food offering is a bit different.  Arturo characterizes it as casual international.  Arturo’s experience as a chef includes Panama and Spain.  Everything is fresh and quite creative as prepared by him.  Natasha, provides a friendly attentive service to the guests.  The food is reasonably priced and very tasty.  If you are in El Valle, pay them a visit, it will be a great experience!

Octav left us after breakfast to walk around town and we returned to our resort.  After talking with the owners, we decided to take a short hike down to the river to see some falls that are close to the hotel.  By the time we were ready to leave, Octav had returned to the resort so he joined us for our walk.  We never actually found the falls as it required  a bit of rock hopping on wet rocks and the footing was not very good.  We elected to sit in the shade by the river and enjoy the sound of the water making its way down the channel and the cool breezes that have been with us all day.  On return to the resort, we decided to try the pool as the afternoon was warm.  Cabanas Potosi have an arrangement with another hotel in town that has a pool so we got directions and made our way to an empty resort with a beautiful big pool.  We were told it is spring fed and there is no chlorine in the pool.  The pool is shaded by one of the largest trees I have ever seen.  I can’t even imagine what it must be like to keep that pool clean when the leaves all decide to drop!  The water was refreshing, not too cool and not too warm and the pool was nice and clean.

The three of us went to Capitones Restaurant for dinner.  It is a pleasant place where you can dine inside or outside on tables scattered around the property.  They specialize in German food.  We ordered our food and were all impressed with what was provided.  They provided the best cup off coffee I have had since we arrived here.  It was coffee from Boquete, which is in the hills in the west of Panama.  Andrea had jumbo shrimp while I had garlic chicken.  Oh and then there was the strawberry cheesecake.  Yum yum!  Dinner for two $36.  This will get a return visit from us, particularly for the coffee.

I know I promised you some shots of some of the beautiful big estates here today but I just never got around to it!  I think I am settling into the Panamanian lifestyle!  Manana.

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.

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?

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.

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!

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, we have plans to head into the jungle!  I’ll tell you about it then (if we make it back) Smile.

Martyrs Day is Dry

Hi Travel Fans,

Today is a special day here in Panama.  Flags throughout the country fly at half mast to commemorate those killed in the Flag Riots of 1964.  This was a tumultuous time in Panamanian history and riots broke out over the flying of a flag.  At that time, the US controlled the canal and had agreed to fly both the US and the Panamanian flags in various places throughout the Canal Zone.  As this turned out to be quite controversial, the governor of the Canal Zone decided to remove some flagpoles altogether.  Balboa High School was one place where the flag poles were to be removed but the students took things into their own hands and raised the US flag before the pole could be removed.  Keep in mind that this was a place within the Canal Zone that contained mostly US families.  A group of Panamanian university students decided that there should be a Panamanian flag flying from that pole, not a US flag so they organized a march to the high school and attempted to change the flags.  What ensued was rioting, looting, destruction, and mayhem with two dozen people loosing their lives.

Today, 9 January, is officially known as Martyrs’ Day here in Panama.  It is a public holiday.  Interestingly enough is the fact that no liquor can be sold during this day.  If you go into a grocery store, you will find the liquor aisles taped off and if you are in a restaurant or bar, you wont be able to order anything alcoholic.  Many stores and restaurants close for the day as well.  I like the serious and respectful approach that this country takes to remembering this important event in their history.

Well, enough history!  Today I promised you some information about our real estate meeting.  We learned about this opportunity through International Living Magazine some time ago.  It is a new 96 suite exclusive boutique hotel that is to be built in downtown Panama City that will be called the Park Inn.  The neighborhood is good and it is within walking distance of the business area, restaurants, and the waterfront.  The concept is that the rooms are being sold as condominiums, to each owner.  It is an exclusive property as all rooms are one bedroom units.  There is a 20 year contract in place for the Radisson to manage and run the property and the Carlson Hotel group will be handling the reservations and marketing.  It is expected to take up to 20 months to complete the building and have the hotel working.  Revenues will be pooled for all units and the owners distribution will be based on the unit size (there are 3).  Current pricing is pre construction and coming to an end shortly.  There will be two more jumps in the pricing of about 10% each as the construction begins and then as the construction completes.  It is an interesting concept and the developer seems to have put all the pieces together.  The first deposit is 10% and there will be two more 10% payments required as the building progresses.  Seventy percent mortgages are available here in Panama from HSBC at around 6% that only amortize for 10 years, which we are told is common here for investments.  Current pricing varies from around US$240K through US$318K, accomodating the different floor and unit sizes.  We will give this a little more serious consideration and crunch some numbers to see if the revenue will support the expenses but on the surface, this makes sense to us.

We came back to the hotel to pick up the car and head out to the end of the causeway for some lunch.  It was extremely busy there as the Coral Princess was in port and passengers were beginning to arrive back from their various tours.  The Coral Princess stood off shore and passengers were being tendered back to the ship.  After an unremarkable lunch, and a few pictures, we decided to head over the Bridge of the Americas to find the new Westin hotel in Playa Bonita that just opened in December.

We have friends who are coming to Panama during Carnival and they will be staying here.  Nice property, right on the Pacific but it is quite remote.  We talked to a couple of guests who said it was a $25 cab ride per couple if you wanted to go into the city.  It is a good place to sell all-inclusive packages because there are no close local options.  We checked out a room and it is definitely up to the Westin standards.  Understandably, they are going through some growing pains as they get staff trained up to the Westin level and there are still small things left to do on the building.  There is also construction of another tower on the same property that is far from complete.  The guest we talked with said that some people were unhappy with the food and service levels as the Westin continues to work out the kinks of a new operation.

 

 

 

 

We decided that pasta might be in order for dinner tonight.  Well, not really!  It was more like the pasta joint was one of the few restaurants open.  Remember, this is Martyrs’ Day.  We found el Dente Restaurant not far from our hotel, at the start of the causeway.  We ordered an appetizer which was a bacon and cheese brochette.  Remember bacon is one of he major food groups to me so anything containing it goes straight to the top of the list.  It was good!  Next came a couple of pastas that we don’t see at home much.  I had chicken lasagna and Andrea ordered chicken cannelloni.  Again, no English menus and no pictures this time.  Tonight was a real surprise when we got what we thought we ordered.  Dinner was great but much toooooo large!  Total bill was $37.

Today’s featured image is a sunset over the canal, taken right in front of the Country Inn Panama Canal in Amador.

Well, enough for today.  Tomorrow we leave this hotel and make our way up the mountain to Cerro Azul.  I wonder if I should have tire chains, just in case?