Isla Taboga

Yesterday we took the ferry over to Isla Taboga with our other friends James & Amanda. 

 

The ferry takes about an hour, even though the island is only about 12 miles away. Slowest. Ferry. Ever. It was cool to pass by all the ships that are waiting to go through the Canal.  One ship that we saw had some guys on top that really wanted some attention.

 

Once the boat docked, we all got off with our things.  Many locals were smart enough to bring coolers full of drinks and food, but unfortunately, we missed the memo. Before leaving the dock, we had to line up on the right side of the lane, and put all of our bags on the left side of the lane.  They then had a 'drug dog' sniff all the bags, then we were able to go.  This has got to be the least drug-dog-looking thing ever...she was so adorable!

 

The island was awesome!  We can’t wait to go back and maybe spend the weekend there.  It has about 700 people on it, many of them fisherman.  We met a lady who owns a little Bed & Breakfast (yes, she’s totally living our dream). She’s originally from Canada, came down to Panama in search of an investment, found property, and built the most adorable little place on a hill that looks out onto the ocean.  She lives in the city during the week and comes to help out on the weekends when it’s busiest. 

 

 

 

This beach was also covered in mostly Panama locals.  Many yachts were parked with people partying on deck.  The water wasn’t as warm as the Caribbean side, but was still very comfortable.  The locals rent out umbrellas and chairs for $5 each, but beers are only $1.  The tide came in before we were ready to take the ferry back, so we went to a little restaurant for some steamed clams and yucca fries. Delicious! Next time we go, we’re hoping to check out the 2 hikes they have though the mountains.  Taboga will definitely be a quick and quiet weekend getaway from the city.  Looking forward to going back!

 

 

James enjoyed the water-proof camera as well :)

 

More Portobelo

Last Saturday we ventured out to the Caribbean side with our friends Beth & Ryan:

 

 

 

 

 

Alex has already had the pleasure of going out there, but us working class folk had to wait for the weekend.  It actually works perfectly because he scopes it all out and then he's our tour guide! We headed out Saturday morning, not before stopping at the grocery store, El Rey, to pick up our 12 pack of Balboa which came with a dry-fit Balboa t-shirt!  Pretty sweet.  We went back to the beach that Alex had blogged about earlier, right before you get to Portobelo. On the weekends they make you pay for parking and for a covered table.  The beach was filled with locals and everyone was having a great time, enjoying the beautiful sunshine.  We went for a little walk and the boys found some little crabs and tried to catch them.

 

 

The water is so incredibly warm. Almost too warm!  We had a great time playing around with our sweet water-proof camera that my WCH friends got us (thanks guys!!)

 

 

We saw the clouds roll in and it started getting really dark.  It then started pouring rain but no one seemed to care at all.  Everyone went about their business, continuing to drink their beers in the ocean, play soccer, and walk along the beach.  It was so awesome to swim in the rain!

 

 

 

We hung out there for a while and decided to head toward Portobelo.  We stopped at a restaurant along to way to enjoy some ceviche. While sitting on the deck, watching the dive boat come in, I looked over a saw a University of Puget Sound shirt. WhAT?!  We got to talking to the guy and his aunt has worked at UPS for 11 years (she was there too!) in the cafeteria, and he owns and runs the dive school at the restaurant. She was very excited to meet a fellow Logger.

We continued on to Portobelo and walked around the town.  Everyone was super friendly and the town was beautiful.  People were out and about, some playing soccer, some playing live music, and others just hanging around.  We snapped some photos of the gorgeous sunset and headed back home.  Successful day with our new friends!

 

 

 

 

The Caribbean and Portobelo

Panama at its best! An hour and a half drive from Panama City and just 30min from Colon is a Caribbean paradise. White sandy beaches and blue water, and some Spanish ruins to boot. Cory and I left Panama city around 9ish, with a quick stop in Colon to check out the free trade zone. Unfortunately, we did not get in. We waited in line at the guard stop, as we pulled up the guard took one look at us, said something in Spanish and just waived us to the side and told us to wait. After about 5min or so a very official truck pulled up with government tags. Two gentlemen got out of the truck talked to the guard and started walking toward us. It took all of 2 seconds for them to figure out we didn't speak Spanish, then the walked away to find somebody that could I guess. In another 5 min or so the guys from the truck come back with another guy, who I think was the teller at the fried chicken place down the street. In any case this guy spoke English and informed us that we can not just drive in to the trade zone. We were supposed to go into Colon take a right at the first street and after we see the sign for Panama Cable and Wireless (it the local phone, TV and Internet provider) go six doors down and we could get a day pass for the free trade zone there. After some quick Internet research we found multiple people saying all they needed to get in to the trade zone was a passport and a smile. But, what the hell. We went into Colon to try and get a pass. Colon is kinda like Tacoma, but dirtier and not nearly as nice (people from Washington state will understand). All that is there really is just a port and the free trade zone. After we drove down a couple amazing blocks and things started to look worse we decided that the trade zone pass was not all that important. After all it was sun and beaches we were after. Off to Portobelo we went. In another 30min, including several double backs and u-turns we made it to what the map say's is a major highway, but in reality is a two lane back road that people drive about 60mph with houses and kids playing along the side (you gotta love Panama). our first stop was an awesome beach that we found by chance down a little dirt road. Picnic tables, bathrooms, a small restaurant and a hut selling beer. Perfect!...

 These kids were in an intense soccer game, The little ones were pretty good too.

 

After an swim and some $0.80 beers we were off again to our next stop, hich just happened to be another 10min down to the Blue Oyster Hotel Bar and Restaurant. We stopped here on a whim and it turned out to be great. I met some of the workers, a guy named Leo from Brazil who came to Panama to paint the Bridge of America's but their project got delayed so the owner of the hotel just had him come work for him for a while. Did I mention that in addition to the hotel and everything else they also run a dive shop here? The dive master Lito gave a ton of good info on how to get certified and good places for diving and spear fishing. You can arrange for boat tours right of the dock to take you to nearby islands as well. The Hotel had 10 rooms, I think, and were reasonably priced, especially for the view. All around a pretty awesome place. We will definitely be going back....

 That Lito with the black shirt. Not sure what the telescope was for but it worked!

The view and the lower deck area.

 

A couple more beers and we were off again. Next stop: Portobelo, only another 15 to 20 min down the road. Portobelo is a small fishing town. Tourism hasn't quite made it here yet but it certainly will. Just before you get into town you'll see an old Spanish fortress with canons and light house. Once in the town there is an amazing old church, not sure from when, but there are local vendors with tables set up selling odds and ends. A little coconut water straight form the source for a dollar and we were feeling great. We walked around the town for about an hour, up and down the streets taking it all in. The locals were super friendly even though we were probably walking through their back yards. Down at the docks we met a guy who would take you out to the islands or on a tour of the bay. He said $50 for two of us but I talked to some people earlier who said they did it for $20. Everything is negotiable here. Whatever price is given to you, cut it in two thirds and that's probably what you should pay. We were a little short on time so no tour of the islands this time around, but we will be back. Back into the town for lunch at very nice looking place, we walked in and all the workers were sitting at a table talking it up. I asked if we could have lunch. "Sure." "Menu?" "On the wall." "How about ceviche?" "No, can't have that." "O.K. How about camorones (shrimp)?" "No, can't have that either." "Well then I will have the carimanolas" (little fried dumpling like things, super good) "No, can't have that either." So I asked what I could have and got a chicken Cesar wrap. What ever, it was still good. We met the owner of the place, a very nice woman from Spain, and it turns out she also has a hotel attached to the restaurant, and it's all a non-profit. Everything goes right back into the town. She has started two music schools and an art studio for the locals to make crafts and sell them to tourists. We checked out the rooms and they were very nice, a little on the small side but who cares. They were right on the water. I got her number and told here we would be coming to stay soon.

 where we had lunch

  I tried to find the owner of one of those boats to make friends, but no dice. Maybe next time.

 

 

We hung out in town a little longer then it was back to Panama City after another quick swim at the beach. Made it back to the city just before dark. Not a bad way to spend a day. 



Settling in...

 

We have been living in Panama for almost three weeks now!  Wow, feels like so much longer :). 

 

We have moved into our place and are trying to get settled.  We got the keys to our apartment on Friday evening, but we didn't feel up to moving everything (not that we have that much stuff) on a Friday night, so instead, some fellow teachers joined us at the pool for dinner and drinks. We headed to the apartment on Saturday morning to clean and wait for the internet guys to come.  They actually showed up, which was shocking because our friend waited 2 days for them to come, and when they walked in the door they wanted a glass of water and the bathroom.  Hmmm. Then they proceeded to sit on the couch and play games on their phone, I think, while also hooking the TV up and watching soccer (we did not request TV, only internet).  I went about my business and about 20 minutes later they unhooked the cable from the TV, wrote down the password to the WiFi, finished their water, and left.  Strangest situation ever, but the internet works so we can't complain.

 

We walked back to the hotel and decided to grab some lunch on the way.  We found a little place with delicious empanadas, patacones, and carne platters.  It started raining but we weren't too concerned since it has rained pretty much everyday since we've gotten here.  It only lasts 15-45 minutes usually, but this one was a long one. It lasted about 2 hours. We finished lunch and had to have a few more beers while we waited.  The rain here is not like the mist in Seattle.  It is torrential downpour and crazy loud thunder.  Streets typically flood, and no one seems to care.  We eventually just had to suck it up and walk the 3 blocks back to the hotel.  We coincidentally got a call from the mechanic (oh yeah, our car had to get towed to the shop because it broke down....it's in somewhat working order now) and it was ready to be picked up, so we walked the 2 miles to the shop(sometimes it's just faster to walk than take a taxi in the terrible traffic), drove back to the hotel, packed up and drove all of our things to our new place!

 

This doesn't even do it justice.

One of 3 local brews

 

 

Take a look at our new spot. It's very bare at the moment, but getting a furnished place is pretty nice.

 

 

 

Guest room

View from guest room

Master

I've never had so much closet space in my life.

Living Room.  Alex broke the lamp today(can you see the white things hanging down?) He claims it was caused by the earthquake we felt today...pretty sure it wasn't that strong

View from balcony. The Canal is behind the building to the right.

Our view to the left.  If I were cooler, I would have a panoramic pic....but I'm not...

 

 

We spent Sunday doing what Alex loves most: shopping! We started at a store called Novey, which is a mix between Bed Bath & Beyond and Home Depot.  Alex is pretty disappointed that he didn't bring any tools with him because they are pretty expensive here.  House stuff was affordable so we bought lots of things and moved on to the next store.  Conway wasn't as great, but they had lots of clothes.  Our final stop was Pricesmart, which is just like a Costco. We stood in line waiting to get our membership for about an hour (have we mentioned things move really slow around here?), and once we got that, we went to town, stocking up on meats, snacks, spices, toilet paper, and of course, wine and beer. Two of our other friends had come with us as well for the day since they don't have a car yet, so the ride home after shopping all day was quite interesting.  We were filled to the brim! And getting everything from the car to the elevator and then out of the elevator to our apartment was annoying.  Guess we'll have to get used to that.  We spent the rest of the day/night unpacking and getting settled in, and Alex cooked our first meal in our new place. It was super delicious, of course, and we have been able to cook every night since! So happy to have a place we can call home! 

 

The next morning I had my first day of school. There are 4 other teachers in our building so we all carpool together. The drive isn't bad, it takes about 20-25 minutes, but there are 3 tolls each way, costing about $8 round trip.  That adds up when we drive it everyday. We left at 6:15am on Monday, which we knew would get us there by 6:40 at the latest, giving us 45 minutes to get ready for the day (school starts at 7:30....soooo early). We got to the second toll and it was dead stopped. All of us immediately start to worry since we never hit traffic the week before when we went to school at that time. It ended up taking an extra 20 minutes to get through that toll, simply because they didn't have all the lanes open, and we also had an altercation with a taxi driver, who told us he was going to "ram into the back of our car if we didn't stop trying to merge into his lane" (the driving here is comical). We showed up 20 minutes before school was going to start.  I walk up to my door and I have parents waiting for me.  Not a good way to start your day, let alone on a Monday and the first day at a new school. I wasn't able to get anything done before school, and the whole day was chaotic.  It also didn't help that we had rainy day recess all day, and none of the kids knew their bus numbers when they walked out the door to go home.  Needless to say, today was much smoother and I'm looking forward to the week getting better from here!

 

 Alex is heading to the Caribbean tomorrow with our new friend Cory (also a non-teaching husband). Check back for pictures and info from their adventure!