Several Worlds Away

I’ve spent many years in the tropics. Most of the time I was “haze grey and underway” which is naval slang for being at sea. I’ve sailed through the Coral Sea, been to Queensland Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, Okinawa, Singapore, Myanmar and the Peruvian Amazon. There were even tentative plans to visit Tahiti though I think that’s effectively on the back burner for now. Panama seems different though. I am not yet sure if it’s the place or me. I’ve felt a bit off balance since I arrived and not as nearly prepared as I usually am. The country has much to offer and the people are wonderful but something feels out of place. I search and search but am still without an answer. So, until I come to terms with my quandary I go on with our vacation.

Today we visited Casco Viejo the old part of Panama City. Old and disheveled it struggles to restore itself. The colors run from muted browns and off-white to vibrant primary colors. Far too few of the old buildings have been restored, those that haven’t are either in very poor repair or empty shells without internal floors, plants growing everywhere and the odd vulture standing watchful on the roof.
A chunk of cash and this would be THE spot for tourists in Panama City. It appears most of the available coin has been sunk into the high rise apartment across the bay, too bad for historical preservation. While in Casco Viejo I also purchased the obligatory Panama Hat (made in Ecuador of course) and a Cubano cigar. The hat was a must. I grew up hearing my dad talk about his visits to Ecuador in the late 40’s, so that purchase was as much in his memory as my own taste for hats.

All in all I can do without Panama City. I’m not a big fan of many cities. Let’s see, the short list would have to be: LA, New York, DC, Singapore, Roma, Cuzco, San Francisco… I think that’s about it. There are many places I’d like to visit and even return to, like Buenos Ares, London, Bangkok and Munich but the short list is places I could really spend some time and not get anxious in short order.

Panama, the country outside the big city, is curious to me. This is the first place I’ve visited with huge flocks of vultures. Personally I’m quite fond of vultures so I’m cool with that. I even felt a bit sorry for the hundreds of them we saw circling above the meat packing plant waiting on the meal that will never materialize. The jungle here is quite serious. Even at more than 8,000 ft elevation the rain forest is dense and unforgiving. We looked over some land up north near Cerro Punta, beautiful land, but very wet and steep. It would be a great local for an Eco-Lodge or possibly for growing some coffee. That is something I’ll dig a bit deeper into. It could be that some of my curious unease is that this time we are really considering retirement locations. I haven’t found and really good mountain biking areas and even Vulcan Baru at more than 10,000 ft just does not compare to the Sierras.

The people here have been wonderful. We’ve met a number of locals I could easily remain friends with. It’s worth keeping in mind thought that only 2.3M people live in the whole country. It’s all a bit of a small village outside of Panama City. Laura, the realtor in Vulcan is a true free thinker. She fled Panama under Noriega because she refused to live in a dictatorship. Now back and with a growing business she is taking on interests trying to dam up a local river. She’s doing this without a group, just by herself. In a few short days she had collected over 300 signatures in an area with about 10,000 residents, not bad!

The best food so far has been at a restaurant names La Isletta. Roberto and Arturo run the place along with a working ranch and small B&B. All the beef they serve is grown, grass fed and hormone free, on the ranch. It’s the best beef I’ve ever tasted (apart from Kobe). Roberto an amazing family property along the Inter American Hwy and made it a must see locale. They offer kayaking, hiking, a wonderful place to sleep and fantastic food. If you are driving from Panama to David this is a great place to break up the 5 hour drive.

The town of Boquete has recently overthrown the long reign of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee with Geisha Coffee. I hear in the US it fetched over $100 a pound! A beautiful place and the current darling of expats residing outside Panama City, Boquete is a compact town of coffee plantations and small farms butted up against the Eastern flank of Volcan Baru. It’s nice but I doubt I’ll end up there. The mountain roads are too prone to mudslides and the prices have already been driven up by expats. Volcan and it’s surrounding area on the West of Volcan Baru have more to offer. That is, they have more to offer me. Volcan is a cow town but the prices are not yet over the top and there is room to find a few acres and disappear if one chooses.