Hola Panama

Feb 8

It was along travel day. We were picked up at 8:00, drove to Leon airport 90 minutes away, waited for our flight which departed at 11:30 and flew to Mexico City where we had a three hour layover before heading out for Panama City (PC). We arrived at 8:30 pm a bit behind schedule and it took 90 minutes to get out of the airport with passport control

(a line way too long), baggage claim and customs. Monica who is renting us a shared apartment picked us up at the airport and we got to town about 25 minutes later. After showing us where things were, she left and we unpacked and fell into bed around midnight.

Feb 9

We met our house-mates, Mike and Jeanie from Indiana. We went to the corner store and got soy milk and a banana to go with our granola we had left over from SMA.  After breakfast we walked around the neighborhood, got a decent map from a large hotel, got a metro map (we didn’t even know PC had a metro but I think it is pretty new since my tour book didn’t mention it). We went to the ATM and got money (they use US dollars here oddly enough. Then on to the grocery store to get lunch fixings: cheese, bread, veggies for roasting, etc. I was surprised at the limited selection of veggies in this large store. But we don’t cook much on the road so it isn’t a big deal.

I was still tired today so we hung out at the apartment, walked around the neighborhood and ate at a nearby restaurant and had a good dinner.

Feb 10

Wanderland

Today was a day of wandering around trying to find places and getting frustrated in the process.  We decided to go to the Museum of Contemporary Art and started off by taking the new metro. Unfortunately the new system is having some growing pains.  We had to purchase some transit cards ($2.00 ea) to use on the system and then charge them up with a usable balance. We bought the cards in a machine that was supposed to be able to do both purchase and a charge up.  However after getting them we found we only had the cards and the extra money we had added was not added.  We finally found an agent who took us to a window.  We learned it would take four days for our card accounts to get credited with the lost funds.  And, these service window do not make change for adding funds to the card.  Strange.  Let’s just say there are some kinks to work out in the system. 

Then, after exiting the metro station at our stop near the museum, we asked five different people how to get to the museum, showing them where it was on our map and got five different answers. We finally got there after several false moves. Very few of the streets have name signs and we speculate that even the locals do not know the names of the streets. After several false starts and mis-directions, we finally made it to the museum.  The museum had a collection of a number of Latin artists and we were glad we went in spite of our difficulties finding the place. The general area was dirty with lots of litter and a bit edgy, making me a bit nervous about our safety. Next we went to the inter-city bus station in preparation for Thursday when we take a bus to Colon on the Atlantic side of Panama to meet up with Wayne and Dana to help take their sailboat through the canal. We are excited.

Feb 11

Today we decided to visit Old Town (the restoration of) which is a work in progress. Since it is located near an unsafe neighborhood we took a taxi which only cost $6.00. This area is a World Heritage Site and very clean and litter free for the most part. 

We visited the canal museum and I looked at every photo hoping to spy a photo of my grandfather or great uncle who worked on the canal. I have no idea what their role was there but did discover that my grandmother gave birth to the first two of her nine children in Panama. The Keys family has large ears and broad asses. Alas, I didn’t find anyone who had these features but the hunt was fun for me. I have a photo of my mother’s marriage. It is a family photo with my grandfather in his robe and pajamas, sitting next to my grandmother and my parents and surrounded by my mothers seven siblings. All are grim. My grandfather was dying from tuberculosis at the time and the marriage took place in his bedroom.

However, about half to two thirds of the former buildings have not yet been restored. We did see a lot of work being done on a number of buildings. We ate a very mediocre lunch of traditional Panamanian restaurant which had been recommended. 

 

From old town, the newly developed "new town" can be seen with many high rise buildings. It's was reported that they are only 40% occupied.

Also from Old Town, we could see the Bio Museo designed by Architect Frank Gehry, who also designed the Disney Performance Center in LA. We then got a view of the Bridge of the Americas that spans the Pacific side of the Canal.

We came back to our apartment and rested. I am fighting a sore throat and want to rest so I can go through the canal on Friday. We went out later for some groceries, sunscreen and mosquito repellent for the trip. We ate at a nearby Italian place.

We are staying in a nice neighborhood with high end hotels: Hyatt, Wyndham, Hilton and the Marriot yet the streets and sidewalks are filthy and littered. They look as though they haven’t been washed in ages. We are spoiled by SMA where shop keepers wash the sidewalk daily and there is almost no litter. You can drink the water anywhere in Panama and nowhere in Mexico. Go figure!

Adios San Miguel

Feb 5

We slept late, which was a delight; then spent some time in the apartment working on email and the blog. We have a humming bird who is nesting just outside our front door. 

 I hope I have mentioned how friendly and courteous Mexican are. Here there is a one by one rule at intersections. One driver will go and the next will stop so a driver to his right or left will go and so on. As for pedestrians, they rule. Every driver stops to allow a pedestrian to cross. Oh how I wish we could teach other countries such a rule. Places like the Republic of Georgia and Vietnam come to mind immediately.

We left the apartment and picked up Ron’s suitcase and sandal repair at the cobblers. On the way we saw some of the ubiquitous balloon sellers that are all over SMA.  Excellent job on both accounts. Then we returned to the apartment to drop these off and then headed out to find a gift for the woman who is handling our mail for us while we are gone. Each week she tells us what has come in the mail then we let her know what to scan and to send to us electronically. How did people do long term travel before computers?? We tried another café that Steve had recommended and had a great tostado and salad lunch. There was a bonus as the owner sells pirated DVD’s that he copies himself so we got two TV series we like and an Oscar nominee which we missed here.

We saw "Two Days, One Night" before going to dinner. We went to a restaurant where it seemed all the staff spoke English. Pilar’s husband had recommended it. We had mediocre meals, but I think we could have made better choices and maybe had a better meal.

Feb 6

Today we visited with our neighbors who live in the small complex where we are staying. There are four apartments here. David and Barbara moved here about five years ago. They gave us loads of helpful information including bringing a car here, long term visas, geezer cards that will give us discounts on air fare, museums, etc. Afterwards we walked to town, had lunch at the apartment and then we went our separate ways to get haircuts. I got my first exposure to the gossip here and it wasn’t pretty so I am taking Steve’s advice and not passing it on or getting involved. To me gossip is  a one way ticket to hell. We decided to work off eating what was in the refrigerator so we ate dinner at home: tortillas with cheese melted on top and a fried egg on top of that. I also used up the last of the bread and made cinnamon toast. We ended the evening by going to see "American Sniper" and I never even recognized that darn cute Bradley Cooper. Man oh man he bulked up for that role.

Feb 7

After breakfast we went to the Saturday organic market and what a treat. There were loads of folks there and it is near Centro. Not only was there a wonderful array of fresh veggies but also crafts, and specialty food items such as a artisan breads (pumpernickel!), cheese, handmade chocolates (we got chili chocolate and it was hot and delicious) and sauces. If we return this will be a regular shopping destination. There were about three separate food stands serving what looked like fabulous meals for breakfast and lunch. My favorite was Las Tres Marias. How can you go wrong with that?

We stopped by our fave bakery to pick up our lunch of empanadas (chicken and chipotle, potato and cheese and ham and cheese) and an afternoon snack. Then we went to see our last sight, Casa de Allende Museum. Ignacio de Allende is considered one of the most famous leaders of the independence movement. His home was beautiful and had been furnished with period pieces.

We came home and sat outside to eat our empanadas. We packed then headed out for a cup of coffee and to eat our treats in the jardin, the main town square/park. 

Afterwards Ron took photos of people in the park and on the street. The mariachi bands play such happy music and we hear them daily, mostly at night in the jardin. It has been a truly wonderful time here. I often find myself smiling. We are eager to see Panama and Costa Rica to see if San Miguel remains at the top of our list.

Wanna go to Guanajuato

Feb 4 Guanajuato day trip

Today we got up early which was difficult because the wonderful brownie made for a short night of sleep. Oh that chocolate. We caught a first class bus to Guanajuato which is the capital of the state. It is much larger than SMA and quite beautiful. It was an important mining town back in the day and the town is built on top of the mining tunnels so many roads are subterranean. This region of Mexico provided 1/3 of the world’s silver.

The town is built on very steep hills and makes for winding streets and nothing is on a grid pattern. It adds to its charm. The main town square was swarming with tourists. We saw some wonderful sights, being our own guide.

We started with a cup of Starbucks then headed to the funicular which took us up to El Pipila, a statue of a mythical hero who fought with Father Hidalgo’s rag tag army for independence from Spain.

From here we got a 360 degree view of this colorful city. It was a
perfectly clear day. We went back down to explore Diego Rivera home where he was born which is also a museum that carries much of his early works as an artist.

Our favorite sight was the Teatro  Juarez, built in 1903 and it was
spell binding with all its intricate decoration. The ceilings, the original seats, the iron work, the tilework and on and on it went. The woodwork in the cantina which was closed was gorgeous. We could see through the glass and an open door. We spent a long time walking around and Ron took scores of photos. It was truly a feast for our eyes.

We ate at one of Steve’s favorite restaurants and we were not disappointed. Ron and I often order different dishes then switch mid meal so we get to try two dishes at each meal. Then we will have a light supper. I had beef tacos and Ron had a stuffed poblano pepper with meat, rice and sauce. Oh my, we both enjoyed both dishes. Yum and thanks to Steve.

After lunch we walked around some more and made our way to the old granary which turned out to be a beautiful building not what we expected at all. It was built between 1798-1809. It is now a museum with displays of Meso-American artifacts and a tribute to Mexico’s independence movement.








We also visited the Mercado with vendors of every type.

We headed back to the main square after resting in one of the smaller squares taking pictures of locals.

We spied a taxi and grabbed it to take us to the bus station. We arrived early but we were tired of being on our feet all day and our lack of sleep was taking its toll. We got home around 6:00 and rested briefly then decided to grab a gumbo and salad at Harry’s Restaurant and Bar around 7:30. OMG. The troops had landed. The place was jammed with Americans drinking and the music was blasting in the bar. We got a table in the dining room and moved to a quieter one and even then it was hard to carry on a conversation. Next time we will go early before the party guys arrive.