Where To Now? – Whatsittwoya

BOCAS!!!

First, let me say how glad I am to finally make it here. In my mind, this destination is the period at the end of my sentence. I came here in 2003 for two days and found paradise, and from there began the planning and hard work that has made my return an actuality. It is my opinion that no one who has a job, a week to spare, and the spare change to get here ($650 return to Panama City and $100 return from there by AirPerlas) should pine away in an office and dream about it. No more than $40 buks a day ($25/day @ A/C and cbl. TV)has you fed and housed on an island in paradise. High-speed wireless internet available at Mr.Roberts Restaurant (on the sea).

Ok, the story. As I headed away from Boquete, the road was all twisty-turny like crazy. This “short-cut” to the main highway to Bocas would have been better but for the 7 km of crappy gravel road just before it connected. It was the kind of road that you could only do about 8… no 6 km/hr on and went up, and up, and up…. but… from the top I took this.

So Finally

Well, I thought that everything was good to go. NNNNNNNNNNNNgh. Nope, I actually had to physically take the car back to Paso Canoa and chase a guy around to get what is called a “Pase de Salida” so in the future I can register this car here and get a plate for it. I also need that if I will ever want to sell it. I can’t see that happening, after what a good girl she has been, but it is nice to finally have stamps on everything.

It was a little funny though, because about 5 km from the border there is a check stop. I got stopped and ended up giving two of the guard there, complete with AK-47’s and side-arms, a ride back up to the border. So there I was pulling up to the border with these two army guys in my car. You should’ve seen some of the looks I got when they got out. Mikes’ armed escort! For the life of me, I don’t know why I didn’t get a picture, but I swear it happened!! Read more “So Finally” →

Where To Now?

It’s Official

I now have a stamp on my passport that says I’ve imported my car. Dents and all. That wasn’t too hard. As soon as one acclimatises to Panama Time, it is no problem at all.

I guess I will know tomorrow if I will be able to take a cheap seat on a return flight to Canada. AirTransat does round trip flights direct from Toronto and Montreal WITHOUT stopping in the excited States. This mean s a 5 1/2 hr flight instead of 11 1/2 hrs, no hassles with Yankee customs searches, and no changing planes midway. It does, however, mean that I will have to get myself from Toronto to Edmonton someway. This could all fall through tomorrow, though, and I will be forced to get a trip through Continental at a much higher price. Read more “It’s Official” →

Where To Now?

Thinking of Home

Well, toady has been HOT!!! This is the very hottest time of the year down here with the sun directly overhead. You shadow is as big as your shoulders, and that is it! A siesta is almost mandatory in the middle of the day. It’s just too hot to do anything else. The nights, however, are nice. The seasons are on the verge of changing from the dry season to the wet season, and every second night brings showers and thunderstorms. From up here on the hill, the view of the storms at night are a pretty good show. I am told that later on in the season they are louder, stronger and directly overhead. Read more “Thinking of Home” →

Where To Now?

A Little Rain

Ok, I am still here in Boquete. Never made it to Isla Colon yet. the water problems persist here and I have made myself usefull helping out with the daily chore of keeping water in the holding tanks. It has been now 6 days without running water on a resort with 4 cabanans and a house. Today is the first day that I think something might actually get done about it. Maybe.

If you are ever considering relocating down here, do so with the foreknowledge that you cannot rely upon the services. You need to have backups for everything. Everything.

The power goes out just about every night for a little bit, so there is no use setting a clock, and if you are running a computer without a battery backup you will lose whatever you are working on at any time.

The internet connection, although reliable for the last several days, is another example. Intermittent at times, and just missing at other, can make it frustrating if you are trying to trade the markets, and Skype just doesn’t work here at all.

But enough bitching. Read more “A Little Rain” →