What happened?

When Manuel Noriega was running the show in Panama this was a Social Club for his top commanders. You can see it was severely damaged during the US invasion that took place in 1989. Since then it has been sold several times to private investors and the hope was that it would be turned into a hotel. Recently, it appeared in one of the James Bond films - Quantum of Solace - in the evening party scene. it is also used by the kids as a diving platform and often they also skate there. Even though it is very neglected it has been used for fashion shows, concerts and for filming of many commercials.

So what is missing? What happened? You can easily spot the before and after as the tree shows that it is definitely as big as it looks.

Many times the old buildings (especially when we get a lot of rain and wind) start coming apart. The tree and part of the building collapsed! The only problem with that collapse is that all the debris has blocked access to the beach. Right now this site is under renovation and reconstruction to become a luxury hotel. Perhaps that idea will finally come to pass.

El Valle de Anton

El Valle de Anton is the largest continually inhabited volcanic crater in the World. It's nestled in the second largest volcano (extinct) in the world. A five by three mile crater created when a volcano blew its top off five million years ago. The result was a lovely steep valley surrounded by jagged mountain peaks and rich volcanic soil that gives way to flowers and green forest as a result - ideal for exploring ancient (11,000 years old) historic paths. The local community is mainly descendant of the Guaymi Indian Tribe.

A major draw to El Valle is the market held every Sunday morning in a market hall on the main road. You can buy directly from the Indian artisans themselves. Apart from vegetables, fruit, plants and flowers you can buy handicrafts such as wooden bowls, paintings on wood, hammocks, molas, baskets and ceramics.

There is no real center to the town but most tourists like to go and take a look at the square trees, and golden frogs which can be found on the grounds of the Hotel El Campestre. Another place to see golden frogs is at El Nispero, a small zoo with a wide selection of native animals and birds. The are streams and the backdrop of the hills is very dramatic. The zoo is another great location to see the Golden Frog with black spots that lives only in this region and is in danger of extinction.

Another popular activity is the canopy zipline ride where you can whiz through the forest in a harness through the canopy of a rain forest ending over a waterfall. In addition you can hike the cloud forests of Gaital National Monument nature preserve where you will observe wildlife and learn more about the habitat.

A hike to the top of Sleeping Indian Woman is highly recommended. The mountain is known as La India Dormida and yoou can definitely see the mountain from town. It looks exactly like a sleeping Indian woman and has a legent attached. The hike takes about 3 hours and includes spectacular views of the valley, a waterfall and a tour of a native sugar cane mill. At the end you can cool offf in a natural swimming pool.

El Valle is one of Panama's best birding areas and you will enjoy birds going in any of the hikes or just walking around town.

Thermal Hot Waters and Mud baths can be found for just $1.00. Here you can indulge in therapeutic volcanic mud bath and you can even buy some to take home. This place is always filled with Europeans and Americans and has definitely got to be the best bargain. Just past the thermal baths you can find the entrance to Piedra Pintada: large pre-Columbian drawings of figures on huge boulders. There are no official archaeological explanations of these petroglyphs yet.

There are quite a few stores that have opened as a result of the tourist visits and there are many restaurants that you can go to have lunch for under $4.00. There are also many restaurants located in the hotels that offer a full variety of menus.

Rainy season

Today is a very appropriate day to blog about the rainy season. So far we have had rain just about every day and it is currently pouring buckets!! In Panama we have two seasons, dry and rainy, and for some reason they are also called winter and summer - which are opposite the seasons back home in North America. It just means that it rains more during certain months of the year and less in others. The rainy seasons starts in May and goes through November. With so many climate changes I personally think it starts and stops when it wants to.

When planning a road trip or any excursion, you should not wait for Mother Nature to provide you with the perfect day - you learn that after you have been here a while. Generally we dont have rainy days (but just so you know, it can happen) but short scattered showers. When it rains it can be very hard on one part of the city and not be raining in another. All tourism agencies tell you what we have also found out ~ late afternoon is a good bet for a shower and it can be pretty hard rain at times so plan the most you can in the morning. It can also include lightning, thunder and flooding.

In the mountains we get a lot more rain because we are in the rainforest. Many times we can see the coastline below and it is very sunny while we might be in the middle of a downpour. As you drive up the mountains you can tell immediately that the forest almost wants to take over the roads. There is dense vegetation, beautiful flowering plants, and quickly growing trees. The same phenomenon happens in the mountains ~ it can rain in a certain area and not rain at all just a couple of blocks away. I personally feel the lightning and thunder are stronger up here and joke about the fact that this is so because we are so much higher in the mountains.

I think the only ones that really enjoy all the rain is the kids, they just go outside and play in the rain while the rest of us have to wait it out. The best thing about the rain is the fact that everything is so green, but also it is so much cooler and fresher! It can cause delays and even heavier traffic but sometimes the good outweighs the bad. As we drive up towards the mountains you see everyone walking and going about their business when there is a downpour and I often ask my husband "don't they know it is pouring?" They usually don't carry an umbrella and it is sad to see elderly people or children walking getting totally drenched. I supposed they are used to it, but to me it is sad.

NOTE: Water ~ and lots of it ~ is essential for the operation of the 50-mile long Panama Canal. The canal watershed and associated lakes (Miraflores, Gatun and Alajuela) provides the water so that the canal is deep enough for ships to pass through and for the locks to function properly. Every ship transiting the canal requires over 50 million gallons of fresh water be flushed away.

Diablo Rojo! What is that?

Indianapolis 500 car race? Nope, but that is what you would think these people are doing. You think they are trying to see who wins! These people are the Diablo Rojos (Red Devils) or taxi drivers. When they are not in the middle of traffic they try their very best to pretend they are in the Indianapolis 500 race. The "Diablo Rojo" is very famous in Panama but also infamous! Their demise will either be a giant step forward or the death of a cultural icon. They are recycled US school buses and they have been a permanent fixture in Panama forever! Since there is no alternative, Panamanians crowd into these very decorated, loud, buses and literally hang on for dear life!

The artwork on the buses is definitely unique! I guess those of us that sit in our cars or watch from the sidewalk whereas most people need to get to where they are going and probably wonder why tourists or others like to always be taking pictures of the Diablos! They are really different. And they are hard to forget when their exhaust is ready to claim your life or at least your lungs!

You might want to take a chance and climb on board of one just so you can tell the tale one day of what it was like but I personally will remain grounded where I know I am as safe as I can get.

It is good to know they are being replaced by brand new buses that will not add more to the pollution.

Snow cones!

In Panama these are called "raspaos." As you walk around Casco Viejo or drive through any place in the country you will eventually see one of these guys, usually under a shade tree in one of the plazas. But you can also spot them moving down the sidewalks along the road, beaches or anywhere in the city. They make snow cones the old fashioned way - from a big block of ise they purchased at the start of the day.

A traditional Panamanian one means any flavor topped with cream! Usually sell for 35 cents - what a bargain!

Allbrook then and now!

When you say Albrook Mall everyone knows what that means ~ Panama's largest mall. Let's first take a look at how it got to be what it is today. It has undergone some big changes in the last 75 years.

Let's start back in the 1900's with what was called "Balboa swamp." After the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914 security concerns brought about a slow but steady increase in the numberof US military installations in the Canal Zone. In 1922 the "Balboa Fill Landing Filed" was completed and as the name implies the swamp was "filled in" and the river was diverted undergeround to make room for the airfield. in 1924 it was renamed "Allbrook Field" in honor of Lt. Frank P. Albrook - the general area is still referred to as "Albrook" although many of the facilities, including the airport,now have names honoring Panamanians.

Today: Albrook Field was expanded and improved many times over its lifetime and eventually transferred to Panama in 1979 as a result of the Panama Canal Treaty. Today, Marcos A. Gelabert Airport (still called Albrook by many) is now Panama's primary domestic airport with scheduled service to most areas of the country. This picture taken from the same location as the old photo, shows just a portion of the current airport and gives you a general idea of the changes over time. The Panama Canal can be seen in the upper left corner of the picture.

The Gran Terminal de Transporte de Albrook: This gigantic terminal (this picture only shows have its size) is the hub for bus service to every corner of Panama and international service to Costa Rica and Mexico - it sits on part of the old airport. Buses of every description, from the diablo Rojo to sleek long range expresses, depart around the clock and because it is so affordable they carre a LOT of people. During the last Carnival break in February, they estimated over 350,000 people used the terminal. While you're waiting you can eat (food court) get a haircut, do your banking and of course shop - it even has its own police station.

Albrook Mall is Panama's largest mall and as you can guess it occupies a portion of the original air base - it sits next to Gran Terminal and across the runway from the current airport's terminal. This is an area that Panama did a good job of recycling a base they received from the United States.

It is great for us because we do not have to cross town to get to this mall, we can bypass the city completely. For high end stores you will have to go to Multiplaza Mall where you will find a selection of designer shops like Hermes, Louis Vitton and others. Albrook has two "HomeDepot" type stores, three food courts, lost of ice cream and it is nice and cool. It is also two levels and VERY LONG - great for exercise. It will be very convenient for us when we have to purchase items for our construction because it can be accessed easily and quickly.

National Folkloric Festival of La Mejorana

The National Festival of La Mejorana is held this year between 22-25 September. In 1949 Manuel Zarate, with a group of friends from his hometown, Guarare, initiated a tradition that has become the most renouned festival in all of Panama. Today, 60 years later, it continues to promote Panamanian folklore and keeps protecting traditional customs that are an integral part of the provinces in Panama. Together with the Patron Saint Festival of the Virgin of Las Mercedes, the Guararenos, the people of Guarare organize each year an event that gather in this little town in the Azuero Peninsula folkloric groups with the common objective of enjoying, spreading and preserving the Panamanian culture. Musical dances, singing, bullfight, oxcart parade and other expressions and competitions take place during the festival. The "mejorana" is the type of guitar that is used for this type of music (see in poster on left) Also please note that this is this year's queen of that festival.