Today is our last day and its back into the icebox for a few months of hibernation. Booooo. I plan to fill in this story with more details and photos.
Two brave young-ungs have decided to jump off! They are staying and going to travel around the Caribbean. Inspiring.
Hasta la vista.
Ricardo
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Resort life
Life is tough here. My day looks something like this:
Wake up 6.38 am. Ready at the breakfast hut by 7am. Eat and drink. 7.45am - a walk on the beach. 9am- plan for the day. 10am walk 40 meters to the nearest beach bar and order my first"sexo en la playa"- a rum drink. A good way to face the day.
1.30 pm Lunch at the bar + 1 ice cold beer. Back under the palm in the deck shair at poolside.
3.30 pm walk down to one of the ocean side bars for the first afternoon dacquiri, campari with orange juice or just another sexo de la playa. Then chat with the group member who pass by or perhaps gab with a Canadian, or even try my Spanish with the bartender. Make some or clarify dinner plans.
Dinner is serves at 3 times in the evening: 6.15, 8pm or 9.40 pm. Before dinner it is a walk or swim at the beach, then up to mi habitacion for a refreshing shower and change of clothes. En la cama by 10-11pm.
Now everyday isn't exactly alike. On Monday I scuba dived at an island about 2 km off the coast here. Murky water here, but many fine fish.
Well, I'm getting off schedule and gotta go!
Wake up 6.38 am. Ready at the breakfast hut by 7am. Eat and drink. 7.45am - a walk on the beach. 9am- plan for the day. 10am walk 40 meters to the nearest beach bar and order my first"sexo en la playa"- a rum drink. A good way to face the day.
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| Morning exercise walk-to the bar |
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| Personal trainer |
10.20, the second sexo en la playa. 10.30 find a good pool and deck chair near the shade of a small palm and far away from the screaming babies and the Canadians - the pool at Sushi Samba is great despite the Canadian population. 11am the third sexo en la playa. Then swim, relax and just enjoy the ambience.
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| "Nothing but Canadians and ice hockey players" |
12 noon- first ice cold beer; combats the risk for dehydratiion. 12.20 2nd ice cold beer, just in case. 12.35, 3rd ice cold beer-to secure the perimeter.
1.30 pm Lunch at the bar + 1 ice cold beer. Back under the palm in the deck shair at poolside.
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| Should be one of these at every corner |
3.30 pm walk down to one of the ocean side bars for the first afternoon dacquiri, campari with orange juice or just another sexo de la playa. Then chat with the group member who pass by or perhaps gab with a Canadian, or even try my Spanish with the bartender. Make some or clarify dinner plans.
Dinner is serves at 3 times in the evening: 6.15, 8pm or 9.40 pm. Before dinner it is a walk or swim at the beach, then up to mi habitacion for a refreshing shower and change of clothes. En la cama by 10-11pm.
Now everyday isn't exactly alike. On Monday I scuba dived at an island about 2 km off the coast here. Murky water here, but many fine fish.
Well, I'm getting off schedule and gotta go!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Ladron de Panama and Swedish money laundering in Panama
Happy Valentine's Day!
Another beautiful day in the steaming tropics. I do hope those who read this in Sweden don't miss the feeling of solidarity one feels down here when one reads of the snow storms, freezing cold, traffic chaos, power failures and the like; get me a crying tissue....
Apparently there has been a robber on the loose here at Decameron. One of the group reports that her wallet was stolen and other money in her bag was picked, just like apples off the tree. It was a bite into the sour apple for the victim.
And I can report that a family from Östersund has admitted to me that they have been guilty of Panamanian money laundering! Yes! A certain Carl Axel and his wife Irene, no last names in these sensitive cases, admitted that the had to lay their dollars out on the table and clean each one after they had been attacked by a large Pacific wave while sunbathing. Their beach bag was washed out to sea but saved by a observant fellow tourist (americana). As for the camera, there is no hope. Their sunglasses are on their way with the Humbolt current toward the South Pole. Bien Viaje!
Decameron is an "all inclusive" facility. That means, upon arrival, each person gets a wrist band of a certain color. From that moment on all food and drink in the entire facility is available without any money changing hands. With the exceptions of a few a la carte restaurants which serve dinner, the meals are buffet style with service of coffee and tea. Of course the money has already changed hands, but basically you can eat and drink all you want until your wrist band isn't "negotiable" any longer.
So, when I arise in the morning I simply walk over to the outdoor buffet area, gather my breakfast and find a wonderful table at which to sit down. Breakfast includes fresh tropical fruits, juices, eggs, bacon, pancakes, cereals and Panamanian breakfast dishes. When I'm satisfied I simple get up and walk away...to the bar and have my first drink of the day, usually a "sexo en la playa".
If ocean conditions are right I will do an easy scuba dive about 1 km off the coast here.
Hasta luego
R
Another beautiful day in the steaming tropics. I do hope those who read this in Sweden don't miss the feeling of solidarity one feels down here when one reads of the snow storms, freezing cold, traffic chaos, power failures and the like; get me a crying tissue....
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| The beach at Farallon |
And I can report that a family from Östersund has admitted to me that they have been guilty of Panamanian money laundering! Yes! A certain Carl Axel and his wife Irene, no last names in these sensitive cases, admitted that the had to lay their dollars out on the table and clean each one after they had been attacked by a large Pacific wave while sunbathing. Their beach bag was washed out to sea but saved by a observant fellow tourist (americana). As for the camera, there is no hope. Their sunglasses are on their way with the Humbolt current toward the South Pole. Bien Viaje!
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| Carl Axel enjoying breakfast at Pacifiko without his sunglasses |
So, when I arise in the morning I simply walk over to the outdoor buffet area, gather my breakfast and find a wonderful table at which to sit down. Breakfast includes fresh tropical fruits, juices, eggs, bacon, pancakes, cereals and Panamanian breakfast dishes. When I'm satisfied I simple get up and walk away...to the bar and have my first drink of the day, usually a "sexo en la playa".
If ocean conditions are right I will do an easy scuba dive about 1 km off the coast here.
Hasta luego
R
Incarceration De Lux
Yesterday, 12 febrero we left the beautiful Gamboa, got over the washed out bridge which crosses the Canal and drove to Decameron Resort. An all-inclusive Pacific beach resort and a party animal's wet dream.
Here, there is very limited internet access and I can only write 5 minutes now at there is a line of people waiting to use this computer, one of only 5 in the whole place!
Anyway, its eating, drinking, swimming, drinking and finally partying. There's party music playing everywhere all day! And in the evening there's salsa and other caribbean rythms. I don't know what to do!?
In any case, I can't insert any photos from these computers so my reporting will be censored.
People who want to use the computer are looking hungrily at me so I'm out a' here!
Ricardo de la Vega de Fresno
Here, there is very limited internet access and I can only write 5 minutes now at there is a line of people waiting to use this computer, one of only 5 in the whole place!
Anyway, its eating, drinking, swimming, drinking and finally partying. There's party music playing everywhere all day! And in the evening there's salsa and other caribbean rythms. I don't know what to do!?
In any case, I can't insert any photos from these computers so my reporting will be censored.
People who want to use the computer are looking hungrily at me so I'm out a' here!
Ricardo de la Vega de Fresno
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Torti to Gamboa and the Canal accident
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| Outdoor breakfast Torti style |
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| Niklas and our Host |
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| Nothing like a cold morning shower to get the circulation going |
After our outdoor breakfast we packed ourselves into our red bus, pulled out on the highway and headed for Gamboa. Many found cause to celebrate as there were high hopes that the comfort of Gamboa would exceed Torti, which was the case. However, I found the stay at Torti exhilarating! It is conditions at the simplest level which allow one to appreciate luxury.
We arrived at Gamboa around 1pm and it was like being driven right into Heaven itself. Our rooms weren't ready until 3pm so why not change into bathing clothes and have a swim? But first, how about a strawberry daiquiri at the Monkey Bar!
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| Arriving in Heaven: Gamboa |
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| Aerial tram to the top (or the bottom) |
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| Lars, Birgitta and Bengt sitting on top of the world |
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| The Canal from Gamboa tops |
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| The pool area was "Nobel safe powder" (original name for "dynamite") |
One of the activities at Gamboa is a guided boat tour which crosses the Canal (one can honestly say he has passed through the Panama Canal) over to a so-called "Monkey Island". There, one can see the howler monkeys and perhaps a crocodile.
On Friday morning, the day before our departure, I had planned to go on the morning tour but got stuck struggling with the computer trying to inject photos into this blog. I missed the tour. I was booking a later tour when suddenly a large group of guests swelled into the hotel lobby, many looking upset and the babbling sound of the group signaled that something was not as it ought to be. The story went that as the boat was crossing the Canal, a police boat took up pursuit. The driver ignored the whole thing and just kept going. Finally the police swung in front of the boat causing a collision between the two boats. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. It turned out there was blasting activity in the Canal today and the police were trying to warn the tourist boat. The driver, having no commercial license nor any other kind of license, was an issue with the police as well as many of the passengers when that came to light. In any case the boat was "non servicable" and my tour was cancelled!
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| Me enjoying the top view (The humidity curls my hair) |
Friday, February 11, 2011
The Torti Ritz / Contrast creates conditions for happiness
Teak Plantation Day fell on the 9th of February; that was the day we visited our plantations. A visit to the teak plantations also meant spending a night in Torti proper.
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| Baby Teak |
Torti is a small village near the last outpost of civilization before entering the dense jungle of the Darién province, Panama's most easterly province. The Pan American Highway stops there. Columbus had seen the Darién on his 4th voyage in 1501. It was from the Darién that Balboa in 1513 first viewed the Mar del sur: The Pacific Ocean. And it was from the Darién that I first set my eyes on a teak tree.
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| My room De Lux |
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| El Hospedaj |
After our explorations of the teak plantations we returned to Torti. We were quartered in two small hostels separated by about 5 minutes walk. At the first there was a bar, restaurant and swimming pool. At the second, there was none of these. I was quartered at the second, Hospedaje Torti. At El Hospedaje people seemed to come and go all night long.
Meanwhile, at the restaurant the owner arranged a long-table for our dinner, as he had for lunch and would for our breakfast. He and his assistants did everything they could to make our stay a pleasant experience.
Also, the word had apparently gone out that "gringos were in town". During our dinner local Cuna Indians began to collect in the parking lot. That might have made Balboa nervous, but we began noticing that the Cuna women began to lay out their handicrafts on the pavement. And soon after dinner we gringos began bargaining. The evening ended with some great bargains on Indian handicrafts, a cold beer, a walk back to the Hospedaje and "a good night's sleep".
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| Dinner Torti style |
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| Torti instant bazaar |
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| Cuna indian women |
Torti and the Teak Trees Mystery
On day 3 we departed by bus for Torti, a village in the Darién rain forest of eastern Panama. Niklas, our guide for the entire trip, kept us informed and educated about Panama, teak forests and local customs. There the temperature rose to 40℃ with a humidity of 90%. Our first stop was at the Forwood mechanical work shop where the real work is done. Then we continued on towards Torti Village.
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| Los cuatro trabajadores |
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| Niklas, our great guide, tri-lingual |
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| The Torti space shuttle |
Teak is not native of Panama but is grown as a commercial product.The international markets seems to be good for teak.
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| Me and the mystery teak forest |
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| A Forwood lumberjack- Wow! |
At the At
After our visit to the teak forests we headed on back to the hotel for a shave, shower and a tuxedo dinner; later, some exciting after dinner shopping.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Canal... and more
Ahhhh. Panamá! 34 degrees and 90% humidity. The pool is clear blue and warm. Life is good.
On the evening of our arrival we gathered poolside at the El Panama for a welcome drink and a chance to meet the entire group. Actually the total congregation met for the first time on the bus from the airport. Many in the group had already had the pleasure of meeting on a very friendly KLM flight over the Atlantic. I sat in the absolute back of the plane with my back againt the lue, getting a little relaxing massage everytime they flushed. But I had 2 seats all to myself. It turned out most of our group populated the rear end of the outdated but fun to ride in MD-11. The MD-11 has similarities with Hans Solo´s spaceship, but it get you there. The pilot treated us to a vulture's eye view of the canal.
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| The Panama Canal |
On day one we visited the headquarters of Teak Invest-Forwood. Nice people. Many in our group are at the age of retirement. Some "young'ungs" (any under 40) have come along too. Retired people today are alive, adventurous and rugged; I´m impressed! No "girly men" in this gang. And the women are even more rugged, but of course more girly.
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| Anna and Panama City |
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| Swedish conquistadores |
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| "It's 9 to 5..." |
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| No girly men |
Then it was the Canal, of course. America has really left its mark in history, and the Canal is not one of the least of America´s "greats"! Now is´s Panama´s very own and they have their own plans to develop it. After the Canal and great lunch, we visited a "tax free" shop out near the marina at the Calzada de Armador. Got a new "panama hat"! Salem, wait until you see this one! You´ll be drulling dude.
For a bonus guess who sent a text message on my arrival to Panama City? John Patton! He and his buddies were in the bus from Nicaragua, passing Costa Rico and were arriving in Panama city at 3 am (!). They were going to find a hostel in Casco Viejo. Well, our group visited Casco Viejo yesterday. We had 4 hired armed police who walked around with us for 2 hours! I tried joking with the policía and you see where it got me.
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| Friendly Panamanian policía |
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| John Patton |
Tomorrow I leave for Torti and the Darien to see the teak trees. And the boys have their adventure cut out too. Henrik and Jakob are in Trinidad and sounds like things are "normal" there, and they´re looking forward to getting to Tobago. Enjoy the rum, man.
Hasta luego!
Ricardo Patton de la vega de Fresno (Putts)
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