Back to the 21st Century & A Little More Adventure Than We Planned

Saturday, April 10th

We hit the dirt road at 8am, determined to hit Panama City for lunch and take in some of the “Old Part” also known as Casco Viejo. By around 10:15am we had a “facilities” warning. By 10:30am we had “facilities” emergencies! Naturally “facilities” can never be found when you need them and blazing down the PanAmerican Highway (I use the term “highway” VERY, VERY loosely) we were finding nothing but roadside stands and bars. Miraculously, a truck stop appeared. Not just any truck stop, this is a famous truckstop. In fact, visitors take photos of themselves at this truck stop before grabbing some grub to go. And so, we felt obliged to do the same.

Now with bladders empty and the kids happily scarfing down beans, rice, fish, and chicken out of styrofoam containers, we were on the road again. We relied heavily on the walkie-talkies because of Chris’ efficient driving methods and the Arnold’s misfortune of constantly getting trapped behind every odd vehicle you can imagine, including flatbeds with cows drooling on our hood. We were forced to change walkie-talkie channels several times when Spanish began to dominate our frequencies.

So, we finally make it to Panama City but get stuck in crazy wild city traffic. The Derzak’s GPS and frantic walkie-talkie conversations kept us on target. When we finally broke free of the congestion, we landed in the newly renovated high-rise office building area (lovely and modern) on our way to Casco Viejo.

GPS failed us slightly and we almost cruise through another armed checkpoint. The guards have us reverse and make a turn that subsequently takes us through Chinatown and then plunges us directly into a dodgy area that does not resemble the gorgeous photos in the guide book at all.

Casco Viejo is a World Heritage site. We never quite made it past the ghetto and, to be honest, we are wondering who in their right mind would declare this a World Heritage Site! For fear of getting trapped there and missing our flight, we abandoned the plan and headed straight for the airport...

The "nicer" part of Casco Viejo (beyond)

...just in time for another “facilities” emergency (thank Heaven the emergency didn’t happen a few minutes earlier). This time, we pull into a gas station on the road to Tocumen. The Ladies' room is locked tight but the Men’s room is open! In go all the girls, while some landscape workers stand by looking very puzzled.

Feeling home free, we speed off to the airport on the only decent highway in Panama (the one to and from the airport). We then wind up circling the service road several times, following the rental car return signs that really lead nowhere other than where our adventure began--the outside of the arrivals area.

The flight to Dulles, thankfully, was uneventful. Everyone but CJ and Caroline slept on the plane. Abby snuggled with Aunt Karen. Annie snored away with strangers. Chris and Claire caught a few Z’s against the windows. Jackie fell asleep in her math book and Lee caught flies in an aisle seat, dreaming of his First Class arrangement on the first flight.

A trip is never complete without that last, final thrill. It was about 2am when we got through customs at Dulles and headed for the exit. The men dashed ahead to collect the cars back at the hotel. A short while later, mobile’s are ringing, inquiring as to whether or not Karen happens to have another key to the car. AAA gets involved and the Derzak’s kindly stand by their friends, either out of courtesy or simply to serve as mediators if the Arnold’s need marital counseling. While we were waiting, the kids were demanding we buy bananas (because they always eat at 2am when they should be sleeping) and entertaining themselves with the fact that Abby can fit into Caroline’s book bag.

And we are all still good friends.

~ THE END ~

Slide Show

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Hammer Head Sharks, a Scorpion, and a Snake.

Friday April 9th

Last full day of vacation. We’ll pack up tonight for an early departure from the house Saturday Morning back to Panama City – expecting about a four hour drive with a 6:55pm departure out of Tocumen, direct into Dulles.

Up early this morning to check out the fishermen’s’ catch. Wow, plenty of gross unidentifiable fish, some warm water lobsters, and hammerhead sharks.

While everyone was out at the water’s edge with low tide and the fish net, Lee and Chris found a dying critter in the house. A scorpion. They snapped a photo with Jackie’s camera, with hopes to keep this as a secret so everyone could sleep tonight. Not so much luck. Jackie viewed all of her photos shortly after lunch and stumbled upon the scorpion shot. Nooooo. All got to see and all were quite anxious about the find. So much for the secret so the women could sleep at night.

Chris worked on the car to put the wheel well back together; Looks as good as new except for the cut and scratch on the front of the bumper.

Instead of venturing out to Pedasi or Iguana Island as originally discussed (an hours’ trip,) we opted for a short 3km ride up the road just a bit past the the public beach area. Big waves, lots of shells, and not a soul to be found. Clark has been redeemed – plenty of shells as he suggested the first time. Sun is so hot, even after applying 50 SPF, there was still a little bit of sunburn.

Came home to a homemade meal of pasta and sauce, carrots, cucumbers and more in an attempt to empty the fridge. Some lounging, napping, a few drinks, and a photo with Caretaker (Hilbert). 4:30 was the time for a final swim and dinner at Rincon del Faro. We came home to pack and finish the evening with a campfire that the kids had prepared yesterday. CJ will report into ScoutMaster Jeff on his fire building effort. We had ice cream for some desert at the house as we collected our thoughts with a sigh and the realization that vacation is over. That’s it…

60 Cent Beers and Fishing for Sharks

Thursday, April 8

Power returned around 6am, which coincided with our alarm clock (various loud species of birds). Our food remains intact, despite the power outage. CJ’s A/C and the house fans are all whirring once again. Towels are in the washing machine. Back on the beach before 8am. Considering finding a snorkeling site but never got off our lazy butts to do so. Rocco has returned and is on the beach with the kids. We’re off to pilfer an internet signal!

Chris and Karen spent a large portion of the morning finally uploading the blog from a “borrowed” signal ¼ mile away. Other than that, it is safe to say we had a marvelous time doing essentially nothing. Played at the beach again, had dinner in Las Tablas for $45 (including 5 appetizers). Beers were $.60. Sodas for $.50. Desserts for everyone for under $5. Now we are perched in the town square enjoying a free Wi-Fi connection while Abby sleeps on the bench.

Dinner at Hotel Piamonte in Las Tablas

While at the beach this afternoon, we witnessed three blokes setting a very large fishing net in the surf near our villa. Annie queried them on their activity and, after informing us that 3 people were killed by sharks there (a number of years ago), they invited us to watch them pull the nets up in the early morning hours tomorrow.

Karen blogging this evening with the free Las Tablas City Internet

Hoping to quickly post this and head back to enjoy the beach campfire CJ set up for us!

Abby Sleeping in the Square in Las Tablas after dinner

As it turns out, we returned too late for the campfire. Maybe tomorrow.

Beach Day and Pool

Wednesday, April 7th

We finally learned Mr. Caretaker’s name—Hilbert! Hilbert sports a Celtics cap—Lee tried to use basketball as a launching point for conversation, complete with air shots, behind the back passes and air dribbling. All it amounted to was a lot of smiling and “Si, Si!”

Today entailed total R&R. We played in the water for several hours in the morning, the parents took naps, and we had every intention of posting the blog. Chris and Karen set off for Las Tablas for some supplies and in search of an internet café but discovered that we could pilfer a signal from someone local. So, we cut the trip to town short, thinking we’d quickly post from El Uverito and join the rest of the crew. By the time Chris and Karen arrived, the kids were splashing around in the pool and Annie and Lee were well into a couple of beers. We hung out at Rincon del Faro from about 3pm until 7:30pm, when the electric went out (kids thought the sparking, fiery wires were fireworks). So, 4 hours of fun for EVERYONE, 5 rounds of beers, dinner and swimming for about $100. We took advantage of no power and spent a few hours star gazing—with little light pollution, the sky was totally lit up with more stars than I think any of us have ever seen. Gorgeous!

Rocco, our vacation pet, has not yet returned home. We think he may have a date or got stuck somewhere when the tide came in.

Chitre and The Auto Blemish

Tuesday, April 6

After a few days in the direct, hot, equatorial, sun, today was to be a day of shade, light sun only and perhaps some indoor activities. We took a drive, about 30km North, to the town of Chitre (and enjoyed the A/C in the cars). We took in the Barcelona-Arsenal match during a tasty lunch at El Aire Libre and then toured the town, all the while making complete spectacles of ourselves. We visited the Museo de Chitre and the Chitre Cathedral. A small town, both items, although important to the town, were relatively small. At the Museum, the fee was $1.00 per adult and 25 cents per child. We were accompanied by a guide for a 30 minute visit of the history of Chitre. Spanish Version only. We also stopped at La Arena to look at some pottery and grab coconut flavored ice cream cones for the kids. The return drive involved a lot of U-turns and some damage to the Derzak mobile that required quite a few drinks when we returned home. A perpendicular piece of railroad track sticking straight out of the road attacked the front fender. No worries. It all seems to snap right back into place, sort of.

 

Next Page - Beach Day

Sea Injuries and The Liar

Monday, April 5th

Another full-on beach day. The kids were on the beach wellbefore 8am. Jackie and CJ appear to have gotten into a fight with a sea ettle/jellyfish, with nasty rashes to prove it.

Later in the day, we decided to check out the seashell supply on the other beach, as Clark suggested, but found little. On our return, Chris motioned across the sand and stated, “Oh, there’s Clark.” Jackie mumbled, “Clark, the liar.” We may not have scored in seashells but we did see a dead puffer fish! And, it took us four days but we finally managed to wipe out the kids. After being in the sun for 2 days and now sporting numerous battle wounds from the surf and its surroundings, they all happily retired early, moaning and groaning as they shuffled off to their beds and proclaiming, “We will never doubt our moms and dads again.” Annie and Chris headed out in the early evening to collect some

additional groceries; Lee cooked up some

dinner – burgers on the grill, cucumbers and onions

and fried plantains. We have kept our beer choices to the local Panamanian brands.

Next Page - Chitre

Easter

Sunday, April 4th

Sporting our Sunday best, we made it to the 9am Easter Mass in Las Tablas where the Bishop was present to bless everyone. We took in a bit of the Jesus parade after church, with a postre from the Panadaria, then headed back “home” to hit the beach. Karen stayed at the house with her nose in a book, enjoying the quiet, and observing the departure ritual of a camping family. A family of 5 emerged from the trees with a propane tank, mattress and luggage. A yellow pickup truck taxi arrived, to receive their belongings into the truck bed and the 3 adults and 2 children climbed into the cab; off they went.

The kids have spent hours totally entertained by the water, the sand, and shell collecting. The fluctuations in the tides are dramatic—we can easily go a quarter mile out at low tide and Rocco, the house dog, accompanies us everywhere we go. CJ and Caroline (with some engineering assistance from Chris) finally managed to cut down a few coconuts and Mr. Caretaker graciously cut them open for us.

We met one of the neighbors, a Californian who calls himself Clark. He wandered over, we shared a beer and he let us in on a few local secrets such as: loads of shells can be found just past the public beach, the water pressure should return once the municipal workers come to work on Monday and refill the tank (apparently Semana Santa takes a toll on the local water supply), and the fact he finds Panamanian politics akin to “a country run by teenagers.”

Next Page - Sea Injuries

Canopy Adventure & Arrival at Playa Uverito

Saturday, April 3rd

We rented 3 cabins at Cabana Potosi as each only sleeps three people--the little ones bunked with their respective parental units and the older 3 slept in a cabin together. However, because CJ’s mother insisted he sleep in a (silly) sleep sack, the poor boy barely got any sleep because he was continually sliding out of bed (because of said silly sack) and hitting the floor. Regardless, the boy is a trooper and was ready, chipper and raring to go early the next day. We refueled with orange eggs, Tang, tea and coffee for 9 for $20. Caroline seemed a bit put off with the orange eggs and Annie speculated that, perhaps, they were iguana eggs. : ) Caroline opted for French fries and toast.

Our Canopy Adventure was AWESOME! We hiked for about 30 minutes to the first zip line. Abby did the inaugural zip fearless and without trepidation (she went tandem with our guide), followed by Chris, our sports photographer, who was able to snap shots of everyone gliding to the next platform. Our guide, Roy, explained that we would individually control all but the third zip. We came to the 2nd zip with a bit more confidence and arrived at the 3rd only to be stunned at the steep angle of descent (thank heaven a professional was controlling our speed). Karen volunteered to be the first victim (actually, she was volunteered by the group) plunging vertically past the beautiful Chorro Macho waterfall but scared $%!*less nonetheless. She not only survived but also managed to shoot video of the rest of the party plunging past the waterfall amidst gorgeous giant blue butterflies (Morpho). Life is complete.

With a 2 hour hike and zip line tour complete by 10:00am we returned to the cabins and checked-out by 12Noon – after Abby and Claire fed Paco, the Parrot. 30 minutes of winding roads to the Pan-American Highway, then 10 minutes on the Pan-American Highway and we were looking for our lunch stop – Los Camisones – recommended by Dennis. We passed right by the place having to perform a U-turn. Well, now, we could not make a left turn over the median so had to overshoot and do another U-turn. When following directions such as, “the restaurant on the right, on top of a hill, with the red sign and the skinny two way driveway just past San Carlos,” of course we missed the turn.

Driving the Inter-American/Pan-American Highway is a sport. This is a highway that also serves as Main Street and one must be constantly on the lookout for families walking on the shoulder, cars abruptly pulling off at various shops, pedestrians and cyclists crossing the road, as well as the random motorcycle officer enjoying a cigarette on the shoulder. Road signs are nonexistent and, therefore, driving directions go something like this: “When you see the truss bridge, take the right exit, bear right at the red restaurant sign, make a left at the Shell after the last fruit stand…” Secondary roads are more akin to our back, country roads and demand a driver’s utmost attention to cyclists, pedestrians, dogs, chickens and cows.

After a brief interlude at yet another armed checkpoint (Chris and Annie’s cool car caused them to have their passports held until Lee put in a good word for them), we arrived at Playa Uverito on schedule – 5:15pm. The house is set at the end of a very, very, very bumpy dirt road, looking out majestically over the Pacific Ocean, facing EAST, mind you. No, we are not geographically challenged — we are staying on the Azuero Peninsula—look it up. Anyway, we arrived to find only a canine (Rocco) to greet us through a closed and locked fence. He looked friendly but sure as hell didn’t seem to have keys. The kids immediately took off for the water, seemingly not worried at all about the possibility of sleeping in our cars for the night. But not to worry, Mr. Caretaker arrived within a half hour, barefoot and smiling to let us in to the house. The kids staked out their rooms, we put away the groceries, paid the caretaker and then piled the 9 of us into the Toyota for the bumpy half mile drive to a restaurant, Rincon de Faro – it was a very windy and S L O W dinner experience. The Derzak’s introduced the Arnold’s to ceviche, we tossed back a few beers, sodas, and other nibbles and enjoyed the kids’ renditions of Taylor Swift tunes on the bumpy ride back. The first night’s sleep was a little rough — hot and humid, the only A/C in CJ’s room, although the young lad doesn’t seem interested in cool, crisp air.

Next Page - Easter