Catch up post so it's long!
On March 26th we departed Toronto for Panama City. The start of what should be a wonderful adventure looking after five cats in a remote part of Panama. The day started early in Peterborough and then we departed Toronto with Copa Airlines at 9:45am. We had arranged to be met by a driver upon arrival and after a little glitch with timing José arrived and whisked us off to our hotel, The Wyndham Panama Altbrook, for the evening. It was situated near the domestic airport and right beside one of he biggest shopping malls in South America. Panama city is vast and modern and not at all what we expected. More on that at the end of our trip.
Our hotel room was great and we quickly headed off to look for a bite to eat. Nothing in the mall so we returned to the hotel and had our first Panamanian beers with an order of veggie tempura. It was really good and hinted of wonderful things to come at dinner later on, but first...a siesta for the weary travellers. (We had just returned from a vacation in Portugal two days ago)
We set the alarm to wake us in two hours but let me tell you getting out of that bed was not an easy decision but we knew we had to eat that evening as José was picking us up the next morning bright and early for our trip to Chitré. So glad we did! The hotel had a sushi restaurant and our meal was amazing! I choose Thai soup and a seared fish with a miso sauce on rice. It may have been the best fish dish I have ever had! Sublime! Richard had Miso soup followed by a spicy tuna sushi roll that he also though was the best sushi he had ever had! Taste tested some more beers and then it was back to bed! 6am came very early!
José arrived on schedule and whisked us around to the airport. A collection of little airplane hangers really. We wheeled in our bags of 30lbs per person pleased that we kept to the small aircraft weight restrictions...but I was a wee bit over and paid $3. Then the agent asked me to step on the scale....say WHAT? I recovered my composure and obliged and then Richard was also weighed. How small is this plane? Thank GAWD we didn't have to pay overages for body weight! LOL We were passed and went to wait to board. Happily Rich was paying more attention and heard the official announcement for our flight...an agent yelling "CHITRÉ" at the other end of the hanger!
We walked out to our little 12 seater plane and before we knew it we were on our way! 25 minutes later we were there. Amazing views of Panama City as we took off. The most amazing thing was to fly over the Panama Canal.
So much to see as we flew along the coast and landed in the little town of Chitré. In the photos below you can see the monopoly like houses they build here. These are government housing and all are built very basically and identically. You will be able to see how they clear the land, build hundreds of the houses and over time you see trees and planting again softening the landscape as people settle in. Nobody is left homeless here, very basic housing is available for everyone. People will be poor but everyone has a home and begging is not seen here. Fish and local produce are plentiful.
We were met by our host Ray and loaded our bags into the Toyota HiLux which appears to be the most popular vehicle here in the remote areas of Panama. Next on the agenda was the big grocery shop since our house is about 2 hours outside where we were and the best shopping was here. I already had my shopping list ready and so we did that lickity split after a quick breakfast at a beautiful small hotel in the town.
We drove through the mountains and it was easy to see we were in dry season. Fields were all burnt brown and the forests looked tired and dusty but at the same time very beautiful. Ray told us that as soon as the rains come everything fills out and gets lush and green (along with lots of bugs) and the landscape totally changes. There is a chance we will see the first of the rains before we leave. A really interesting feature of the Panamanian landscape is the living fences they use here to enclose their cattle and land. They take branches of a particular tree and stick them in the ground. These take root and grow..and every year they chop the new growth back and they sprout again. The farmers then just have to add some wires and the animals are safe! I'll take pictures when we are out and about. It looks much nicer than man made fences!
After driving through some more little towns and villages we arrived in Bucaró, the fishing village closest to where we would be staying. Situated right on the ocean this tiny place is a major fish supplier with their fish being exported around the world. Ray told us of the day they went out fishing and caught 24 yellow tailed tuna (and 1 Marlin that got away - it would have been released anyway) in about 4 hours. The Humbolt current sweeps by here and provides many nutrients that attract many deep water fish.
We then passed the gate into the area we would be staying, the road now is a dirt road. Shortly we arrived and were greeted by our hostess Marcy and some of the cats that we would be looking after. We now had 48 hours to learn all that we needed to know to spend the next 5 weeks here. Power outages are frequent and the generator is a back up. Water can also be an issue but that was a lot rarer we were assured. Contacts and instruction for troubleshooting everything were noted and we spent a couple of lovely days getting to know our hosts and their adorable cats.
We have five cats to care for. Two came from Canada and are more indoor (and definitely at night). Three arrived on their door about a year ago. Ginger is the mama, she brought her three kittens, two of which are still here. One did not survive the jungle. Mocha is the daughter of Ginger and she had full range of the house both indoor and out...day and night. Ginger and her son Diablito do not behave when inside the house so they stay outside.All three are lean and stealthy and bring lovely gifts to the patio from time to time. These gifts also get covered in minuscule ants that we then have to spray and sweep off the patio. Ants are the biggest battle here right now lol. I WILL conquer them!
So glad that the water rarely has issues...but when it did the owners were still here. Good learning curve for Rich as he learned about water pressure, shut off valves and who to call in emergencies! I am glad that I speak Spanish too! After some tracking, a leak down the line was found, water shut off below our house so at least we still had water until the link got fixed. Long story short it all got fixed and we are good to go and know all the ins and outs of the system now.
We spent some lovely time with the Ray and Marcy driving around the property and learning the whereabouts of a mango tree that needs a bit of watering while it establishes itself. It probably came from a seed thrown away by one of the workers and they are nurturing it now. It's doing well. We went to the beach and will return there to pick up the plastic we saw that evening. One of the sad things about Panama is the complete lack of recycling apart from the crates of beer and coke bottles. NOTHING else gets recycled although Panama City has just started glass bottles recycling I believe. We will do our little bit to keep as much as we can out of the ocean, although the alternative is the dump and it gets burned. No zero waste happening here.
The first full day we went into the bigger town Tonosí with Ray and filled gasoline canisters for the generator and picked up bottled water. We also located the dump which is where everything is taken. We acquainted ourselves with the grocery stores there and will probably go in once a week for veggies and fruits and basics. There are a few grocery markets there to choose from so we will be fine (they all sell beer and wine LOL) No fresh milk available there however. For that we need to drive back to Chitré which is about 2 hours. That will be only once or twice while we are here. My soy and almond milk is available and they have a pretty good shelf milk that Rich will have to adjust to in times of need.
Our hosts planned on leaving very early on the 29th and after a quick breakfast made by yours truly the water alarm went off again. Rich and Ray headed out to see the issue and found someone had turned on the valve and so the water was gushing again. We called the person who does repairs and they came and started working on it to rectify it completely. Hugs were exchanged with our hosts and they were on their merry way.
Marcy and I have set up a sharing account on iPhotos and she has given me a quick lesson to help me improve my photography. We will share photos with each other while they are away. Im really looking forward to taking some awesome images on this trip and having loads of time to learn.
We are now alone here for better or for worse .. let the adventures begin!
Sue and her Sidekick.
On March 26th we departed Toronto for Panama City. The start of what should be a wonderful adventure looking after five cats in a remote part of Panama. The day started early in Peterborough and then we departed Toronto with Copa Airlines at 9:45am. We had arranged to be met by a driver upon arrival and after a little glitch with timing José arrived and whisked us off to our hotel, The Wyndham Panama Altbrook, for the evening. It was situated near the domestic airport and right beside one of he biggest shopping malls in South America. Panama city is vast and modern and not at all what we expected. More on that at the end of our trip.
Our hotel room was great and we quickly headed off to look for a bite to eat. Nothing in the mall so we returned to the hotel and had our first Panamanian beers with an order of veggie tempura. It was really good and hinted of wonderful things to come at dinner later on, but first...a siesta for the weary travellers. (We had just returned from a vacation in Portugal two days ago)
 |
| Light and tasty, great hot weather beer! |
 |
| Little bit heavier flavour. Also nice for hot weather. |
We set the alarm to wake us in two hours but let me tell you getting out of that bed was not an easy decision but we knew we had to eat that evening as José was picking us up the next morning bright and early for our trip to Chitré. So glad we did! The hotel had a sushi restaurant and our meal was amazing! I choose Thai soup and a seared fish with a miso sauce on rice. It may have been the best fish dish I have ever had! Sublime! Richard had Miso soup followed by a spicy tuna sushi roll that he also though was the best sushi he had ever had! Taste tested some more beers and then it was back to bed! 6am came very early!
José arrived on schedule and whisked us around to the airport. A collection of little airplane hangers really. We wheeled in our bags of 30lbs per person pleased that we kept to the small aircraft weight restrictions...but I was a wee bit over and paid $3. Then the agent asked me to step on the scale....say WHAT? I recovered my composure and obliged and then Richard was also weighed. How small is this plane? Thank GAWD we didn't have to pay overages for body weight! LOL We were passed and went to wait to board. Happily Rich was paying more attention and heard the official announcement for our flight...an agent yelling "CHITRÉ" at the other end of the hanger!
 |
| Our ride! |
We walked out to our little 12 seater plane and before we knew it we were on our way! 25 minutes later we were there. Amazing views of Panama City as we took off. The most amazing thing was to fly over the Panama Canal.
 |
| Panama City skyline |
 |
| Are we ready for this? |
 |
| The canal |
 |
| Ship in the lock |
So much to see as we flew along the coast and landed in the little town of Chitré. In the photos below you can see the monopoly like houses they build here. These are government housing and all are built very basically and identically. You will be able to see how they clear the land, build hundreds of the houses and over time you see trees and planting again softening the landscape as people settle in. Nobody is left homeless here, very basic housing is available for everyone. People will be poor but everyone has a home and begging is not seen here. Fish and local produce are plentiful.
 |
| Government Issued Houses |
 |
| Here you can see the different stages of construction |
 |
| The coast as we headed out across the bay. |
We were met by our host Ray and loaded our bags into the Toyota HiLux which appears to be the most popular vehicle here in the remote areas of Panama. Next on the agenda was the big grocery shop since our house is about 2 hours outside where we were and the best shopping was here. I already had my shopping list ready and so we did that lickity split after a quick breakfast at a beautiful small hotel in the town.
We drove through the mountains and it was easy to see we were in dry season. Fields were all burnt brown and the forests looked tired and dusty but at the same time very beautiful. Ray told us that as soon as the rains come everything fills out and gets lush and green (along with lots of bugs) and the landscape totally changes. There is a chance we will see the first of the rains before we leave. A really interesting feature of the Panamanian landscape is the living fences they use here to enclose their cattle and land. They take branches of a particular tree and stick them in the ground. These take root and grow..and every year they chop the new growth back and they sprout again. The farmers then just have to add some wires and the animals are safe! I'll take pictures when we are out and about. It looks much nicer than man made fences!
After driving through some more little towns and villages we arrived in Bucaró, the fishing village closest to where we would be staying. Situated right on the ocean this tiny place is a major fish supplier with their fish being exported around the world. Ray told us of the day they went out fishing and caught 24 yellow tailed tuna (and 1 Marlin that got away - it would have been released anyway) in about 4 hours. The Humbolt current sweeps by here and provides many nutrients that attract many deep water fish.
We then passed the gate into the area we would be staying, the road now is a dirt road. Shortly we arrived and were greeted by our hostess Marcy and some of the cats that we would be looking after. We now had 48 hours to learn all that we needed to know to spend the next 5 weeks here. Power outages are frequent and the generator is a back up. Water can also be an issue but that was a lot rarer we were assured. Contacts and instruction for troubleshooting everything were noted and we spent a couple of lovely days getting to know our hosts and their adorable cats.
We have five cats to care for. Two came from Canada and are more indoor (and definitely at night). Three arrived on their door about a year ago. Ginger is the mama, she brought her three kittens, two of which are still here. One did not survive the jungle. Mocha is the daughter of Ginger and she had full range of the house both indoor and out...day and night. Ginger and her son Diablito do not behave when inside the house so they stay outside.All three are lean and stealthy and bring lovely gifts to the patio from time to time. These gifts also get covered in minuscule ants that we then have to spray and sweep off the patio. Ants are the biggest battle here right now lol. I WILL conquer them!
 |
| Mama Ginger |
 |
| Diabilito (Little Devil) who is Ginger's son. I can tell them apart by their noses and the tip of their tails LOL |
So glad that the water rarely has issues...but when it did the owners were still here. Good learning curve for Rich as he learned about water pressure, shut off valves and who to call in emergencies! I am glad that I speak Spanish too! After some tracking, a leak down the line was found, water shut off below our house so at least we still had water until the link got fixed. Long story short it all got fixed and we are good to go and know all the ins and outs of the system now.
We spent some lovely time with the Ray and Marcy driving around the property and learning the whereabouts of a mango tree that needs a bit of watering while it establishes itself. It probably came from a seed thrown away by one of the workers and they are nurturing it now. It's doing well. We went to the beach and will return there to pick up the plastic we saw that evening. One of the sad things about Panama is the complete lack of recycling apart from the crates of beer and coke bottles. NOTHING else gets recycled although Panama City has just started glass bottles recycling I believe. We will do our little bit to keep as much as we can out of the ocean, although the alternative is the dump and it gets burned. No zero waste happening here.
The first full day we went into the bigger town Tonosí with Ray and filled gasoline canisters for the generator and picked up bottled water. We also located the dump which is where everything is taken. We acquainted ourselves with the grocery stores there and will probably go in once a week for veggies and fruits and basics. There are a few grocery markets there to choose from so we will be fine (they all sell beer and wine LOL) No fresh milk available there however. For that we need to drive back to Chitré which is about 2 hours. That will be only once or twice while we are here. My soy and almond milk is available and they have a pretty good shelf milk that Rich will have to adjust to in times of need.
Our hosts planned on leaving very early on the 29th and after a quick breakfast made by yours truly the water alarm went off again. Rich and Ray headed out to see the issue and found someone had turned on the valve and so the water was gushing again. We called the person who does repairs and they came and started working on it to rectify it completely. Hugs were exchanged with our hosts and they were on their merry way.
Marcy and I have set up a sharing account on iPhotos and she has given me a quick lesson to help me improve my photography. We will share photos with each other while they are away. Im really looking forward to taking some awesome images on this trip and having loads of time to learn.
We are now alone here for better or for worse .. let the adventures begin!
Sue and her Sidekick.
