The Azuero Peninsula is as different from Boquete as Boquete is different from Panama City. Heavily colonized by the early Spanish all indigenous Indian populations have long disappeared and almost all of the rainforest has been cut for agricultural use, mostly cattle. Because of the “slash and burn” agriculture and the destruction of the rain forest, the Azuero Peninsula is the driest place in Panama.
Little villages still have tiny adobe houses with tile roofs. Parita is a beautifully preserved Spanish settlement town, totally non-touristy, but like going back several hundred years. The church has spectacular carved altar pieces going back to Spanish times.
Las Tablas is the center for Carnival celebrations for all of Panama.
Pedasi is a tiny town that feels like it is at the end of the world, and in many ways it is. Home to Panama’s former President, Mireya Moscoso, Pedasi has benefited greatly from her largess with government funds: new road, sewers, street signs, beautiful plaza, a beautiful (unused) airport that will accommodate small jets. Henry Winkler is supposed to have set down here, looking for property. There is a growing group of French ex-pats. A large French development is underway and the area is ripe to become “another Boquete.” Land prices are already soaring with high profile investors like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie along with Arnold Schwartzeneiger and Maria Shriver buying tracks of land.
About 40 km South of Pedasi is La Playita, a funky little resort that grew out of retired jockey Lester Knight’s retirement dream of a picturesque beach and a lodge, looking something like Churchill Downs, surrounded by a menagerie of animals.
Here’s the best argument I know of to book carefully!
And you may want to remember these images the next time you grumble about having to attend a lifeboat drill.
This happened in 1991. The Captain of the ship and the vessel’s owners, Epirotiki Cruises, said the captain and crew didn’t abandon ship, they just all left to find help for the 170 passengers they left stranded on board. Additionally the Captain took credit saying, “The rescue was perfect.” The International HERALD TRIBUNE quoted an Epirotiki spokesperson as saying ”that there was no connection between the sinking of the Oceanos, a fire aboard the Pegasus, the company flagship, in Venice in June and the sinking of the liner Jupiter in Piraeus three years ago.”
Well, we ARE making progress! The house was supposed to be finished before Christmas, Christmas ‘07 that is, but I never really expected it to be finished by then. Panamanians, including builders, will tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. So now we’re just about 1 year under construction . . . and I’m hoping to be moving in by June. June ‘08, not June ‘09!
Since we started the price of steel has doubled and cement has increased by 18%. Construction costs are now running $60-90 a square foot. But we ARE making progress! Things DO get done in Panama, just not always on one’s “Gringo schedule.” Tough pill to swallow or a Type A personality . . . like I used to be! Now, I chill . . . relax, and enjoy life!
Here are some shots of the house. This is the house from the end of a very long driveway . . .
Front of the house in Palmira . . .
Cedar ceiling in tower [note OSHA-non-approved scaffolding] . . .
Master bedroom Palmira . . .
Since the whole point of living here is the indoor/outdoor lifestyle, we got a little carried away with the back porch . . . it has a fireplace for chilly nights!
Since I recently wrote about living on a volcano - Volcan Baru which dominates our landscape in Boquete - I thought you might appreciate a few pictures of Pompeii and Herculaneum from trips on the MILLENNIUM and GALAXY.
Sunrise on the MILLENNIUM in Naples Harbor with Mt. Vesuvius looming over the city.
The greater Naples area lives under the threat of a future eruption of Vesuvius. According to experts, “The population density in some areas of high risk is 20,000 to 30,000 per square km. About 3 million people could be seriously affected by future eruptions.
In the first 15 minutes of a medium- to large-scale eruption an area with a 4 mile (7 km) radius of the volcano could be destroyed. About 1 million people live and work in this area. with over 1 million people coexisting with a live volcano. Like Volcan Baru, Vesuvius is a stratovolcano.” The thumbnail to the right is an Italian Air Force photo of the eruptions.
Herculaneum was buried under 75 feet (23 m) of ash deposited by a pyroclastic flow (volcanic fragments, crystals, ash, pumice, and glass shards) moving at speeds of 50 to 100 miles an hour. Herculaneum was a seaside resort town.
Pompeii was a commercial town. When Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Pliny the Younger witnessed the event from 18 miles west of the volcano and later recorded the event describing earthquakes before the eruption, the event itself, and the after effects including the tsunami that followed. The term “plinian” is now used to describe volcanic eruptions that generate high-altitude eruption columns and blanket large areas with ash. It is estimated that at times during the eruption the column of ash was 20 miles (32 km) tall and almost a cubic mile of ash fell in less than a day.
Archaeologists were able to identify empty spaces in the ash while excavating Pompeii. By injected these spaces with plaster they were able to produce plaster castes of citizens of Pompeii as they died, mostly from volcanic gases.
If you check out my Book List you’ll find the name of the book you should read if you are interested in the Vesuvius eruption. This computer generated graphic gives an idea of what that day was like in Pompeii.
In the National Museum in Naples is the “Secret Room” - well, not so secret as thousands of cruise ship passengers cue up for a look inside. It is called the “Secret Room” because as many of the erotic treasures of Pompeii were excavated they were considered too risque for proper citizens to view and reserved for the titillation of museum curators. Even today children under 14 are not admitted without parental permission. It gets pretty explicit.
Here is a giant 3′ erection - an early street billboard pointing the way to a house of ill repute.
Like Mc Donald’s the brothel in Pompeii had a picture menu, so you could just indicate your preference by pointing to the menu.
Yesterday was one of those spectacular Panama days! Spot, one of my Dalmatians, and I went to Boca Chica. The sky was blue and everywhere in the forest were spectacular trees in full bloom: orange, red, pink, gold and the most vibrant yellow on the planet! I take a back way from Boquete to Chiriqui that goes through lots of fields and has spectacular vistas of the mountains. It was just . . . WOW! It was one of those days when you think, “And I actually live here!”
One of the fun things about driving on Sunday morning is that it tends to be the favorite time of the week for moving cattle. So no less than three times we were halted by cowboys on horses as a heard of cattle was driven across or down the road. Spot takes it all in, the car totally surrounded at time by Brahma, cowboys and horses, and she just watches politely without barking. Put the other two dogs in the truck and it is a free-for-all as to which one can bark the loudest!
Boca Chica was beautiful, as usual. This is a very special place in Chiriqui, a tiny, “nothing” little fishing village that is just being “discovered”. There are half a dozen marinas either under development or projected. A big plus is that the road is gradually being repaired. Driving to Boca Chica used to be a truly “off road” experience and when it rained you were often axle deep in mud and water.
One of the big pluses of living in Boquete is that the ocean is just 1.5 hours away, close enough to reach without hassle, but far enough away to be a “break.”
My wife Nikki returns today with a camera full of pictures of my new grandson! I hope she’s pleased with the progress on the home we are building in Palmira: “slow and steady” is the course. She’s bringing my new camera which I ordered online and had shipped to my daughters, so later in the week I’ll post some pictures of the house.
A big commercial for International Living, but never-the-less interesting . . .
One more, this one, is about Valle Escondido where we now live in Boquete. This advertises the resort which is surrounded by a development that includes condos, duplexes and homes.
And, in case you are interested, the house where we live now is for sale since we our building our new home on our coffee farm.
Think “Heidi” in the tropics - that’s Volcan. In fact one of the little communities in the Volcan area is called Nueva Suiza, “New Switzerland, after the European settlers who came here almost a hundred years ago to take advantage of the extremely fertile volcanic soil and ideal Spring-like year round climate.
Volcan clings to the other slope of Volcan Baru from Boquete but has the same wonderful climate, but without the high prices - yet! - or booming developments for expats.
All along the road from David and the Pan American Highway up to Volcan you will see beautiful dairy farms, rolling hills, and spectacular views of the Pacific.
It’s almost impossible to visit the Volcan area without coming home with a car laden down with oranges, onions, vegetables, plants, and even fresh trout from the trout farm in Bambino. We always stop at the Swiss Berrard packing plant to stock up on meat.
Above Volcan is the tiny community of Cerro Punta, probably best known for its vegetables and flowers and the Los Quetzals lodge which is popular with bird watchers eager to see the illusive resplendent quetzal.
Just outside of Cerro Punta is Sendero Los Quetzals, the trail head for the Quetzal Trail that runs about 12 km up and down from Cerro Punta to Boquete. It is a spectacular hike, about 6 hours.
Although Volcan isn’t that far from Boquete as the crow flies, in order to get there you have to go all the way back to the Pan American Highway and David. A new road is proposed that will link Volcan and Boquete across the Southern slope of Volcan Baru.
Getting there: Take the Pan American highway West past David toward the Costa Rican border. At Concepcion turn right and the road winds up to Volcan. Turn right in Volcan for Bambito, Nueva Suiz, and Cerro Punta.
Brandon Hein’s plight - being sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for a crime nobody says he committed - has drawn outrage for twelve years and still, nothing has been done. The courts play their game: judges and lawyers and a criminal justice system who all hang out together, belong to the same clubs, contribute to each others campaigns, and generally make a good living off doing a kabuki dance designed to create the illusion that the US is a country that believes in justice. Twelve years of appeals, of tossing the case from one court to another while everyone along the way profits, except Brandon Hein who sits in prison. A Governor who talks about being an action-man and a Terminator of injustice, but is such a “girlie man” that he won’t take action and do the right thing.
So now, after twelve years in the “system”, Brandon’s case goes to the US Circuit Court of Appeals 9th District.
You want a sense of public outrage? Go to the Brandon Hein Online Petition to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unfortunately it doesn’t mean much, since the Governor doesn’t see the comments, but it does give a good idea of how “typical” citizens feel about this gross miscarriage of justice. [The only way to communicate with the Governor is to write a letter -see "How To Write A Letter to The Governor"]
“This is a tragedy! Our form of punishment was not meant to be abused this way! Our founders would be ashamed.” Lauren Treiman-Varn
“Justice at it’s very worse…just disgusting! I moved here from Australia and am truly appalled with the judicial system in California. Very very sad for all, not only are there now victims of a crime but also victims of an incompetent judicial system.” Erin Louise Rea
“How dare we, as Americans, politicians and citizens allow such an injustice to occur for such a long period of time without resolution or justice that is equally given by born right as an American. Is is not out government, Do we not elect the politicians, Do we not have a say so, and I say to you we never will until we let our voices be heard, Until we fight for our rights, For our neighbor, for ourselves, our country and our for God given rights, We must tell them ‘This is our country and this atrocity has gone on long enough, Free Brandon Hein’ and we must sign it ’sincerely America’”. Ralph L Ray
“Please, someone with the power to fix this travesty of justice needs to man up and do it. I’m begging that you be a hero to a young man whose life has been unjustly taken by an unfair system, and to every American, and anyone on Earth for that matter, who still burns with a distant hope that we may one day truly embrace a system ‘with liberty and justice for all.’” Nicholas W. Sowards
“I turned down a job transfer to Los Angeles with this case in mind, I have a teenage son, suppose he makes a mistake and gets in trouble and has to go to prison where gangs rule and the justice system will allow a bystander to do life without parole. Is this the land of opportunity that you have made such a wonderful life from?” Jeff O
“The sentencing that these boys received is CRIMINAL! There should be exceptions to the felony/murder rule, or it should be abolished, one or the other. It originated in England, and even they abolished it. Shame shame on the prosecutors and Jimmy’s parents for being so vengeful toward these young men. It was a tragedy, not a murder.” Dan Townsend
“A sad commentary on LAPD/prosecutor/DA misconduct and further evidence of how trumped up charges to illicit a wrong verdict. I have personally been involved in 1000’s of trials as a graphics and trial consultant and this case reminds me why I walked away from it. Governor Schwarzenegger please remedy this miscarriage of justice. Thank you.” Shelley English
“Why hasn’t this conviction been overturned yet?? The sentences of these 4 boys is a travesty of justice!” Ariel Wapnir
Today Brandon Hein’s case is submitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.
It has only taken 4,700 days to get to this point!
For over 12 years Brandon Hein has been sitting in prison for a crime that nobody says he committed.
This amazing story of injustice has been told on 60 Minutes, in several documentaries including William Gazecki’s “RECKLESS INDIFFERENCE”, and in articles in ROLLING STONE ["Lynching in Malibu"] and it has gained the attention of national political leaders and celebrities alike . . . and still Brandon remains in prison.
You can read about the case on Brandon’s Website, most of which I wrote 12 years ago when I first got to know Brandon, and actually watch an interview with Brandon when he testified for then Senator Tom Hayden’s California Senate Committee on the injustices of the felony murder rule.
In a nutshell: Brandon was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He happened to be involved in a teen fist fight when another kid stabbed and killed the son of an LAPD officer.
Thousands have petitioned the Governor both online and by letter. If you haven’t joined them, you should! This could have happened to you (or still could!), or to your child or grandchild! With the Olympics coming in China there is going to be a lot of press about China’s record on human rights. The US likes to criticize the rest of the world for human rights violations: Brandon Hein’s case is the United State’s dirty secret. Here is an incredible violation of human rights . . . in California! We need to clean up our own act before we criticize the rest of the world!
Here is the link to an extended interview with Brandon Hein that director William Gazecki conducted. The interview discuss a wide range of topics and updates to the film “Reckless Indifference”.
Brandon is now a 31-year-old man who has matured into an amazing individual. He is able to live closely with some individuals who deserve to be in maximum security, and he can calmly sit down with Dan Rather and do a 60 Minutes interview. In spite of it all, he manages to continue to believe that justice will triumph. He is an amazing artist and continues to grow as a person in spite of this gross injustice.
“The Box”. The incredible thing about this is that the Internet has emerged and developed since Brandon went into prison [imagine that!] and Brandon has never seen the Internet as we know it and has never had Internet access, yet in his mind he conceived the idea of “The Box” and the presentation and worked by letter with friends who were Web designers to develop “The Box.”
Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School Professor says, “This is a case that violates the Bible, that violates the Constitution, that violates the law, that violates common sense, and that violates common decency.”
Dr. Jeffrey Fagan, Criminologist, Professor Columbia University, Director, Columbia University Center for Violence Research and Prevention: “This was a modern-day lynching. It shows the power of a legal system where there are no effective checks and balances against prosecutorial power, and the conspiracy among cops and prosecutors to stifle basic freedom such as the presumption of innocence.”
Marta Moczo-Santiago, Commissioner of Juvenile Justice, City of New York: “There’s law and there’s justice, and in this particular case there has been an injustice . . . [These kids] need to be held responsible, but I think in this case the severity by which they are being held responsible, truly, is nonsensical.”
Tom Hayden, Activist, Politician, Former State Senator: “Why should people unequally involved in crime be equally punished? Brandon is on solid ground asking if everyone (involved in the murder) is equally guilty.”
William Gazecki, Academy Award Nominated Director, Director of “Reckless Indifference”, says, “These kids were stupid and they were reckless, but they were kids, and the system was equally as reckless.”
Al Martinez, Columnist Los Angeles Times: “Brandon Hein’s radiant smile may conceal the sins of suburbia, but his sins, at least, aren’t damning enough to cost him the rest of his life.”
Geraldo Rivera: “What about justice? . . . This sentence is cruel and vindictive.”
Editorial, The Acorn, Local Agoura Hills Weekly: “To lock the door and throw away the key on a pair of boys who spent a single afternoon on the fringe of the law is an affront to the concept of rehabilitative justice . . . Life cannot be returned to Jimmy Farris, but it shouldn’t be taken away from Hein and Miliotti.”
Gene Hein, Brandon’s Dad: “My son didn’t kill anybody. He didn’t have a knife. He didn’t know anybody had a knife. He is not a threat to society.”
Vickie McGowen, Writing in a “Letter to the Editor” VENTURA COUNTY STAR: “My heart breaks for the Farris family because their son was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps they find some small comfort in knowing their son’s killer is in prison. They also know that several other young men who didn’t kill their son are in prison. How could that make us, or a society, feel better?”
Steve Young, Agoura Resident: “The whole case stinks to high heaven of judicial and prosecutorial abuse and misconduct. How the judge and prosecutor can sleep at night when they know that these kids are rotting in jail for the rest of their lives is beyond me.”
Kreig Vens, Police Officer: “If we, as individuals, or collectively as a nation, allow such disproportionate and grossly abusive sentences [as this] to be invoked without challenge, we become as barbaric as the crime itself . . . The sentencing in this case can only be labeled ‘judicial brutality’.”
Mrs. Chloe Swann, From a town near Leicester in the middle of England: “I feel so sad that Brandon has been the victim of a barbaric law [based on English common law] that we in England abolished in 1957, but I suppose what he is the real victim of merciless people who exploit these outdated laws which obviously predate modern values and common sense.”
Stephen Blackwell, Melbourne, Australia: “For a world leader, this injustice is a continuing blot on the international reputation of the USA. The work of the United States Government in high lighting the injustices found in other countries is commendable but it is time to set an example by seeing that justice and mercy are given in this case.”
Plons, Belgium: “As a Belgian law student this story is very shocking and disturbing to me. Apparently the Dark Ages of criminal justice are not over yet in California. All the best to Brandon.”
Arjan, Netherlands: “I accidentally came across BrandonHein.com and I was shocked! Is this the justice system in the USA???????? How can I country like the USA do things like this? Aren’t they supposed to be an example to the world? I knew the US had the death-penalty, but to lock up people forever is a shame. This may sound anti-American but it’s not supposed to. Brandon might have been at the wrong place at the wrong time, but he doesn’t deserve this. I know that ‘Dutch courage’ is a negative expression, but I wish him an enormous amount of courage from Holland.”
Last night we got to see a fantastic total lunar eclipse! The sky was clear as a bell, the mountain air clean and clear, and little ambient light and the view from the front of my house was one of the best in the world! I understand the next one will be in 10 years. [Picture is of another eclipse: from Wikipedia]
If it is a clear night with no moon the stars in Boquete are breath taking. You can actually see the Milky Way. I used to think the stars would be fantastic at night on a cruise ship, but most cruise ships have so much ambient light that the stars aren’t as great as you would think. But high in the mountains of Chiriqui . . . fantastic!!
“The Box”. 
