Richard Detrich’s Boquete, Panama Weblog

In my humble estimation Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities and harbors in the world. Sailing in or out of Vancouver is comparable to sailing in or out of New York or San Francisco: it is awesome!  The picture was taken last year when I sailed in on the ROTTERDAM and it was gray and cloudy, but on a clear day . . . awesome!

So we come to the end of 19 days on the VOLENDAM.  The VOLENDAM goes in for dry dock and then heads up for a summer season in Alaska, and then off to the South Pacific.  In the fall ZUIDERDAM will replace VOLENDAM on the Panama Canal series.  ZUIDERDAM is one of the largest ships in the Holland America fleet with just over 1,800 guests. 

The VOLENDAM’s off to dry dock and I’m . . . off to Seattle to meet my grandson Patrick Ryan!

I’ve been in and out of Vancouver many times over the years.  One of the most fun . . . and interesting times was when I brough my two girls with me on a cruise on the ROYAL PRINCESS while we owned our travel agencies.  It was a dad and daughters trip, so my wife carefully packed everything we might need . . . we thought.  We arrived early in Vancouver so we could take the ferry to Victoria and visit Butchart Gardens.  All was well until we got to our hotel and my daughter Noelle announced in panic, “Dad, mom forgot to pack my underwear!”  It was still neatly stacked on my daughter’s desk chair, which somehow in the packing process had gotten pushed under her desk . . . so no underwear. So here I was with an 8 year-old and a 10 year-old who was horrified to have no underwear and equally horrified to have to go shopping for underwear with her father . . . in Canada where they didn’t have “normal” US sizes.  Somehow we survived . . . and had a fantastic cruise. 

That makes it hard to believe that I’m back in Vancouver . . . going now to meet Noelle’s son.  Time flies when you’re having fun!

Often we have the impression that US & Panama ties began in 1904 when the US, in need of a canal connecting the oceans, encouraged and supported Panama’s separation from Columbia and the creation of the Panamanian state. My neighbor Robert Boyd has written a very interesting article in our local weekly paper, Bajareque Times, entitled “Colombia’s Battleground: The War of 1000 Days” in which he details US involvement and intervention in the affairs of the then department of Columbia known as Panama.

After Independence from Spain in 1821, the Isthmus of Panama chose to become a department (province) of Colombia and aligned themselves with the former colonial administrative district of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (present day Colombia). In the latter half of the nineteenth century, skirmishes between the liberal party and the conservative party turned Panama into a battleground.

Between 1863 and 1886, coups d’état, rebellions, and violence were almost continuous, staged by troops of the central government, by local citizens against centrally imposed edicts, and by factions out of power. During that time, the Department of Panama experienced fifty riots and rebellions, five attempted secessions, and thirteen interventions by the United States, acting under the provisions of the Bidlack-Mallarino Treaty which had been signed in 1846 and granted the US rights to build railroads through Panama and the obligation to intervene militarily if Panama tried to secede from Colombia. During these times, Panama endured the power struggle of Colombia’s most prominent political parties “The Liberals” and the “Conservatives”. In Natá de Coclé on October 27, 1899, while the conservatives were in power, the Liberals led by future Panamanian president Bellisario Porras began their revolt to oust the Conservatives from power . . .

Panama became the battleground to see who would control Columbia proper.

The Liberal forces than took Colon and burned it to the ground at which time the US sent in the marines to protect American interests on the Panama Railroad at the request of the US Consul and the Railroad Superintendent. The US Military presence caused the Liberal forces to surrender again, and another treaty was signed on November 29, 1901, between the Liberals and the Conservatives in the presence of the commanding officer of the US Marines. On December 24, 1901, the Liberals invaded Panama for the last time, with a force of 1,500 hundred, well trained men.

With the invasion of Panama City, the Liberals learned that the Conservative government in Colombia had asked the United States, had asked for help in putting down the rebellion, so they moved the battle to Aguadulce where they soundly defeated the Conservative forces. But now with the US firmly involved in their war, the Liberals had no choice but to seek a negotiated settlement and with the Liberals in a state of turmoil over the proceedings, the Conservatives amassed a large army of veterans fighters, a force of over 5,000 men and put down the Panama rebellion, once and for all. The final blow for the Liberals was when they were defeated in the battle of Nerlandia, in Colombia, on October 28, 1902, and was advised to cease all resistance. On November 19, 1902, all sides met on board the US Battleship, Wisconsin, and a treaty was signed, ending all hostilities.

It was call The Thousand Days War. The photo is of child soldiers during the Thousand Days War in Panama

It’s funny how the little choices you make in life end up having big consequences you could never have imagined.

I was a seminary student in Holland, Michigan and tired of dorm living.  Three of us had rented a summer cottage on Lake Michigan and as soon as the weather turned cold we were frozen out.  I found an apartment in the basement of a home on Lake Macatawa.  It was owned by a woman whose family owned the bank in nearby Zeeland, Michigan.  She was widowed, and like many wealthy widows back in the 60’s, every year took the world cruise on the ROTTERDAM V.  She wanted someone to keep an eye on her home while she was gone, hence the basement apartment usually filled by seminarians.

So I moved in.  Aside from having a spectacular view of Lake Macatawa, one of the great fringe benefits for a starving student was that occassionally Mrs. Den Herder would invite me up for dinner.  She had these fantastic aged steaks and would serve them with Cold Duck and regale me with stories of life on the ROTTERDAM.  When I graduated she told me that the Holland America ships had chaplains and that I should apply.  I did and my first cruise as chaplain for Holland America was on the ROTTERDAM V [what we call today the "old ROTTERDAM].  I discovered Holland America and the  wonderful world of cruising which has taken me all over the world!  And now some 200 cruises later . . . (I’ve stopped counting) . . . here I am, off at sea, this time on the VOLENDAM.

When I graduated Mrs. Den Herder also gave me 1000 shares of bank stock.   Through the years that stock split and split and split and helped finance many wonderful things in my life.  I’d always keep a few shares for sentimental reasons and not think about it . . . and then, when I needed it, it would have multiplied.  Last year I finally sold the last of the bank stock.

So thank you Mrs. Den Herder.

And it all started by renting an apartment!

I promised you some pictures of some less “showy” wild orchids. These three happened to be blooming now on the trees around our house.

On the other side of the mountain up in Cero Punta there is a world famous orchid farm named Dracula. It is named after a famous night blooming orchid that grows locally. At Dracula they not only propagate Panamanian orchids but they go all over Central and Latin America rescuing orchids and propagating orchids which are endanged, eventually returning mature endangered plants to their native habitats. At Dracula, depending on the season, you can see many of the more “showy” orchids in bloom.

Fireworks are an American tradition . . . right? Every July Fourth, but in many jusdictions only when shot off appropriately by pyrotechnical experts with official permission. When we lived in Newbury Park, California we would climb the hill behind our house, spread out our blanket, and surrounded by neighbors watch as the City of Thousand Oaks shot off its fireworks display while the local radio station played patriotic music. Since it was frequently dry in Ventura County in July we’d watch as the officially sanctioned fireworks set off brush fires and the County firefighters raced to put out the fires.

Nice . . . but trust me, fireworks in the USA are nothing compared to fireworks in Panama! Almost anyone can buy fireworks and shoot them off at will. So the sky lights up with regularity to celebrate weddings, birthdays, reunions and business events. Almost any holiday is an excuse for fireworks. In Valle Escondido it’s really no big deal when a spectacular fireworks show erupts to celebrate some event at the resort. And the “boom” richochets through the mountains just adding to the effect. Some dogs don’t like fireworks, but our dogs, being Panamanian dogs, have grown up with them, so they just turn their heads skyward and watch.

But the day the sky explodes with fireworks all across Panama is December 24th! For most gringos it is a very unexpected way to celebrate Christmas, but, just as a star lit up the sky to show the way to the wise men, on Christmas Eve precisely at midnight the sky explodes. Almost every Panamanian no matter how poor manages to scrape enough money together to buy at least one firework with which to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Well, not quite . . . but it was interesting!

Yes, we do have all kinds of critters and stuff . . . and sometimes they appear inside the house, like this scorpion and spider my daughter captured in a life and death struggle on the floor of our laundry room. Now, like everywhere else, we have an exterminator who sprays every other month, so most of these critters never come inside, but these guys did.

The spider . . . my wife loves finding these, especially when she’s taking a shower and one decides to share the shower with her . . . is about the size of a US Passport.

Our scorpions aren’t deadly like some in the US southwest, but they do hurt! I know from my personal encounter with a scorpion . . . actually a dead scorpion . . . that was in the bottom of my spa. I sat down and “pow”! Since the stinger is primed, even a dead scorpion will sting. My butt ached for about 4 hours so now I look before I sit . . . and am careful to shake out shoes and pants. We have a neighbor who learned about shaking out his pants the hard way. He pulled on his pants one morning to discover a scorpion had snuck into his zipper track . . . ouch!!!!

Anyway, who won this battle? The scorpion, of course!

Every day at sea we get copies of THE NEW YORK TIMES’ “Times Digest.”

Many years ago, when I was a hot, firebrand young minister in the late 60’s serving an all-Black church in the South Bronx, I was invited to preach in a number of churches in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I had lived for a while and gone to college. In an Obama-like moment during a sermon in one church I called then President Richard Nixon a “crook”. Several people were so incensed they walked out and I was the talk of after-church gossip in Russ’ (a Western Michigan hamburger institution where the number one topic seems to be church gossip). I believe the church where I spoke has since been closed, and of course we now know Nixon was a crook.

On the same speaking tour I also had a Hillaryesque moment (Hillary who noted she didn’t stay in the kitchen and make cookies) when I also noted as an aside in a sermon, “Any fool can bake a cake.” They never let me forget that comment, especially when I returned to that same church to get married and the ladies of the congregation celebrated by baking the cakes . . . and reminding me that I had once said . . .

In Panama we choose not to have satellite TV and I get my news on line. So, while I am on the ship I enjoy a steady diet of CNN. So I have been following all the candidates gaffes, amazed that they don’t make more, and amazed at how CNN can devote hours to the most inane comments while ignoring the enormous issues.

As the Nixon tapes emerged we all noted how cleverly and callously he had manipulated the evangelical church and church leaders, including my mentor Norman Vincent Peale, to achieve his personal political aggrandizement. That’s why it so amazed me to see evangelicals and conservative church leaders be suckered in by George W. Bush and follow blindly the emperor who we all now know had no clothes. Not only has “W” blatantly lied to the American people, initiated and endorsed torture, plunged the country into deep indebtedness and economic chaos while squandering away America’s prestige in the world, he has chipped away at the rights Americans have enjoyed since our nation was founded, rights which will never be recovered.

So the closing paragraph in a TIMES’ editorial “The Torture Sessions” seemed to express not only the lament of the past eight years, but the importance of the coming election:

Only by fully understanding what Bush has done over eight years to distort the rule of law and violate civil liberties and human rights can Americans ever hope to repair the damage and ensure it does not happen again.

One of the things that amazed me most when we first drove up to Palmira, where our farm and new house are located, was the rows of pipe cactus along the road.  Here were palm trees, pine trees, cactus, orange trees, and coffee all growing together!!  It’s just a small part of the amazing variety of plants and trees that flourish in the rich volcanic soil at our altitude and moderate temperature.

These beautiful cactus are blooming now at the end of the dry season and the blooms are spectacular - 7″ long and 5″ across.  They only bloom at night and by sunrise the flower is already drooping and dying.  My daughter, the naturalist, tells me that like most night blooming plants the flowers are white to attract bats and moths who pollinate. 

I thought you would enjoy seeing some pictures of these cactus in our yard.

If anyplace deserves to be called “Margaritaville” it’s Puerto Vallarta which is in Jalisco, birthplace of tequila.   Once looked down on in Mexico as a drink for the poor . . . and looked down on in the US as a drink for college students who just wanted to get wasted . . . tequila is growing in popularity and in price.  Tequila is the fastest growing spirit in the world and is gaining status as something more than a “party” drink.  You can buy an aged tequila in a crystal bottle for as much as $1000 . . . not exactly something to take to a fraternity party. 

I have lectures on rum and tequila that I do on board, and usually I have the Shops on Board provide tastings after the talks.  On this particular cruise I’ve combined both talks into one called “Spirits of The Americas.”   I’ve never liked tequila so my interest is strictly “academic”.  But since I’m relaxing on the beach today in Puerto Vallarta, I thought you might be interested in some tequila factoids.

Just as cognac is brandy from specific grapes in a select region of France, only liquor made from the blue agave in specified regions in Mexico can be called tequila. Agave liquors from other regions of Mexico are known as mescal or “mezcal”.

Inigenous people fermented aguamiel from the local maguey plants into a drink called pulque. Distillation of pulque may have originated by the Conquistadors as early as the 1520s. Mezcal wine, tequila’s grandparent, was first produced after the Spanish Conquest. By the mid 1500’s it was variously called mezcal brandy, agave wine, mezcal tequila and finally simply tequila.

Jose Antonio Cuervo, first licensed producer with rights to cultivate land from King of Spain. In 1795, his son Jose Maria Cuervo got the first license to produce mezcal wine from the Crown from the first official Mexican distillery, Casa Cuervo.

Demand for tequila and the seven year growing cycle of agave has resulted in prices increasing as much as 300% and made “agave rustling” a lucrative enterprise. Growers are actually implanting computer chips in plants to monitor their growth and help prevent rustling.

And the “worm”? Well it isn’t a worm the the larvae of an insect that once in a while appeared in a bottle that should have been rejected. Once marketers discovered that these “defective” bottles were in high demand they started making sure every bottle had a “worm.” Marketing genius!

The cruise season in Panama has ended . . . and has been a huge contributor to Panama’s tourism growth.  235 cruise ships stopped in Colon and Cristobal ports on the Caribbean and Amador in Panama City this past season, bringing 450,000 visitors and pumping $47 million into the local economy.  The cruise line business represents 30% of Panama’s overall tourism. 

These numbers do not include the cruise ships passing through the Canal but not stopping to disembark passengers, so that part of the industry also makes a contribution to Panama from the tolls paid to the Canal Authority. 

This is expected to grow as we move into the 2008-2009 cruise season.  The popularity of Panama is causing ships to start visiting earlier.  Some cruise lines, like Holland America, will be using larger ships.  Holland America will be using the ZUIDERDAM on its 10-day Canal series which carries 400 more passengers than the VOLENDAM, it used this past season. 

The big news for the coming season is that Royal Caribbean will homeport the ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS in Panama, departing every week from Colon.  Part of Royal Caribbean’s strategy is to attract European passengers who resent the hassle and intrusion of US Homeland Security procedures in South Florida.  The new KLM flights now offer direct service from Holland to Panama and the field at the former Howard US base has been opened to charter flights alleviating potential congestion at Tocumen the primary international airport.  My prediction is that more cruise lines will begin moving ships to Panama IF Panama can develop an infrastructure that supports tourism in the Colon area.  [See my previous post, “Is Panama Ready for Tourism?”]

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Let me just say how much I appreciate your comments!  If you’ve not previously commented, have your say.  WordPress uses a pretty sophisticated spam filtering system which filters out all those wonderful emails offering my Viagra, cheap car insurance, African bank accounts, and work-at-home schemes, but occasionally snags a legitimate email in error.  Please, just try again, maybe using a different email.  WordPress has also changed some functionality that makes it harder for me to respond within your comments to specific questions.  I have another way to accomplish that, but will be unable to implement it while I am on the VOLENDAM When I get home I promise to respond.