Richard Detrich’s Boquete, Panama Weblog

Amen to the Hortin’s letter above. We left a similar note with Holland America. The presentations given by the two of you as well as a couple of conversations with Craig have indeed made the Volendam canal trip one of our most memorable experiences.

I’ll be keeping your blog at the top of my “bookmarks” column for some time to come, and hope to cross paths again someday.

I’ll try to share some pix when we return to WA. Thanks again, best regards, Ron & Sharon Hagedorn

Thank you Ron and Sharon! Glad you had a great cruise!

Hey Richard. Your cruise is slowly coming to an end. Are you going to pass by Fort Lauderdale again? Maybe we could meet for a short while. We are packing and hope to leave for Panama on or about the 15th of May. Here are some more questions which you most likely could answer.

How potable is the water in Boquete or Valle de Anton? Should we bring some kind of filtration system with us?

How come that nobody seems to have a back-up electrical generator? We depend on uninterrupted electrical service and I would appreciate you giving me your opinion about this topic. Should I bring a 6KW to 10 KW generator with us?

Did you have any problems when bringing in your belongings on the trailer? I have read a number of blocks where people’s trailer had been broken into. What safeguards should we take?

We have been offered a 3/3 in el Valle. The owner is also a doctor. It is the right size for us and sits on a relatively large piece of property. It has a gardener and a once a week cleaning lady included. The price is $1,500 p.m. Is that a good deal?

In all the S.A. countries I have been I never found a butcher who knew how to cut meat our way. They only had “carne o suave”. It always gave the impression that the animals where killed twice. How is the situation in Panama?

Is soy milk and coffee creamer available?

What else do you think we should bring with us now.

Enjoy the cruise, looking forward of meeting you in person. With best wishes and God bless, Sid

Hi Sid. Last question, first. What “else” should you bring? A sense of adventure and flexibility!!! You will NOT find a butcher to your liking . . .and you’ll probably find a lot else that is different and frustrating! Learn to go with the flow, relax, chill and enjoy. Everything will happen . . . eventually . . . just not on your time table. Since you are a MD one word of advice: “Delete ‘STAT’ from you vocabulary!”

Water is generally OK to drink, but to be on the safe side, at least initially, I would boil. My tummy is more sensitive than my wife’s, so I boil, she doesn’t. Our new house will have a reverse osmosis system.

Some folks have back up generators, some very sophisticated and automatic. Power goes on and off, but generally only for a few moments, at least in Boquete.

We had no problem shipping our stuff down. Get a reliable shipper, not necessarily the cheapest. The guy who clears customs for you should also travel with your container to your final destination. We had a baby grand piano boxed up and it was the last on, so it was virtually impossible for anyone, including customs, to get by it without a forklift. A friend of ours had a lot of stuff taken, but he suspects it was actually stolen in LA.

Soy milk, creamer, etc., is available at Price Smart, Reys and the big supermarkets. Sometimes things will be out of stock for a while, but generally most things are available. Again . . . sense of adventure . . . and realizing it’s not going to be the same. You’re doing the right thing coming down and renting for a while to check it out. I have no idea of rents in El Valle. It doesn’t sound bad for Valle Escondido in Boquete, but again, I don’t know El Valle.

Good luck, and I hope we meet in Boquete!

I’ve been reading your site. I have been trying to find out how to apply for a chaplain’s position for a cruise line without any success. Can you give me any advice? Thanks, Dave Gale

Holland America generally always has a priest on board, rabbi for holidays, and a Protestant minister when the ship is at sea on a Sunday. Here’s the link for contact http://www.hollandamericaentertainment.com/jobdescriptions/clergy.asp Sixth Star is another possibility, although they mostly seem to have openings for priests. www.sixthstar.com/index.php

Richard, I got your e-mail from one of the Panama webs that I was searching yesterday. My wife and I are going to be in Panama between May 24th (arriving at 11AM) and May 27th (leaving late morning). We were planning to do the Canal Transit tour, but I noticed that all tours are only on Sat. and they start at 9AM, so there is no way that we can make it. I was wondering if you are aware of any other tours that we could take at the Canal either on May 25th or 26th? Because what is the fun going to Panama and not visiting the Panama Canal right??? Any other additional information that you may have related to other tours (CASCO VIEJO, Palace das Garças, MIRAFLORES, Albrook Mall) will be greatly appreciated. Please let me know your thoughts whenever you get a chance.

Most of the hotels can hook you up with daily tours. Folks on www.cruisecritic.com seem to have a lot to say about Mario’s tours, although I have no personal experience. Depending on the time of year there are really neat tours to the Embera village. Click on Cruising Q&A above for info.

I recently moved to Panama City and also noticed HSBC took 3% to withdraw. Have you found any alternative options? Regards, Al

What Al’s referring to is that we had our pensions deposited in our HSBC account in the US and then for about a year were able to just withdraw from our local Panama HSBC ATM . . . until HSBC started charging 3% to take out my own money!!! My alternative . . . move to another bank!!

Hi Richard, I got your e-mail from the website cruise critics and as a result of reading the posts, etc. my daughter and I would absolutely love to visit the Embera Village while in Panama . I was able to find two tours which offer this experience and have confirmed that it is the Authentic village. The first Myfriendmario is the least expenses (he already has people booked for this excursion from the Liberty on the dates we are there) … also provides insurance should be miss the ship (although this has never happened). But I have also been in contact with Anne who you had mentioned in one of your post who would be available for both my daughter and I for $100 each … a bit more but it would be only the two of us. I am torn between the two … any thoughts ? Initially I thought we would go with Mario because of safety in groups … however, I had ready you site and was fascinated with how Anne and her husband moved to Panama after the filming, etc. Danny Dupuis

When are you going? Right now is dry season so the “authentic” village Anne uses may not be available by boat, and may require some walking . . .I don’t know Mario or about his operation other than what I’ve read on Cruise Critic. Anne and her Embera family are wonderful and I would have no fear of security. Whichever, it will be a wonderful experience.

Hola Richard! I included you on a recent review. Thought you’d enjoy. Bon Voyage and Good Health!
Bob
“EXPLORER’S SERIES LECTURES: One of the highlights of our cruise. Richard Detrich gave informative, well organized power point presentations on the Canal (and building thereof), Panamanian history, culture & politics, a focused lecture on coffees and advise on those planning to find new retirement digs. His enthusiasm for Panama was infectious.”

Thank you Bob & Judy!