Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thinking about all my family and  friends in the States who are celebrating the US Thanksgiving today . . . while I am celebrating a day of thanks-living slurping up pasta with my daughter Rebecca in Rome.   We have a few days to enjoy Rome before boarding the ROYAL PRINCESS the day after tomorrow.  Becky has travelled all over and done exotic adventures like identifying whale sharks in Western Australia, counting male elephants in Tanzania, and trail building around Lake Baikal in Siberia, but somehow she had never managed to get to Rome.  So it is fun to show her around, and fun to be here off-season when you don’t have to wait in a Disney-type 3 hour line to see things.  But from me, from Panama, it was a challenge to find close to wear in Italy in November/December!

Anyway, the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, etc., will have to wait until we get on the ship.  But I am thankful . . . for my life, this time to be with my daughter, my wife, my daughter Noelle and her husband George and our grandson Rian, my friends and special “sons” in Ventura, the Dean brothers, my life and friends in Palmira, and the ability to see the world on beautiful ships.   It’s a good life and I’m grateful.

I’ve always thought Thanksgiving in the US should be more about giving thanks to God, and less about football and food.  I resent people calling it “Turkey Day” . . . can you imagine shutting down a nation to do homage to a bird, and a turkey at that?  I know Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird . . . thankfully, we as a people dodged that bullet.   But since there is a lot of navel gazing and focus on eating and . . . damn it . . . that bird, I thought I’d pass on some things  my sister-in-law, Dorita, sent me.  This is one of those Internet forwards, so I have no idea what the copyright issues are . . . and if it’s yours, and you have a problem, let me know and I will shoot it.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the US, belatedly to those of you in Canada, and to the rest of the world as well.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

As you read this I will be somewhere over the Atlantic, winging my way to Europe where I will be joining the ROYAL PRINCESS. Probably not sleeping. I don’t know why. I envy people who get on a plane, close their eyes after the safety briefing, sleep soundly until the flight crew shakes them awake just before landing. I’ve tried pills, alcohol, meditation, neck pillows, yada yada yada . . . and nothing. I can start dozing as soon as we start pulling out on the runway, but once we are airborne I’m wide awake. So hopefully KLM will have some good movies.

Kudos to Princess for not flying me to Rome via Atlanta, Detroit, Newark, London, Rome – typical Holland America routing - but putting me on the DIRECT flight from Panama City to Amsterdam, and then on into Rome. You didn’t know KLM flew direct to Panama? Well, it does! Tocumen Airport in Panama City is becoming a major hub for the Americas as more and more people want to avoid the hassle of connecting in the US.

KLM is a funny airline in many ways. The flight crews for their flights always arrive all at once and march through the airport like 25 or 30 soldiers in lock-step formation dressed in their baby blue outfits. Corny, but people notice, so I guess it’s a kind of advertising. I used to think KLM flight attendants were kind of curt, until I spent more time in Holland and realized that it’s a language thing. If you know a language, but don’t really know the nuances and tonal variations, saying the correct thing, with a slightly off tone can come across totally different than intended. I was on KLM when I was in the travel business and going to Holland to become a “Dutch Specialist” on a travel agent familiarization trip sponsored in part by KLM. We were flying coach (it wasn’t that good of a trip, to be in business or first class) and all seated in the forward section of one of the rear cabins . . . where there is more leg room and often where folks with babies end up because they can hook little cribs into the walls of the rest rooms. So, typical fam trip, two or three guys and a ton of women. KLM is doing their best to make us happy . . . translation, lots of booze . . . and one of our gals notices that the hole where the crib locks in opens directly into the rest room and gives a head-on-view, so to speak, of gentlemen using the rest room. So our people, having already enjoyed what amounted to an open bar, are queuing up for a look, taking measure, and like Olympic judges scoring . . . when the KLM crew comes over to find out what is going on . . . and they are lining up and giving scores. And the poor people in the front cabin didn’t have a clue!

The last time, I think, that I was on KLM to Schippol (and to pronounce it like the Dutch do you have to clear your throat like you are collecting a great gob of phlegm to spit out) we had just landed and I was semi-comatose from sleep deprivation. As I was in the great line filing out from seat 312 E I heard what sounded, I thought, like a Dutch attempt at my last name. When I asked at the jetway they said that yes, they had a message for me, I was to call my wife as soon as possible. My heart dropped and I thought, “Something’s happened to one of the kids.” When I got Nikki on the phone she quickly informed me that she and the kids were fine, but . . . as she put it, “This is something you need to deal with. I can’t make the decision.”

When I was a young pastor in the South Bronx I became surrogate father to a number of kids and the one who was most “my” kid, was a kid named Efrain. I met Efrain when he came into our drug program . . . totally strung out on heroin, with tracks up and down his arms. He was 11 years old, and looked more like 8. Back then a kid that young strung out on heroin was somewhat of a novelty. He didn’t really fit in any program, so he became like my son. I remember crawling over snaking fire hoses and pushing past NYFD guys into the tenement where Efrain’s family lived to find out if they were still alive, coming under the not-so-friendly fire of NYPD (actually with Luther Van Dross’s mother, Mary Ida) to try and find Efrain when bullets were flying, and smuggling Big Macs into the hospital when Efrain almost died. Somehow he survived. For a year or so he lived with us in Milwaukee, and then went back to New York. When he was twenty-two he landed a very responsible job managing one of the old porn shops in Times Square. He sent me a picture of him at the counter, looking very proud and important. He had to manage the staff, which was more demanding than you might think. This was one of those places where you put a quarter in and the window slid up and you could watch a live girl . . . so he not only had to manage security, inventory, money, but also a staff of working girls. So Efrain made his twenties . . . and as has happened with all my Bronx kids, you lose track of each other.

Unfortunately Efrain, like a lot . . . maybe most . . . addicts, went back on drugs, unbeknownst to me. My wife was calling because somehow one of Efrain’s brothers had managed to track me across the states through the churches I had served to California. Efrain was in the hospital, dying of AIDS and he wanted to see me before he died. After all these years it is still tough to think about. I called his brother and they didn’t think Efrain would make it through the night. There was no way I could get there and all I could say was, “Tell him I love him . . . and I’ll see him someday.”

So KLM memories are definitely mixed.

When I leave on a trip I like to leave everything in order. Clean house. Clean desk. No unfinished business or projects. I work hard to have schedules, countdowns, so everything is in order. But it doesn’t work out that way! Ever. It seems I always leave a swirl of chaos in my wake which my poor wife is generally left to sort out and clean up. Last year when I left for my winter cruise trip the house in Palmira was still unfinished. This year, some of my projects are unfinished. Yes, partly it’s because I tend to bite off more than I can chew, although this year we’ve had some big and unexpected (and unwanted!) surprises.

What I need now is someone to feed me, clean my clothes, pick up after me, shine my shoes, give me fresh towels and put towel animals on my bed. When I got married I thought that was what a wife did . . . now I know better and know that’s what a room steward does! I’ll talk to you from the ROYAL PRINCESS!

Welcome MALL OF THE SEAS

Royal Caribbean is celebrating the holidays by unwrapping the biggest ship ever, 40 percent larger than the current title holders. Technically named OASIS OF THE SEAS . . . I just think “MALL OF THE SEAS” is a more descriptive name! . . . this behemoth is 225,282 tons and will carry 5,400 passengers. On a ship this large I believe “passengers” not “guests” is probably the most appropriate term. Next summer a “large and lovely”, “plus-sized” sister, ALLURE OF THE SEAS, makes her debut on the new ship runway.

As a stockholder, I hope these beauties succeed because Royal Caribbean is pretty much betting the company that there is a niche for floating malls. And just because it isn’t my cup of tea to go to sea on a floating city, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a market for this kind of cruise where the ship itself is the destination. According to Cruise Critic . . .

The ship will be divided into seven neighborhoods, each with its own distinct theme. The seven: the Youth Zone, for the tots; the Boardwalk, with its Coney Island vibe; the Royal Promenade, a bigger, bolder version of Royal Caribbean’s traditional indoor shopping mall; Entertainment Place, for the nighttime activities; Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; Pool and Sports Zone; and Central Park, an indoor/outdoor space with real grass and trees. Dining-wise, there are over 20 options. Twelve charge an additional fee.

“Twelve charge an addtional fee” . . . When we started in the cruise travel biz we would sell cruises as “all-inclusive” vacations! Well, it hasn’t been that way for a long time. The true luxury brands are all-inclusive, but most of the mass market lines nickle and dime you at every opportunity.

Royal Caribbean has already introduced climbing walls, golf courses with real grass, ice skating rinks and bowling alleys on cruise ships, so what else could there be? MALL OF THE . . . pardon me . . . OASIS OF THE SEAS will introduce zip lines and water fountain displays [Remember Sparklets at Sea World? This will be a much grander production, but . . .]. Now I have to admit zip lines and water fountains are long overdue on cruise ships, but there will also be in the mall-like atrium a carosel in the “Boardwalk” section, described as a “Coney Island at sea.”

Another tip of the hat to the Big Apple will be the “Central Park” area, which, according to Cruise Critic . . .

In a nutshell, Central Park, the first of seven Oasis neighborhoods announced by Royal Caribbean, is a lush park the size of a football field — a courtyard of tropical plants and walkways, and a town square with dining and entertainment — rising five stories from Deck 8 of the 16-deck ship.

The space will feature real, living foliage . . . Seven restaurants, cafes and bars. Royal Caribbean favorite Chops Grille will be in this area, with tables indoor and out, as well as Vintages wine bar. New eateries to look for include 150 Central Park, Central Park Cafe and Giovanni’s Table (with an Italian theme). The Canopy Bar will serve drinks underneath a glass dome, while the Rising Tide bar will actually glide up and down, as its name implies — the first moving bar at sea.

Evening entertainment, including al fresco concerts and “street” performances.

Landscaped gardens including the Pergola Garden (featuring Caribbean vegetation), the Sculpture Garden (with artwork from artists across the globe) and the Chess Garden (featuring giant pieces for a game of chess or checkers). An on-site horticulturalist will teach guests about the gardens and those who want to hone their green thumbs can gather gardening techniques as well as lessons on the ecology of Caribbean plants. There will also be trees and “Green Walls,” showcasing flowering vines.

I wish them luck with the live plants . . . since no cruise line has been very successful in this area. On Celebrity parent Royal Caribbean has used lots and lots of fake-looking silk plants, which really don’t make it. Trying to grow plants with sea-salt air, intense sun, little soil and strong breezes doesn’t always work. We shall see.

There is certainly need for innovation in the cruise industry and Royal Caribbean is out there . . . and who knows, in a few years maybe every other cruise line will be doing the same thing. OASIS OF THE SEAS won’t appeal to everyone, and it shouldn’t. It will appeal to the mass-market, vacationer cruiser that Royal Caribbean’s main competitor, Carnival Cruise Line, also seeks. If you like Vegas, you’ll love OASIS OF THE SEAS.

As Caribbean ports became more and more crowded over the past 30 years . . . think Nassau, St Thomas, Aruba to name a few . . . and became primarily parking lots for cruise ships, and spectacular and scenic ports like those in Alaska became littered with Columbian Emeralds, Little Switzerland and Diamonds International to name a few . . . cruise lines began looking for some alternative. An ideal port would be one in which the cruise line could control everything . . . the shops, the food, the ambiance, the natives . . . and so the idea of “out islands” developed. Now the out-island and cruise-line-engineered port of call are some of the most popular stops on any itinerary. Of course cruise passengers are looking for something “new” and there aren’t a lot of new islands popping up . . . except for one potential one . . . the BIG ONE . . . and that’s Cuba. Once the US drops its totally unproductive ban on travel to Cuba you will see the Cuba explode with capitalism and every cruise line out there will change course and head to Cuba. But for the moment there is a big need for new destinations.

Enter Royal Caribbean and Falmouth, Jamaica. With previous experience in developing a cruise-line-engineered port of call in Jamaica [Labadee], RCCL is working on Falmouth. According to Cruise Critic . . .

When Oasis of the Seas begins sailing its Western Caribbean route in spring 2010, a new Jamaican port — Falmouth — will be ready to accommodate the massive 220,000-ton 5,400-passenger mega-liner. Royal Caribbean is working in conjunction with the Jamaican government on the multi-million dollar revitalization project.

Situated between Montego Bay (20 minute drive) and Ocho Rios (30 minutes), Falmouth will become the fourth Jamaican port to serve the cruise industry. (The less-used Port Antonio on the eastern end of the island is the third.) Falmouth is the capital of the Trewlany Parish, and is most traditionally known for its sugar plantations and factories. Tourist infrastructure is somewhat minimal — a shopping and historical center, an 18th-century Anglican church, Georgian-styled plantation houses, spelunking adventures — but the port addition is expected to drive improvements.

The goal is to refashion the area into a Colonial Williamsburg of the Caribbean, i.e. a place where tourists can experience the “English heritage” of eighteenth and nineteenth-century Jamaica (not too sure all will want to relive this). There will also be major boost to the shopping center, which will focus on local crafts.

For those interested in the natural world the Luminous Lagoon, lit by microscopic organisms, will be the go-to spot. You can swim in the illuminated lagoon or take one of the evening boat trips.

And if none of this appeals, it’s easy enough to head to the well-established Montego Bay or Ocho Rios.

What has been interesting to me as a participant, observer, and investor in the cruise industry, is that even in this tough economic period, with oil prices fluctuating badly, with international “issues”, and tough economic times world-wide, the cruise industry has hummed right along. Carnival and Royal Caribbean are both paying dividends, both moving ahead with orders for new vessels, and the ships are sailing full! Granted, the cruise fares have dropped because of the recession so the profits are less, but the industry is still moving ahead full steam and making money. Bookings for longer, more expensive cruises are actually ahead of where they were before the “crash.” Royal Caribbean introduced a Southern Caribbean cruise on a ship homeported in Colon, Panama, expecting that the bulk of their guests would come from Europe (avoiding the hassles of passing through US immigration) and South America. Instead they have been overwhelmed with Panamanians which nobody expected.

I’m anxious to see this stunning, humongous ship and ROYAL PRINCESS should be in Ft Lauderdale with her on February 27th!

52 Pickup

Remember 52 pickup . . . throwing all the cards into the air in utter frustration?

Well, that’s a little what life feels like in Boquete! 4 days until I fly away from it all . . . to work on ROYAL PRINCESS for 4 months. I can’t wait to go to “work” on the ship so I can get a vacation!!

In my dreams I fly off into the sunrise with everything I planned to do finished, leaving things all in order, my work for the cruise all done . . . everything scheduled out. Well the cruise part is done, so all of you who are joining me on ROYAL PRINCESS shouldn’t worry . . . but everything in Palmira and Boquete . . . sheer chaos! Unfortunately “shit happens” and it usually all happens just before I leave on a trip.

So, right now, the thought of my own stateroom where I can hide out and put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign, get room service or eat whenever and whatever I want, have someone to clean my clothes and make up my room . . . and sail to exciting destinations . . . well, that sounds like heaven! Unfortunately, as usual, I leave my wife to clean up the mess.

My daughter, Rebecca, will be meeting me in Rome for a few days, and then joining me on the ship for a month. She’ll get to spend Christmas and New Year’s with me on the ship, which is always fun. She gets off in January and my wife joins me in Fort Lauderdale for a month. Then two months, which will go quickly, and I’ll be back home to continue the chaos of retirement. What ever happened to sitting back, sipping wine and reading??

So here’s where we’ll be going over the next month or so, and some of the stuff I’ll be talking about . . .
the actual talk titles are different. I put on my REALTORS hat to create fluffy titles . . . remember “handyman special” [It's ready for demolition], “partial ocean view” [If you climb to the roof, hang onto the chimney and lean out far enough you may catch a glimpse of blue between the buildings], “quaint and charming” [last decorated in 1949 even before shag carpeting]. Anyhow, here’s the itinerary . . .

Itinerary Royal Princess – Tri-Continent [1921A]
1 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy -8PM Special: “Pizza, Guns & Roses” – Sailaway commentary Depart 6:00PM
2 Naples/Capri, Italy Arrive 7:00AM Depart 6:00PM
3 Palermo, Italy – Taped: Port Talk: “Tunisia” Arrive 8:00AM Depart 5:00PM
4 Tunis (La Goulette), Tunisia Arrive 8:00AM Depart 5:00PM
5 At Sea – Lecture: “Age of Discovery”
6 At Sea – Port Talk: Casablanca”
7 Casablanca (Marrakech), Morocco Arrive 7:00AM Depart 8:00PM
8 At Sea – Lecture:: “Rum & Sugar: The ‘Oil’ of The 17th Century”
9 At Sea – Lecture: “Slavery & The Triangle Trade”
10 At Sea – Port Talk: “Adventure In Dakar”
11 Dakar, Senegal – Sailaway Commentary Arrive 8:00AM Depart 6:00PM
12 At Sea – Port Talk ”Cape Verde”
13 Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands Arrive 8:00AM Depart 5:00PM
14 At Sea – Lecture: “History of Piracy”
15 At Sea – Lecture: “Our Vanishing Rain Forest”
16 At Sea – Lecture: “Amazon River Adventure”
17 At Sea – Port Talk: “ Santarem”
18 At Sea – Port Talk – Manaus”
19 Santarem, Brazil Arrive 9:00AM Depart 6:00PM
20 Boca da Valeria (Amazon River), Brazil –Scenic Cruising Amazon Arrive 7:00AM Depart 2:00PM
21 Manaus, Brazil – Sail in Commentary Arrive 10:00AM
22 Manaus, Brazil
23 Manaus, Brazil – Taped: “Let The Adventure Begin” combined with Port Talk Parintins [Designed for those joining the cruise at this point] Depart 6:00PM
24 Parintins, Brazil – Lecture: “Amazon River Adventure” – Sail In Commentary Arrive 12:00PM
25 Parintins, Brazil Depart 7:00AM
25 Boca da Valeria (Amazon River), Brazil – Port Talk: “Santarem” Arrive 10:30AM Depart 6:00PM
26 Santarem, Brazil Arrive 7:00AM Depart 5:00PM
27 At Sea – Lecture: “Our Vanishing Rainforest”
28 At Sea – Port Talk: “Escape from Devil’s Island” AND Lecture: “Coffee in The Americas”
29 Devil’s Island, French Guiana (Isle Royale) – Sailaway Commentary Arrive 8:00AM Depart 2:00PM
30 At Sea – Port Talk: “France in The Caribbean” AND Port Talk: “England in The Caribbean”
31 Trinidad, Trinidad & Tobago Arrive 8:00AM Depart 4:00PM
32 St. Lucia – Sailaway Commentary Arrive 7:00AM Depart 4:00PM
33 St. Barthelemy –Sailaway Commentary Arrive 8:00AM Depart 4:00PM
34 At Sea – Coffee Chat
35 At Sea –
36 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Arrive 7:00AM

Sound like fun? Come and join me on ROYAL PRINCESS! After Fort Lauderdale we’ll be doing 14 day trips up the Amazon between Fort Lauderdale and Manaus.

The Mail

Fly fishing?

Hi Richard-I came across your site and blog. What fun being an expat in Boquete!

My husband and I are travelling to Panama in January, 2010. We are taking the all day canal transit tour on Jan. 16th. ( We are not cruise ship people) We live in the Sunriver Resort, south of Bend,Oregon. Perhaps you know of it or have been here.

We were thinking of visiting the Kuna Indians at one of the San Blas Islands. i.e. El Porvenir or Playa Chico or ? Can you recommend which island to go to for a night or two to experience their culture? Also, my husband is an avid fly fisherman. Do you know of fly fishing either in the ocean or rivers in ALL of Panama?

Next, we have friends that live in Boquete (your home) where we want to explore your area. See a coffee plantation, etc. We don’t know how many days to allocate to see your area. Any ideas? Then we fly from David to San Jose, Costa Rica. Thanks in advance for any assistance, guidance, recommendations you might have for us. We’ll only make this trip once in our life time so we want to do/see all we can. Haley Dahlquest

Hi Haley! Well, let’s start with your last comment . . . “We’ll only make this trip once in our life time”. That’s what we and a whole lot of other folks who live here now as expats thought! So, good luck! I know Bend is nice . . . my daughter went to Willamette . . . and you may be surprised by Boquete. We’d lived in Colorado for six years, and many times as I’m driving down the mountain I think Boquete is like Colorado without snow. I’d plan on at least 4 or 5 days in Boquete . . . there are coffee tours, river rafting (our water is warmer than yours!), hiking . . . lots to explore. I’m not a fisherman and know nothing about fly fishing, but I have heard that if you get high in the mountains above the coffee farms that there are native trout and fly fishing. My neighbors in Boca Chica, Bruce at www.gonefishingpanama.com can give you the lowdown on fishing in the Pacific.

Unfortunately we haven’t had time yet to get out to the San Blas. We had a trip all planned, then something came up. I know that it is pretty undeveloped as a tourist destination by choice of the Kuna. There are some small hotels that are run by the Kuna and they would be your best bet.

I’m sure some of my readers know a lot more about this than I do, so maybe they will chime in and share some advice, which I will pass on.

On Carnival Miracle . . .

Hi Richard! I have enjoyed your links through Cruise Critic as I being my research for our upcoming cruise. We are sailing on the Carnival Miracle in February 2010, this will be our first time visiting Panama, and we are scheduled to be in port from 0700 to 1700. Traveling with me are my 77 year old mother (who is in good shape!) and my two sisters. My youngest sister is a stroke survivor, and has some mobility issues, but she can walk distances, albeit a little slower than most. We always make a point of enjoying some of the culture of the country we are visiting. Do you have any recommendations for tours to avoid (because of age/mobility) or ones we should consider. We usually venture out on our own and steer clear of the ships excursions because of the size of the tours, so we are not fearful of doing that. Our safety is of utmost concern to us (and my husband, who is not coming along on this cruise!) My mother would like to see the canal and locks, my sisters the wildlife, and I am easy to please! Is there any tour you are familiar with that would cover those particular sights? Thank you for any advice you may have for us! And we will happily stick with the ships tours if you think that is the best option for four women! Thank you in advance! Gail Foley

As an aside . . . I’m glad Carnival has started coming up with names like CARNIVAL DREAM and CARNIVAL MIRACLE . . . the old run of ships . . . ECSTASY, FANTASY and SENSATION . . . all sounded like condom brand names!

Hi Gail! For wildlife I would suggest the “Gatun Lake Safari” where you go by a small boat – 20 or so people – out on Gatun Lake. The guy who runs this tour lives on a houseboat in Gatun Lake and knows where the monkeys and stuff hang out, so you will see wildlife. They do a nice Panamanian lunch on his houseboat, and you will be crossing the Canal itself at several points and see the ships going across Gatun Lake and some of the work going on to enlarge the channel. You won’t see the locks. You will have to get in and out of a boat, but the boat guys are very helpful and the only walking involved is on and off the bus and to and from the boat.

To see the Canal there is a tour that will take you by ferry-boat through Pedro Miquel and Miraflores. You’ll see the locks and the main part of the Canal and get a glimpse of Panama City. Again the only walking is to and from the bus. Experiencing the Canal on a small ferry-boat is different from on a large ship and you can reach out and touch the sides of the Canal. Unfortunately, no wildlife.

So it is a choice which you want: wildlife or Canal. I would definitely recommend going through the ship and not attempting this on your own.

Looking for a deal . . .

My husband and I want to do a trip to the Panama Canal in Jan or Feb. We have only done one cruise before to Acapulco. Now I am looking for a good deal—to maybe only do part of the canal and more ports in the Caribbean. My husband just was forced to retire—laid off from his job. Lily

Life is change and growth and there is no growth without change, so good luck to both of you and I know you will make the best out of your situation and hopefully look back someday and think that was the best thing that happened to us. [Check out my earlier post on THE AGE OF THE UNTHINKABLE, an interesting book which applies not only to geopolitics and economics, but also to the challenges of our personal lives.]

Right now there are still some good deals . . . steals? . . . out there as cruise lines fill their ships at any price.  I’d look at the 10-day cruises that go into the Canal and are round-trip from Florida, like ZUIDERDAM. 

Any insight into . . . life??

Aloha Richard, We are considering a Panama Canal cruise this March-May. I think one leaves on May first. Are there must see, should skip ports? And also any insight into ships? We have been on Princess and HAL only, but not these ships. Thank you, Sharie

Sharie . . . Sharie . . . Sharie.  Try my Panama Cruise page, my Cruise page, or just click on the sidebar to the right on Cruising and Travel and you can enjoy all my fount of knowledge and insight.  That’s kinda why I took the time to put all that stuff here.   Then, if you have more questions, shout.  Aloha.

Snakes . . .

Richard, We will be on HAL Oosterdam (11/02/2009) and will enter Canal at Cristobal at 5:00 a.m. 11/08, exit Canal at Balboa at 7:00 p.m. and depart Fuerte Amador at 5:00 p.m. 11/09. I really want to visit the Embera Village but am very concerned that I may see a snake! I am terrified to even be in the vicinity of one that may be brought by me for viewing! At a distance I would be ok. Is it “safe” for me to make this tour? Any other suggestions for what to do at this stop? My husband will probably do one of the other tours – Observation Center or Panama Railroad.  Thank you for your help. Lynne

Lynne, you should be so lucky as to actually see a snake in the wild.   Go in peace.  It is a very “safe” tour for you and others.  The only tour I know where they bring out a snake . . . a nice boa . . . and let people who wish hold it, is on the “Gatun Lake Safari” tour.    People who take the Embera Village tour love it!  And no snakes!

Smaller ship in Canal . . .

Hi Richard I am doing some background work on cruising thru the Panama Canal. My husband is not interested in cruising on a large line but we also have at most 10 days to play with. We are also bringing my 76 yr old mom with us. This is one of her dream trips she is in good shape but does tire. Can you suggest where to look and what to look for I was reading thru cruise critic and it seems you know a lot but the trips thru the canal. Any help would be appreciated thanks Dawn Davis Keidawn

Princess has four ships described as being like “a day aboard a 5-star country inn”.  One of these is the ROYAL PRINCESS where I am heading in exactly . . . 21 days.   These ships hold only about 600 guests.  The ISLAND PRINCESS is doing 10-day trips into the Canal round trip from Florida and would be ideal for you.

Injustice . . . what’s new?

Richard:  I read your blog today on the above subject [US drug strategy] and thought I would add another recent twist. Not only is Prohibition not working in America it is also affecting the sovereignty of the country to the north. In a complete act of injustice (because we in Canada have reciprocal laws of extradition with the US), the Canadian authorities have been forced to hand over Marc Emery (the Prince of Pot) for selling marijuana seeds south of the border.

An act, that at worse would maybe get a month in jail in Canada, has netted Mr. Emery (a Canadian citizen who has never even been in the US and an active advocate of marijuana legalization) a sentence of 5 years in an American prison! This is wrong!  I am ashamed of my country for allowing this to happen to a Canadian citizen and am completely at odds with the complete waste of money and short-sightedness of my American neighbours in this regard. Garth Liseth,  B.C., Canada

Garth, I too am often shocked and ashamed by the injustice of the US court and legal system.  We do not behead people . . . but we do take their lives, sentencing them to life in prison without possibility of parole for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time, like Brandon Hein.  What makes it worse is that the US sets itself up as the judge of perceived injustices in the rest of the world, while committing atrocities like with Brandon here at home.

“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” -Jesus, Matthew 7:4

Karl, who disagrees with me on Brandon, but is not an ogre . . .

Here’s a low-cost drying solution for your coffee. Probably too late this year with your planned work ahead, but fine for next year. This type of dryer will work rain or shine, and even if overcast, will collect sufficient heat for drying coffee in Panama.

http://www.fao.org/ class=”hiddenSpellError” pre=”">docrep/T1838E/T1838E0v.htm

( I’m not always an ogre, and enjoy the majority of your posts. )

Thanks, Karl.  I will check that out.   We need all the help we can get drying this stuff.  And, for the record, I didn’t call you an ogre . . . almost everything else, but not an ogre.  Thanks for thinking of me . . . and hanging in here!

“Gatun Lake Safari”

I saw your comments about wildlife during a Panama Canal cruise, and specifically “Gatun Lake Safari”. I searched the Internet, but could not find the tour operator. can you give me contact information.

I’m not sure that you can book this tour independently since it requires a certain number of participants and the availability is limited.  If a ship is in the ship’s tour operator has booked the tour completely.  You need to book it through Shore Ex on your ship, either in advance on the Internet or on board.

Day in Puntarenas . . . with kids!

Richard, I know that you’re the expert on Panama, not costs Rica but….. we’re in port @ Puntarenas for one day. Would you have any suggestions of things that we should do w/ twin 11 yr old boys in tow? Thanks so much! Bonnie

There’s really not much to do in Puntarenas.  There is beach, right in town, within walking distance of the ship, that’s used a lot by locals.  On weekends it’s crowded with families.  There is a zip line tour, depending on the size of your twins and the requirements.  The tropical train, rafting (again depending on size requirements) and eco-jungle river tour would be interesting.   A lot of the Puntarenas tours require a lot of bus time so it depends on how your kids do on buses.

A dildo by any other name . . .

I was in the U.S. Air Force and assigned to Japan in 1950. I did some train rides during my off duty days and on one of my adventures I chanced to be in Komaki in the middle of March. The city was at a standstill with the parade and crowds all celebrating Honen Matsuiand. I took some pictures of young girls walking out of the crowd and smooching giant replicas of the male organ. While wandering the crowd, I bought a small cardboard box inside of which was a 6″ hand carved wood penis. I still have it. One of the only things I brought home from the Korean War. J Morris

Man, are you lucky the TSA wasn’t around when you came home from Korea!   “Attention all TSA personnel: we have a dildo alert at position three.”   

So the 240 pound highly trained and educated TSA screener with tight black pants, a shirt with the tail hanging out in back and overbearing military manner says, “So, sir . . . you look like a straight shooter, and having survived Korea . . . what the hell are you doing with a 6″ dildo in your luggage?  Flesh-colored, soft latex we can allow provided you keep it in your luggage at all times and do not remove it, use it, or fondle it during the flight, but, but a 6″ wooden dildo.  Sir, that’s a dangerous weapon of terrorism and must be confiscated.”

Later . . . in the break room, “Hey Mabel, look at this baby!   This straight-looking Air Force dude . . . I didn’t ask and he  obviously wasn’t telling . . . tried to smuggle this onto the plane.  Come to momma, baby . . . “

Counting the days . . . until I leave on ROYAL PRINCESS . . .

So whose calendar has the bigger X’s on it marking off the days until you leave for your big trip..yours or Nikki’s? Dinah

Nikki’s, I am sure!

Coming home . . .

Hi… I just found this site of yours through Google. Amazing! This is what I’ve been looking for many months now! You are a gem of knowledge to me. I am a Panamanian native, born in David Chiriqui. I have lived in California for many years and now wish to move back to my country, yet I am very, very Americanized. Even though I am Panamanian,with dark skin, they still look at me  ”>differntly. I was in David and Boquete two years ago with my wife and first son. I am 29 years old, married with two small children …. I want to move to Boquete! My plan is to build and pastor a church in David. I was considering to buy a house in “Los Montes Del Caldera”. I have many questions before I sell everything I own in California to move back to Panama and do a work for God and be with my family. Would you, sir be willing to assist me with the practicalities of a Panama life style. Thanks, Arcinio Arauz

Arcinio, welcome home!  I took my car to a local “shade tree” mechanic the other day and bumped into a friend of his, a young Panamanian guy who’d gone to the states, fallen in love, got married, and had lived about 15 years in the States.  About 8 months ago he’d come back home to Boquete and was so happy to be back in Panama.  I know that people leave Panama, just like they leave the States, for many reason.  And for many in Panama the States seem like the promised land of opportunity.  But . . . good Panamanian friends of ours have family that live in Simi Valley, California, close to where we lived for 18 years in Ventura.   They LOVE Simi Valley.  Simi Valley!   They talk as if it is almost heaven!  And they are from Boquete!!  Go figure!   I guess to each his own.

I’m sure that many folks who are looking to “escape” to what they perceive to be a “better life” will shake their heads.  But home is home and right now I think there is increasing opportunity for Panamanians who understand the anglo world outside of Panama to come home, bring back some of their experience and apply it here.  The current mayor of Boquete spent time as a young man outside of Panama and as a community we are better for for it because he has brought ideas from North America to Boquete that are tremendously helpful in this time of growth.

Like moving into any community, even if you are coming back, it takes some time to fit in and adjust.  Acknowledging your Americanization is a good start.  Frankly, aside from the fact that you speak Spanish, you may have the same troubles adjusting to Panama as the rest of us.  It ain’t California!  But if God is calling you . . . what can you do?    Let me know how I can help.  What church or denomination are you affiliated with?  Training?  Background?

Working in Panama . . .

hello im thinking of moving to david. i am a university trained american nurse with a speciality in cardiology. is there much employment for nurses in david? Or do you know of any web sites i can Judy

First, the bad news. If you are not a Panamanian you can’t be employed in Panama. Even as a nurse. We have a friend of ours, Dr. Newton Osbourn, who was born up the road from David in Concepcion. He got a scholarship to Yale, then went on to the University of Michigan, and practiced in OB-GYN ending up at Walter Reed. He is one of the world’s experts on treating women with AIDS and lectures all over the world. When he retired he moved back to Panama and was our neighbor when we lived in Valle Escondido. He wanted to be of service and to work in the local Indian clinic, but Panama would not recognize his medical training or experience. He would have to intern in Panama! Incredible, but true! And so, determined to serve, he did! He jumped through the hoops and now is offering his expertise on the staff of the Women & Children’s Hospital in David. But he is Panamanian. Judy even if you were to jump through the hoops here, as a non-Panamanian citizen my understanding is that you could not be employed.

However . . . the work around is to consult. You can set up your own business of one and be a consultant. Or you can develop a related business, like being a “visiting consultant” (“visiting nurse” would imply a medical practice, which you don’t want) who assists and consults primarily with some of us “aging gringos” who now need, or are going to need, that kind of assistance.

Just when you thought flying Delta was as bad as it can get . . .

I really hate to fly Delta. No food. No service. Surly in the air and on the ground. Dependably late. But the cruise lines all love Delta and even if they have to fly me from Panama via Timbuktu to get to Ft Lauderdale . . . and the cruise lines always buy the worst seats in the back of the plane and usually your assigned seats is between two folks going to the “Big Is Better” annual convention. Maybe Princess will be different . . . we shall see. And to think that at one time Delta was a great airline! Such is life on that great subway in the skies . . .

Well, now comes reason to really think twice before flying Delta.

(CNN) — Police met a wayward jet that overshot the runway by 150 miles — while not responding to control tower communications — and said the pilots were “cooperative, apologetic and appreciative.”

Authorities are reviewing the plane’s cockpit voice recorder as well as its flight data recorder.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul [Minnesota] Airport Police report on the incident, released Friday, said officers asked flight attendants to keep passengers in their seats while they checked out the cockpit, where, they said, “the door was standing open.”

The police report identified the pilot as Timothy B. Cheney and the first officer as Richard I. Cole.

“The pilot … indicated they had become involved in conversation and had not heard radio communications,” the report said . . . Northwest Flight 188 flew past its Minneapolis airport destination during a mysterious 78 minutes of radio silence beginning about 7:56 p.m. ET Wednesday night . . . The Airbus A320 was carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew members . . .”

Isn’t that reassuring?

So the shop talk . . . “Should Delta fire dumb-ass flight crews who aren’t paying attention to the safety of 150 plus people on board?” . . . gets in the way of driving the frickin’ plane? OK, this guy’s tail was painted Northwest, but Northwest is now owned by Delta. Maybe they were discussing the buy out, or kids, or wives or whatever . . . point is they should have been paying attention to driving the plane.

Earlier in the week another ace Delta flight crew managed to miss the runway at Atlanta entirely and instead landed on the taxiway. Just what some poor pilot easing out onto the taxiway needs . . . a frickin plane landing at zumpteen miles per hour in his face.

Who’s running the asylum anyway?

OK, so Princess will probably stick me on Delta to Europe and I will be strip-searched, denied my 10 peanuts, bitch-slapped by surly flight attendants, denied use of the restrooms, and seated beside the blue waters with strips of used toilet paper flowing out of the nonfunctioning rest room all the way to Europe . . . then met by flashing blue lights and escorted off the plane because I questioned the accuracy of the male flight attendant’s explanation that, “Darling, those tiny little pieces of brown floating in the blue waters are definitely NOT poo, honey, believe me . . . but just a tray of brownies I spilled on my way to First Class.”

Pleeeeeeeeeeease, KLM me, make me a Virgin, even the unfriendly skies of United, anything but Delta!

But now

Sometimes things do happen on schedule!

Even in Panama!  Not often, but sometimes they do!

It’s raining in Boquete . . . all day . . .

But that’s pretty much according to schedule.  This is the rainy season, and October is usually the “worst” month.  Well, October and November, and sometimes December, but hey, the rain makes things green and makes the coffee grow.  And usually it doesn’t rain all the time . . . but sometimes . . . it’s been raining for two days.  But at least that’s on schedule . . .

And we’re picking coffee . . .

And that’s on schedule . . . well, maybe a little early . . . and we’ve been experimenting with removing the cherries ourselves, now that we have finally adjusted the machine that’s to help us.  I’ve found a motor, so that’s the next step.  Now, if we could only have some sun to get this stuff dry!   Fortunately I have good neighbors in Palmira who are willing to help out with this stuff.

The coffee cherries get dumped in the hopper and then pressed against the copper screen which pops out the coffee seeds or beans.  Then then need to be washed by hand to remove the sticky “honey” and then dried . . . hopefully in the sun.  In the commercial beneficios they are put in big revolving drums like a huge clothes dryer for about eight hours.  These are usually fired with dead wood or gas.

And I’m getting my lectures  . . . well, not “done”, but making progress . . .

I’ve been in India for a few days!  What a fascinating country!  I can’t wait to get there.  Not only do the cruises give me an excuse to travel, but they give me a reason to get caught up on all the stuff I missed learning about!  I consider myself an “educated man” [AB, MDiv, MBA, PhD] but there is so, so much I know nothing about.  Sometimes I think the older I get the less I know, and it’s not that I’m forgetting, it’s just that there’s so much to know.  When I was younger I used to think I knew all the answers, now I’m just struggling to figure out some of the questions!

With theology . . . I would have been a fantastic “boy preacher” with all the answers!  Now I struggle with the questions.  In life . . . I’m reminded of what a Facebook friend posted . . . “I like the characters in my life, I just wish I knew the plot.” 

I’ve given myself until November 10th to work on the world cruise on DAWN PRINCESS, then all that goes on hold, and I just focus on reviewing all the lectures I’ve already done that I’ll be using on the next series of voyages on the ROYAL PRINCESS, the Tri-Continent (Europe, Africa, South America) and the Amazon.  Then I start packing . . . you’ve worried about what to take on a two-week cruise, try four months!  Actually, you take a LOT less and just wear the same stuff over and over and over.  Formal wear is good . . . and easy . . . and doesn’t take any imagination, and nobody cares if it’s the same every night!  And with a couple of suits, where the slacks and jackets mix and match, and a bunch of different ties, and a few shirts . . . and free dry cleaning and laundry (that helps!) . . . you’ve got it made.

Also predictable . . . though not always on schedule . . .

A quake last night. We were sitting in front of the fire watching DVDs of “Gray’s Anatomy”, where doctors occassionally treat patients between episodes of sleeping with one another or sleeping with anyone who comes within 6″ of another, preferably breathing, human being. Anyhow, sitting there enjoying the wine and the fire, and the chair starts feeling like a massage chair, which it isn’t. 6.1 About 180 km South of David, where three tectonic plates come together. No big deal. The dogs stuck their heads up and looked around, the cactus plant waved around, but we didn’t want to miss a single moment of who-is-sleeping-with-whom, which is a little like having dinner in the crew staff “fishbowl” on the ZUIDERDAM.

This may not be a static image, but we will give it a try . . .

This one will give you an idea of the seismic activity off in the Pacific Ocean south of David . . .

Mastering The Pace

I am busy with a million things that have to be done before leaving for four months on the ROYAL PRINCESS in 34 days. I’ve finished all my lectures for ROYAL and am trying desperately to cover as much of the world as possible since, when I get back from ROYAL I have only a month before I do the world cruise on DAWN PRINCESS. So for the past few days I’ve been working on India, while trying to keep up with life on the farm in Palmira.

Just a year ago I was desperately trying to finish up construction of my house before leaving on the ZUIDERDAM. What’s wrong with me?? Here I am yet again having bit off more than I can possibly chew.

Anyway, while I’ve finished the lectures for ROYAL, I’m still doing some reading relevant to the cruise. This winter we I will be regularly visiting Devil’s Island, the site of the former French Penal Colony in Guiana, so I’ve been reading the books that have been written by former inmates of the French Penal Colony. There are three main books, each with a slightly different perspective depending on what things were like when that particular inmate was “in residence” and his personality.

The one I’m reading now is FLAG ON DEVIL’S ISLAND by Francis Lagrange. Lagrange is interesting because he was sentenced to the French Penal Colony for art forgery and counterfeiting. He was incredibly good at the art forgery business and one of his works eventually turned up in a respected museum and was eventually exposed as a forgery. He created the forgery so the original could be stolen from the museum and sold to a private collector in California and replaced on the museum wall with the forgery. The forged painting hung on the museum wall in Europe until the California collector’s original went up for auction and suddenly . . . viola, there were two! Lagrange is also interesting because he painted, with house paints and whatever materials he could lay his hands on, a crude artistic record of life in the penal colony. Eventually these paintings have made their way to the University of Missouri and are now available to be viewed online

When Lagrange first arrives in Guiana he is given some advice on how to adapt to life in the islands by an experienced con . . . “Adopt the colonial pace, my friend, and you’ll get along all right.”

When Lagrange asks, “The colonial pace?”, the man gives a description which describes not only the pace of life in Guiana, but the pace of life in most of Latin America.

“Never run if you can walk, never walk if you can stand, never stand if you can sit, never sit if you can lie down, and never do anything today you can put off until tomorrow.  That’s the colonial pace.  Master it and things won’t be so bad.”

Master it living in Panama and things won’t be so bad either.

Two Years!

OK, questions and comments . . .

Plan my cruise . . .

Hello sir, After reading your interesting blogs in cruise critics, I would like to ask you for some suggestions/tours to take. We are planning to take a Panama Canal Cruise on early Dec/January/Feb, we are on our early 40’s, in a tight budget but would like to have some unforgettable time on the following ports.
ARUBA
FUERTE AMADOR, PANAMA
PUERTO CALDERA, COSTA RICA
PUERTO QUETZAL, GUATEMALA
PUERTO CHIAPAS
HUATULCO
ACAPULCO
This will be our first Panama Canal Cruise. Thank you. Julius Cristobal

Hey Julius, like your last name, Cristobal . . . as in Christopher . . . as in Cristobal, the section of Colon where there is a pier that many of the Canal ships use. Check my page Panama Cruise for more . . . depending on how long you have in Fuerte Amador, which is really the Amador Peninsula area of Panama City, I have some suggestions for you on the Panama Cruise page. Aruba . . . go enjoy the beach! Take a $2.50 city bus from the station across from where the ships dock and have fun! Acapulco . . . the best view is from the ship IMHO. Cliff divers are highly overrated, again IMHO. Huatulco, not much to see where the ship docks. I usually just spend some time on the tiny beach. Puerto Caldera . . . beach in town, but other than that there’s nothing there unless you take a tour. Guatemala . . . definitely get up to Antiqua! If you don’t want a ship tour, get a few other couples together and rent a van. It’s worth the trip. Enjoy!

Get off the ship!

Hi…i really love your blog. Could you please tell me if you would recommend that I stay on the Mercury to cruise through the Panama canal…or should I take a shore excursion? any help would be great! thanks, Irene

Irene, I don’t know what itinerary every ship is doing . . . depends on MERCURY itinerary, and what your options and choices are. My Panama Cruise page gives a lot of information that will help. Generally I think you should be on for at least one lock experience, and then, when possible, take advantage of the opportunity to see some of Panama . . . you’ve come all this way! Suggestions for Panama tours depend on your areas of interest . . . again, that’s why I wrote the Panama Cruise page! You’ll love MERCURY!

Popular retirement destinations . . .

Didn’t know if you’ve seen this. Re: recent retirement rating destinations.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/RetirementandWills/RetireInStyle/the-worlds-best-places-to-retire.aspx

Iaorana! Bob P.S. Can you tell we’re getting ready to go on a 33 day HAL Rotterdam/French Polynesia cruise in January?

You’ll love the ROTTERDAM Bob! Susan Wood, one of my favorite cruise directors, is often on the ROTTERDAM, although I heard she may have left Holland America, and I understand that Joseph Pokorski may be heading to ROTTERDAM. I’ve worked with Joseph as cruise director and also as one of the stars of the new entertainment approach Holland is rolling out on the smaller ships. Joseph is a fantastic tenor with experience in opera and Broadway. You may be in luck!

That’s an interesting article . . . and you note that Ecuador is just a few points higher than Panama on International Living’s rankings. I know several folks who’ve moved on from Boquete to Ecuador. One is back in the States . . . the other hasn’t been there that long. 8,000 feet elevation rules a lot of retired folks out . . . I understand the cost of living right now is cheaper. The fact that Panama uses the US dollar was an advantage . . . I thought. Time will tell. You gotta find a place where you feel comfortable.

Elizabeth Taylor (really!) asks . . .

Hi I am going on a cruise around the Caribbean to Aruba,Colombia, Cristobal pier, Costa Rica and Gran Cayman I am coming from England and leaving from Miami.Could you please tell me if I need any Visa please Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth, I’m not the person to ask about this . . . for US citizens I know that no visas are required. I would doubt that it’s any different for UK/EU folks, but to be sure you need to check with your travel agent and/or the cruise line. I know cruise lines are increasingly ducking these kind of questions, telling you to check. The fine print in most cruise contracts tells you that the cruise line isn’t responsible for anything, and I suppose their lawyers have told them to shift the burden back on the passenger. I’ve found some of the bigger visa service sites are a quick and easy way to find out and generally very accurate and up-to-the-minute. Enjoy your cruise!

Responding to my post about hospital costs in Panama, David says . . .

Do not forget about Jubilado Descounto. If you are over 55 for women or 60 for men you can ask for a discount at pharmacies, hospitals and hotels which can range from 10 to 50% off. David Maples

Technically, you are correct . . . BUT . . . in my opinion the “Jubilado Discount” . . . offered to Panamanians who are over a certain age and to expats who have been granted a “Pensionado” visa, is the most overhyped thing in Panama. Folks selling Panama love to opine about the “Pensionado” benefits . . . There are sometimes you would have to be totally insensitive to ask for the discount, other times . . . like with medical stuff . . . you have know way of knowing what the regular fee is. Maybe they’ve just inflated the regular fee since you are a gringo and “all gringos are fabulously wealthy” and they figure you’ll ask for the discount anyway, so you still end up paying more than a normal, working Panamanian who walks through the door. I know that’s not the law, but unless you’re ex-Canal, know these people, and speak Spanish fluently . . . how are you going to complain, much less discuss it. Most restaurants in Boquete automatically up the price to adjust for the discount, especially if they have a big “gringo “clientele. I look at the prices and can tell pretty quickly if they are “gringo” or “Panamanian” prices, and we have both . . . although not legally . . . on everything. Send your maid to the farmer’s market, and if they don’t know she’s working for a gringo, you’ll be stunned at the prices she’s paying for produce, compared to what you pay. Unfortunately there are some Panamanians who aren’t sure how long all this is going to last, so they want to get theirs while the getting is good. I have a neighbor who was going to lay cement blocks for me and agreed to work for $15 a day. A fair rate. The next day when he was supposed to start work he didn’t show. I’m sure he went home and his wife said, “For a gringo! They have all kinds of money! You should have asked for $30!” And I just might have paid it then . . . not now. I’m scouting around for shipping containers and the going rate is about $2500-3000. I was talking with the wife of a local guy who brings these up from Colon when he’s making a trucking run empty. She had quoted me $3000 for a 40-foot container, delivered to my farm. I went back to see her and a so-called “friend” of this family was there, and the wife wasn’t. And he, knowing I was there to see the wife said, “Oh, I can get you a container!” trying to beat out his friend for the business. I asked, “How much?” And I could see the wheels turning as he paused to consider just how much he could get from this stupid gringo while at the same time beating out his friend. “$10,000.” I could go on and on, but won’t.

2 years and 200,000 visitors!

Who knew? Certainly not me when I started this October 16, 2007, not sure anybody would read it! 200,000 visitors later, and folks from all over the world, all I can say is “Thank you!” It’s been fun, a lot of work, but still fun. And what I enjoy most is meeting folks on cruises and around Boquete who first met me online and when we talk about something, or I say, “Nice to meet you”, respond with something like, “Oh, I know all about you!” scary, huh? And I enjoy your comments and questions, so keep reading, and keep the comments coming!

Reluctantly I have concluded that at this point, and with my commitments to cruise lines, I just can’t post a new blog every day . . . so, starting today I will be blogging on even-numbered days only . . . whenever that is possible. There are times onboard ship when we’re not getting the satellite signal, or there is some interference, and the Internet is down, but as much as I possibly can, I’ll be here on even-numbered days.

I thought you might get a kick out of seeing how all this has played out!

Three Stooges Coffee

After yesterday, if we ever start producing our own brand of coffee, I think we should call it “Three Stooges Coffee.”

Alfonso, Sabino - my Gnobe Bugle Indian coworkers - and I were trying to process coffee cherries using our newly acquired, antique, hand operated depulping machine . . . in the pouring rain . . . what a mess.  Supposedly these machines when operated by hand should process 400 pounds of coffee cherries an hour.  What the machine does is tear off the husk of the coffee cherry leaving only the beans.  The beans then need to be washed to remove the sticky “honey” and dried, after which they rest for 6 to 9 months before having the parchment removed and then, at some point, being roasted. 

What should have taken us two hours has taken three days . . . of frustration.  But our goal was to experiment and to learn . . . and along with that came getting soaked, and smelling like rotting coffee husks.

Today is my day to start working on Darwin, Australia.  These 15 to 30 minute port talks take about two full work days to research and prepare . . . For the world cruise on DAWN PRINCESS I have 35 port talks to do, not counting 12 full-blown hour-long lectures which can take almost a week sometimes.  I leave for ROYAL PRINCESS in less than 40 days . . . then am home for a month . . . and then leave for the world cruise and need to have all this stuff done.  You’d think I’d have time on the ship to work on this stuff, but not so since it requires either a real library or fast Internet . . . neither of which is available at sea.

Times like these I wonder why I always bite off more than I can chew . . .

And it’s not just the cruise stuff . . . it’s also all the projects I’ve got going in Panama!  What ever happened to a nice, quiet, relaxing retirement laying in the hammock and reading?  But that’s me, and it always has been . . . so I guess I’m too old to change.  Maybe it’s inherited.  I remember going to visit my Dad in Altoona, Pennsylvania, shortly after he had retired and he was residing the house himself with aluminum siding.  I remember thinking that it was nuts for an “old man” to be taking on such a project.  “Like father, like son” I guess.

But the end result of all this is that while I don’t always get everything done . . . I do get a whole lot more accomplished than a lot of other folks.  But it is frustrating at times . . . and there are times, like now, when I wake up at 2 AM and lay in bed thinking of everything that “has” to be done . . . and finally say, “What the hell . . . ” and get up and start working on stuff.

Oh well, I guess there are worse illnesses!

Panama Dreamin’

I know that many of you who’ve stumbled on this blog over the past two years, and continue to read it regularly, so so with your own dreams of coming to Panama.   And in spite of my adventures . . . and misadventures . . . you’re still dreaming of retiring in paradise.  “Good on you mate!”  [I'm working on those Aussie expressions since most of the guests on the DAWN PRINCESS world cruise will be Aussies!]  The other night I had dinner with a couple who have just moved to Panama and told me that they had read my blog continually during their long struggle to sell their house and free up and move to Boquete.  So for all of you in that situation . . . I thought I’d share this picture with you . . . taken in our living room in Palmira.

  When I had finally sold enough real estate that they gave me a tiny little office, instead of just a desk out on “the floor”, and I was dreaming of Panama, I found this old cruise line poster of a toucan, with a ship in the Canal or on the Amazon . . . and the poster reflected everything I was dreaming about.  So I had it framed and put it on my office wall and dreamed about Panama while shuffling paperwork and working the phones. 

The dreamin’ works folks!  Here we are!

And with all the hassles, the biting off more than I can chew, and the challenges . . . AND FUN! . . . of producing “Three Stooges Coffee” . . . it IS paradise!

If you doubt it,  take a look at this picture of my driveway that I took yesterday morning . . .

 

Tomorrow, I promise . . . your emails and questions!