Richard Detrich’s Boquete, Panama Weblog

I “recommend” (loosely so) the Riande Airport Hotel in Panama. I am a frequent guest, although you sure wouldn’t know it by the way I am treated. But I’ve concluded they treat every guest withthe same “attitude” so I don’t feel bad. The bell guys who take me to the airport and look after my car while I am gone, are great, the parking is free, and the convenience of a location 5 minutes from the international airport with quick and easy access to Corridor Sur make it hard to beat. And, recently, the hotel has begun a much needed renovation, albeit a minor and relatively cheap renovation and not the massive renovation required.

There are other Riande hotels and I’ve never stayed at any. (Why would I want to given my experiences at the Riande Airport in Panama?)

I arrived home May 8th. The airport shuttle was there almost immediately. When I checked in I received the usual challenge, delivered with attitude - not upscale “attitude” but “DGAS” attitude (nicely put, we don’t give a damn about your business) - “Do you have a reservation?” (If not, we certainly don’t want you in our hotel.) Here goes . . .

Since it’s 4AM I’m up and out of here to beat the traffic through Panama City. Makes you wonder why I stay here, huh? Location, location, location. Any decent hotel that builds by the international airport, offers a modicum of service, a clean and affordable room, airport pickup and parking will make a fortune!

I grant you I’ve just come off of 50 days on the VOLENDAM with Holland America’s truly exceptional service, but still . . .

One of the reasons for Holland America’s exceptional level of service is the Filipino and Indonesian crew who come from a culture where being of exceptional service to another is considered an honor. In Panamanian culture being of service is, well, being a “servant” and while people are certainly willing to perform servant-type roles if needed to survive, it is certainly not looked on as an honor. The Panamanian work ethic largely centers around punching in, putting in your time, and punching out. If Panama is to be truly successful in the tourist and hospitality economic sector there must be a relearning from the top down. At the top corporate executives must understand that the guest is the guest and without the guest there is no business. The standard Panamanian business ethos “the customer is the enemy” simply doesn’t fly in the tourist and hospitality sector in the long term. From the top it has to filter down to the local facility management and the lowest paid employee who, ironically, is frequently the one most in contact with the customer.

So how, you ask, does a hotel like the Riande Airport survive?

A Deloitte report published this week showed that Panama City has the second highest hotel occupancy rate of any city outside of the United States. Panama, which had a hotel occupancy rate of 84.7 percent, was topped only by Perth, Australia. Deloitte says that tourism in Panama increased 27 percent in 2007, much higher than the expected 15 percent increase. In addition to this, Panama City showed an impressive 37.9 percent increase in revenue per available hotel room.

Even in the current rocky economy, Panama is emerging as one of the strongest locations for tourism in the Americas buoyed up by a weak US dollar.

As I wing my way home to Panama, I’d like to share with you a neat picture that Ron Hagedorn sent me, taken on the VOLENDAM early in the morning as we entered the Panama Canal.   Thanks Ron, and thanks to all of you who had good things to say in person, on your onboard comment cards and on CruiseCritic.com about the Exploration Lectures Captain Sarah Terry and I presented on the VOLENDAM.   It was great fun!

For those of who who weren’t with us on the VOLENDAM, a word about the shirt.  I usually wear my Barack/Wolf Blitzer black suit when I lecture, but the day before the Canal I show up to lecture in this wild orange and blue shirt.  I explain that Panama is the end of the line for clothing that does not sell in the US, and that no Panamanian macho man would ever be caught dead in a flowered shirt, making these shirts a good deal for old gringos like me.  This particular shirt, Nautica with the Nordstrom price tag still on it, cost me $1.50!  I wear it on Canal day so people can easily spot me on deck and ask all their questions about the Canal.  I have been offered as much as $4.75 for it!  The folks from Park West Art Auctions have tried to steal it to auction it off at the Art Auctions, but I have successfully fended off their efforts.

Anyhow, it makes for a fun day in the Canal and lots of interaction with cruise guests!   Early morning as the sun comes up and we make our way into the first set of locks is always a very special time on board ship.

See you in Panama!

OK, I’ve been on the high seas with expensive Internet rates . . . so let me get caught up!

Editorial correction, your grandson’s name is Rian Patrick not Patrick Ryan! Just a reminder for when you meet. George

Thank you George! Your son, my grandson IS Rian Patrick not Patrick Ryan! Chalk it up to too much tequila on the VOLENDAM! Mea culpa!

Do snakes ever appear in or near the house, Richard?

Snakes avoid places where people frequent . . . early on we had one in our outside “deposito” or storage shed. The workers building the house next door tipped me off that they had seen it slither inside. My West Indian woodworker, the same guy who ripped me off for $1000, burned garlic to chase it away. I’d have been better keeping the snake and chasing him away! When we were first cleaning out our little place by the beach after nobody had been there for a few years, Nikki found a baby fer de lance in the corner. But snakes are usually smart and avoid people.

Living in Panama with snakes is like living in New York or Chicago or any other city with dogs and careless people who don’t pick up . . . you watch where you step!

Hello Richard, I enjoy very much reading your blog and perhaps you can help me out with an inquiry that a US visitor ask me the other day where to eat in Boquete/David? Where would you recomend you readers to eat , taking under consideration that safety, location some might not have a car etc? any good restaurants that you can suggest? Thanks, David V

Given the fact that truly Panamanian cuisine is somewhat limited - rice, chicken, beans, salad, bananas or for variety beans, rice, chicken, bananas and salad - not sure I have any great tips. There are a few good Panamanian/Chinese places we like in David. Have yet to find good pizza outside of Panama City - Pizza Italiana when are you opening in David or Boquete?? Boquete has gringo and Panamanian restaurants. A lot of the little Panamanian places offer great food at affordable prices. The gringo places tend to offer great food at gringo prices. Unfortunately new restaurants in Boquete open . . . and close . . . in the blink of an eye. I’ve never understood restaurant recommendations when traveling abroad. To me the fun is in making your own discoveries!

My husband is a retired high school principal and I still have one foot in the school system and one on the curb that separates Missouri from Panama. Since my husband has retired he has been talking about moving to Costa Rica or Panama. We are your “typical” (?) older Americans (56) that wish to live a simpler and more peaceful life among like minded humans without the threat of war, gangs, soaring prices etc. After reading many of your writings I feel like I have found one of those humans.

My husband and his brother are planning a trip to Panama in the next six months and I feel that your website will be very helpful. My question or questions are…our total retirement will be around $1300 per month. We will cash in our annuity to be able to set up our household. Will we be able to live on that amount? Are Americans allowed to work in Panama? For myself, I can’t imagine not having a job! (I have to work on that.) I make homemade soaps and lotion bars on the weekends. Would I be able to sell my products…and mainly, could I order from the internet and be able to receive packages from the states? Does Panama have UPS? LOL! I’m sorry if these sound like dumb questions but as you might guess, I’m the one that is hesitant about leaving my comfort zone. Till now we have just researched Costa Rica and getting what I need sounds a bit more difficult…like working! We are not city dwellers. Will live in rural mid-Missouri where my husband grows organic vegetables and sells them and my products at Farrmer’s Market in the city. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you~~Garland

Whoa Pilgrim! Lot’s of questions! First, you might really love it here in Boquete or in Volcan since we are a rural farming area. One couple stopped by our home for a glass of wine and to talk about moving to Panama and the gal said, “It’s just like being on the high dive: you want to jump, but you’re not sure that you dare to jump!” Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I would suggest coming down and renting someplace for 6 months or so. At worst it’s a nice vacation experience, at best you might discover your paradise!

You can get a “pensionado” retiree visa if you have at least $600 per month pension income. That doesn’t mean you can live on that amount! Just like in the states there are folks who manage to live modestly and folks, usually Hollywood types negotiating divorce settlements, who feel “impoverished” eeking out an existence on $50K a month! If you like to grow some of your own food, and live somewhat simply, and use your annuity for a house, one car and bring in a container of your household goods (duty free for pensionados), you could do it . . . certainly a lot better here I would think than in most places in the US.

You cannot work as an employee in Panama, however, it is very easy to set up your own business and there are incentives if you hire a few Panamanians. I think in our area there would be a lot of women who would like your soaps and lotions if they were affordable and sold directly. The organic vegetable concept is relatively new and I think that could be profitable if sold directly. UPS incoming is expensive, outgoing it is unbelievably expensive. But there are outfits we use to ship Internet orders to a Miami address and they bring it down weekly to Panama at very affordable rates.

I do a shipboard lecture about this and one of the points I make is that people should “Follow the string!” If you don’t follow the string of an idea you will never know where it might have led. And if you don’t like where it’s leading, just let go!

I actually found your site when investigating cruise ships in 1968 . I’m writing a novel about how two different members of a family deal with grief, irony right. I will read more. Another curious connection , I am an international chef on mega yachts , a little different than cruise liners but we both spend alot of time in style at sea. When I am published I will be sure to send you a link or a book if you’re interested. Kirk

Hey Kirk, I will look forward to it!

Nice notes. Anyone been to David? I live in Costa Rica now, but am interested in meeting online folks from there or who have been there. I contimplate moving there and would like to spend a couple weeks visiting. Tom

Tom, I’m not a big David fan. I go there for utilitarian reasons: shopping, dentist, doctor, etc. But I can tell you that David is booming and I think offers some great opportunities for business and investment. I’ve been on both sides of Costa Rica (Puerto Limon and Puntarenas) this past spring cruise season, and I’ve talked to lots of expats who are anxious to leave Costa Rica because of the high crime problem. You might check out http://www.chiriquichatter.net/blog/ for more on David specifically.

Hi Dick — this is fascinating! I am Henry Kwant’s brother-in-law (Battle Creek, MI). I am 55 and pastoring a church in a suburb of Seattle. I would enjoy being a chaplain on a cruise ship. What does it take to do this? Pastor Pete

Hey Pete . . . “Follow the string” (see above!) It’s a great opportunity to minister to guests and crew alike. 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

No, this is not about the quests.

Nor is it about the crew.

One of the onboard traditions is for your room steward to leave various animals created from towels on your bed each evening. My room steward is Moelyadi, whom we just call “Yadi”, and is from Indonesia. Typical of VOLENDAM crew members, he is friendly, always beaming, works long hours but loves his job, and does an excellent job. I thought you’d enjoy a few of his animal creations.

Two of the many other VOLENDAM crew members who deserve special mention are Indra and Dana, two of the Lido waiters both of whom come from Bali. Indra enjoyed sharing Indonesian recipes for fried dragonflies and termites and rice, delicacies he misses from home. Dana wasn’t happy with the “behind the serving line” picture I posted earlier.

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.

* * * * *

Captain Sarah Terry is our neighbor in Panama who was the first woman in the US to get her Master’s certificate and the first woman pilot for the Panama Canal. I was delighted to have her and her husband, Craig Owings, accompany me on the VOLENDAM and for Sarah sharing the lecture duties on board.

Like any entertainer or crew member I’m delighted when guest comments are passed on to me, like this one from Doug & Nancy Hortin:

There was not enough space on the comment card for us to express our appreciation and satisfaction of the presentations by Dr Detrich and Sarah Terry on the Panama Canal and other areas of interest. The Canal itself is incredible but the commentaries really were significant to understanding the Canal history and experience. The presentations made our voyage come to life and we are so very appreciative! Thank you Holland America for providing their expertise and for the informative presentations.

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!

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!

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?”]

* * * *

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.

This is Dana. Dana is one of the stewards who works in the Lido restaurant on Holland America’s VOLENDAM. And he is just one of the reasons I like Holland America.

I was on the ship in January of this year. When I came back on in March he saw me coming through the buffet line at the Lido and beamed and said, “Mister Richard! Welcome back!” And several other stewards on board also remembered me . . . by name! One of the bar waitresses in the lounge remembering I liked Diet Coke from the cruise two month’s ago!

With all the negative economic news in the US . . . remember what economic life in the US was like 8 years ago, before “W”? . . . and all the new cruise ships coming on line, I often hear people wondering what’s going to happen to the cruise business over the next few years. The high cost of fuel has been particularly difficult for the cruise industry. As someone who’s been a fan of cruising for many years, and found it a good investment as well, I found these excerpts from a Barons article about Carnival Chairman Micky Arison to be very interesting.

“In general, the cruise industry is less cyclical than is commonly assumed. With customer satisfaction high, more and more cruise-goers are repeat customers, and they tend to be more profitable as they pay up for nicer cabins and other amenities. Carnival’s chief rival, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL), recently reiterated its first-quarter and full-year guidance, citing industry resiliency despite pressures from the North American economy. While both stocks are attractive, Carnival is generally considered to have the better brands, a stronger international business, more-efficient operations and a stronger balance sheet. Carnival also has far greater market share — 50% to Royal Caribbean’s 25%.

Carnival has the most international exposure of any cruise company, and its brands are among the most recognizable in the world, ranging from those with mass-market appeal such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises and Costa to premium brands such as Holland America Line and luxury lines such as Cunard, which operates such storied ships as the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth 2, and the Yachts of Seabourn.

Demographics are in Carnival’s favor, too, as droves of baby boomers are reaching retirement age and increasingly choosing convenient, affordable cruises as a way to travel.”