David and The Mail

Ah . . . David! Turns out we need 22 more thingies for the ceiling at 39 cents a piece, and HOPSA only has a showroom in David. So I either let the project redoing the casita for my brother stall, or drive all the way to David, $20 worth of gas, to pick up the damn thingies! Panama’s new President, Ricardo Martinelli, has promised a new four-lane highway between David and Boquete, with construction starting next year. The construction period will be a zoo, but the existing highway is inadequate and unsafe for the volume of traffic.

David is booming! As an Panamanian attorney friend told me, next to Panama City, Chiriqui is the richest province in Panama. The chance since we moved here over 5 years ago is amazing. Despite the world wide financial problems, there are tons of big new shopping areas being built in David, and a lot of big stores from Panama City are opening in David. Now if they only keep some inventory in Chiriqui, so that you don’t have to wait for everything to come from the warehouse in Panama City.

And, again despite the world wide financial meltdown, Panama isn’t doing badly, with 2.4% economic growth during the first half of 2009.

OK, on to the fun part . . . the mail!  And the Shady Lady from Costa Rica . . .

Ooops!  Make that “Shade Lady” from Costa Rica!    Shade Lady coffee from Costa Rica . . . I like this stuff, even if it is grown in neighboring Costa Rica, and not Boquete. Actually it is grown in the same type area as Panama, just across the border. An expat gringo buys beans from local farmers, roasts the beans and then takes them down to Puntarenas to sell when the ships are in. Whenever I’m in Pantarenas I buy a bunch for my wife. Yes, we grow gourmet coffee, but coffee like wine has different flavors depending on where it is grown. If you had a winery in Napa, you’d still appreciate and want to taste fine wines from other regions: same with coffee. So Francine asks . . .

Hello. I live in Canada and have purchased Shade Lady Coffee in the past. I really enjoy the flavour and sadly, I have now run out. I’d like to order more. Can I order through you or can you can direct me to someone I can order from? Francine Kurk

The last I heard John was selling his Shade Lady Coffee directly and shipping to the US. [We've looked at doing the same thing with our coffee but the cost of shipping anything from Panama to the US is horrendous! I'm not sure why Costa Rica gets to do it cheaper, but they do . . .] Here’s the last email I had for Shade Lady . . . cofejohn@racsa.co.cr  Tell him I sent you [Richard who used to be on Holland America]. 

I received a couple of nice comments about my blog “Through The Fog” . . .

Very well written, Richard. We have all done things in our youth that we would not consider doing when we gain experience and “worldliness”. That your father passed from this world at the age that he did is testament that trial lawyers are not as smart as we think. They are, however, more selfish than we think. It’s all about them! Someday we will find out that plastic shopping bags are more hazardous to the environment than paper bags; that whole milk, eggs, and butter are better for us than skim milk, egg beaters and margarine. Until then, live life, enjoy life, and share your love. Just as your father did. And don’t worry about the smoky fog in the morning. Enjoy the view of the stars at night. Radar

And if they did, Dick, you will still follow your Father’s voice and remember to Lean on the Everlasting Arms…with that kind of comfort, what more could you ask for. Dinah 

“Steamship Row”

I will be on the Zuiderdam cruise in Nov 2009. I was born in Colon, lived in Cristobal for 9 years as a child. What is left to see in Cristobal on Steamship Row. Will you be with us as our guide. Thanks L P Helgason

LP, I will miss seeing you on the ZUIDERDAM . . . as well as all my friends on the Zuidy crew! Right now I’ll still be on vacation in November, and the end of November head off to Rome to join the ROYAL PRINCESS.

Of course everything has changed in Panama since the US left. Panama suffered the US invasion, which altered the landscape heavily in areas in the line of fire, and since then has been on a building boom. And the shipping industry is part of that boom. There are huge container ports on either end of the Canal. In Colon you have the Colon 2000 port, the new port facility Royal Caribbean built for it’s own ships, and Pier 6 Cristobal, which is the one shown in the old “Steamship Row” post card. Of course the steamships are gone, but ships like the QUEEN MARY, the CORAL PRINCESS and the ZUIDERDAM use Pier 6.

Finding a driver . . .

I am traveling to Panama 11/30/09 to 12/6/09 with my husband and 6yr old twins and two other couples. I will be staying at the new resort ”breezes” in Santa Clare. I would like to have a private driver for us [prob. two cars] can you please suggest a company or person. My travel agent is not sure who to contact. Thanks alot . Jeannine Iorio

My suggestion would be to either work through the resort, or the way I would do it, is wait until you get to Panama and talk to the Bell Captain. He will have a couple of cousins who have vans and who will do this for you . . . a lot cheaper than setting it up in advance.

“Cuidado!”

Hello Richard Detrich, Whew, needless to say you have some well written and interesting articles regarding Panama and all are a reminder to me how true you speak of Panama. I spent sometime there while serving in the military at Ft Clayton. I am considering purchasing a home site at Altos Del Maria do you know of any interesting factoids I should be aware of when considering purchasing property/living in Panama? Thank you for your time. Karl Merritt

Hi Karl! Check out my page on “Real Estate in Panama” . . . have a good lawyer, and proceed with caution.

The big question . . . what is a “farrier”?

Hi Richard, I really enjoy your blog, particularly when you talk about your experiences owning horses in Panama. FYI, a farrier is the person who keeps your horses hoofs in order and shoed, assuming you keep shoes on your horses. Bringing an expert in from the US is a great idea as there are constant new discoveries on how to deal with problems that cripple many horses. A real winner for everyone. Chuck Hart

Well, you learn something every day! Thanks! Chuck, We never owned horses . . . we just rented horses, and my wife was thrown off because the bit was old, wired together and came apart.

Check out my blog!

Hi Richard, I got your e-mail off your posts on Cruise Critic (OhioLair on CC). I have been doing research on what to do, where to do it and so on by scouring the boards. Every time I found something informative and interesting, it was one of your posts!  Thanks for all the info, and if you have any other suggestions I would appreciate a reply. We are sailing on the Statendam Oct 30th from San Diego… with stops in Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco (I liked your Corona suggestion), Puerto Quetzal, Puerto Chiapas, Fuerte Amador (The causeway sounds like an interesting area) and Cartagena! Always on a budget, any inside suggestions, hints or tips will be greatly appreciated. I am also going to check out your blog when I have a few minutes. Thanks, Larry Potts OHIOLair

Hi Larry! First, start with my Panama Cruise page . . . My general advice, “Get off the Damn ship!” Cartagena, particularly the old city, is wonderful! Don’t miss it. Puerto Vallarta and Huatulco . . . sorry, I’m not a big Mexico fan. Sit on the beach and sip Corona with lime! Panama City, without knowing your exact itinerary . . . would depend a lot on how long you are in Panama City (a/k/a Amador). Some ships stop there for only a couple of hours, and I’m not sure what the point is of that. Enjoy! The old STATENDAM was one of my early HAL ships.

My MBA cohort friends in Europe want me to do their work . . .

Dear Mr Detrich, thank you for your prompt reply and of course we will give you credit.   1. In addition to this what in your opinion, which are 5 most important issues that will affect Panama´s development in the next 10 years? Why?
2. What measures should be taken for these issues to be properly solved? Thank you very much for your reply and kind support.  Kind regards, Hanne Pinholt

Well for extra credit, I’ll do a lot.  Actually, I’ve been so busy with the casita renovations that I haven’t gotten around to this.  It turns out that they asked the same question of Valle Escondido developer Sam Taliaferro, and although Sam didn’t have time to do their homework for them either, they did cull through Sam’s Panama Investor blog and came up with a pretty good, if pretty long, summary of the things Sam has been saying.  “What are the top 5 important issues that will affect Panama’s development over the next 10 years?”

* * * *

Thanks to you, we pushed through 180,000 visitors!  Writing a daily blog is a little like grabbing a tiger by the tail!

Well, it’s off to David!  Whoppee!

A Rainy Night in Boquete

The weather this “rainy season” in Boquete has been strange . . . not that much rain. Usually by September it is raining every afternoon, but not this year. Usually the rain is a welcome relief and a good excuse for me not to work, a chance to sit back and read a book or at night have a fire in the fireplace to take off the chill and the dampness.

My project right now is finishing the remodeling of the little casita our worker lived in, to get it ready for my brother Ed to move into. And we are making very good progress. It’s a good example of the fact that you don’t haveto spend a fortune to live in Boquete. Figuring in the value of the land, the original investment, and the remodeling, it will be a very nice 900 sq ft casita for under $35,000.

Now some business . . .

Ron, who read my “18 Rules for Retail Businesses in Panama”  had some of his own suggestions . . .

Good morning, Richard: If you ever decide to re-issue your “Eighteen Rules”, you might consider the addition of two more:

19) Never permit your employees any measure of authority or responsibility to accommodate a customer without referring the matter to management. This could lead to the dreaded state of customer satisfaction.
20) Never permit a customer to breach the barrier that isolates management from the real world where the employee interacts with the customer This could lead to management having to actually deal with a customer’s problem with the same terrible result as item 10).

A very good Panamanian friend of mine, who chooses to be anonymous, but acts as my “conscience” when I disrespect the bounds of cultural awareness and differences, responded to the same blog . . . Here’s some of what he had to say . . .

Some of your statements in my opinion are absolutely correct . . . I always have good customer service and sometimes not only good but very good . . . And I believe this has nothing to do with the store policy. I did notice alot of differences depending on who the employees were dealing with [locals or extrajeros]. . . . I wondered if you ever get a good customer service from Panamanians? To me, Panamanians are very nice people, though when it comes to been an employee in my opinion they are managed like cattle . . . Since reading this blog, now I feel as a Panamanian, that [the perception is that] we do not give a good service.

Please, share how you would manage a retail store or any other business. And very honestly, I consider you a very good critic, a man who see the both sides of the coin. It would help foreigners who plan to invest in Panama and some Panamanians who are maybe dealing with a project and have no idea of of how to manage people, or have no MBA, but simply want to start a little store.”

My friend knows how to poke me, gently, but in the right places. I promise more. There is a real need here. As I’ve mentioned before I see so many folks who want to go into business, who have a sign painted, make a logo, and open for business . . . and three months later are closed having only lost money. It’s one of the reasons I’m excited about the new university project I alluded to a few weeks ago, that eventually will make business courses available to anyone in the country with Internet access.

Lynn McKee, who has the Century 21 franchise here and in Bocas, wrote . . .

This is so funny and mostly true! Although the other day just to put it to the test I bought an ice cream sandwich in a cup which turned out to be mush when I got to the car. So I trotted back into the Romero in Bugaba and showed them my problem and was allowed to go pick another one which I took from the very back of the “freezer”. Excitedly I returned to my patiently waiting spouse in the car and opened up the new “treet” to find – yep -more mush! So I decided not to give up as I usually do and headed back one more time. I was cheerfully given my refund and an apology to go with it!

After returning to the parking space and my long suffering spouse (who hasn’t said a word about my diet) I looked out the window and saw (in the store next door) a Dos Pinos freezer in the front window! Score! I walked in with intrepidation and picked one out of the freezer, felt it and there it was, nice and frozen! At this point I didn’t even care how many times it has been frozen. It is hot out, I am hungry and I am on an ice cream mission. The nice cashier (who is surprisingly not talking on the phone or to another employee) pleasantly takes my money and actually asks me if I need a spoon (for my ice cream sandwich in a cup) to which I cheerfully respond; no Gracias, it’s perfect just like it is. Every once in while we are surprised with good service and it is, shall we say, “remarkable”. Lyn McKee

The freezer that frustrates me is Deli Baru in Boquete . . . the only place to get Häagen-Dazs . . . best diet food out there . . . usually your choice of ONE flavor, and usually frozen, thawed and refrozen, at least once!

Bonnie has a new one on logos . . .

Speaking of logos, I saw an intriguing motto painted on a service vehicle in David: “It’ll itch your ass.” Couldn’t tell what the product was, but I assume the motto is a loose translation of “It’ll tickle your fancy.”

Cartagena . . .

Reading forums on Cruise Critic you are so knowledgeable about ports in Panama and Panama Canal ports, do you have any recommendations on independent tours in Cartagena? Thanks. Marge

Sorry, Marge. With independents you pay your money and hope for the best. Sometimes they are great, and save you money . . . and sometimes they are disorganized, push you into their brother-in-law’s shop (as opposed to the “preferred stores” of the cruise line!), and once in a while they get you back to the pier after the ship has sailed. You can look for others recommendations on line, then work by email and PayPal and hope for the best, or you can let the cruise line do all the work, monitor the tour operators performance, be sure they have insurance, etc., and pay a little more, and go with a group. With only a short amount of time in a port as marvelous as Cartagena, I think the best and most efficient use of your time is to book a shore excursion with the cruise line.

Dam ship . . .

Hi Richard. I have been reading about you all through the Cruise Critic boards. Any chance you will be on the Oosterdam’s 11/2/09 transit? I hope so… Linda

Hi Linda! Right now I’m scheduled to be home until the end of November, and then I’m off on ROYAL PRINCESS until the end of March.

Embera . . .

Richard, This is our first Panama Canal cruise and so we don’t want to miss the experience of going through the locks but I did want to see the Embera Village people. Is there another place where I will see them, see the kids dance, buy their wares? Marlene

Marlene, If you are docking at Cristobal Pier in Colon there are always groups of Embera there from two different villages. They sell their craft work and usually perform dances in the area with the bar just as you come back into the pier from your tours. Their craft is usually set up right beside the gangway.

Living Will . . .

From Dixie Elwell . . .

MY LIVING WILL

Last night, my husband and I were sitting in the living room and I said to him,
‘I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and
fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug.’

He got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine.

Well . . . that’s a deep subject!

Just starting to build our house this week, between David and Boquete…thanks for all the advice. Maybe we should quit while we’re ahead. But hey, I’m up for the adventure. Can you tell me if you recommend a well driller? Linda

Unfortunately, no. My advice in the Boquete area is forget drilling a well. I have two. One works . . . but only in the wet season! Guess why I spent a lot of money to drill a well . . . I wanted a back up water supply in the DRY season. I understand these guys have better luck in the lowlands.

Been there, done that . . .

Thanks for all the info on the Panama Canal. Thinking of taking the cruise in 2010. What ships do you think have the best cruise there. No children; adults 60+. Thanks, Betty

Generally, the “mass market” ships [Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL] cater more to families and havelots of kids, particularly when kids are out of school. The more expensive cruise lines will generally havefewer kids, and particularly on longer cruises. Makes sense. Most of the Panama Canal cruises are longer, and more expensive, so they rule out a lot of families. Sometimes grandparents will take all the kids and their families, but usually this is only during vacation times. You won’t find a cruise line with a “no children” policy, but generally on Holland America or Celebrity, on a longer and more expensive cruise, at a time when most kids are in school, you will have few if any kids. On ZUIDERDAM we would usually have 6-10 children, most involved in a well-run “Club HAL” program. At Christmas . . . 250 kids! In generally Holland America would be a good choice.

The marvelous Internet . . .

One of the fun things for me has been to have friends from my past with whom I have lost contact, find me online, and re-establish a connection . . . Ray Hommes, with whom I went to junior high; Richard Canter whom I worked with in college for several summers at camps; Jay Groendyke my best friend in college . . . and others who’ve stumbled on my Blog! Now two more old friends . . .

What a world this technology offers us! I won’t even try to explain how I came upon your website. Suffice it to , I did! And the first thing I read was this piece about Robert Stauter. All the memories of my AIM year came back- and more. I must say you sound well and your life full. Good for you! And mine is the same. 20 years now as a Catholic priest. And life keeps moving on, and I sometimes just try to hang on for the ride! Stay well, Richard. I will enjoy tapping into this website often to read of your adventures! Tom DeVries

Dick, What are you doing in Panama? I haven’t heard hide nor hair of you in years. I was actually looking for Henry Kwant and when I typed in his name, your piece came up. Let me know what you’ve been up to. Harry Kooyman

“How do I get a job like yours?”

I got this message from Pastor Mark . . .

Hello Richard! Can you give me any information on how an ordained protestant pastor could serve as a chaplain on a cruise occasionally? Thanks! Mark

Since I spend 5-6 months every year working on ships, I get a lot of questions from folks who like the idea of my part-time jobs aboard ships and wonder, “How do I get a job like this?”

I started out when I got out of seminary going as a Protestant Chaplain on Holland America and did that periodically until about 2004. It used to be every ship had a Protestant and Catholic Chaplain. Now they only put a Protestant Chaplain on cruises of 10 days or longer when the ship is going to be at sea on Sunday. Chaplains volunteer their time and in return receive free passage fromt he cruise line for themselves and a companion, usually in “staff” cabins which are not the la-te-dah paying guest cabins, but are adequate. They are usually inside cabins designated for junior officers. You pay your own air and tips. It’s a nice chance to serve and have a vacation at the same time. Most cruise lines are using some kind of entertainment bureau which generally charge a fee of $35-50 a day which covers both the clergy and companion. The contact for Holland America is Bramson Entertainment Bureau, 630 Ninth Ave, Suite 203, New York, NY 10036 212-265-3500. Another contact for chaplains is Sixth Star Entertainment who periodically have openings for chaplains.

How I morphed from being a chaplain to Travel Guide (Holland America) or Port Lecturer (Princess) . . . essentially the same job with different job titles . . .  I was serving as a chaplain and went to a lecture by an expert on Soviet history and Russian/American relations.  He was a retired professor and a real expert . . . and five minutes into the lecture you could hear the entire room snoring!!  I thought to myself, “I can do better than this!”  And so that’s what I’ve done.  And I started as a Guest Lecturer.

Most ships use Guest Lecturers.  You have to have topics that are of general interest, and more importantly you have to have stage presence and be an entertainer.  Sixth Star uses the term “edu-tainment”which is exactly what this is all about.  Topics can vary.  Some lecturers focus on general interest subjects like astronomy, oceanography, space, handwriting analysis, opera . . . whatever!  Needs vary from cruise line to cruise line.  Others focus on destinations and their history and background.  Guest Lecturers are not paid, but they do get a free cruise and once-in-a-while free air as well.  Some of the cruise lines book directly (Holland America, Princess, Silverseas, Crystal) and others use companies like Sixth Star (Celebrity, Royal Caribbean).   Sixth Star charges a fee.  I started with Sixth Star and then went on to work with Holland America directly.  [Caution: If you work with Sixth Star on a particular cruise line, then you can't later work with that cruise line directly due to the agreements between Sixth Star and the cruise line.  So I can't work directly with Celebrity/Royal Caribbean.]  But if you are looking to get started, Sixth Star is a good choice.  They are looking for Arts & Crafts Instructors, Balloon Artists, Ballroom Dance Duos, Belly Dance Instructors, Bridge Directors, Caricaturists, Close Up Magicians, Destination Speakers, Distinguished Gents (gentlemen who dance with the ladies), Face Painters, Music Instructors, Naturalists, Silhouette Artists, Special Interest Speakers and Texas 42 Instructors. The key is getting your foot in the door, and with Sixth Star you can apply on line and then wowing them on your first gig. In the cruise biz it is all about ratings! Sixth Star is a good place to start.

The cruise line folks are busy sorting through piles of emails and snail mail and jockeying around to fill positions on 17-20 ships . . . I’ll give you the contacts but don’t expect a response. Your info will go into a big file folder and if and when they need you, they will call. It helps to to be flexible and available on short notice. If you mark in bold, “Available on short notice!” it wll help. If you are contacting the cruise lines directly here’s what to send:

• Resume – short and to the point, highlighting areas that qualify you to do whatever.
• Head shot – this is after all the entertainment biz.
• Lecture list – a list of lectures you are more or less prepared to deliver should they call you next week. On your list include a one or two sentence description that could be used in a ship’s daily program. Here’s an example of my destination lectures for ROYAL PRINCESS.
• Last, and maybe most importantly, include a DVD or VHS performance video.  It doesn’t have to be one of the lectures you are proposing, just something that will give the cruise line an idea of what you look like in front of a live audience.  It can be a sermon (for pastors), or a talk at Rotary, or even a classroom presentation, something that shows you know how to communicate with and hold an audience.

Essential for most cruise lines is that your actual presentation be accompanied by a good, clear Powerpoint presentation. If you’re selected by Sixth Star they have some helpful material available online that will help you be successful.

Again, don’t expect a response immediately . . . maybe never. But I’m convinced that there are folks out there with fascinating information who know how to creatively present it to a cruise audience. Feel free to use my name . . . not that it will help! . . . but if you’ve always wanted to try something like this, why not?

Cruise line contacts for Guest Lecturers:

• Holland America – Carolyn Craig, Manager Onboard Enrichment, Holland America Line, 300 Elliott Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98119
• Princess – Robert Smolkin, Manager Enrichment Programs, Princess Cruises, 24844 Avenue Rockefeller, Santa Clarita, CA 91355
• Crystal – Kristin Turner – Manager Entertainment, Crystal Cruises, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 1400, Los Angeles, CA 90067
• Silversea – Mary F. Thomas, Manager of Enrichment Programs, Silversea Cruises, 110 Broward Blvd. 23rd Floor, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

Did we all “get played”?

“As The World Turns in Dolega”

This is the last I will comment on this story, but since I shared the problem of the Miller’s . . . who may go down in Panama’s oral history like “Canoe Man & His Wife” . . . and in fairness to Citrico, who certainly looked like the big bad wolf and maybe does need a new PR consultant . . . here’s the latest take of Don Winner of Panama Guide [a commercial Panama news, rumour and opinion site and not just a personal blog with no financial interest, like me] . . .

“We All Got Played: Everyone who owns a website and covered this story. Everyone who wrote and email in support. Basically, I’m not happy. Can you tell? Screw this… I still get suckered into this kind of bullshit every now and again. The only difference is that now it takes me less time to figure it out.”

You can read the latest chapter on Winner’s site here.  I’ve never met these people, the Millers, and I’m sorry that the story seems to end in this way.  It certainly does illustrate both the power of Internet social communication on tools like blogs, Twitter, Facebook and the like, and the need for companies to be cognisant of and utilize electronic public relations.  It also illustrates the perils of commenting or expressing an opinion on “news” . . . but that’s a risk you always take when you express any opinion.  It’s just that online . . . it’s out there!

However, the point I made in “Things that go bump in the night” remains . . . as expats we are living in a strange country, with laws and ways of doing things and a legal system which is totally different than what most of us were accustomed to “back home”, wherever that was.  To these kind of issues . . . and the confusion of the Miller issue remains, regardless of whether or not all of the “facts” and background were disclosed in the online discussion . . . still give expats sleepless nights.

OK, on to happier things!

Well, almost!

Comments

I received this email from an unhappy Alma **** . . .

“Why are you using my name on line and private information, when I don’t know who you are.”

So after my initial thought, “Who the hell is she and what is she talking about?” I did some searching back through my blogs and found the initial comment she had posted using the “Comment” section of the blog, and it read . . .

“Could you recommend a doctor for a hernia operation? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Valma”

And the Comment showed the user name on her computer which included her last name. So, since she had read my blog and responded, she obviously knew who I was. When I responded to her question I did not use her last name and just answered her question as best I could.

Well I removed her initial “Comment” post, and we are now friends . . . again, and hopefully her surgery went well. But to this Valma, and all the thousands of other Valmas out there, just remember that when you post a comment on blogs and Web sites it is likely that it is going to be “public” and online for all to see.

Arthur asked,

We are booked on the 10 day Panama trip on the Zuiderdam in November. I have narrowed down Gatun Lake tours (51/2 hrs) to either the Gatun Lake Safari or the Canal Experience. What advice can you give me?

Hi Art! You’ll enjoy the ZUIDERDAM and the cruise! Answers at http://richarddetrich.wordpress.com/canal-cruise/  Just FYI, neither tour is generally sold out before the ship sails, so don’t feel pressured to have to book on line. If you like you can wait and chat with the shore ex people and listen to the lecturer, and make up your mind then.

Concerns from Down Under

Dear Richard, I don’t want to sound like a repeat album but I am an Australian citizen travelling on a cruiseship AND going on a pre organised tour to Miraflores THEN REBOARDING THE SHIP IN colon. I AM WONDERING ….Do I need a tourist card for Panama.??? The embassies don’t talk about cruise ship situations or maybe you know a link that does.?? We appreciate people like you who help the misinformed or not so informed like us !! I Blame it on the cruise lines for not wanting to commit an answer. They should tell us what docs are required. Many Thanks once again, Mel cruise person. !!

Mel, The “Port Paper Officer” on the ship prepares a pile of paperwork for the Canal and Panama authorities with print outs of crew info and guest info. Generally they don’t want to see anyone or any passports, unless Interpol is looking for you or something. The cruise line should be able to advise you of what you need . . . and I’d push them hard for an answer.

I have never seen anyone actually checking anything for tour guests. If you have your cabin key card and a copy of your passport I would think you would be fine. I knew Aussie crew members who were on and off in Panama all the time, and I don’t think they had any special visa.

I know you don’t need to purchase the tourist card when you are on a cruise ship and get off for a tour. I doubt very much that you need any special visa, but the cruise line has the final answer since they must answer to the local authorities.

Tired of the Samba in Brazil

I JUST FOUND YOUR WEBSITE AND I AM TRYING TO READ IT COMPLETELY. OF COURSE IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME AS THERE IS A LOT TO READ. I AM CURRENTLY LIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS NEAR RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL. AN AMERICAN TRANSPLANT FROM DESTIN FLORIDA WHO HAS LIVED HERE FOUR YEARS. I HAVE MADE A TRIP TO COSTA RICA AND RULED OUT THAT AREA. I HAVE MADE TWO TRIPS TO PANAMA AND HAVE DRIVEN FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER AND RULED OUT ALL AREAS BUT THE DAVID AREA. I AM AMAZED AT THE REALTORS AND HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND PROPERTIES. I WONDER IF YOU HAVE NOTICED THE PROPERTY ON THE RIGHT AS YOU COME FROM BOQUETE TO DAVID CALLED ****. I HAVE STOPPED BY THERE AND SPOKEN WITH THE OWNER/BUILDER. HE STARTED AT **** AND HAS NOW COME DOWN TO **** AND I THINK HE COULD DROP TO **** BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SECURITY AS THERE IS NO GATED ENTRANCE AT THIS TIME AND I WONDER IF WE EVER WENT TO A MOVIE WOULD WE RETURN HOME TO FIND THINGS MISSING? THERE IS NO YARD AND THE ROCKY SOIL SOMETIMES MAKE ME THINK PLANTING A TREE IN THE YARD MAY REQUIRE DYNAMITE. SINCE I LOVE A NICE YARD WITH PLANTS I MAY HAVE TO REQUEST A LOT OF DYNAMITE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE AREA AND ARE THERE MUCH BETTER AREAS TO PURCHASE?

MY HOUSE IN BRASIL IS 5 BEDROOMS, 5 BATHS AND A PRETTY WELL LOADED WITH CREATURE COMFORTS SUCH AS JACUZZI AND SAUNA. IT IS 406 SQ METERS (4076 SQ FT) IF YOU INCLUDE THE HUGE VERANDAH AND 334 SQ METERS (3594 SQ FT) IF YOU DON’T COUNT THE VERANDAH. THE PROPERTY IS 1400 SQ METERS. THE BEST I CAN SELL IT FOR IS **** DOLLARS. YES, IT IS TOO LARGE FOR ONLY 2 PERSONS. IT IS HARD TO LEAVE THE NICE HOME TO GO TO DAVID BECAUSE I WOULD BE GOING DOWN IN SIZE AND INTO THE UNKNOWN OF THE AREA. SOME OF THE REASONS TO THINK ABOUT MOVING FROM BRASIL ARE THE EXPENSES OF THE AREA DUE TO THE GOVERNMENT IS FLUCTUATING CURRENCY. WHEN I PURCHASED MY HOME IT WAS ONE DOLLAR EQUALED 2.7 REAIS AND NOW IT HAS DROPPED TO 1.83 REAIS. LAST YEAR CAR TAXES/PLATE COST $875.00 AND HOUSE TAXES WERE $425.00 GASOLINE IS $5.55 PER GALLON BUT ALCOHOL (WHAT I USE IN MY FLEX ECOSPORT) IS $3.40 PER GALLON. FOOD IS VERY REASONABLE BUT RESTAURANTS ARE GETTING HIGHER ALL THE TIME. PASTA DISHES AT THE MALL FOR 2 IS $22.00 INCLUDING MANDATORY 10% TIP…… A BRAZILIAN BARBECUE RESTAURANT IS A LOT OF FOOD AND 2 CAN EAT THERE FOR $49.00 INCLUDING TIP. ANY VISAS FROM THE GOVERNMENT ARE VERY DEMANDING, INCONVENIENT AND COST YOU OUT THE YING YANG. IF I STAY HERE MY NEXT VISA WILL COST ME ABOUT $3,300.00 AND IT WILL BE VALID FOR 2 YEARS BUT WITH SOME RENEWAL FEES WILL BECOME PERMANENT.

SINCE YOU ARE STILL THERE YOU MUST FIND IT ENJOYABLE. WHAT ADVISE DO YOU HAVE FOR ME? STAY PUT OR MOVE TO DAVID? BEST REGARDS, RAY

First of all, Ray, Ray, Ray . . . LEARN TO USE THE DAMN SHIFT KEY! When you write online in capital letters IT IS SHOUTING!! . . . and bad form. Now, Ray sent me pictures of his gorgeous home in the mountains outside of Rio!! I think his house is now under contract, but it was beautiful! So here’s my response . . .

First, ****. Right now nothing is selling and I’m sure you could get a “deal”, but is that really where you want to live? Frankly, I’m not impressed by the development or the location. The yard in your home in Brazil looks lovely! It’s not just the rocky soil at ****, but it is the wind. We get strong Northerly winds in the dry season, winds peaking around January, February, March, and I mean STRONG winds!! Some areas nothing grows except a few types of trees. We have a friend who has a gorgeous home overlooking the quebrada (in the same area) . . she has tried all sorts of things, and spent lots of money on plants . . . all of which have died. About the only thing that grows is ficus . . . which could be why the landscaping there looks a little bleak.

The only development with any kind of real security in Valle Escondido . . . just sticking up a gate, and a gate house, and a few Price Smart cameras, with a sleeping guard isn’t going to do much. And Valle Escondido has even had occasional problems. But if you come back home and are suspicious . . . we never were . . . but we have friends there who have called security, security has come out with a shotgun and gone through the house first to be sure it is “clear.” Just having a guard means nothing if he has three jobs and sleeps all night. Valle Escondido has guards, fences, a naturally protected setting, and patrols all night. When we lived there I sometimes got calls from neighbors who were out of the country, and when they left they had forgotten to lock all the windows . . . and Valle Escondido security called them.

Boquete has tons of micro climates, so you need to do your homework. For instance where we now live in Palmira it is VERY dry during the dry season, and windy. Whereas in Boquete you get almost daily bajarique in the later afternoon. Over around Arco Iris it rains constantly. So you need to check things out and see what fits your expectations and lifestyle.

Your house in Brazil looks awesome!! There are always folks in the expat community who are looking to move on, maybe it’s just that the grass on the other side always looks greener, or it’s that their situation has changed, or they just like new adventures and new cultures. You might think about joining Boquete.org and listing your Brazilian place there. You just might find someone with a nice home in Boquete who’d like to try Brazil, or even work out a home exchange for 6 months with someone to see if you like it here, and if they like Brazil.

Prices are going up in Panama as well because we use the US dollar and as the dollar devalues, and since we import a lot, prices go up. The price of oil is another factor. Right now diesel is about $2.47 a gallon. It costs me about $80 to renew my car registration. A pasta dinner is going to run about $20-22 at Valle del Rio, plus mandatory 10% tip. A Brazilian barbecue is a whole lot of fantastic food: I can taste it now, and you guys have good beef! Dinner at Panamonte, probably the nicest restaurant in town, is going to run about $55 with tax and tip. You can of course eat at Central Park or Sabrosa (local Panamanian places) for less than $4 a person. So it is a matter of choice. The reason to come to Panama is the lifestyle, not the cost.

We like it here. It’s not perfect, but no place is. Hope that helps!

OK, now I’ve got to stop having fun and go get some work done!

Celebrating 95 Years . . . in The Dentist’s Chair

Happy 95th!

Yesterday was the 95th Anniversary of the first transit of the Panama Canal by the SS ANCON in 1914.

Although the building of the Canal had been a worldwide dream, and although the whole world watched the failed efforts of the French, and the successful US effort to ,in effect , “sponsor” a revolution to acquire rights to build a Canal, and then bring off one of the greatest engineering feats in history, even to this day. . .  the actual opening of the Canal was eclipsed as a news story by news of a world on the brink of war.

Although I won’t be on a ship doing the Panama Canal this season, I decided to use some of my time off to reread the three primary books about the Canal including Matthew Parker’s PANAMA FEVER which I had not read before.   

If you are only going to read one book before taking a Panama Canal cruise the one I would recommend is PANAMA FEVER instead of the oft-recommended, including by me, tome by David Mc Cullough, THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS.  Parker gives equal time to the awesome effort and tragedy of the French attempt and is a much more readable and engaging work than THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS.

So if you’re planning a Canal cruise, here’s the reading list . . .

David McCullough, THE PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS – “The” definitive history of the construction of the Panama Canal. A little tedious at points. As the Captain of the ZUIDERDAM once told me, while he was reading McCullough, “It puts me to sleep.” If you get through the first 200 pages, you will be hooked.

Douglas Galbraith, THE RISING SUN – No, it’s not about Japan. “The Rising Sun” was the name of a Scottish ship that established the first settlement in Panama with high hopes of digging a canal by hand! Based on actual notes of the expedition’s clerk who was one of the few to survive, this is a fantastic historical novel and amazingly is a “first book.”

Matthew Parker, PANAMA FEVER – Another version of “The epic story of one of the greatest human achievements of all time – the building of the Panama Canal.” Of the three books – McCullough, Green, and this one, this, in my humble opinion, is the most interesting read. If you are only going to read one, this would be my recommendation.

Julie Green, THE CANAL BUILDERS – The newest “groundbreaking history of the Panama Canal offers a revelatory workers’-eye view of the momentous undertaking and shows how it launched America’s Twentieth-Century empire.” Heavy on the sociology of the social stratification during the building of the Canal. Helped me understand the genesis of some of the issues we still face in Panama.

Almost a million passages have been made between the oceans using the Canal since it opened, and sometime next year . . . probably the ZUIDERDAM and I won’t be there!! . . . the millionth ship will make the passage. And what will happen? Free passage? Probably not. Probably just balloons and free key chains. The big celebration will be in on the 100th anniversary and when the new Canal expansion project is completed.

So how did I celebrate?

In the dentist’s chair in David having implants put in. Yuk! My dentist is great, but his assistants . . . I think graduated from the Dick Cheney International Correspondence School of Waterboarding. I grimace at the cost . . . $1500 per implant. However a dentist from St. Louis who was on the ZUIDERDAM last year told me how much he charges . . . and told me my dentistry in Panama was a bargain. This could be the reason why medical tourism for elective proceedures and dentistry is becoming a big business in Panama.

Ok, I’m off for another pain pill, and to smell and drool over my wife’s left over supper while I feast on yogurt and soup.

Authentic Embera Indian Village Tour

This is my favorite Panama tour for a number of reasons:

• It is an authentic cultural experience, visiting folks who are trying to preserve a lifestyle that has existed pretty much the same since before Columbus came to the Americas.   That’s tough in a country rapidly moving from “second” to “first” world status.
• It is something “right out of  NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC” and unique to Panama.
• These are warm, welcoming people who love to share their heritage and since their homeland is now part of the Panama national park system are unable to hunt as they traditionally have done and support themselves from tourism.  It is a good model for sustainable tourism which has been good for the Embera, good for the country, good for the environment and good for Panama.
• These people are our friends and in large part the reason why we discovered Panama as a retirement destination.
• This tour is a unique experience and folks come back to the ship saying things like, “That was the best shore excursion I have taken – ever” and “That was the best experience of my life.”

There are about 7 Embera Puru villages in Chagres National Park that are used by the various tour operators.  You never know which village(s) are going to be used.  Often, so as not to overwhelm a single village, a ship will use several villages.  The decision as to which village will be used is made by the tour operator, the Embera village chiefs, and environmental considerations such as the depth of the rivers that must be navigated to reach the villages.   And to answer the question guests always ask, “No, there are no highways to the villages that you can’t see.  They are what they are.”  The villages are different.  Some have very primitive facilities for guests and others have put in flush toilets and tiled bathrooms for guests.  I prefer the primitive!  The villages are all authentic where the people live and work.  Some have small schools in the villages or nearby that are provided by the government.  A few have Peace Corps workers in residence.  There are variations in the traditions of the villages in terms of dress and ceremonies, but they are all pretty much the same. 

I have a friend who is the head of the anthropology department of a European university who has studied the effect of tourism on the Embera.  His research indicates that it has been very positive.  Traditionally in Panama Indians are looked down on, and particularly the Embera since they were viewed as being more “primitive” because of their style of dress, or lack of dress.  Suddenly these people are popping up on tourism posters and videos and the country is waking up to the tremendous treasure of Indigenous peoples.

There is little oral history of the Embera people.  Long before borders, and long before the creation of a country called Panama, these folks lived primarily in what is called Columbia, and remember that before the US-encouraged “revolution” in 1904, Panama wasColumbia.  Today the Embera are strongest in the Darien region along the Columbian border, but about 50 years ago a few Embera, looking for a better way of life, came down from the Darien and settled in the Chagres River areas of Panama, in and around what is today known Lake Alajuela originally constructed by damming the Chagres by the US as an additional water reserve for the Canal, and known as Madden Lake. Several of these pioneers worked for the US Army teaching jungle survival techniques to soldiers and the first US astronauts.

In spite of this valuable contribution, many of the US Zonians looked down on the Embera, primarily because they dressed with few clothes. They were looked on as savages, and there are accounts of people who grew up in the Zone who were told by their parents not to leave the US Canal Zone because there were “savages” and “cannibals” living in the jungles.

These were hunter, gatherer people who, yes, did use arrows dipped in poison made from some of Panama’s notorious poison tree frogs. They settled around Madden Lake and the tributaries that fed the dam. They hunted, farmed, and fished, fish being one of the staples of the Embera diet. After the US turned over the Canal and US-occupied territory to Panama, Panama realized the rain forest and watershed around the Canal was essential to Canal operation, and so much of the area, including the areas in which the Embera had lived, suddenly became protected national park. So, no more agriculture and no more hunting. This was a bleak and hungry period for the Embera who suddenly saw their livelihood taken from them. A few adventure tourism groups began visiting the jungle villages, and eventually tourism has become the livelihood of the Embera living in the Chagres. They welcome tour groups to the villages where they live, introduce guests to Embera culture and sell their amazing hand-crafted baskets and carvings.

This is not a “Polynesian Cultural Center”: these are real Embera living in real villages who are committed to preserving a traditional lifestyle and sharing their traditional values and art with the more “civilized” world. They are articulate, sensitive, intelligent people who are very aware of the world outsidetheir village, yet manage to preserve a culture, and maybe even an innocence that is welcoming and accepting of others who come from outside and who have different lifestyles and values.

I have often pointed out to my friend, Erito Barrigon, who is the chief of one of the villages, how ironic it is that here he lives in a tiny palm hut in the middle of the jungle, and people come from all over the world to listen and hang onto his every word.

If you are on a cruise, or visiting Panama, a visit to an Embera village is an experience not to be missed. It is like stepping into the pages of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. It is an experience that is unique to Panama. And the amazing, and tragic, thing is that so few Panamanians have ever taken advantage of the opportunity to visit and get to know their Embera neighbors.

The Embera Puru community of San Juan, with only 123 people, is the least touristy of the Embera villages, probably because it is a little more difficult to reach, but these are wonderful people, warm, hospitable and anxious to share. It is well worth a visit!

Passengers on cruise ships stopping in Panama often have the opportunity of visiting an Embera village. You can also make the journey yourself. From Panama City you take the road to Colon, outside the city past where Corridor Norte intersects the road to Colon, you turn off to the tiny village of Nuevo Vigia, on Lago Alajue or Madden Lake. From here you take a dug out canoe across the lake and up the river for a spectacular 1.5 hour trip. On our most recent trip we saw amazing birds, turtles, even a monkey and a huge alligator!

Anne Barrigon [ http://www.emberavillagetours.com ] does conduct independent tours to the authentic Embera Indian village at Rio San Juan de Pequini. You can contact Anne directly for information. Hers is an interesting story. In 1956 five missionaries were killed in Equador and their story was immortalized in a book written by the wife of one of the martyred missionaries called, “THROUGH GATES OF SPENDOR.” In 2004 a Christian movie company decided to make a movie about that story and used the Embera village of Rio San Juan de Pequini as a setting for filming, using the Embera to play the role of the Ecuadorian Indians. The movie was eventually released in 2006 as “THE END OF THE SPEAR.” Anne Barrigon worked on the film . . . and ended up falling in love with and later marrying one of the Embera men.

And and her husband live in Panama City and she conducts tours to the village. Prices depend on the number of participants, but for 6 to 8 people run around $75-90 per person.

I recommend getting to Nuevo Vigia about 9:00am which will put you back about 4:00pm. The Embera have spectacular baskets and carvings that they offer for sale at the village. Tourist money is pooled but the money from the craft work goes directly to the seller. Take enough money because the Indians don’t take American Express, or Visa or Mastercard, just US dollars (which isthe Panamanian balboa).   Ship guests would always complain to me, “Richard, you should have told me to take along more money!  There were so many beautiful things I wanted to buy!”  Take some money and spread it around.  Don’t assume . . . well, I paid $95 for the tour . . . of that amount only about $15 goes to the Embera tribe.  And if you buy something, have your picture taken with the person who made it: it will make the souvenir so much more meaningful!  And this is not Mexico, so don’t bargain.  Sometimes the artist will offer you a “special price” on the spot: take it!  If not, it is polite to say you really like something and ask for a “special price” and they may knock off 5%.  Some of my worst souvenirs are where I beat someone down on the price to save $5 . . . and then went back on the ship and dropped $20 into the slot machines without thinking.  Am I shilling?  YOU BET!  These are my friends and when you see the quality of the craftsmanship, you will be happy to pay them for their work.

You will be amazed to learn of the many plants the Embera use for natural healing and to hear the stories of modern pharmaceutical companies who have visited to learn the secrets of jungle plants.

Flak and Flattery

One of the things I most enjoy about bloggingis the interaction with readers, whether in the comments you make online, or the emails I get. So keep talking: I’m listening!

Our poor, undernourished and underpaid Congress . . .
Mea culpa! Jeff Simon sent me a cute forward complaining about the US Congress and Social Security and I mistakenly reprinted it because I thought it was cute, funny and generally pointed out a problem in the US. I did not fact check it and it turns out it is one of those Internet things that takes on a life of its own and is filled with inaccuracies, and that was my mistake.

Jo-Ann Simon, who assures me she is no relation to Jeff Simon, called me to task. . .

The letter you posted from Jeff Simon (no relation!) contains many falsehoods, the main one being that congressmen do not pay into social security. They do, and they also pay into their pension plan. No argument that they are compensated far more than the average American and seem to be only screwing things up…but still, we need to be careful what we post. You can check all claims on snopes.com or factcheck.org , and here are a couple of links that refer specifically to this issue: http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/pensions.asp
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/do_members_of_congress_pay_social_security.html

 So in defference to all of those Congress people who work long hours for peanuts, and whose only interest in life is serving the people, while getting no reward for themselves, and who have accomplished so much to make the US the country it is today . . . I should have checked.  So what that these guys and gals who retire are only getting $4,063.50 per month on average, and I’m getting $1,600, and a lot of people are getting a whole lot less than I am . . . but Congress people deserve the government largess since they have sacrificed so much to make our government as efficient and effective as it is, and vote for their own pay and pension plans, and they are working so hard to proactively solve all the nation’s problems.

Which tour on “Canal Day”?

Richard, I have read many of your posts on Cruise Critic. I was wondering if you could give me an opinion. We are on the Island Princess Nov 20th and have narrowed down to 2 tours that I have listed below. I wish there was a combination. We will go thru the Gatun locks and will see those and thought the train may give us more of the Panama “flavor”. Otherwise we will be on a boat the whole time. Maybe neither are very good. I am open to your thoughts. Thanks, Pat Gibson – “Carolina Cruise”

Panama Canal Railway Journey (1938 Vintage Deluxe Observation Car) – Travel the hemisphere’s first transcontinental railroad, built in 1855, and see the Panama Canal in style in a deluxe railway car.
Board your transportation for the short transfer from the tender dock to the Colon railroad station. Originally built in 1855, this first transcontinental railroad was restored in 2001 and features elegant, air-conditioned cars. Your dome car has an upper deck withfull-length observation windows and booth seating, as well as two restrooms and a bar. Leave the Colon station on your approximately one-hour-and-15-minute trip to the Pacific terminus of the Panama Canal, passing Gatun Lake and the isthmus’ dense rainforest. Your guide provides commentary on the railroad, Panamanian history, and the canal. Arriving on the Pacific Coast, board your air-conditioned transportation for a scenic drive that takes in Fort Clayton, former headquarters for the US Southern Command; the Panama Canal Authority headquarters; and the old U.S. Navy base at Amador. Stop on the Amador Causeway to enjoy views of Panama City and the Pacific. The final stop is at the new MirafloresVisitors Center. View an interesting film about the Panama Canal and spend some time on the observation deck with an official Panama Canal guide who will explain how the canal operates. A complimentary light snack and beverage will be served on the train portion of the tour. SPECIAL NOTES There are no pre-assigned seats and capacity is limited. The train may operate only in one direction and by bus in the other. The drive back to the ship is approximately one hour. Tour sequence may vary. Ship sightings in the locks are not guaranteed.

OR

Panama Canal Experience By Boat – Experience the full wonder of the Panama Canal with a partial crossing of the canal by tour boat. Travel by ship’s tender to the Gatun Yacht Club, where you board air-conditioned transportation for the drive through the isthmus to Gamboa. Embark on your ferry tour boat for a partial transit of the canal. Cruise through the GaillardCut where you crossthe Continental Divide. Enter the Pedro Miguel Locks, which lowers your vessel 28 feet on its way to the Pacific. Sail across Miraflores Lake to the Miraflores Locks, which lowers your tour boat the final 56 feet, matching the level of the Pacific Ocean. A light lunch is available during your scenic cruise. Your cruise ends at the port of Balboa in Panama City, where you board your air-conditioned ground transportation for the return trip to the ship. SPECIAL NOTES Tour duration varies. Canal transits are scheduled and controlled by the Panama Canal Authority. The return drive from Panama City to the ship is approximately one hour and 15 minutes. The transit itinerary for this tour is subject to change depending on your cruise ship’s transit times through the locks.

Hi Pat! I’ve included your information from the Princess tour book . . . and since the cruise lines all use the same few companies it is the same for everyone . . . because I think both descriptions are very accurate. People who come back to the ships with complaints are usually those who haven’t read or listened to the information provided.

The train is a train. If you are into trains, or want limited walking, it’s good. You catch GLIMPSES of the Canal. The original Panama Railroad was on the other side of the Chagres and is, of course, now under the Canal. The present day railraod exists mainly to move containers from one side of the Isthmus to the other, and was never designed as a “tourist” route. The one passenger train has US rolling stock from the sixties. The Miraflores Visitor Center is where we take out-of-town friends who want to see the Canal, but it doesn’t compare to the experience of actually being in the Canal on a large cruise ship!

Given the choice between these two tours, I would definitely opt for the “Panama Canal Experience by Boat.” Going through locks on a small ferry boat gives you a totally different impression than you will have from taking the ISLAND PRINCESS through Gatun Locks! You can actually reach out and touch the walls of the Canal.

Cruise Comments . . .

Richard, Thank you for taking the time to gather the information pertaining to my Embera basket. I am thrilled I now have complete details. I was surprised and honored to see my picture included on your blog. That was very nice of you. I will be returning to Panama on the QM2, Dec. 1, 2009. I never thought I’d be getting back so soon. I haven’t seen the tours offered, but I will select one of them. Unfortunately the QM2 is too large to go into the canal. I read on CC that you will be with Princess next contract term. Definitely HAL’s loss. Best wishes with your new assignment; change is refreshing. Regards, Beverly Achenberg

Thanks, Beverly! Have a great time on QM2! The QM2 has been in Ft Lauderdale with us a couple of times, but I have not been on board. The last time I was on a Cunard ship was back before Carnival bought Cunard on one of the many, many partial remodels of the QE2. Hope our paths cross again! Regards, Richard

My wife Carla and I were aboard Zuiderdam in Feb, 2009, and both agree it was the best of our 4 cruises so far. Your tour background programs on the ship’s TV station and in person were priceless and one key reason for our love of this cruise. You obviously enjoy your work and it shows. Will we see you on any other Holland America ships? Ah, I just read you will be on Princess this winter. We are shooting for another HA cruise before year end. Thanks for your great tour info on our Panama Canal cruise. Rich Huizenga

Thank you Rich! I’m not done withHolland America and I sure hope they aren’t done with me! I’d really like to get on the Inaugural Season of the new NIEUW AMSTERDAM. Hope we see you again on another Dam ship . . . or Love Boat! Regards, Richard

Old sections of Panama City . . .

Jan had asked about “Old Panama” and Casco Viejo, and Olivia has some advice . . .

this is some information for Jan that would like to visit casco viejo in september. i too, have problems such as you mentioned with mobility. i live in panama and have stayed in casco viejo in september. my advice is to have a private guide meet you at the ship and take you around at your own pace. i know of a very reliable one that speaks englishand i have used him. he would probably park and walk with you if needed.very reasonably priced! it is humid in septemberbut the ocean breeze and daily shower will cool you off. take an umbrella with you. be sure to get an ice cream cone if you go there..best ever! good luck.
olivia

Kerri Ann’s arachnophobia . . .

Hi Richard!~ ok, I don’t know if I am leaving a message in the right place or not….so please forgive me if I am not! I am just not all that great on the computer and can’t seem to find a general forum to write you a note. Anyhoo….I LOVE your site, my husband and I are just tickled that we came across it because we are thinking of moving to Panama sometime in 2010 (we live on Long Island right now) …now, I have searched all of your site…and have gotten a wealthof info, just about everything we could wish to know about the place….except one thing! So, give it to me straight….what kind of bugs do I honestly have to worry about running into?? I mean, will I be up screaming nightly with a flip flop in hand ready to attack as I summon my husband to take care of some bratty little intruder? Or wait….I guess I would be the intruder wouldn’t I ?!~ Now I am totally aware of the fact that the tropics=bugs….yes, I get it….just curious how often they come to scare the crap out of us New Yorkers who are used to seeing nothing more than an annoying summer beetle or a rare spider chillin’ in the corner of the ceiling?? Just curious what I am up against and how many pairs of flip flops I will need!

cheers !~ Keep up the great work with your beautiful site! see you soon neighbor

In all honesty, we have every kind of bug you can think of and being in a tropical rain forest, more bugs than anywhere else in the world. But . . . you learn to live with them and be amazed since you are always discovering a new one! Like anywhere else, we spray the house every three months with a pesticide that kills bugs and is harmless to us and our animals. Periodically we spray around the outside as well, and our farm workers are always getting rid of ant colonies near the house. But you learn to live with bugs and occasionally to take off your flip flops and wack one. In the tropics you come to understand that there are more of them, in numbers and volume, than there are of you, so you come to an understanding. Do your thing bugs . . . just stay out of my house. On the plus side . . . incredible moths and butterflies. My “butterfly garden” looks like a freeway in rush hour at high noon!

And the guy in the picture . . . was in the carport, not in the house.

WOW!!

Cinta Costera (literally “Coast Belt”) . . .

I was in Panama City last week and it is the first time I have been there since the new Cinta Costera has been completed and all I can say is WOW! What an amazing difference $189 million can make!

I used to dread going to Tocumen International Airport and having to drive through Panama City. [Yes, I am one of the few Boquete gringos who drives in Panama City! I'm an ex-New Yorker what can I say.] The Corredor Sur, a toll road ($2.75) linking downtown Panama City to the airport is a smooth ride, but the ride from Paitilla to the Bridge of the Americas was absolute chaos. I spent an hour one morning going a few blocks from the Corredor Sur exit ramp to Avenida Balboa. Avenida Balboa is one of the busiest roads in Panama City carrying 70,000 vehicles daily at a rate of 49 cars per minute.

Now when you get off the Bridge of the Americas you still have a chaotic drive on Avenida de Los Martires until you get on the new elevated highway that takes you over Avenida Central and takes you to the spectacular new Cinta Costera. Not only is it beautiful and a great improvement for traffic, it was fantastic to see so many people out enjoying the park areas.

Stepping out . . . and looking great!

A year ago, when I was getting ready to go on the ZUIDERDAM, I needed to come up with a tux. Finding a tux in Chiriqui is a challenge, since in much of Chiriqui “formal” is wearing a clean T-shirt without an old Presidential campaign slogan. So with great fear and trepidation I ordered the tux that looked least like a tux online from an outfit called www.MyOwnTuxedo.com.  The price was right, and they promised to ship it directly to the ship in care of the port agent in Ft. Lauderdale.  Having never tried that before so that was scary enough.  But when I put it on for the first formal night, would it fit?   Well it turned out that it fit well, I loved the tux, and thought MyOwnTuxedo did a great job of customer service.

A month ago I ordered some additional accessories from  My Own Tuxedo and had them shipped to my daughter in Seattle, where my wife was visiting.  Although the label on the formal shirt was the size I had ordered, the label and the actual shirt didn’t match: it has been mislabeled.  So I emailed the folks at MyOwnTuxedo and they quickly shipped a replacement shirt to my wife before she left Seattle.  Kudos for a job well done.  

The picture?  Me and my tux that doesn’t look much like a tux.  It was Oscar Night on the ZUIDERDAM and I was playing around with the photographers who thought I deserved an Oscar for my lecture performance.

Isn’t he great?

And since my wife was visiting my daughter in Seattle she came home loaded down with pictures of the grand kid which, being a dotting grandfather, I can’t resist sharing with you. Here’s Rian Patrick . . . ready for Panama!

Tomorrow I’ll get to some of your letters and comments!

Reading The Mail

This is from Dixie Elwell via my wife, Nikki, and I thought you’d enjoy it . . .

Getting used to new technology is difficult . . .

more so for some of us than others.

I was in Starbucks yesterday when I suddenly realized I desperately needed to fart. The music was really, really loud, so I tried to time my farts with the beat so no one would notice.

After a couple of songs, I started to feel better. I finished my latte and noticed that everybody was staring at me.

Then I suddenly remembered that I was listening to my iPod.

It is hard to believe that when I was in the dot com business, near the beginning, folks were making extravagant predictions to the effect that someday the Web would be as ubiquitous as refrigerators, and just taken for granted. When I try to talk with my 18-month-old grandson, Rian, via Web cam, when he sits still long enough, he is immediately grabbing for the keyboard. I suspect he will be emailing before he can read. The computer is just another part of everyday life . . . I was going to say, like the telephone, but who has a telephone anymore outside of the office? And even offices are going to cell phones. My daughter, Noelle, tells me that there is a whole line of retro-toys, including the little toy telephone that she used to have as a kid. Crazy!

From Beverly . . .

Hi Richard, Hope you’re enjoying your family, Panama, and time off the ship. I was on the Zuiderdam sailing the end of March into April, 2009.

I bought the large Embra Peru basket from the chief’s wife in the village; she made the basket. I think the chief’s name was Claudio. I am attaching a picture of myself with the chief, his wife, and the basket. If possible, would you email the exact name of the village and the correct name of the chief and also his wife’s name. I know it may take some time to come upon this information. I’m very patient. I consider myself fortunate not only to have the basket, but also the pictures attached.

I’ve been singing your praises on www.CruiseCritic.com. You did so much to add to the cruise. Without your lectures, the cruise experience would not have been the same. The Zuiderdam is a very happy andfriendly ship….makes for a great cruise. I appreciate any information you can provide. Regards, Beverly Achenberg 

Thanks, Beverly, for the nice complement! One of the things I suggest is that when people buy a basket or carving from the Embera, that they have their picture taken with the artisan. It makes the item so much more meaningful if you remember the person who made it. I’ve met these folks when I visited their village, along with 60 of my ZUIDERDAM friends, but I didn’t remember their names, so I called on my friend Anne Gordon for help. Anne is married to the brother of the chief of another Embera village and conducts excellent independent tours to the village.

Hi Richard, No problem. This was in the village of Parara Puru, the 2nd one on the Chagres river. The chief’s name is Claudio and his wife’s name is Ubertina. They are dear friends, and very nice people. Claudio is a very sweet and warm man. Anne
Anne Gordon de Barrigon
Embera’ friend and family member
Panama cell 011 507 6 758-7600
http://www.EmberaVillageTours.com  

Jan wonders about Mario and Old Panama

Hi, I enjoy your comments on www.CruiseCritic.comand want to thank you for all the information you have given. I have a question. I am on the Princess cruise in September that is a full transit. This year the ship is docking at Amador one day and transiting the canal the next day. We will have a day to tour. The tour of the old city with “My friend Mario Tours” lasts 6 hours. I have some mobility problems and use a cane. I need to rest sometimes but just for a few minutes. If you are familiar with this tour or one similar, do you think it is too strenuous? I realize that you do not know me and my capabilities. Just want to know if it is rough terrain, stairs,cobblestones, broken pavement, high curbs? Fast paced walking? Also, how hot and humid will it be in September? Thanks for your help. Jan

I know nothing about Mario. I see him mentioned a lot on Cruise Critic . . . he must have either a lot of family members commenting, or a lot of loyal former customers. For whatever reason a lot of folks on Cruise Critic have an aversion to ship-sponsored tours. Maybe it’s the cost issue. There is no question that just like a bottle of beer or a can of Coke, it costs more on the ship. The cruise line does have to make some money, but there are the added costs of organizing the tour, doing all the work, controlling the quality, and making sure the operators are licensed and have insurance. Some people claim that it’s not the cost, but they just don’t like being with a “group.” OK, so you go to Ephesus or the Colosseum and there are 50 million tour groups, and your little “independent” group is sandwiched in amongst the bus load groups. I frankly don’t see the difference.

Anyway . . . I digress. Panama City, or just “Panama” as it is known within the Republic of Panama, is actually three cities . . .

• Modern Panama with all the people and skyscrapers
• Casco Viejo, the old city from the French era reminiscent in many ways of New Orleans
• Old Panama, the original Panama City dating back to the 1500’s that was burned in the aftermath of the raid by the pirate, Henry Morgan.

Sometimes it tour groups Casco Viejo and Old Panama are confused. In the Casco Viejo there are tiny streets that really don’t accommodate buses, so much of the tour is a walking tour over uneven and some cobblestone surfaces with steps, etc. It is the only way to really see Casco Viejo. While there are some places to sit down, unless you are on a private tour you will find yourself left behind.

Old Panama is a UNESCO site and a restoration, in progress, of the ruins of the old city. There is actually a bridge you can still walk over from 1513! Again it is a lot of walking, and some uneven and gravel surfaces. There are no benches or places to sit down.

And Panama City, being 9 degrees off the equator and at sea level is always hot and humid.

My advice, Jan, take a ship-sponsored tour, maybe the train, that involves less walking. The concept of “accessibility” is pretty much unknown in Central America making it difficult for people with limited mobility or walkers, scooters, and wheel chairs.

Costa Rica tours . . .

Greetings, We are booked on the Zuiderdam for the 10 Day Sunfarer in February. With all your Z’dam experience I’m guessing you may have been to Puerto Limon. We are looking for recommendations for one of the shorter excursions. Do you have any comments on the “Off Road Adventure” or “Pineapple Farm – A Taste of the Tropics”? I’ve posted the question on Cruise Critic Ports of Call and had no responses. Thank you very much, Mike Weddle

You’ll have a great trip on the ZUIDERDAM, Mike! “Puerto Limon”, literally “Lemon Port”, not because they raise or ship lemons, but because years ago there was a big lemon tree downtown, since obliterated by the town hall. But “Lemon Port” is a good name for this place, because it really is a lemon of a port. If you stay on the ship and just walk around town, not necessarily recommended, you will be VERY disappointed, particularly if you judge all of Costa Rica by Puerto Limon. But, if you “get off the Dam ship” and take a tour that takes you out into the real Costa Rica this will be a highlight of your cruise. Although I’ve done most of the tours in Puerto Limon I’ve never done the Pineapple Farm or Off-road Adventure. My wife, and the ZUIDERDAM shore ex staff went ont he Pineapple Farm and loved it. The Off-road Adventure is always sold out, which is why I never got to tag along, and guests have always come back and raved about the adventure and the funny guides. My personal favorites are the Veragua Rain Forest and Tautic Hacienda.

And finally . . .

Can you please furnish contact info for my Carl (Calley Janson, Cafe Volcan Baru, Chirqui province? Thanks, Tim Killen

Sure enough! Google . . . Carl Janson, Vice President, Cafe Volcan Baru, S.A., 011.507.672.2018,
carl@estatecafe.com

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Yesterday I blogged about living on a volcano – Volcan Baru which dominates our landscape in Boquete – which has been popular with kids looking for material for instant school reports on volcanoes. Another blog I did was about some other famous eruptions and the ruins at Pompeii and Herculaneum outside of Naples. I’ve visited both a couple of times, on MILLENNIUM, GALAXY and ROTTERDAM, and will be returning this fall on ROYAL PRINCESS.

Sunrise on the MILLENNIUM in Naples Harbor with Mt. Vesuvius looming over the city.

The greater Naples area lives under the threat of a future eruption of Vesuvius. According to experts, “The population density in some areas of high risk is 20,000 to 30,000 per square km. About 3 million people could be seriously affected by future eruptions.

In the first 15 minutes of a medium- to large-scale eruption an area with a 4 mile (7 km) radius of the volcano could be destroyed. About 1 million people live and work in this area. with over 1 million people coexisting with a live volcano. Like Volcan Baru, Vesuvius is a stratovolcano.” The thumbnail to the right is an Italian Air Force photo of the eruptions.

Herculaneum was buried under 75 feet (23 m) of ash deposited by a pyroclastic flow (volcanic fragments, crystals, ash, pumice, and glass shards) moving at speeds of 50 to 100 miles an hour. Herculaneum was a seaside resort town.

Pompeii was a commercial town. When Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Pliny the Younger witnessed the event from 18 miles west of the volcano and later recorded the event describing earthquakes before the eruption, the event itself, and the after effects including the tsunami that followed. The term “plinian” is now used to describe volcanic eruptions that generate high-altitude eruption columns and blanket large areas with ash. It is estimated that at times during the eruption the column of ash was 20 miles (32 km) tall and almost a cubic mile of ash fell in less than a day.

Archaeologists were able to identify empty spaces in the ash while excavating Pompeii. By injected these spaces with plaster they were able to produce plaster castes of citizens of Pompeii as they died, mostly from volcanic gases.

If you check out my Book List you’ll find the name of the book you should read if you are interested in the Vesuvius eruption. This computer generated graphic gives an idea of what that day was like in Pompeii.

In the National Museum in Naples is the “Secret Room” – well, not so secret as thousands of cruise ship passengers cue up for a look inside. It is called the “Secret Room” because as many of the erotic treasures of Pompeii were excavated they were considered too risque for proper citizens to view and reserved for the titillation of museum curators. Even today children under 14 are not admitted without parental permission. It gets pretty explicit.

Here is a giant 3′ erection – an early street billboard pointing the way to a house of ill repute.

Like Mc Donald’s the brothel in Pompeii had a picture menu, so you could just indicate your preference by pointing to the menu.