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Another Great Fishing Trip

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:48 -0500

Last Monday, we left the condo at Playa Blanca to go to Pedasi. Ray had friends, Dave and Bonnie, visiting from Western Canada for the last couple of weeks and we had been keeping rather busy travelling to Volcan, Pasoa Canoas, Playa Blanca and this time...a fishing trip in Pedasi.

We decided to leave around mid-day for Pedasi as we were staying with friends and they were working until 4 pm. We planned to spend dinner with them, and fish early the following morning.

At 5 am, we woke up, turned on the coffee pot, packed up the rods and sandwiches, and headed to the gas station to meet our captain. Fishing in Pedasi is simple and uncomplicated. No fancy boats, and no fancy prices.....but almost always lots of fish. The day was perfect, cloudy / covered skies and no rain. It was a couple of days after full moon as well.

We left the beach at 6:00 am and our captain told us that the fish were unusually far out this time. While we motored out, we saw a dead female whale who had been giving birth but both had mysteriously died. It was very sad. We saw numerous other whales blowing their spouts, a few rays jumping out of the water. One whale breached, very close to our boat and it was spectacular.

We motored for an hour before we threw out our lines. It was around 7:00 am. By 10:00 am, we lost count of the number of fish we had hauled in....somewhere between 15 and 17 fish. And big ones ! It wasn’t that the fish were everywhere...our captain was fabulous and looked everywhere to spot the fish. And he did so with expertise.

By 10:00 am , we decided to return to Pedasi so that we could head back to the condo at a reasonable hour. We reached the beach at 11:00 and the captain spent the next hour cleaning the fish. We filled at least two coolers full of fish, we gave some to the captain, to our friends and there was still enough to feed several large families.

Our Boquete friends lucked in! We handed out several packages with plenty left for ourselves !!!! Tuna, wahoo and mahi mahi !

Traffic in David Panama

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:01:51 -0500

If you live in Panama, have you noticed how busy David Panama is getting recently? Three years ago, it seemed that the streets of David were hardly occupied. The first street light was installed in David when I arrived around March 2007. That was big news. But today, there are at least two lights that I know of, and there probably should be more. The traffic situation along the Pan American highway is backed up and hazardous, especially during rush hours.

David has become a city. Even three years ago, it was like a big agricultural town but no longer.

From David to Panama City there are several sections which force drivers to slow right down to 40 km/hr. This is ludicrous for a highway...but this is Panama.

So, what solution could be put into place in David to free up that congestion and keep traffic moving? I have to relate this to the solution I saw implemented on the tiny island of St. Maarten (Dutch side).

In St. Maarten, a little more than three three years ago, traffic from the new airport to almost anywhere on the island, had become a serious issue. When there were several flights arriving, traffic was so bad that a trip to Philipsburg sometimes took over two hours when it could and should have been less than 20 minutes. I remember giving up the effort to get from Point A to Point B, on many occasions. The island had not planned for such drastic increases in tourist or visitor population. Even the utility companies started to experience outages because they could not handle overloads, etc. Bad planning.

A few months ago, I visited the island and was pleasantly surprised to see improvements. What was their solution to the traffic problem? Roundabouts! Several roundabouts had been constructed where there used to be intersections. The traffic flowed, no holdups...I was amazed.

I was so impressed that I think this could also work in David. Where there are so many left turns across the highway, roundabouts should be put into place to avoid deathly accidents. At the intersections to Boquete and Super Baru, Pricemart, Airport turnoff, Hospital Chiriqui turnoff, etc. etc. Something will need to be done soon and I hope it won’t take a major traffic accident before the problem is addressed. Growth takes planning!

Vehicle Maintenance in Panama

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:30:51 -0500

My vehicle is a 2-door Toyota Prado (known as a Land Cruiser in North America) and it is now three years old. I purchased it when I moved to Panama and it was probably one of the best investments I made, as far as vehicles is concerned.

Today, I was assisted in selecting a local garage to change the oil and filter, grease the joints and change a brake light. I had been servicing my Prado with the dealer over the last three years but after the last bill, I have decided that it is no longer necessary to use the dealer. That bill was over $300. for not much more than an oil change.

The garage I was directed to told me to buy the oil and filter. Two gallons of Shell Rimula 15W40 oil for my diesel Toyota Prada, an oil filter, and the rear brake light bulb came to a total cost of $36.47. Then I went to the garage for the work. They charged me for their labor $8.00. So, total cost was $44.47.

While I was there, they informed me of other services. To “detail” my vehicle would cost $80.00. This isn’t too bad, however, when I go down to the condo by car, I can have work done in Rio Hato by my friend “Len”. He is a wonderful guy who has just recently opened a garage and the last time I spoke to him, he said he would “detail” my Prado for $40.00.

Len Melso owns Panamauto in Rio Hato and he can do both mechanical and body work on vehicles. He worked for Toyota in the US for many years and has retired in Farrallon. He did my last oil change for $40.00 so he is very reasonable, as reasonable as the garage in Boquete (which is located just across from Los Establos Mall).

I’m happy that it was so easy, so practical and so economical to have my vehicle serviced. It is nice to know there are other reasonable options apart from car dealers ! $44.00 to change the oil of a diesel SUV is good, isn’t it?

Freezing in Panama?

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:05:29 -0500

This June and July have been just awful for weather. Maybe this is normal to some, but it is year 3 for me in Boquete and I do not fare well with cold or wet weather. As I write this, the rain is pounding upon the roof and the street below has turned into a small river. I can see streams of rain slicing the air at 15 degree angles and moving around with the wind.

I live in a cloud forest. The clouds move along, just as cars and people move along. If a door is left open, the clouds enter and linger, unless an exit awaits in their path.

I am very susceptible to weather anything below 79 F. The outside temperature according to my car thermostat is 19 C, which converts to 66 F. Add some rain, cloud and wind....this is darn cold and my nose is feeling it, as are my bones. It is this weather that makes me question why I am here.

I went for lunch with a couple of girlfriends and when I picked up one of them, I could see her yard was blossoming with beautiful tropical plants and flowers and trees. This is one reason to stay. It is beautifully green and flowers and plants love this rain. She had just moved into her place last year and the entire yard was completely landscaped from nothing. It was amazing to see the growth in just one year.

So, no, I’m not really freezing. But I do find it cold. Complain, complain, complain.....cold makes me complain. Let the sun shine soon, please?

Today is Bastille Day, A French Holiday

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:50:23 -0500

July 14th in France, is a holiday. When I lived in St. Maarten, I worked on both the French side and the Dutch side, but Bastille Day was a day off work, only if one worked on the French side. What that meant for me was, that I had to organize National holidays in such a way that I kept working on some holidays, and not for others. It was complicated.

Bastille Day was proclaimed a French national holiday in 1880 and in 1848 the motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was reinstated. An annual celebration of their independence, Bastille Day is generally celebrated in France and in French territories. In Paris, an impressive parade up the Champs Elysées takes place, and everywhere else, this holiday is celebrated with festivals, parties, and fireworks.

Just how many countries or territories is July 14th celebrated in for Bastille Day? Here is the list:

France
French Guyana
Guadeloupe
Martinique
Mayotte
New Caledonia
Réunion
St. Martin
St. Barthelemy
St. Pierre and Miquelon

Joyeuse Fête Nationale !