Observations on Panamanians

In this cultural immersion we have observed a few things, though we can't usually say WHY they are, and of course, these observations are subjective too...but here they are:

• The women wear really, really tight pants (sorry, no pictures). But nudity seems forbidden; we never see men going shirtless. In fact, people are usually pretty well-dressed.
• There are dogs everywhere. They are usually used for guard duty. Locals seem reluctant to neuter them. They don't neuter their horses either.
• Panamanians are not sentimental about animals. They treat them in ways that gringos find appalling. We've been told they think Americans—who dote and fawn on their pets and animals generally—are crazy.
• There is trash everywhere. The gringos carry their trash with them until they can throw it away in a trash can. The Panamanians throw trash on the ground or out the window.
• Everything—except their buildings—is on the verge of breaking. The method of construction here is cinder block, rebar, and cement; wood isn't used because it gets eaten by termites. In the town of David we passed by a trailer being propped up by a milk crate, a common scene.
• Everything is imported from China, which appears to be a country without a single shred of conscience, but is good at making money. (I know I've just abused 2 billion people, so I'll have more to say about China later. We will ALL have more to say about China later.) Panama seems to be a dumping ground for products that are so poor in quality they were rejected by more modern nations. Panamanians are sweet but naive, and they are poor so they go for the cheapest solutions, something at which China excels.
• Panamanians are not good at capitalism, which has both good and bad angles. On one hand, they often offer poor service, or they are out of something for too long, etc. But on the other hand they are not out to smother the competition because that wouldn't be nice to the competitor who might be a family friend. Community is more important than competition.
  
• Panamanians make loud noises. They love firecrackers. They honk their car horns often, they install car alarms that go off frequently for no good reason, and they play their stereos loud. Peace and quiet does not appear to be valued.
  
• On holidays Panamanians put stereo speakers out the window and play loud music for all the neighbors.
• There appear to be few rules on the road.
• Panamanians don't queue. Like Italians, they mob.
• Panamanians love sweets. There is sugar in almost everything and they will spend a lot of money for desserts.
• Panamanians don't walk much, instead they drive.
  
• Panamanian children seem to grow up loved.
• Sometimes this guy drives by blaring a loudspeaker. He is selling fruit.
  

Las Turistas de Boquete

The Panama countryside is beautiful. We went for a hike into the high country with our friends and neighbors, Roger and Margaret. It's a rain forest so there is lots of water and waterfalls. I later learned that the tall trees you see us walking through harbor a community of howler monkeys. They were laying low, apparently, when we were there.

We visited a coffee farm, or finca de cafe. Connor and I stayed another day to pick beans ("recogemos los granos de cafe"). For a day's work we earned $5 (that's $2.50 each and I'm sure we were being generously tipped!) Between us we picked 2 latas or tins. The record in a day on this farm was 14 latas by a native man and his son. This particular farm is organic, which matters a lot otherwise we'd be rubbing against pesticided plants.


We also rented scooters one afternoon and rode around the narrow mountain roads above Boquete. The views of the surrounding countryside are pretty incredible, but the roads wash out occasionally, and there are usually pedestrians so drivers have to stay aware (but as you can see I did it with my eyes closed!) Some of the roads are so steep our little scooter couldn't make it and we had to push!

Just the other day we all went horseback riding. It's funny because we usually have a lot of trouble communicating to any depth with the locals and when we told them we were from Texas they immediately concluded we were all vacqueros and took us right to the pampas. In truth, Connor had never been on a horse before and Janet and I had not ridden since childhood. (Alexis is the most experienced.) But we didn't hurt ourselves, though there was a close one when I let my horse ride up too close behind Janet's and her horse kicked almost throwing Janet off. I think by the end they figured out we were a bunch of fakers.

The quest for health food in Panama

Healthy food is important to us. We try pretty hard to eat only organic, non-genetically modified food. Plus, we must avoid gluten grains which are so common in the mainstream American diet we sometimes feel like we are on the outside of society looking in. Over many years we have learned that we do best on the "paleolithic diet": fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, and meats. On this diet leafy greens are a staple.

What we discovered here in Panama is discouraging. It's hard enough to find healthy food in America, but in Panama it's almost impossible. For one thing, grains (corn, rice and occasionally wheat) are abundant in panama, but vegetables are not, especially leafy greens (it's too warm and humid for lettuce and spinach to grow here.) Starchy fruits and roots are very common, and they are usually deep-fried. I'm not sure of the history where corn and beans became the staple diet of Latin America, but I'm pretty sure it's a distortion created by colonialism. In any case, these starchy foods elevate our gringo blood sugar (and the natives don't look like they're doing so well on this diet either.)

Another issue is labeling. We read food packaging carefully and what we find here in Panama is rather shocking. Almost all packaged food contains sugar, and it is almost a rule to find toxins like monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, hydrogenated fats, soy, etc. Because of this we eat as much raw fruits and vegetables as we can find. But that brings up yet another problem.

Pesticides are sprayed all over the place here and they are not regulated. We are talking the really nasty ones that have long been banned in the US. This is a picture of the pesticide wall in the local hardware store. We now realize that virtually all of the raw vegetables we find in the grocery stores are toxic. So, our strategy is to buy all that we can from the one organic source, and to eat few of the vegetables that need a lot of spraying like potatoes, bell peppers, and apples (imported from Washington!)

It's strange because in many ways coming to Panama is like stepping backward into time to the bad old days when farmers stirred chemicals with their bare arms, motor oil was dumped on dirt roads, and racism was institutionalized. Things are like this because this society is so new; it only got a chance to develop after the last dictator, Noriega, was thrown out in 1989. Panama is ripe for entrepreneurism--and there are many opportunities--but it deserves the right kind: that which benefits the people and doesn't exploit them.

Getting fatter down in Panama...hasta luego!

Pictures to share

Here are some pictures we thought we'd share...

Why we came to Panama

We've often been asked why we chose to visit Panama.

First, it's warm and beautiful. Anyone who has experienced a winter in Oregon, Missouri, or even Texas knows there are better places to be, and Panama is one of them.

Second, we want to get out of the crazy consumer-uber-all US bubble and experience something completely different. It will be a welcome new challenge to be in another country, learning a new language, and seeing how other people live.

Also, it's a very unfortunate truth, but the US is toast due to the financial debacle unfolding there. So much debt is being tossed onto the backs of Americans that it will smother them. The people's industriousness will be siphoned off to debt service and we will see a rapid decline in living standards and in services generally. The future for our children will be bleak. Crime will rise. For the first time in its history we will see a wave of emigration out of the USA to find better opportunities. (This future could be averted if Americans get furious and repudiate the debt. I don't expect this--but it could happen.)

Due to the above we want to get started on a second passport. I've talked to Americans who thought getting a second passport—or becoming a citizen of another country in addition to their US citizenship—is illegal! But it certainly is not illegal. In fact, it makes a lot of good sense to give one's family additional options, especially as the wheels come off in the US. We're not saying that Panama is the place we've chosen to establish residency, but it has a lot going for it which I may mention in future updates, so it's a good place to take the plunge into.

So far the people in Panama are friendly and helpful, both native and expat alike. The expats here seem fully informed about what and who is behind world events, which is refreshing. It's nice to be among people whose minds are free.

More later...

The day we cleaned the squirrel monkey pen

I mentioned we are living next to an animal rescue facility called Jardines Paraiso (Paradise Gardens) where we've been going to help clean and repair animal pens. One day we got to clean out the squirrel monkey cage and here are a couple of short videos we took.

Note: monkeys are crazy. In the last video one of the monkeys jumped up on me. But shortly after the video I made one wrong move and he bit me!

From Panama with Love

Here is a succinct account of our recent past...

As the days passed in our trailer in southern Oregon watching the summer turn to fall we knew we didn't want to brave another Oregon winter without substantial shelter over our heads. So just before the end of September we drove down through California on I-5 and then through

Arizona and New Mexico on I-10, and back into Texas. I feared a breakdown the whole way because my Jeep's bearings had been whining even before the trip. Though it was an eventful journey I'm happy to say we made it to Texas healthy and whole.

Once in Texas we proceeded to go through the “stuff” in our storage sheds and sell or give away items we no longer wanted. (Unfortunately Texas received a record amount of rain during
October so we had to sit on our hands a lot of the time.) We sold our van, then our travel trailer, and lastly the Jeep. It felt strange and even sad to wave goodbye to all these vehicles that had supported us for so long, but we didn't want to pay storage while we went south for the winter and each vehicle had its own set of problems that would have taken more money and time than we wanted to spend. Once the Jeep sold we stayed with our very patient and loving relatives until we caught a bus to Fort Lauderdale.

I don't know how many of you have ridden long distance on Greyhound Bus Lines, but you should do it at least once. And you will only want to do it once, I'll bet. Anyway, from Fort Lauderdale we flew on Spirit Air to Panama City, Panama. (Spirit Air is so much cheaper than the majors that it cost less to take a bus to their Fort Lauderdale hub than to fly to Panama from Dallas.) Once in Panama City we stayed in our first hostel for two days, and then took a bus to David City, where we stayed at another hostel for a couple of days and then we took another bus up the mountain to Boquete, Panama, and it is from here that I write.

In Boquete we stayed at local hostels and tried to figure out how we could avoid staying at them any more. These places are fine, but not the best for a family and certainly not a value for staying in an area long term. We began asking around and checking bulletin boards outside local markets, made a few calls on our new skype account (oicu812ic) and voila! We are now staying for two months in a beautiful local apartment for much less than the hostels would cost us. Not only that, but we are a short walk from Boquete town center and across the road from us is Paradise Gardens, a garden and animal rescue facility. The children have already made friends with the capuchin monkeys there.

So, we will update you frequently and please stay in touch.