It evolved into a lunch for a small group of ex-pat and Panamanian women (including myself).
We were lucky that Puerto Armuelles newest restaurant, The Watering Hole, opened just the week before.
Just in time for Carnival - and for us.
Unfortunately, the gas line in their kitchen was being installed at the same time as our gathering.
This delayed service and the full menu was not available.
Puerto Armuelles' Gathering of Expat & Panamanian WomenRegardless, it is great to have a new place to eat in Puerto Armuelles.
Amy, formerly a US Marine, owns and operates the restaurant.
Mauro is the chef. Mauro has a great energy and is an excellent cook. (Mauro is also Amy's boyfriend.)
It was wonderful to have an excuse to gather and catch up with folks.
The weather was glorious.
The views of the beach were stellar.
Beach View from The Watering HoleThe fisherman we could see fishing seemed to find it a profitable day as well.
Thank you Liz for making the event happen.
Puerto Armuelles is blessed by Liz's kind-hearted energy and love of people.
January 19, 2012
Economic Freedom Feels GoodPuerto Armuelles has been in economic shackles for years because of the enormous debt owed by Coosemupar.
Coosemupar is a worker cooperative that owns and operates the many banana plantations in the Puerto Armuelles area of Panama.
President Martinelli and members of Coosemupar, signed an agreement that states that the government will:
This is great news for those of us living in Panama, especially in Puerto Armuelles.
Until the early 2000s, Puerto Armuelles was a prosperous and beautiful beach town.
Then Chiquita Banana left.
Chiquita Banana has had a tremendous impact on the physical look and the economy of Puerto Armuelles; for good and for bad.
Chiquita came to town in 1927. It was called United Fruit Company back then.
Chiquita transformed Puerto Armuelles into a unique jewel of a town.
Chiquita built whole neighborhoods of great classic wooden tropical houses on stills, a club house, golf course, and an airport.
Most importantly, Chiquita Banana provided a steady supply of relatively high paid work.
Starting in 2003, when Chiquita Banana left Puerto Armuelles, the town's economy has diminished steadily.
At that time, Chiquita's banana plantations were taken over by a workers' cooperative named COOSEMUPAR.
1) A self-serving (now former) union leadership that treated the cooperative as its own personal property. It was the antics of this same union that prompted Chiquita to leave Puerto Armuelles. It wasn't the only reason, but the union's penchant for debilitating worker strikes was a significant reason for Chiquita's departure from Puerto.
2) Chiquita Banana imposed the biggest obstacle to Coosemupar's success.
As part of the terms for the transfer of operations to Coosemupar, Chiquita required that the bananas from its former plantations be sold exclusively to Chiquita. Not only that, but Chiquita got to decide what to pay for those bananas. Perhaps in revenge for forcing them to leave Puerto, Chiquita set the price they would pay for Coosemupar's bananas way below the market price.
These 2 factors guaranteed the ultimate failure of the cooperative.
The only reason that Coosemupar survived was due to government subsidies.
Unfortunately, given Coosemupar's self-serving leadership, those subsidies were not always used appropriately.
After years of these subsidies, the Panamanian government finally insisted that Chiquita renounce its exclusive banana contract with Coosemupar. Chiquita eventually complied.
Unfortunately, by that time, Coosemupar was a crippled company with massive debt.
No one would buy and take over operations from Coosempar because of its debt.
A new company would have to pay the almost 20 million dollar debt.
In addition the plantation workers were still living on the plantations. Those workers want to be compensated for all their time and efforts in keeping the banana trees alive - usually without pay.
In addition, most prospective buyers wanted the workers removed from the plantations. This was not popular with workers who had lived there for years, sometimes for generations.
Various companies started negotiations to buy the banana plantations from Coosemupar, but they always backed out.
However, soon that will be all behind Puerto Armuelles.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) will sell by public auction the 3,500 hectares of plantation land. MEF will award the land to those companies that will generate the greatest number of jobs.
Using the proceeds from the sale of the plantations, the government will pay the debt own to Social Security for the worker-employer portion of the retirement funds.
In addition, the workers will receive individual titled land upon which to live. This process of awarding land to plantation workers will take 6 months to a year to complete.
This agreement is a great relief to the people of Puerto Armuelles.
A vision for Puerto Armuelles's future is slowly and steadily being implemented.
A construction project to widen the 2 lane to a 4 lane road to Puerto Armuelles will begin soon.
The key reason for the road project is to service the deep container port outside of Puerto Armuelles. Construction of this pier is estimated to begin in conjunction with the road construction project . The future Puerto Armuelles' port will have 217 storage facilities, a deepwater container and future cruise ship port, and a marina.
The Puerto Armuelles road is envisioned as a 4 lane "dry canal" highway connecting Puerto Armulles to Chiriqui Grand on the Caribbean side of Panama. It is anticipated it will have a similar economic effect to the "wet canal" in Panama City
These 2 construction projects along with the government's agreement to cancel the debt of Coosemupar and the workers, shows that the Panama government is through ignoring the once-vibrant town of Puerto Armuelles. The Panama government is now activity promoting the economic revitalization of Puerto Armuelles.
A main intersection in Downtown Puerto Armuelles
We wrote of about 6 neighborhoods in or near the downtown area of Puerto Armuelles.
Each has a distinct character and feel. Almost all of them are on the ocean.
Click here, to learn about these, and many other neighborhoods in Puerto Armuelles.
Main road through CarmenA look at these neighborhoods gives a sense of how unique Puerto Armuelles is compared to other locations in Panama.
December 2, 2011
Let It Rain! We Love itThe rainy season is going to be a long one this coming year (2012).
That is what was forecast during the Climate Forum held in Mexico recently.
The culprit: La Nina.
Usually, Novemeber is our rainiest month and then it tapers off until we enter the dry season sometime in February.
The folks at the Climate Forum predict that Panama, and all Central American countries, will experience both intense and moderate rains through December and January.
Even in February there will be intermiten rains.
Basically, the weather experts are asserting that La Nina will cause the dry season to come two months late.
We love the rainy season, so it is good news for us.
However, many areas of Panama have already expereinced too much rain. There have been landsides damaging home and causing harm and in some cases deaths.
We were driving down the Inter-Americana between David and Paso Canas the night the bridge went out.
At times driving down the road was like driving across a strong stream.
We think we went over the bridge only a half an hour before it went out.
Let's home there are no more causalities - structures or lives 0 from the anticipated long rainy season.
Of course, they could be wrong about this new forecast for our Panama weather.
Source for forecast: Don Winner of Panama Guide
Mid flood-tide, beach break, waist to chest high glassy, offshore breeze.
Decent waves for Puerto Armuelles.
I was out on my fish, and I had a bunch of fast little rides; a fine way to start the day.
My favorite surf spot is located a ten minute drive north from the center of town (twelve minutes on a bicycle).
The beach is called Corazon de Jesus. It is a small beach front neighborhood that is becoming popular with expats.
For that reason, it is probably the most surfed beach in town.
Corazon is a beach break, as are most of the local surf spots, with equal numbers of lefts and rights.
The waves there are usually clean, rideable probably about a third of the time in the rainy season.
Right now it is the rainy season.
The ocean in Puerto Armuelles has been know to be flat as a pancake for a solid month during the rainy season.
However, the rainy season is also when we get our south swell.
We have ten days of solid of 3-5 foot “epic” Puerto Armuelles conditions usually once or twice a season.
Guys come from as far away as David (an hour and a half) to catch our ideal surf conditions.
About that time, David's own main break Playa Barqueta is getting pounded by 15 to twenty foot close-out faces. Playa Barqueta has a full-on exposure to a huge Antarctic swell. It is an all -around nasty place to surf with super dangerous currents.
In Puerto Armuelles, under ideal conditions, we are probably riding 8-10 foot faces.
Surfing in Puerto Armuelles (Sarah pictured)The usual situation involves an offshore breeze in the morning that turns to onshore around midday - Except on cloudy days, when the wind never picks up and the surf stays good all day long.
There might be as many as a dozen surfers in town, mostly old gringos, mostly longboarders.
Most of these surfers have lived and surfed in Hawaii, California, or both.
Most of the surfer gringos are busy starting up businesses.
Ah.. Surfing in Puerto (Tegus pictured)(A few of the old guy surfers run the Hooked on Panama fishing lodge. They are often too busy with clients to get out surfing much.
Sometimes, however, they come back to town with fantastic stories about surfing the really big breaks out at the tip of Punta Burica
Punta Burica is about a half hour from town by boat, or an hour and a half by car.
There are witnesses who say the wave out there is huge, hollow, and breaks for almost two kilometers.
For guys who really want to chase big waves from Puerto, you need to drive out of the shadow of Punta Burica.
Punta Burica effectively blocks about eighty percent of the power of the prevailing southwest swell.
Surf in Nearby Pavones1. If you are looking for professional class surf, just hop in your car and drive the two hours to world famous Pavones.
Pavones is on the Costa Rican side of Punta Burica. It hosts some of the most amazing left handed barrels on the planet.
2. You could also charter a local Puerto Armuelles fisherman to run you out to the tip of Punta Burica for the day.
You can decide to stay out on the point with Juancho and Luzmila at Mono Feliz.
In season, you can get into some awsome waves out there.
My wife and daughter travelled all over Panama for three solid months when we first got here in late 2006.
We visited some of the top surf destinations: Santa Catalina in Veraguas Province, Playa Venao and others in Santos Province of the Azuero Peninsula. We have since spent time in Bocas del Toro.
The bottom line was that the best surf destinations had that sort of “cool” surfer vibe that just didn't attract us as a family.
In addition, most of the best surf places were no more than a collection of cabanas, a few restaurants, and lots of bars.
There was no sense of “place” to anywhere we visited.
That is, until we arrived here in Puerto Armuelles.
My wife and I moved from Seattle, Washington.
We did not want to lose the very livable small village lifestyle that Seattle's neighborhoods are so famous for.
Like Seattle, Puerto Armuelles is also composed of distinct and attractive neighborhoods.
Searching for Perfect Family Surf SpotPuerto Armuelles is a highly “liveable” town with an excellent sense of place, and a “good feel” to it.
My decision to become a Puerto Armuelles surfer was a decision to put our family's quality of life ahead of just surfing.
For our family, it was definitely the right decision.
For me, as a surfer, Puerto Armuelles has been a good choice.
P.S. If you are looking for surf conditions in Panama. A good place to look is Magic Seaweed.
November 20, 2011
My 10 year old daughter loves to go barefoot. She hardly ever even wears her flip-flops.
So perhaps it wasn't surprising that she got a cut and it got infected.
I didn't learn about it until I discovered her trying to rid herself of the painful infection with a pin. Yech!
For a couple of days we medicated it at home with antibotic cream and trying to keep it clean. I had thought about going to the doctor about it, but it seemed like it was getting better so I decided not to go.
That was on Friday mid-day.
At about 9pm that day, I noticed an almost healed cut on her big toe was suddenly inflamed and swollen with an under the skin infection.
It had had zero infection at mid-day.
I unintentionally freaked out my excitable daughter. To put the issue and child to bed, we decided not wait to see the doctor in the morning, but to go to the hospital emergeny room.
I packed a bag of things for my 5 and 10 year old to do. I anticipated a long wait. That had always been my experience in the States.
However, it didn't take long at all. There was alot of treking from processing window to processing window though.
We arrived at the emergergency room entrance. Not alot of signage. We wandered about lost for abit then someone kindly directed us to a window outside to declare our desire to see a doctor.
He gave us a fecha (a ticket with a number on it) and said to go knock on the nearby triage door and announce ourselves. We did.
We then waited about 3 minutes in a quiet waiting room. We were called and directed to an examination room.
A doctor quickly examined my daughter. We were handed a form and told to go back to the outside window.
We handed the form to the gentleman at the outside window. He asked for our daughter's information and then typed up another form. He gave us that form and directed us to pay for our visit.
We then treked about 30 yards up a hall and then to the right to another window. We gave the gentleman behind that window the paper work. He gave us a factora (bill) to pay.
Then we went to an adjacent window - the caja - to pay our 50 cents. We got a reciept.
We trekked back to the 1st window and gave him our reciept for payment.
We were told to sit in the waiting room to wait.
Unfortunately, that waiting room had a tv that was louder than we found enjoyable. It didn't seem to bother the other people in the room who were mostly ignoring the tv and quietily chatting.
I settled down to wait, wishing the TV wasn't so loud.
But we only waited until the patient being seen in the examination room exited - about 5 minutes.
We were called into an examination room.
My daughter received great care.
The doctor and nurse explained everythng.
They said the infection was not urgent. The doctor drained the big infection on the bottom of my daughter's foot, dressed both infections. Then to my daughter horror, they gave her an antibotic shot in her butt!
The doctor explained that if we returned with our daughter everyday, they would clean and dress her wounds.
We said thanks but we would do it at home.
Therefore, they gave us prescriptions for the special antiseptic soap, antiseptic spray, and, of course, for antibotics.
If we were willing to get her daily dressings at the hospital we would have only needed the antibotic presscrition. Those daily dressing appointment would cost 50 each as well.
The reason for this very inexpensive visit is because Panama's Social Security pays the difference in the cost.
If we had gone to the doctor, we would have paid $5 for these doctor services.
She was told to keep off her foot for a few days.
But instead we bought 2 sacks of live chickens from the La Ninas who were passing by. The chickens inadvertantly escaped!
So my limping daughter, my husband, and our breakfast guests spent a significant amount of time chasing the chickens around our property.
November 16, 2011
Should Noriega be Sent to Panama?But Noriega may finally serve his sentence for murdering 3 people in Panama during his 6 year military dictatorship.
The United Staes has granted its approval for the extradition of the former Panamanian strongman Manuel Antonio Noriega to Panama.
Noreiga is currently serving a 7 year sentence for money laundering in France. He was sentenced in France in July 2010.
Previously, he served 21 years in the United States for drug trafficking.
Noriega has never served time for the 3 murders he was convicted of during his term as a military dictator of Panama (1983-1989).
An extradition hearing to decide the matter will be held in France on November 23, 2011
The family of one of his victims is trying to block his extradiction. They fear that Noriega will be sentenced to the relative comforts of a house arrest for his murders.
Such a sentence is allowed in Panama due to his advanced age and health condition, as allowed for under Panamanian law.
Noriega is currently 77 years old.
The source of this story is Don Winner at Panama-Guide.com
November 14, 2011
Carrot Law Outlaws Liquor Sales: 3am-9pmAnd being Panama, there is alot of wiggle room in that law.
Prior to the Carrot Law there was no real restrictions on the sale of liquor in bars.
The "carrot law" states that from 3:00 am in the morning until 9:00 am of that same day, bars and discos, barbecues and grills, cantinas, wineries, and such, will have to close their doors.
However, casinos and hotels do not have to close.
I wonder what a business has to do be considered a casino or a hotel?
I bet a heck a lot of bar owners are thinking that too.
In the meantime, expect the noise level to go up on streets after 3 am.
PS. Don Winner of Panama Guide sleuthed out the significance of the name Ley Zanahorias. A reader emailed it to him as follows:
. . .It is basically called like that because in Colombia the "zanahorios" you can translate it as "carrot people" is a urban term used for people who have a healthy lifestyle, do not drink, do not party etc. therefore the law when passed was given that name. I hope this wikepedia page that will explaining it better to you.
Please comment below.
November 15, 2011
Dragon dancing at the circusYes two circuses.
I'm sure neither circus was thrilled.
They faced off from each other in the empty field in front of Pricesmart in David.
The Beijing Circus and Circus Renato.
We went to Circus Renato last year and enjoyed it very much.
Beijing Circus was only in David 1 more week and the Renato is in David until Nov. 25th.
We went to the Beijing Circus.
The ticket vendor at the Beijing Circus assured us the their show was "more professional" than Renato's.
We did enjoy the Beijing Circus; however, it doesn't hold a candle to Renato.
The Beijing circus had acrobats and Tigers - Siberian and, hum... don't know the name, the usual orange stripped Tigers.
For a few dollars you can pay the Beijing Circus to get your photo with this Siberian Tiger. We did.One very cool thing at the Beijing Circus is that you can get your photo taken with a Siberan Tiger at the Beijing Circus.
That would definitely not be allowed in the States
My daughter Skylar and her friend Kia had their photo taken while they were petting the tiger.
They said the tiger's fur was surprisingly coarse and rough.
Last year at Renato we got our picture taken on an elephant.
We will let you know if they do that this year as well.
