"This place blows."
While standing on the world's most famous isthmus, in the rainforest and a 15 square mile volcano crater, in sight of a 150 foot waterfall and observing a massive tree clinging for some purchase on the rocky soil, the scale of the tree can be appreciated by the fact that one of the roots exceeded a meter in diameter and extended for at least ten meters, I heard this blasphemy.
We must part company. If you think this place blows... AMF.
That's my note of the day, perhaps I'll make something proper out of it later.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Decline of American Literature
Over dinner there was a discussion on the decline of American Literature. I believe that I was the only one at the table to not have read "Evening in Byzantium", "To a God Unknown" and "Welcome to the Monkey House". Worse yet, I was the only American and native English speaker. Everybody else spoke at least 4 languages. I have been humbled by people who live for months at a time on less than $20 a day. I love this life.
What brings you here?
I sauntered off down main street in search of a little grub. As I walked past the street vendor there was a bit of a commotion and a lot of Spanish spoken really fast. Then the word "thunder" cut through. Oh god, here we go.
Last night my pseudonym was "Bocas Thunder" assigned by my good friend Walter. Last night Thunder was at the fight, I have no idea who was boxing whom. A crowd of Columbians had gathered around the TV screen intensely watching two pugilists. Thunder had been looking for recommendations for Columbian women that would come to Bocas for a test run to see if they would be fit material, on a commercial basis, in the berths of sailing yachts. Everybody had recommendations. I told them that I couldn't do them all in the time required and that I needed high quality shots full body shots soon. The the law student, my travel buddy of they day (I need somebody who speaks Spanish) was apparently embellishing the tale and telling them that I was also doing a photo shoot for Playboy.
A soft voice says "Jim, what brings you here?". I look to my left and there is a guy in his late sixties looking at me. "Are you kidding me, probably the same thing that brings you here, this place is gorgeous." Place the face... place the face. "I don't need that proxy anymore, I am using...." Ahhhh, David, I met this guy in David on my first pass from Panama to Chiriqui this year, my brain is not completely fried. "I am so damn glad to not be in David. So what brings you here?" "I live here." "Shit, really? This is the most beautiful place in the country."
I'm not good with names. Nikki and Kim, those are easy names to remember, especially if they are associated with drop dead gorgeous Dutch women hanging in hammocks. Arnat, Hristo, Kccharrrina (actually Karina, I think but the Argentianian accent threw me off), these are much harder.
I have no clue what this guy's name is. He lives just around the corner, I should have looked him up when I came into town. Breakfast tomorrow at Bruschettas? Sure. Let's not set a time, come up to the third floor and I'll be up here with a cup of joe.
Last night my pseudonym was "Bocas Thunder" assigned by my good friend Walter. Last night Thunder was at the fight, I have no idea who was boxing whom. A crowd of Columbians had gathered around the TV screen intensely watching two pugilists. Thunder had been looking for recommendations for Columbian women that would come to Bocas for a test run to see if they would be fit material, on a commercial basis, in the berths of sailing yachts. Everybody had recommendations. I told them that I couldn't do them all in the time required and that I needed high quality shots full body shots soon. The the law student, my travel buddy of they day (I need somebody who speaks Spanish) was apparently embellishing the tale and telling them that I was also doing a photo shoot for Playboy.
A soft voice says "Jim, what brings you here?". I look to my left and there is a guy in his late sixties looking at me. "Are you kidding me, probably the same thing that brings you here, this place is gorgeous." Place the face... place the face. "I don't need that proxy anymore, I am using...." Ahhhh, David, I met this guy in David on my first pass from Panama to Chiriqui this year, my brain is not completely fried. "I am so damn glad to not be in David. So what brings you here?" "I live here." "Shit, really? This is the most beautiful place in the country."
I'm not good with names. Nikki and Kim, those are easy names to remember, especially if they are associated with drop dead gorgeous Dutch women hanging in hammocks. Arnat, Hristo, Kccharrrina (actually Karina, I think but the Argentianian accent threw me off), these are much harder.
I have no clue what this guy's name is. He lives just around the corner, I should have looked him up when I came into town. Breakfast tomorrow at Bruschettas? Sure. Let's not set a time, come up to the third floor and I'll be up here with a cup of joe.
What brings you here (El Valle de Anton, Cocles, Panama)
I sauntered off down main street in search of a little grub. As I walked past the street vendor there was a bit of a commotion and a lot of Spanish spoken really fast. Then the word "thunder" cut through. Oh god, here we go.
Last night my pseudonym was "Bocas Thunder" assigned by my good friend Walter. Last night Thunder was at the fight, I have no idea who was boxing whom. A crowd of Columbians had gathered around the TV screen intensely watching two pugilists. Thunder had been looking for recommendations for Columbian women that come to Bocas for a test run to see if they would be fit material on a commercial basis, in the berths of sailing yachts. Everybody had recommendations. I told them that I couldn't do them all in the time required and that I needed nude high quality shots soon and that I only needed women. The the law student, my travel buddy of they day (I need somebody who speaks Spanish) was apparently embellishing the tale and telling them that I was also doing a photo shoot for Playboy.
A soft voice says "Jim, what brings you here?". I look to my left and there is a guy, in his late sixties looking at me. "Are you kidding me, probably the same thing that brings you here, this place is gorgeous." Place the face... place the face. "I don't need that proxy anymore, I am using...." Ahhhh, David, I met this guy in David on my first pass from Panama to Chiriqui this year, my brain is not completely fried. "I am so damn glad to not be in David. So what brings you here?" "I live here." "Shit, really? This is the most beautiful place in the country."
I'm not good with names. Nikki and Kim, those are easy names to remember, especially if they are associated with drop dead gorgeous Dutch women hanging in hammocks. Arnat, Hristo, Kccharrrina (actually Karina, I think but the Argentianian accent threw me off), these are much harder.
I have no clue what this guy's name is. He lives just around the corner, I should have looked him up when I came into town. Breakfast tomorrow at Bruschettas? Sure. Let's not set a time, come up to the third floor and I'll be up here with a cup of joe.
Last night my pseudonym was "Bocas Thunder" assigned by my good friend Walter. Last night Thunder was at the fight, I have no idea who was boxing whom. A crowd of Columbians had gathered around the TV screen intensely watching two pugilists. Thunder had been looking for recommendations for Columbian women that come to Bocas for a test run to see if they would be fit material on a commercial basis, in the berths of sailing yachts. Everybody had recommendations. I told them that I couldn't do them all in the time required and that I needed nude high quality shots soon and that I only needed women. The the law student, my travel buddy of they day (I need somebody who speaks Spanish) was apparently embellishing the tale and telling them that I was also doing a photo shoot for Playboy.
A soft voice says "Jim, what brings you here?". I look to my left and there is a guy, in his late sixties looking at me. "Are you kidding me, probably the same thing that brings you here, this place is gorgeous." Place the face... place the face. "I don't need that proxy anymore, I am using...." Ahhhh, David, I met this guy in David on my first pass from Panama to Chiriqui this year, my brain is not completely fried. "I am so damn glad to not be in David. So what brings you here?" "I live here." "Shit, really? This is the most beautiful place in the country."
I'm not good with names. Nikki and Kim, those are easy names to remember, especially if they are associated with drop dead gorgeous Dutch women hanging in hammocks. Arnat, Hristo, Kccharrrina (actually Karina, I think but the Argentianian accent threw me off), these are much harder.
I have no clue what this guy's name is. He lives just around the corner, I should have looked him up when I came into town. Breakfast tomorrow at Bruschettas? Sure. Let's not set a time, come up to the third floor and I'll be up here with a cup of joe.
El Valle de Anton
I might be in the friendliest, most honest city on the planet. I don't have time to go into it all now. I have to go back to the museum to see the pre-columbian artifacts that have been found all around town. The petroglyph rock was bought from a local by providing her with running water and a washboard; she was using the rock to do her laundry. The museum is closed on Sunday but the guard showed me where he lives and told me to come after mass and he would open it for me.
Every local I passed on the street gave a very warm, "Buenos Dias".
Today is market day, people are starting to swarm in. Here in the highlands it is cool, great way to spend a day
I stated yesterday that I guessed if we really wanted tamales, we could ask and some woman would go home and make some. I was correct. The market has no doors, no fence, they just leave eveything out unguarded after they close. Nobody steals anything. The wildlife here is fantastic. I am off to see the square trees, join those beautiful dutch women at the hot springs then off for a hike in the mountains.
I am in the most beautiful place I've been in Panama, so of course I don't have my camera with me. I wish I had a high fidelity audio recorder. The frogs sound like that space wars game. If you ever make it here, I highly recommend Hotel Residencial el Valle.
Every local I passed on the street gave a very warm, "Buenos Dias".
Today is market day, people are starting to swarm in. Here in the highlands it is cool, great way to spend a day
I stated yesterday that I guessed if we really wanted tamales, we could ask and some woman would go home and make some. I was correct. The market has no doors, no fence, they just leave eveything out unguarded after they close. Nobody steals anything. The wildlife here is fantastic. I am off to see the square trees, join those beautiful dutch women at the hot springs then off for a hike in the mountains.
I am in the most beautiful place I've been in Panama, so of course I don't have my camera with me. I wish I had a high fidelity audio recorder. The frogs sound like that space wars game. If you ever make it here, I highly recommend Hotel Residencial el Valle.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Momma got a big old butt
I was walking down the street with Anat, a lovely Israeli woman I met in San Blas and came upon a nicely dressed woman with a large, to my tastes, butt. Panamanian men like this and you can see it in their grins as these women walk by. A man in a suit looked at the ass and gave a very exaggerated leer and smiled back at me. Then he feigned cupping the woman's ass. Anta and I looked at each other with a "WTF?" expression. Just as I was about 30" away from the woman he grabbed her ass and jumped back to the curb, The woman whirled around and smacked me with a roll of paper. A confrontation ensued, we pointed to the real culprit. He denied and said "I am a doctor" and pointed to the case he was was carrying as if that was proof. I said "You are a lying sorry assed piece of shit. That dented aluminum box is not even a brief case. Apologize to this lady." The woman still scowled at me. "I'm sorry ma'am I didn't do that and besides I'm with her. But in any event I am leaving." Then a crowd of onlookers said "You're on Candid Camera."
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Left Hand
I get sensations of twitches in my left with no movement. Hopefully this is part of the healing process.
I think that I was wearing a big watch and reaching down in a bad form with the notbook on my bed and damaged my carpal nerves. This is what I told them when I went in. They applied electrodes all over my arms and found some nerve damage that may or may not be permanent but I am getting a little more strength and movement every day.
So now I sit at La Jungla in Panama City. The breeze flows strongly, lifting the curtains several feet from vertical at the base. Those that haven't left for the day are group cooking, using computers, and ipod touches mostly on Facebook or lying in a hammock reading a book. It is a quiet very civil place until late evening when the drinking starts.
I think that I was wearing a big watch and reaching down in a bad form with the notbook on my bed and damaged my carpal nerves. This is what I told them when I went in. They applied electrodes all over my arms and found some nerve damage that may or may not be permanent but I am getting a little more strength and movement every day.
So now I sit at La Jungla in Panama City. The breeze flows strongly, lifting the curtains several feet from vertical at the base. Those that haven't left for the day are group cooking, using computers, and ipod touches mostly on Facebook or lying in a hammock reading a book. It is a quiet very civil place until late evening when the drinking starts.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Panamanian Health Care
I entered a Panamanian hospital at 9:03 this morning. After inquiring at
the information desk if the man spoke Spanish within a minute I was appointed a personal customer care that followed me all day and translated for me.
I was admitted in less than 5 minutes and saw a doctor in under an hour.
I received an exam, a cat scan, a neurological exam, 2 MRI's and another neurological exam. I was out by 4:00 and the total bill was $1,100.
It was a marvel of efficiency, organization and patient consideration.
the information desk if the man spoke Spanish within a minute I was appointed a personal customer care that followed me all day and translated for me.
I was admitted in less than 5 minutes and saw a doctor in under an hour.
I received an exam, a cat scan, a neurological exam, 2 MRI's and another neurological exam. I was out by 4:00 and the total bill was $1,100.
It was a marvel of efficiency, organization and patient consideration.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Aloof and alone again
I have shunned she who comforted me most. I have come to doubt all that I have held as true, I stand alone, without beliefs.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
BMT BS
Four overfed gringos left Bocas del Toro and set off for Pixvae, "a named place in Veraguas, Panama" also described as "a populated place near Coiba National Park, in Verguas, Panama" in pursuit of fish.
Very shortly after entering the water taxi service I was approached by an elderly Panamanian, "Are you going to Alimirante my good friend?" Here we go. If somebody in Panama calls you a good friend, it is like an email from a Nigerian asking for help in giving you large sums of cash. There are only two stops on this shuttle and at either terminal the other is assured. I am in Bocas, the other terminal is ... Almirante. "No I am going to Limon, this boat goes to Limon, right?" After several minutes of bullshit he finally asks for money, I pointed at Walter, "Walter is very rich, he likes to give money to people, please talk with Walter." Chester got a shit eating grin on his face.
The 20 minute boat ride was uneventful. A Panamanian greeted Chester by name and grabbed Chester's bag and mine. I wanted to carry my bag.
Very shortly after entering the water taxi service I was approached by an elderly Panamanian, "Are you going to Alimirante my good friend?" Here we go. If somebody in Panama calls you a good friend, it is like an email from a Nigerian asking for help in giving you large sums of cash. There are only two stops on this shuttle and at either terminal the other is assured. I am in Bocas, the other terminal is ... Almirante. "No I am going to Limon, this boat goes to Limon, right?" After several minutes of bullshit he finally asks for money, I pointed at Walter, "Walter is very rich, he likes to give money to people, please talk with Walter." Chester got a shit eating grin on his face.
The 20 minute boat ride was uneventful. A Panamanian greeted Chester by name and grabbed Chester's bag and mine. I wanted to carry my bag.
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