The gringos that live in Belize seem pretty disgusted with the place.
A 39 page newspaper reports the following:
Bank robbery next to police station customer shot in head, guard shot in chest, killers escape in rented Sidekick.
Robbery at store robbers and police shoot it out.
Man shot in front of Fried Chicken restaurant.
Journalist on bicycle robbed at gunpoint.
As I read online I see that this is not an unusual day.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Passport
I only expected to be in Belize a few days. I have been here a week and near as I can read my visitation limit has expired. Today I have to go to town and try to get an extension. This should be pretty routine.
Sitting at the Marina
It's Monday, almost 7:00 in the morning. I am sitting in the "Marina" in Independence, Belize, a man made harbor cut out of the ground by Phil. We have been sleeping in house owned by a friend of Bryan's in big comfortable beds, with air conditioning and hot showers.
Water is in a frying pan, heating up so I can make some instant coffee. I will start blogging backwards.
Water is in a frying pan, heating up so I can make some instant coffee. I will start blogging backwards.
Got the boat
We have been sitting in on the water outside Independence, Belize. We have been unable to fish for lack of a boat and the boat is in Monkey River, 20 miles away. The road is under water. We have been looking for the keys for the Chris Craft. Bryan unlocked it last night and that is the last time anybody saw the keys.
I cooked up some omelettes and Phil cooked up some fry jacks. We finished off a pot of coffee. The next 5 hours were frittered away with not a single memorable activity.
After three days of trying to figure out how to get to Monkey River, a boat owner at the Marina showed up. Bryan knew him and asked if he was heading out to Monkey River. Fortunately, he was. Bryan hopped in the back of this truck and was about to take off, when Phil asked if I wasn't intent on going.
I told them to wait, ran over to the house, got my shoes and my camera and hopped in the truck. We stopped so Bryan could fetch a replacement fuel hose and primer bulb; his has been stolen. We drove down about 10 miles of dirt roads next to flat grass lands and turned down another road when things rapidly become dense jungle. The road was washed over periodically but as we got closer to the sea, the river that ran parallel to the road started becoming one with the road. The water washed out of the dense foliage and across the road with a current. The road was never underneath more than about 18 inches of water, but it was submerged for up to a mile at a stretch.
Finally we reached the end of the road, crossed over a barrier and walked to the water's edge. The sediment laden river spilled forth a creamy chocolate colored muddy water, the sea was mud colored as far as the eye could see.
We grabbed a couple of 5 gallon buckets and walked back to the river. The boat was tied up, stern to shore near half submerged with water nearly up to the gunwale. Twenty minutes of bailing later we untied it, pulled it off the beach, swung it bow to shore against a pier and bailed the water that flowed underneath the glass deck to the stern.
A six inch piece was cut off the hose and attached to the exit end of the primer bulb and the long end was affixed to the other end. The hose was fed into a one gallon bottle through a 1/2 hole in the top. The bulb was primed for a couple of minutes. Bryan took the top off of the 50 horsepower four stroke Honda. In the narrow seat at the stern was a 48" piece of polypropylene rope attached to a stick. This was wound around the pulley mounted atop the engine above the crankcase gear operated by the started motor.
With a single pull the engine started. Bryan warmed it up for a bit and declared us good to go. We walked back to the house, where his stuff was all packed. A tackle box, a bunch of rods, a 120 quart cooler and a battery were all we had to move. We walked parallel to the shore for 150 yards to the other house owned by 24x7 Martha, so named because she is always stoned. Nothing happens very quickly in Belize. She smoked a few cigarettes, surfed a bit more, some local came in and Martha showed the girl how to connect to the internet. Bryan and Martha smoked more cigarettes followed by vapid conversation and more cigarettes.
Finally we headed back to house 1, loaded the gear into the back of her truck and she drove us over to the boat. The gear was put aboard. The boat had no life preservers, no signalling equipment, no paddle, no anchor, no radio, no fire extinguisher; she was not fit to be at sea. It is impossible to shift this engine once it is running because it stalls at idle speed, so I had to plant a pole in the bottom of the river and hold the boat while it was started in forward. Off we went across the river, in hope of buying enough gas to get this thing back to Independence.
We entered a cut upstream and pulled the boat into the reeds. I took a two gallon can and walked up to a house, behind which were at least a dozen 20 gallon cans of gas and bought a couple of gallons of gas for $21 Bz. The homeowner took a 3/4" section of plastic tubing, inserted into the big can, gave a big suck and filled two one gallon water bottles, the contents of which were transferred to my gas can.
Back on the boat we poled out, faced it down stream and took off again. After half an hour the boat started sputtering. A short while later, wide open would push us barely 3 knots. If we made it back this was going to be a long trip. No other boats were to be seen anywhere.
Four and a half hours later we finished our 16 mile trip, pulling into the marina. We pulled the gear off, stashed it in the house. My face was burned as I had failed to grab my hat in my mad dash to get on the truck.
Steve brought over some beans and shrimp. Phil gave Bryan a lift to town, where he bought some spuds and we had the obvious for dinner, courtesy of Phil's cooking. I washed up and we sat around and jawed a while. In the middle of a conversation I said I had to go and dashed off to the house to avail myself of the toilet after which I laid down on the bed feeling less than wonderful. I fell asleep and didn't wake until dawn.
I cooked up some omelettes and Phil cooked up some fry jacks. We finished off a pot of coffee. The next 5 hours were frittered away with not a single memorable activity.
After three days of trying to figure out how to get to Monkey River, a boat owner at the Marina showed up. Bryan knew him and asked if he was heading out to Monkey River. Fortunately, he was. Bryan hopped in the back of this truck and was about to take off, when Phil asked if I wasn't intent on going.
I told them to wait, ran over to the house, got my shoes and my camera and hopped in the truck. We stopped so Bryan could fetch a replacement fuel hose and primer bulb; his has been stolen. We drove down about 10 miles of dirt roads next to flat grass lands and turned down another road when things rapidly become dense jungle. The road was washed over periodically but as we got closer to the sea, the river that ran parallel to the road started becoming one with the road. The water washed out of the dense foliage and across the road with a current. The road was never underneath more than about 18 inches of water, but it was submerged for up to a mile at a stretch.
Finally we reached the end of the road, crossed over a barrier and walked to the water's edge. The sediment laden river spilled forth a creamy chocolate colored muddy water, the sea was mud colored as far as the eye could see.
We grabbed a couple of 5 gallon buckets and walked back to the river. The boat was tied up, stern to shore near half submerged with water nearly up to the gunwale. Twenty minutes of bailing later we untied it, pulled it off the beach, swung it bow to shore against a pier and bailed the water that flowed underneath the glass deck to the stern.
A six inch piece was cut off the hose and attached to the exit end of the primer bulb and the long end was affixed to the other end. The hose was fed into a one gallon bottle through a 1/2 hole in the top. The bulb was primed for a couple of minutes. Bryan took the top off of the 50 horsepower four stroke Honda. In the narrow seat at the stern was a 48" piece of polypropylene rope attached to a stick. This was wound around the pulley mounted atop the engine above the crankcase gear operated by the started motor.
With a single pull the engine started. Bryan warmed it up for a bit and declared us good to go. We walked back to the house, where his stuff was all packed. A tackle box, a bunch of rods, a 120 quart cooler and a battery were all we had to move. We walked parallel to the shore for 150 yards to the other house owned by 24x7 Martha, so named because she is always stoned. Nothing happens very quickly in Belize. She smoked a few cigarettes, surfed a bit more, some local came in and Martha showed the girl how to connect to the internet. Bryan and Martha smoked more cigarettes followed by vapid conversation and more cigarettes.
Finally we headed back to house 1, loaded the gear into the back of her truck and she drove us over to the boat. The gear was put aboard. The boat had no life preservers, no signalling equipment, no paddle, no anchor, no radio, no fire extinguisher; she was not fit to be at sea. It is impossible to shift this engine once it is running because it stalls at idle speed, so I had to plant a pole in the bottom of the river and hold the boat while it was started in forward. Off we went across the river, in hope of buying enough gas to get this thing back to Independence.
We entered a cut upstream and pulled the boat into the reeds. I took a two gallon can and walked up to a house, behind which were at least a dozen 20 gallon cans of gas and bought a couple of gallons of gas for $21 Bz. The homeowner took a 3/4" section of plastic tubing, inserted into the big can, gave a big suck and filled two one gallon water bottles, the contents of which were transferred to my gas can.
Back on the boat we poled out, faced it down stream and took off again. After half an hour the boat started sputtering. A short while later, wide open would push us barely 3 knots. If we made it back this was going to be a long trip. No other boats were to be seen anywhere.
Four and a half hours later we finished our 16 mile trip, pulling into the marina. We pulled the gear off, stashed it in the house. My face was burned as I had failed to grab my hat in my mad dash to get on the truck.
Steve brought over some beans and shrimp. Phil gave Bryan a lift to town, where he bought some spuds and we had the obvious for dinner, courtesy of Phil's cooking. I washed up and we sat around and jawed a while. In the middle of a conversation I said I had to go and dashed off to the house to avail myself of the toilet after which I laid down on the bed feeling less than wonderful. I fell asleep and didn't wake until dawn.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Panama, Panama to Placencia, Belize
These are just my notes, but I'll probably never flesh it out, so, here you go.
14:43 A vile meal of extremely overcooked spaghetti, boiled meat, bread and an unidentifiable substance was served in a styrofoam container its temperature dictated by the residual heat of nearly four hours. The tray on the seat ahead of me sloped down at an angle of thirty degrees as the seat was fully reclined. The tiny plastic tray wouldn't latch into position anyway. I had to place the meal on my lap and attack with the little plastic fork.
18:03 We have reached the Panama/Costa Rica border. We got out, paid our $1 exit tax, got out passports stamped. I bought a few skewers of pork for $1 each.
TODO panama bag inspection DOG. Hand in bag. TODO tool extract.
Bags back on bus.
We walked 200 meters into Costa Rica . At the immigration office a man was attempting to provide entertainment. He wore white plastic eyeglass frames without lenses, banged on an empty half gallon vegetable oil bottle and made noises with his mouth.
TODO We took our bags back out for inspection in Costa Rica. Concrete slabs that looked like beds.
After an hour I gave the girl my bags and my practiced bored look. She guessed I wasn't smuggling anything and waved me on. Wait 45 minutes for the inspectors to show up, TODO describe steel fencing. TODO called by name.
Back on the bus, I used my leatherman to remove the screw in the window lock that prevented me from opening the window. The ride started to suck quite a bit less.
20:50 Passport check.
21:48 Passport check.
Had uncheck and recheck my bags with the same guy.
Exceptionally bad, rubber pizza microwaved 2 h2o 2 snickers 2. Fucked over exchange rate 570 colones to the dollar but when the items came to 1250 wanted 3.
The bathroom door TODO
3:00 Boarded bus. Seat 45 was occupied. I told the guy, but he insisted that the seat was his. Looking forward I saw two adjacent seats unoccupied and decided not to fight it.
10:05 Managua, Nicaragua.
TODO Buddy, chocolate
I took the taxi, TODO hotels. Stayed at the TicaBus hotel went to dinner.
Washed my clothes and hung them up to dry.
19:32 Went out to dinner
Aug 22 23:54 The one eyed guy behind the counter woke up with a bang when I took his picture.
5:02 I wanted breakfast but there was no time the man just showed up on the bus.
No cambio necessito.
5:07 Eggs scram salty cheese that tastes like sardines and salt with the texture of set cauck. An enormous helping of very salty rice and beans.
5:20 The bus backs up with a rumble bud no engine noise. My kindneys feel as though I am being massage by a massuese with a vibratror. The bus is near empty perhaps 10 people.
7:15 The guy wants 8 dollars and my passport.
8:13 We mill about waiting for the bullshit to finish
8:39 Presumably in Honduras we mill about some more.
9:08 Back on the bus. No luggage checks. Passport handled by bus companuy.
12:50 Last night
Three taxis 7 (change trick) internet 2 ice cream 3 lunch 3
13:03 Sandwich gum and water 4.74 (is this where I got sodomized on the currency exchange?)
13:11 And we are off
15:40 Stop for lunch
2 piece of chicken
Potatoes au gratin
water 90
donut 20
17:37 Pulled in, it is raining
17:54 Purple lightning big modern building
22:59 attempting to get food the 12 b gone the loud family at the hotel
7:29 Air shocks $5000. Suspension. 170 km/hr. 397000 km never touched the engine.
Warranty. Swerving. Braking. Brake fail, have to slow.
Paid the 970 for transport to Puerto Cortez
8:01 Flash struggles to top off the tank, shaking the truck, at least a minute of clicking.
9:06 3 Dollar exit fee from Honduras
Had to trade out 300 limpia for 86 quetzales.
9:42 Passport check 80 quetzales
Breakfast 5 quetzales and 1 dollar
eggs and bread far too hot to eat.
10:18 And we are off to Belize
internet, chat awareness that I was not where I was supposed to be.
1:55 The local who wanted to guide me.
14:18 Local asked where I was from , bamboo story
15:49 5 belize for taxi to water taxi
15:52 10 belize for hokey pokey water taxi.
16:23 At cozey corners.
Came back guy asleep on the floor popped up like he was being shot at when I took his photo.
TODO describe seat recline
TODO money exchanges
TODO managua mall
San Pedro Sula, Hondura
TODO leaving San Jose, breakfast rubber eggs flour based product
TODO Tegucigalpa 10 minute layover
Day 1
11:00 I took the Tica ejetivo hoping that it would approach a Peru bus in comfort but found the seats to be narrow with extremely limited leg room. Worse yet there was no air conditioning and the windows wouldn't open. Shortly after the bus departed we were treated? Subjected? to an endless series of American comedies that thankfully were played in English.14:43 A vile meal of extremely overcooked spaghetti, boiled meat, bread and an unidentifiable substance was served in a styrofoam container its temperature dictated by the residual heat of nearly four hours. The tray on the seat ahead of me sloped down at an angle of thirty degrees as the seat was fully reclined. The tiny plastic tray wouldn't latch into position anyway. I had to place the meal on my lap and attack with the little plastic fork.
18:03 We have reached the Panama/Costa Rica border. We got out, paid our $1 exit tax, got out passports stamped. I bought a few skewers of pork for $1 each.
TODO panama bag inspection DOG. Hand in bag. TODO tool extract.
Bags back on bus.
We walked 200 meters into Costa Rica . At the immigration office a man was attempting to provide entertainment. He wore white plastic eyeglass frames without lenses, banged on an empty half gallon vegetable oil bottle and made noises with his mouth.
TODO We took our bags back out for inspection in Costa Rica. Concrete slabs that looked like beds.
After an hour I gave the girl my bags and my practiced bored look. She guessed I wasn't smuggling anything and waved me on. Wait 45 minutes for the inspectors to show up, TODO describe steel fencing. TODO called by name.
Back on the bus, I used my leatherman to remove the screw in the window lock that prevented me from opening the window. The ride started to suck quite a bit less.
20:50 Passport check.
21:48 Passport check.
Day 2
03:02 We pulled into San Jose transfer station, much confusion, bus not leaving until 5 no it leaves at 3.Had uncheck and recheck my bags with the same guy.
Exceptionally bad, rubber pizza microwaved 2 h2o 2 snickers 2. Fucked over exchange rate 570 colones to the dollar but when the items came to 1250 wanted 3.
The bathroom door TODO
3:00 Boarded bus. Seat 45 was occupied. I told the guy, but he insisted that the seat was his. Looking forward I saw two adjacent seats unoccupied and decided not to fight it.
10:05 Managua, Nicaragua.
TODO Buddy, chocolate
I took the taxi, TODO hotels. Stayed at the TicaBus hotel went to dinner.
Washed my clothes and hung them up to dry.
19:32 Went out to dinner
Day 3
4:00 I need sleep. Check in on busAug 22 23:54 The one eyed guy behind the counter woke up with a bang when I took his picture.
August 23
4:45 At the head of the line for bus check in .5:02 I wanted breakfast but there was no time the man just showed up on the bus.
No cambio necessito.
5:07 Eggs scram salty cheese that tastes like sardines and salt with the texture of set cauck. An enormous helping of very salty rice and beans.
5:20 The bus backs up with a rumble bud no engine noise. My kindneys feel as though I am being massage by a massuese with a vibratror. The bus is near empty perhaps 10 people.
7:15 The guy wants 8 dollars and my passport.
8:13 We mill about waiting for the bullshit to finish
8:39 Presumably in Honduras we mill about some more.
9:08 Back on the bus. No luggage checks. Passport handled by bus companuy.
12:50 Last night
Three taxis 7 (change trick) internet 2 ice cream 3 lunch 3
13:03 Sandwich gum and water 4.74 (is this where I got sodomized on the currency exchange?)
13:11 And we are off
15:40 Stop for lunch
2 piece of chicken
Potatoes au gratin
water 90
donut 20
17:37 Pulled in, it is raining
17:54 Purple lightning big modern building
22:59 attempting to get food the 12 b gone the loud family at the hotel
Day 4
7:07 On my way to Puerto Cortez. Downed power poles. Earthquake last night 3.6.7:29 Air shocks $5000. Suspension. 170 km/hr. 397000 km never touched the engine.
Warranty. Swerving. Braking. Brake fail, have to slow.
Paid the 970 for transport to Puerto Cortez
8:01 Flash struggles to top off the tank, shaking the truck, at least a minute of clicking.
9:06 3 Dollar exit fee from Honduras
Had to trade out 300 limpia for 86 quetzales.
9:42 Passport check 80 quetzales
Breakfast 5 quetzales and 1 dollar
eggs and bread far too hot to eat.
10:18 And we are off to Belize
internet, chat awareness that I was not where I was supposed to be.
1:55 The local who wanted to guide me.
14:18 Local asked where I was from , bamboo story
15:49 5 belize for taxi to water taxi
15:52 10 belize for hokey pokey water taxi.
16:23 At cozey corners.
Came back guy asleep on the floor popped up like he was being shot at when I took his photo.
TODO describe seat recline
TODO money exchanges
TODO managua mall
San Pedro Sula, Hondura
TODO leaving San Jose, breakfast rubber eggs flour based product
TODO Tegucigalpa 10 minute layover
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Heading out.
This is really too much of a pain in the ass to continue.
Only one person who reads this regularly doesn't already have a facebook account. The rest of the hits are random peckerheads who found references on google.
That having been said.
I woke up and showered. I came downstairs ate breakfast and plotted the utter destruction of my nemesis, coded for a while, took a shower, headed out for a 2 hour amble through town. Came back and showered.
Headed to the attorney figuring out how my assets could be buried so deep God himself couldn't find them, came home and showered.
Went to the fish market, bought a bunch of fish and cooked 8 pounds of fish. The smell of sauteed fresh fish is far more stimulating to women than any cologne.than the smell of my shirt after a quick two hour walk. That cost me about 5 bucks in supplies, but I only provided the fish..
My Facebook post on this was:
Showered.
What the hell I drink 5 to 6 8 oz glasses of water and hour and I don't piss. Why do you think I need to shower so often? This humidity is a bit over the top.
Can we call this a blog entry?
Sorry, I know I owe your for the last month, but, my audience calls to me, 200 people on the lowest level of Luna's Castle.
Only one person who reads this regularly doesn't already have a facebook account. The rest of the hits are random peckerheads who found references on google.
That having been said.
I woke up and showered. I came downstairs ate breakfast and plotted the utter destruction of my nemesis, coded for a while, took a shower, headed out for a 2 hour amble through town. Came back and showered.
Headed to the attorney figuring out how my assets could be buried so deep God himself couldn't find them, came home and showered.
Went to the fish market, bought a bunch of fish and cooked 8 pounds of fish. The smell of sauteed fresh fish is far more stimulating to women than any cologne.
My Facebook post on this was:
Recipe for Success
Go the the fish market. Look at all the damn fresh fish, pick up some snapper, some cordiva, some curry, a couple of pounds of lime, some seafood spices, in little plastic bags. Go hog wild. Bring back 8 pounds of fresh fish with the sid...es for $5. Wonder why the 19 year super hot black chick is flirting with you. Assume the worst and just tell her you don't pay for it. Go back to the hostel and cook up a whole bunch of shit and just tell people you are practicing because you need to practice. People falling all over themselves to get to the samples. Some just made it dinner. Six girls in the kitchen asking if they can help. Damn, that was a lot of fun. And.. I didn't have to do the dishes.
Showered.
What the hell I drink 5 to 6 8 oz glasses of water and hour and I don't piss. Why do you think I need to shower so often? This humidity is a bit over the top.
Can we call this a blog entry?
Sorry, I know I owe your for the last month, but, my audience calls to me, 200 people on the lowest level of Luna's Castle.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Contadora to Sona
Yesterday the electricity was out on Contradora from 8:00 until about 3:00. Mark and I played rummy to while away the time until our flight.
We got the the aiport at 4:30 for our 5:30 flight. Sometimes they leave late, other times they leave early. At 5:20 the inbound flight arrived, right on time, by 5:25 the 10 passengers aboard had disembarked and gathered their luggage. We had presented our checked luggage, which was duly weighed as were we and our carry on luggage.
By 6:00 we were at Albrook airport and took a taxi to the mall, in pursuit of fins, masks and a spear gun. The speedo store had masks but no spear guns. We found a store that sold both. The guns ranged in price from $75 to $600. We bought a middle of the line model with two bands, this would be good for fish in the hundreds of pounds. Unfortunately it was also four feet long, two big to fit in my pack so it protrudes out each end, occassionally into the testicles of someone who chose to stand too near to my obvlious self.
We decided to go to Santiago directly rather than spend a night in the hotel in Panama. The bus left at 8. The fare was $7.50/person the bus spacious and comfortable although it was over airconditioned. We arrived in Santiago about 11:30. Our hotel of choice was full, we ended up staying at the Chino hotel across from La Tucanes restaurant. The room was big but nasty. It had air and two double beds, one that looked like it could collapse at any minute. After a small dinner we went to sleep.
I awoke at 7:00 and decided we really needed to see a doctor. Mark asked me where the masks and snorkels were. Shit. I changed my routine. I left them on the bus.
We headed off to the bus station and showing our reciept from the day before attempted to find the office for the bus company. We were quickly directed to the proper place. We made inquiry and the woman went to the back room where the luggage and shipments were and came back empty handed. You ship stuff from city to city via bus down here. It works amazingly well. It is much faster and much cheapr than UPS or Fedex. A 5 pound package might be shipped for 2 bucks and arrive in three hours. I once had a 50 pound suitcase delivered from Bocas to Santiago, a six hour drive for $8.50.
In any event, I knew it was a lost cause. The woman made a few calls and told us that the bag was still on the bus and that the bus would be here at 8:30. We didn´t know if the bus was coming, or was parked somewhere and the package would be delivered. I went next door and asked for fried eggs and bread. They didn´t server bread, I was directed to the bakery three doors down. Returning with my loaf of french bread I ordered two fried eggs and a coffee, which came to $1.15 and returned to the bus terminal where Mark had our lost gear. He had stowed it in his luggage aware of the fact that I need adult supervision.
A taxi to Clinica Americano´s cost $1.40 and we were dropped in front of the place at 8:40. The driver declared that it opened at 9:00. We sat on the steps and some woman came up who told us that the place opened at 9:00. She rapidly decided that she was going to take care of us. When the place opened we were told that there were no doctors in house and were directed to go to Clinica San Juan were the same doctors were posted on the wall. We put our names on the waiting list and paid $6 for the two of us. Within 15 minutes we went together into the doctors office. She listened with a stethoscope and heard of our symptoms and sent us off with an order to get chest xrays. A short taxi ride later I handed the prescriptions to the receptionist and within 10 minutes had my xray taken. Mark returned from McDonalds, got his xray we paid our $40 for both and took a taxi back to the clinic.
Returning with the Xrays, we waited for another 10 minutes, the doctor looked at mine, declared that I had pneumonia, gave me a prescription for some strong antibiotics and expectorants, and gave Mark a prescription for a different antibiotic and a different expectorant. We were told not to go to Sante Fe, where it is cold (it drops to 60 degrees at night) so we decided to head out to Sona on our way to Santa Catalina.
My prescriptions and Mark´s expectorant prescription were fill in five minutes, they didn´t have his antibiotic.
We went to a second pharmacy. They had Mark´s drug but only in the 500mg dose. He convinced the pharmacist to sell him 50% more pills and figured he would give himself a dose and half and then explained to me why that could only be done with some drugs.
The total cost of the drugs was about $100.
We caught a bus to Sona where I sit, typing this blog waiting for the 4 oclock bus to take us to Santa Catalina.
We got the the aiport at 4:30 for our 5:30 flight. Sometimes they leave late, other times they leave early. At 5:20 the inbound flight arrived, right on time, by 5:25 the 10 passengers aboard had disembarked and gathered their luggage. We had presented our checked luggage, which was duly weighed as were we and our carry on luggage.
By 6:00 we were at Albrook airport and took a taxi to the mall, in pursuit of fins, masks and a spear gun. The speedo store had masks but no spear guns. We found a store that sold both. The guns ranged in price from $75 to $600. We bought a middle of the line model with two bands, this would be good for fish in the hundreds of pounds. Unfortunately it was also four feet long, two big to fit in my pack so it protrudes out each end, occassionally into the testicles of someone who chose to stand too near to my obvlious self.
We decided to go to Santiago directly rather than spend a night in the hotel in Panama. The bus left at 8. The fare was $7.50/person the bus spacious and comfortable although it was over airconditioned. We arrived in Santiago about 11:30. Our hotel of choice was full, we ended up staying at the Chino hotel across from La Tucanes restaurant. The room was big but nasty. It had air and two double beds, one that looked like it could collapse at any minute. After a small dinner we went to sleep.
I awoke at 7:00 and decided we really needed to see a doctor. Mark asked me where the masks and snorkels were. Shit. I changed my routine. I left them on the bus.
We headed off to the bus station and showing our reciept from the day before attempted to find the office for the bus company. We were quickly directed to the proper place. We made inquiry and the woman went to the back room where the luggage and shipments were and came back empty handed. You ship stuff from city to city via bus down here. It works amazingly well. It is much faster and much cheapr than UPS or Fedex. A 5 pound package might be shipped for 2 bucks and arrive in three hours. I once had a 50 pound suitcase delivered from Bocas to Santiago, a six hour drive for $8.50.
In any event, I knew it was a lost cause. The woman made a few calls and told us that the bag was still on the bus and that the bus would be here at 8:30. We didn´t know if the bus was coming, or was parked somewhere and the package would be delivered. I went next door and asked for fried eggs and bread. They didn´t server bread, I was directed to the bakery three doors down. Returning with my loaf of french bread I ordered two fried eggs and a coffee, which came to $1.15 and returned to the bus terminal where Mark had our lost gear. He had stowed it in his luggage aware of the fact that I need adult supervision.
A taxi to Clinica Americano´s cost $1.40 and we were dropped in front of the place at 8:40. The driver declared that it opened at 9:00. We sat on the steps and some woman came up who told us that the place opened at 9:00. She rapidly decided that she was going to take care of us. When the place opened we were told that there were no doctors in house and were directed to go to Clinica San Juan were the same doctors were posted on the wall. We put our names on the waiting list and paid $6 for the two of us. Within 15 minutes we went together into the doctors office. She listened with a stethoscope and heard of our symptoms and sent us off with an order to get chest xrays. A short taxi ride later I handed the prescriptions to the receptionist and within 10 minutes had my xray taken. Mark returned from McDonalds, got his xray we paid our $40 for both and took a taxi back to the clinic.
Returning with the Xrays, we waited for another 10 minutes, the doctor looked at mine, declared that I had pneumonia, gave me a prescription for some strong antibiotics and expectorants, and gave Mark a prescription for a different antibiotic and a different expectorant. We were told not to go to Sante Fe, where it is cold (it drops to 60 degrees at night) so we decided to head out to Sona on our way to Santa Catalina.
My prescriptions and Mark´s expectorant prescription were fill in five minutes, they didn´t have his antibiotic.
We went to a second pharmacy. They had Mark´s drug but only in the 500mg dose. He convinced the pharmacist to sell him 50% more pills and figured he would give himself a dose and half and then explained to me why that could only be done with some drugs.
The total cost of the drugs was about $100.
We caught a bus to Sona where I sit, typing this blog waiting for the 4 oclock bus to take us to Santa Catalina.
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