Getting From There To Here In The Time of Covid -- Panama to California

What an idea -- a travel blog with a post about traveling! The Panamanian government announced that its grace period for tourists overstaying their six month welcome-to-Panama-status would end October 31, so we thought it best to go. Here's how that went for us - though, spoiler alert: we have arrived in California in good health. 

Before we go further we want to be clear that this isn't intended to be a "how you can still travel during a pandemic if you ignore public health warnings" post any more than our posts about sheltering in place in Panama were intended to be about "how you can arrange to hide from the plague on a Caribbean island". This blog is about our nomadic life choice -- what we experience and observe. And this pandemic has been part of that. Currently travel is not recommended by anyone, including us.  

Jungle Lodge 1 To The Crowne Plaza, PTY - Day 1  (Oct. 29)

We arranged a private water taxi ride from the Red Frog Resort on Basti to Bocas Town for the crew of Abracadabra and our neighbor (and weekly pizza purveyor) Tatiana. 

Taxi!

We weren't surprised that our "private" taxi's first stop was the nearby Ngobe-Bugle village at Bahia Roja. Even before the tourist economy crashed, water taxis operated more like water buses -- anyone and any thing who could fit was welcomed by the driver. In a pandemic economy we just couldn't say no to either the driver or the Ngobe woman he took on board. Though we would have been more comfortable if she had worn a mask . . . 

The water taxi ride was uneventful as the bay is usually quite smooth on "winter" mornings. 

The Ngobe woman passenger masked up when we arrived in Bocas Town, apparently more concerned about the possible fine than the plague.

On the main street of Bocas Town we were approached by the attendant for a colectivo (a small passenger van operating as a private bus) who agreed to operate the van as a private taxi. A plastic sheet was draped between the passenger seats and the driver, the driver and attendant (the fee collector / ride negotiator) wore masks and it was one of the cleanest colectivos we have ever been in. Hopefully the town's public health campaign will have some lasting effects.

At the little airport's terminal a woman asked us questions and took our temperatures. We were required to use hand sanitizer. Everyone was compliantly standing on decals of feet placed 2 meters apart and sitting in the seats that weren't wrapped in caution tape. Masks everywhere. And then we got on a very full turboprop airplane. 

The seat assignments on our tickets were apparently meant to provide comfort that we would have a seat rather than a particular seat.

Bryce Forward, To Port
Molly Aft, To Starboard

The theme of "one bonus stop" also applied to the flight. As we were taxiing out of Bocas Town it was announced that our next stop would be Changuinola, the commercial town on the mainland - a destination we swear was not part of our original routing. Air Panama seems to have taken a lesson from the Bocas water taxi drivers. 

About half of the passengers disembarked at Changuinola and another crowd came aboard. We took the opportunity to move and sit together. A nearby couple seemed to be either very relaxed or completely exhausted - but just watching them made Molly's back hurt. 

Oh, My Achin' . . . 

We arrived at the small domestic airport at the Albrook area of Panama City an hour later, flying over the Bridge of the Americas at the southern entrance to the Canal. 

Bridge, Landing Gear

We entered the airport, dutifully landing on the feet decals and passing some sort of automatic temperature taking machine that kept announcing "temperature normal! temperature normal!". 

This is our last picture for awhile - unknown to us it is prohibido! to take pictures in the luggage claim area of the Albrook airport. Lo siento, señor!

After we claimed our luggage we had to wait for it to be scanned. We wondered whether scanning at our destination meant that no one cares if passengers are blown up on their way into Panama City from Bocas . . . ? That said, the dog let loose amongst our luggage suggested the real purpose of this post-flight search was to search for drugs. Bocas is a well-known party town.

Whatever the searchers were looking for they didn't find it in our luggage, so we exited and met Ricardo. If you want marine paint, a Canal line handler or a taxi ride -- Ricardo is your guy in Panama City. We asked for an extra stop (in keeping with the day's theme) for our neighbor Tatiana. Like us, Tatiana had to leave the country and was returning to her passport country, Colombia. She needed to get a quick-turnaround Covid test before she could enter Colombia. Google maps found the clinic and we dropped her off -- thanking her for the weekly pizzas and empanadas she had sold us during our stay at Jungle Lodge 1. 

The Crowne Plaza near Tocumen Airport (PTY) is fully Covid-equipped with plexiglass protectors at the front desk, no-touch check-in procedures and elevators with three sets of feet decals - facing the elevator wall. Everyone we saw was masked. 

The restaurant was open and offered a limited menu for travelers with limited options. Hint: Don't listen to your spouse when she or he asks that you leave your cell phone in the room to encourage dinner conversation - you will need it to bring up the restaurant's no-share menu.  

Scan and Download The Menu Here

We ordered okay dinners and two glasses of perfectly awful Chardonnay to celebrate the completion of Day One.

PTY To The El Segundo DoubleTree - Day 2 (October 30)

As we left the Crowne Plaza for the airport, one of the wheels on Bryce's brand new cheap suitcase broke off. The fact that he had purchased the second-most expensive suitcase in the whole of Bocas del Toro ($59 plus tax) made this a disappointing experience for him. We crab-walked/rolled into the airport terminal wondering how long the $89 suitcase would have lived . . .  

The check-in scrum at PTY was somewhat controlled by feet decals. We began to sense a lost investment opportunity . . .  were these little feet decals used everywhere in the world or only in Panama? Is the feet decal boom over - are they stuck on everywhere? Are the makers of feet decals conflicted about the development of a vaccine? 

Out of the crowd trying to check in to the flight to LAX we were spotted by Tatiana! The rapid-return test clinic she had put her faith in had let her down. She had not gotten her test results as promised and was at the airport trying to rearrange her trip back to Colombia. The universe was reminding us not to complain. It actually could be worse and for someone we knew, was. 

Note: We often spring for Business Class when flying to and from Abracadabra because we haul a lot of heavy baggage to and from our boat home ("we don't travel - we move"). Between Central America and the U.S. an Economy flight + heavy baggage is only marginally less expensive than Business Class. On this trip we didn't haul the usual boat parts and household goods but we figured that if there was ever a time to pay extra for even a small amount of extra distance from fellow travelers, this was it. 

The usual practice for flights to the U.S. from Panama is a double security check. The airport performs the usual check of carryon luggage, shoes, belt buckles and metal orthopedic parts near the departure gate. An additional check is then performed by the airline at the gate. No idea why - it just is. This has not changed in these "no touch times". 

Everyone was masked although we were asked to take off our masks occasionally by people checking to see that we were ourselves. Molly kept expecting to be challenged - her hair had become quite wild over the eight-ish months of hair salon closures.

The plane boarded back to front. We were served a boxed dinner (lots of hygienic and ecologically unsound plastic wrap). The only beverage on board was (ecologically unsound) bottled water. No alcohol and worse, no coffee. 

Oddly we were given plastic-wrapped "travel comfort bags" with socks and eye masks. We haven't seen those for a decade or more! 

Worth Paying For Business Class! 
(No, Not Really)

At LAX we expected some sort of Covid procedure but the only concession to the pandemic was a lack of customs check. No questions, no temperatures, no tracking. We don't know what procedures were applied to those who weren't entering as U.S. citizens or permanent residents.    

LAX has a new taxi procedure involving a crowded bus to a distant taxi stand. This may be an efficiency measure rather than a Covid-era change. 

Night 2 was spent at the El Segundo DoubleTree, chosen for its proximity to an Enterprise car rental lot. Plastic shields, no-touch check in, feet decals in the elevators (one can put four in an elevator in the U.S.) and very reassuring little stickers about deep cleaning connecting the door jam and the door (See! No one has been in this room since it was cleaned!). Remember when motels used to put that paper band around toilet seats?

The DoubleTree introduced us to a Covid protection practice that we actually like. Rather than the usual scrum around the "included breakfast" buffet we were directed to a line (more feet decals) where we ordered our plastic-encased breakfast items to take to our room; no crying children, no fellow travelers still in their pajamas. Not tasty mind you, but much calmer.  

El Segundo to Sacramento - Days 3 - 5 (Oct. 31 - Nov. 2)

We had planned our commute to Sacramento as a three day drive up Highway 1 and then up Highway 33 in an attempt to make this potentially awful trip more of a vacation. Anyone who has ever driven I-5 between Sacramento and Los Angeles (only about 8 hours if you concentrate and don't need coffee as often a we do) will know why we try to avoid that route like - well, the plague.

The first stop along Highway 1 was to purchase items for a beach picnic at a Bristol Farms grocery store. Here we insert the requisite "we're back in the land of amaaaazing grocery stores" picture for any of our readers still in Central America. Lisa and Michael - we see your Whole Foods picture and raise you one!

Produce! Piles and Piles of Produce!

Next picture -- it's been a long time since we have been in California.

CBD At The Grocery Store . . . 
Is It Everywhere Now?

We picnicked at Santa Monica until the fog rolled in; it seemed really crowded to those of us used to having the Red Frog Beaches to ourselves. 

Lunch

From Santa Monica through Malibu, Highway 1 offers some spectacular views of beach-dwellers' garage doors - but once we reached Oxnard we had great views of the Pacific. We made a coffee and boat-peeping stop at Ventura.

Look: Tourists!

We observed two Trump Caravans along Highway 1; very high school football rally-like.  

Our motel that night was - fine. Bryce was very proud of the fact that it was paid for with points. Dinner was take-out from a nearby Mexican restaurant. Ah, the taste of home.

 

In the morning we checked the latest CalFire map and confirmed our plan to find Highway 33 - a route we had never taken before. After an outdoor patio breakfast at Bonnie Lu's in Ojai we walked through the town's little (but beautiful) farmer's market. 

We picked up Highway 33 and started up into the Los Padres National Forest. There are better sites on the Internet to see pictures of the route, but we offer this one to (a) prove we were there and (b) entice readers to search out this drive. 

After the beautiful hills Highway 33 descends into Oil Country - miles of sad, dry land, Mexican restaurants (thank heavens!), rusty trailers and pump jacks. As we passed signs for the Petroleum Club in Taft, Ca., Bryce suggested we see if they offered some sort of reciprocal membership. Molly's grandfather was a charter member of the Petroleum Club in Tulsa, which has since closed. We took out from some place less grand.

Signs along the highway in Oil Country: Trump. Pray For Rain. 

We stopped for the night in the second largest town in Kern Country - Delano. Think grapes, Cesar Chavez and two State prisons. Pronounced "DehLAYno", Molly kept reminding Bryce whose lingering Canadian accent turned it into "DELLahno". Dinner was take-out from a pizza restaurant. Should have stuck with our Mexican food theme.

And from there it was a relatively well known route up Highway 99. Done. 

Here We Are

We are living in a little 2-bedroom duplex, "our" half of which has been turned into an Airbnb. Our clean, pleasant enough little digs are in an area of Sacramento called "The Pocket" -- a pocket of land created by a bend in the Sacramento River that was developed in the 1960's and 70's. There are green belt spaces for walking and though the residents get nervous every flood season we think we will be out of here before snowmelt in the mountains.

Shortly after we arrived we arranged to take a Covid test to determine if we were importing any Covid virus as a result of our journey. Once we got negative results we felt better -- at least that we were not adding to The Situation in Sacramento. We began seeing friends -- at a distance, outdoors, with masks. So good to say hello in the flesh after months of e-mails and zoom calls. Molly's latest realization is that though she has never considered herself to be "a hugger" -- she misses that connection with friends. You don't know what you've got till it's gone, as the song says. 

Not much is open in Sacramento but after months at Jungle Lodge 1 we don't find that constraining. Our one try at indoor restaurant dining was a little uncomfortable and restaurants were closed again a few days later. That's fine with us - we're good with take-out. We have also  mastered the skills of ordering groceries (e-cart pick-up) and communicating with our doctors and their schedulers via the internet when possible. 

So - between our deferred maintenance medical stuff (all just maintenance, gracias a dios!) we might have time to catch up on some pre-pandemic travel posts. Or maybe we will spend our time watching streamed content on the big tv in this rental. 

A final amusing note: On November 7, five days after our arrival in Sacramento we learned that the Panamanian government had extended its grace period for tourists through January 31. Go figure.

Hope all is well with you and your family. Have a safe Thanksgiving. We look forward to saner times. 

And Now - The Scary Part Of Our Pandemic Plan

After eight months of "sheltering in place" (remember that term from months ago?) we now plan to leave our Pandemic Paradise here on Bastimentos Island in Bocas del Toro, Panama. 

Jungle Lodge 1

Actually we have had several plans over the last few weeks, but here's what - as of the moment of posting - we think is our "final edit":  

The Plan

We have reservations on a flight from Bocas to Panama City on Thursday (October 29) and on a flight from PTY to LAX Friday (October 30). This gets us out of Panama one day before we would be considered turistas non grata by the Panamanian immigration office (or as they like to say on Fox News: illegal immigrants). 

From LA we will drive to Sacramento where we plan to spend six weeks in an Airbnb rental house which looks spacious, clean and well equipped (on the listing . . .) and deal with several routine medical matters. Amazing how much one can look forward to getting one's teeth cleaned!

This is the point in prior Leaving Abracadabra Posts that we have chattered on about plans to go walking in England, Spain, Portugal or France or take Spanish lessons in Mexico. Those kind of plans seem a bit ambitious - if not downright selfish - at the moment.

All we feel comfortable saying about the future is that our long term plan still includes: returning to Panama and Abracadabra and sailing Abracadabra to a place (Colon, Panama or Golfito, Costa Rica) where she can be picked up by a cargo ship and taken to Vancouver, B.C., Canada.  Stay tuned.

The Plan's Glitches

Glitch Related Background: The majority of marine insurers have decided to offer international insurance only for large, newish yachts valued at more than $125,000. Explain that to us, if you can. Our bottom line: it is very hard to insure a little, old girl like Abracadabra no matter how well she has been loved. In an attempt to maintain our hull insurance we began trying to arrange for an out-of-the-water insurance survey in August. 

We scheduled surveyors acceptable to our current insurer to travel to Bocas from Panama City (a ten-hour drive for them!) and for Abracadabra to be hauled out by Bocas Yacht Services on the mainland in late September. 

Up She Rises -- None Too Soon For A Paint Job!

The quick haul out and bottom paint job we anticipated turned into - more. Nothing catastrophic, just more. As in it won't be finished by Thursday. 

So - now what? 

Glitch: In May, after moving to Jungle Lodge #1, we prepped Abracadabra for her usual in-water off-season storage. We were working on the (now clearly overly optimistic) assumption that we would be out of Panama and back before we had to have her out of the water for a survey. 

[Amusing Aside: In pre-pandemic 2020 we had actually thought we would be able to get her all the way to Canada before having an insurance survey done, because insuring in Canada is less difficult than insuring in the Caribbean. Hindsight you are indeed 2020. Ugh.]  

As part of the usual "decommissioning process" undertaken in May lots of things came down and off the rails and decks for storage below (jib, safety equipment, bar-b-que, various sheets (ropes for non-sailors), etc.. 

See where this is going yet?  

Glitch: When we realized we couldn't wait to return to Panama for a survey we put everything back out and on in order to sail/motor Abracadabra the 14-miles to the boat yard on the mainland for a haul-out and survey. We also decided to unload stuff in order to give the surveyors easy access to the engine and chain plates and through hulls. Off came three plastic bins of parts and repair equipment, a huge roll of sleeping foam from the v-berth, pillows and, you know -- stuff. No problem - all that came to Jungle Lodge #1 in a couple of golf cart loads. We would put it all back inside when Abracadabra returned from the boat yard to the marina. Plus there was no need to take the dinghy over to the boat yard for the survey . . . . the surveyors were able to see the dinghy at the Red Frog dock.

See where this is going now?

Glitch: When we realized that Abracadabra would not be back from the boat yard before we left we further realized we would need to (a) take down the things we had previously taken down and then put back up for the survey (see above - jib, safety equipment, etc.) and (b) even worse, get the dinghy, two golf-cart loads of stuff and some kitchen items we had taken to Jungle Lodge #1 (pressure cooker, salad spinner, plastic storage bins) across the briny to Abracadabra. Ugh. Even for Bryce who had begun to think of "taking shit off of my boat and putting it back on" as his primary hobby - Ugh.

And then - ta dah - the cavalry arrived in the form of kind dock-mates Jim and Suzy and their beamy ketch, Octopus Garden. 

We loaded Octopus Garden with the majority of our homeless stuff and Bryce, Jim and Suzy took a fully loaded Octopus Garden across to Abracadabra. Molly stayed home with what we think was food poisoning but that's another story . . . 

Bocas Yacht Services -- A Tropical Style Office

Whew. Since that first major moving trip we have made several others to the boat yard, each round-trip involving six panga rides (Basti to Bocas, Bocas to Almirante, Almirante to Bocas Yacht Services; then repeat) and $40. As of last Thursday Abracadabra was deemed almost ready for storage and Jungle Lodge #1 almost free of stuff we won't be taking to California. Whew.

Hopefully the work on Abracadabra and our ability to re-enter Panama will come together at the same time. Those of us watching international borders shut tight around us throughout mid-2020 are a bit shy about our ability to easily move about the planet. 

This is the first time we have left Abracadabra out of the water for any significant length of time. We hope she's not mad at us when we get back.  

Thoughts On Our Return To El Norte

We have not been in the U.S. for 14 months. A lot has changed during that time. 

Red Froggers who have recently returned from the U.S. as well as those who have recently left and reported back describe their home country as A Very Angry Place. We do our best not to engage politically with dock mates we suspect will not share our opinions -- we keep to the weather and where to buy hardware and groceries unless someone else starts The Conversation and we feel we have found Fellow Travelers. But we think we are hearing about A Very Angry Place from across the political spectrum. 

Add that to the comments from the crews of non-U.S. flagged boats and we expect to find a place that is internationally and domestically recognized as A Very Angry Place. 

Can't wait.  

We expect our stay on Basti will feel even more like a gift from the universe than before. 

A Very Pleasant Place

 

We will miss our Pandemic Paradise -- but hope to see many of our California friends at small, distanced gatherings once we have self-quarantined for a couple of weeks. Take care until then!

Pandemic Period Summary (just skip it if you've already heard this one): 

We arrived back onboard Abracadabra in December, 2019 and spent January and February sailing and anchoring within the Bocas del Toro archipelago or docked at the Red Frog Marina on Bastimentos Island, enjoying the facilities of the related Red Frog Beach Resort. 

Long, Long Ago . . . We Sailed About And Anchored Out

In February, along with the rest of the world, we began to learn more and more about the spread of a new coronavirus and the disease it delivers: Covid-19. 

The marina closed to new boats and movement within the archipelago by boat was curtailed. The resort closed - no pool, no restaurants, no visitors. Travel within Panama of any kind (boat, plane, road) was limited to essential services. Panama's international borders were closed and commercial flights suspended. Curfews and quarantines were imposed and altered confusingly. Food and alcohol resupply got problematic and stressful. U.S. Embassy sponsored flights to the U.S. were made available, but only to places we didn't want to go (Texas and Florida). Many fellow boaters left to their home countries.

For March and April we made the most of the oddly empty private property of the resort - we took long walks and enjoyed observing the non-human island occupants which grew curious about the lack of human activity and came out on the jungle to observe us. Molly sewed masks and Bryce did boat maintenance and started tracking Panama's Covid-19 case numbers on a calendar. We wrote blog posts and communicated with friends in North America via video calls. There was one place for take-out pizza still open. We decided to sit tight and see . . . what . . . would happen.

Along with other Red Froggers, we reached out to the local community with some food donations. Bocas is a tourist economy and without tourists - there are very few jobs.

 

Thanks For Organizing This, Christine!

As Abracadabra began to feel smaller (the incredibly shrinking sailboat, we called her) we learned of a house on the resort property that the owners were happy to have occupied. We jumped at the chance and in May moved into Jungle Lodge 1. Paradise: space for humans and air to move about, water on demand (most days), our own private bathroom/shower room, a real refrigerator, a washer and drier, monkeys in the nearby jungle and the worlds' best deck with a view of the Caribbean - in the sun and the rain. 

Rain In The Forecast

There were bugs and geckos - It's The Jungle became our mantra. We used a lot of Off. 

Some Bugs Are Totally Cool

Geckos Are Too

But They Are Difficult To Photograph

Despite our jungle diversions, the outside world became more fraught with every day. Some days it affected us. Others, not.

Over dinners we shared confused/simplistic discussions about the political/social culture of the U.S. in the time of pandemic until we admitted we were repeating ourselves. We listened to the ocean or the rain. We did the dishes and settled in to watch Money Heist or the Good Place or Midnight Diner. 

We had occasional guests from the marina join us on the deck for a small, socially distanced drink or lunch or at the pool for a small, socially distanced dip. 

A Table Made For Social Distancing

Each of us celebrated a low-key birthday. Bryce had a small group lunch on the deck. Molly's guest list was more exotic -- a troop of capuchin monkeys passed us during her birthday afternoon walk! 

Things began to open up. People and boats began to move about. A regular business sprung up to address the need for people to reach the international airport in Panama City -- 10 long boating/driving hours away. After a while even the road blocks became wave throughs. We still decided to stay - we couldn't get enthused enough about leaving to take on the risk of travel. 

Some small restaurants in Bocas Town began to offer take-out food. One take-out pizza source on Basti closed and another opened to take its place. Boat shuttles to town resumed and over time became more frequent. A clever entrepreneur started offering a weekly boat delivery of fresh vegetables to the marina and nearby boats at anchor. 

Veggie Boat Comes Tuesday

Life achieved a new normal. 

More businesses opened in August. We were able to go into the hardware store rather than stand outside and request that someone bring us what they thought we wanted. 

In September we arranged to take Abracadabra to a local boatyard for an insurance survey and a "bottom job" (non-boat people: scraping off old paint below the water line, re-epoxying and re-painting -- one of the not-so-environmentally-friendly aspects of sailing). See above -- she is there now. Construction began on a jungle lodge unit next door. Right next door. Right. Next. Door.

Right. Next. Door.

The construction project was accompanied by a leak in the water system which didn't affect our water delivery but washed out the road. Going for a walk or a swim now requires driving down the muddy hill, parking beyond the mud-slide and then walking or swimming. Sigh. Even in Paradise!

In early October the government held a District Meeting on the Red Frog Property and we were specifically not told that the President of Panamá (Laurentino Cortizo) would be there . . . even when we asked. After he left we read about his presence in the paper. 

A Government Group Arriving At Red Frog Dock -- 
Can You Spot The President? We Can't.

In September the Panamanian government announced that regular commercial flights would commence in mid-October. Those who had overstayed their 6-month tourist authorization (ours: mid-June) were told to leave by October 31, apply for long-term residence or incur a monthly fine and eventually face limitations to our ability to return to Panama.  

Restaurants and guest houses are reopening. We are leaving. Abracadabra is staying. More to come.  

 

Panama Quarantine - Soon To Be Month Six

As we end the fifth month of our unanticipated pandemic sojourn on Bastimentos Island (Bocas del Toro Province of Panama) and find ourselves expecting to stay at least one more month, we thought we would write about why we are still here. We have written about being "stuck" here several times before, but recently an internal shift has taken place in both of us -- we find ourselves increasingly thinking of our time on Basti as a choice rather than an imposition by circumstance. 

Not every day. And not always in synch with each other. But mostly we agree that this is where we want to be right now.    

It's Not So Different In Some Ways 

Video chats and e-mails with friends and family confirm that our land-based pandemic life on Basti is similar in many ways to the lives of our North American retiree compadres. Like them, we make every effort to remind ourselves to be thankful -- that we are well (so far, so good, knock wood) and because we are retired, free from the stress of unemployment or having to work in a place we might feel unsafe. 

We also practice the pandemic coping mechanisms we know we share with others: 

• Naming each day's joy (see sunset picture above);
• Hoping for positive changes this pandemic may bring (universal healthcare or health insurance in the U.S. (ojalá!), reduced entertainment shopping and boredom-based fast food consumption and less frenzied, unnecessary movement using carbon based fuel); 
• Exercising (well - sometimes);
• Thinking of others' needs -- many thanks to Christine, a marina friend who organizes food distributions for local indigenous communities!  

One Of The Deliveries From
Marina Residents

• Reading -- though our concentration can be spotty and our book picks not always Fine Literature;
• Streaming a lot of entertainment content -- we've upped our streaming game and have signed on to Britbox and PBS and the house we are in has Netflix Panama;
• Making efforts to stay in contact with friends and family. [Note: Without Messenger, Zoom, Skype and WhatsApp we would have gone 'round the twist months ago -- so we might not think the next "how sad it is this younger generation spends so much time in front of a screen" comment is so funny. We say, leave the damned kids alone!]; and
• Cooking - and trying not to complain about cooking.

All of this helps keep us on an even keel most of the time. But there are times it doesn't override the frustration we feel at spending so much of our finite existence on this planet (however long that turns out to be) in one place. We know we share that sentiment with some of our generational cohort, too.  

But It's Different In Other Ways

Though in ways our life isn't that different, in others, because we are in Panama and at the sparsely populated end of an island, it is. 

          Many Better Differences:

We have enjoyed being removed from many aspects of North American culture: cable television and its relentless news, the tyranny of those who insist their personal freedoms should override community safety (even if they only come to our attention on cable television) and recreational shopping.

We confess to having had periods of championship purchasing (usually when we return to the States!) but the few stores in Bocas Town (the archipelago's only community of significant size) are closed and the extra shipping costs required to get things to our out-of-the-consumer-mainstream location protects us from entertainment shopping on the internet. It's felt quite freeing to realize how much stuff we don't need. [Side note: We did place a critical needs internet order of some new boxer shorts for Bryce -- elastic doesn't live long in the tropics. They aren't anything special even though with shipping they may be the most expensive plaid cotton boxer shorts he will ever own. TMI?]   

We are able to live most of each day outside - not only because the climate here is frequently pleasant, but because the house we are staying in is designed for an outdoor-friendly life. We have a breezy, second story deck where even humid or rainy days are nice. We do not look forward to returning to the land of central heat and air -- or, even worse, fire smoke. (Hang in there, California peeps. We don't envy your life during Fire Season.)

And of course -- this part of Panama is beautiful and interesting. From our deck we enjoy world class views (see above) and the sound of waves, parrots, other birds, insects, geckos and frogs. On a recent afternoon Bryce spotted a lost-looking capuchin monkey walking across the lawn and has worried about him ever since, as we have never seen a capuchin monkey moving about solo. They always travel in troops as far as we know.  

During dry moments (most days have some) we take walks along jungle roads and swim. The fact that the resort is almost deserted means the little community pool is our private pool. 

In sum, we are lucky to be here.

               Some Not Better Differences, Of Course: 

As we have mentioned, the closest medical clinic is a 15-minute fast panga ride away and the nearest real hospital is several hours over bumpy roads from here. We are betting on staying healthy rather than on needing the more immediate medical assistance available to us in the U.S.

Our food choices are more limited than they would be in, say, California (e.g., frozen strawberries are a delicacy, we don't know how we would get a real peach and we'd pretty much pay anything for some California-style sourdough bread). Bocas del Toro province has a 7 pm to 5 am curfew and a full curfew on Saturday and Sunday which means we don't take out for dinner (though we have a good fish taco place on Basti for lunch or early dinner). This just means our constant meals at home complaints are probably whinier than they would be if we were in the States.

And even though we list not being able to internet shop without a price penalty as a better difference -- we do occasionally long for a replacement t-shirt to show up on our doorstep. 

Life in paradise is not without some challenges.

               Just Different Differences: 

It's winter (or what passes for winter) here and it's been rainy for several weeks in a way that would impress even people from Ontario or Oklahoma. 

Spectacular Clouds Promising Spectacular Rain

We have a resident critter which, fortunately appears to live outside and has no interest in joining us inside the house. We first thought it might be a larger version of the hopping mouse we removed from the house a couple months ago - driven outside by the sonic rodent repellant machines that our landlords shipped to us from the States. Thanks, Libby and Jack! 

Bryce took a picture of this recent critter into town to try to buy a trap -- the plan was to trap it and take it far away, inflicting just enough trauma to convince it to find another place to hang out. The guy at the hardware store told Bryce that no one bothers trapping zarigüeyas -- they live in the bosque -- and that the store didn't have any traps that size. Hmmm. Bryce's Spanish vocabulary included bosque (forest - what we call jungle) but not zarigüeya. A dictionary search disclosed that our forest critter is -- a possum.  

A further internet search confirmed that some people keep possums as pets. We will not. No matter how boring we may occasionally find our own conversation, we do not enjoy having a possum staring at us during dinner. We have taken steps to discourage this particular possum from feeling comfortable near the house, and flicking it with a towel did cause it to quit ogling our dinner temporarily, but sounds on the roof suggest it has not moved permanently. Perhaps the recent heavy rains will drive it away. Or perhaps we will have to agree to coexist. As long as it remains outside.

And That's Why We're Still Here

Existing travel restrictions (as we understand them, summarized below -- you can skip them if you wish) make it extremely difficult for us to travel from Panama by land, sea or air to any place other than our country of legal residency - the U.S.. And on the whole, we prefer to be here (see above) rather than there. But - always one, yeah? - our permitted visitor status in Panama expired in late June. The Panamanian government will fine us $100 a month for overstaying our tourist status, and at some point may make it difficult for us to return to Abracadabra. So someday - maybe as soon a regular commercial flights recommence - we will have to go.  

That's pretty much it. We are here until we can't be any more and wishing all of you that are there or elsewhere the best. Say well, stay cool and stay fire safe. 

          Travel Restrictions (FYI):

• By Land: Panama's one land border crossing -- with Costa Rica -- has been closed to non-essential travel since March. We can't drive or bus out. Side note: Costa Rica is opening to commercial traffic this month -- but to only a few U.S. residents. 
• By Sea: Recreational boat travel is currently prohibited within Panama, though recreational boats have been able to obtain permission to leave Panama. The "sailing away" option is complicated because most nearby countries are currently closed to arriving recreational vessels except in emergency situations and in recent times even open international borders have closed without notice. Sailing connections tell us that being exhausted and running out of food, diesel or electricity haven't been deemed to be "emergency situations" by some countries. So - sailing off to "some place else" doesn't seem a safe plan. Sailing off to the U.S. (where we have citizenship and thus the right to enter) would require heading further into the Caribbean -- directly into hurricane season. All this to arrive in Florida. Not our preferred destination even before the pandemic. 
• By Air (Regular, Commercial Flights): Panama remains closed to international and domestic commercial air traffic, which will not open any sooner than September 21 (recently updated from August 21). Until Panama reopens internal scheduled flights, getting to Panama City means a 10 hour ride by government-approved private transport (4-wheel drive or van of some sort). 
• By Air (Other Options): There are repatriation / humanitarian flights for U.S. citizens and residents which travel from Panama to Florida, Texas and D.C. and occasional regular COPA Airline flights that are allowed to transit into Panama from other locations which travel on to the U.S. One of these flights is the option on the table in the event we feel it is best to leave here before commercial flights recommence.  

Paris - Again; September, 2019

The final portion of our trip to France with Bryce's sister Brenda was spent in Paris -- Bryce's third trip, Molly's second and Brenda's first. The planning challenge was to make sure Brenda visited enough of Paris's Greatest Hits to feel like she had truly been there and to not spend too much of our limited travel time repeating prior visit(s). Fortunately many of the Greatest Hits are worth multiple visits and there are so many of them that we had only touched on a few during our prior visit.

The View From "Our" Place

Some Logistics Improvements

The post about our prior trip (link above) includes a lot of complaints about the swarming tourist crowds in Paris. The good news for us, as travelers, and you, as patient reader, is that on this trip we took some steps which reduced our crowd kvetching -- during the trip and in this post:

A Residential Neighborhood:  Instead of trying to maximize our time by staying within the tourist center of Paris we rented an apartment in a residential area of the 13th Arrondissement (aka Gobelins). Our immediate neighborhood was a successful choice, made somewhat accidentally, though we had improved our odds of finding a neighborhoody place by checking what we could on Google Maps to identify nearby businesses and services. There was a metro stop and a bus stop nearby to connect us to Tourist Paris with few line changes. We were also located near enough to  Marché Mouffetard, one of Paris' market streets, to shop for bread, coffee, cheese, wine, fruit and vegetables for breakfasts and dinners at home.

Spacious Digs With A View: Our corner apartment was larger and more visually spacious than our previous Paris digs but because it was further "out" and a bit shabby, not shockingly more expensive. It was on the 15-floor and the spectacular views made evenings "at home" very pleasant -- even if the kitchen was sub-par, the charming mid-century furniture less than comfortable and the black-tiled toilet room weird and claustrophobic. We told ourselves the subtle hint of lingering cigarette smoke was . . . very French.  It turns out that we can forgive a lot for a good view.  

World Class Visual Space

Clearly our days of saying "oh, it doesn't matter where we stay, we're not in our hotel room that often, we're here to experience life in X . . . " are DONE. The struggle to balance our desire for pleasant down-time space and our frugality continues. 

Public Transportation Hacks:  Because we were going to be using public transportation daily, Bryce took charge of getting each of us a Carte Navigo Decouverte. There's a bit of organizing required on the front end - properly sized pictures and a trip to a sales office - but these re-chargeable cards avoid the hassle of buying and keeping track of paper tickets. We charged ours for a week, but the card itself can be recharged at any time during the next ten years. We're set for our next trip to Paris as long as the French will let U.S. residents in sometime before September, 2029! 

Molly kept hoping someone would ask to check her card because it actually had an okay picture . . . 

Molly's Deconstructed Carte Navigo
They Come With Sturdy Plastic Covers

We also made the effort to learn about the bus system. Bus routes are a bit more difficult to understand than metro routes but it's fun to be able to sight-see while commuting. 

Recommended Dining:  On the recommendation of our landlord we visited both a nearby low-key little bistro (Le Comptoir Marguery) and its nearby related, more formal restaurant Au Petit Marguery. [FYI there's another restaurant of the same name on the other side of the Seine which we know nothing about.] The delicious restaurant visit was Brenda's treat. Thanks, Brenda! Following recommendations may lack the "serendipity" of stumbling into a great place by accident -- but the meal may be better.  

New To Us Paris

Some random thoughts on those sites we enjoyed for the first time during this trip:

          Musée d'Orsay 

We very much enjoyed our trip to the Musée d'Orsay. This former railroad station (the beaux-arts Gare d'Orsay) turned art museum is worth a visit not only to view the art - but also to see the building.  

Brenda Working The Audio Guide
Statue - Contemplating

Inside The Train Station Clock

We have mused about why the Orsay was a better experience for us than our trips to the Louvre (spoiler alert . . . ) and think it's not only because the Orsay is somewhat less crowded, but also because the museum's collection is focused and less ethically conflicted. Unlike the Louvre's vast collection of art ranging from Ancient (much of which was looted by Napoleon and Napoleon III) to Contemporary, the Orsay's collection is limited to Impressionists and post-Impressionists and, for most part, displays art purchased from the artists.

Some Orsay Travel Tips: (1) At the time of our visit there was no way to pre-arrange a date or time-specific visit to the Orsay. Pre-purchased tickets only buy the right to a slightly shorter entrance process. (2) Avoid the Orsay when the Louvre is closed and crowds of museum-hungry tourists descend on the Orsay. During our visit the Louvre was closed on Tuesdays and when we (foolishly, it turned out) arrived at the Orsay early on Tuesday morning the ticket-holder line snaked around the block. Those without pre-purchased tickets could not enter. On the following Friday the ticket-holder line was relatively short and painless. (3) When launching questions about the Orsay on internet travel sites remember the museum's name "Musée d'Orsay" reflects that it is a museum at - d' - the old Orsay train station. In English the name would be the Orsay Museum, not the d'Orsay Museum. You will save embarrassment if you remember this. We know about that.

Museum Photography Musings: As previously noted in this blog, we like to take pictures of pictures -- and statues -- even if we can find better art photographs of them in books and on the Internet. A popular view is that photographing art is a feeble attempt to capture the experience by those who cannot really See Art; that the camera distances the photographer from the art. Sure, maybe. But perhaps for some of us looking through the lens and framing, separating and identifying a section of a painting or statue can act to direct our view and bring the art into focus. Plus it's nice for the memory-impaired who need to be reminded of what they saw . . . 

Detail: Renoir's Bal Du Moulin De La Galette
Is She Shy, or Anxious?

          Sainte-Chapelle

On our prior trip we devoted most of our time on the Ile-de-la-Cité to visiting the Notre Dame de Paris. Notre Dame being no longer available (the latest information is that it will reopen in 2024) we spent time walking the island and visited Sainte-Chapelle, the private chapel of the kings of France located within the Palais de la Cité (residence and seat of French royal power from the 10th to the 14th centuries). 

The chapel is . . . spectacular. As intended.

We were awed by the size, colors and level of detail in the chapel's windows. They are sparkling graphic novels telling many of the stories from the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Ruth, Job - the big hits); the story of Jesus's birth, life, death and resurrection; and the warnings of the book of Revelation.  

Our Camera Could Not Do Justice To the Detailed Faces
 -- Hopefully You Can Get An Idea

We particularly liked the story of one window: Louis IX's purchase of the holy relics the chapel had been built to house from Baldwin II, Emperor of the short-lived Latin Empire of Constantinople. We aren't sure we had ever heard of this empire before . . . . Baldwin II sold the relics (including a fragment of the cross on which Jesus was crucified and the crown of thorns Jesus wore) in a complicated transaction involving a very large sum of money and the retrieval of the crown of thorns from Venice where it was being held as collateral for a previous loan to the empire. The prestige conferred by the ownership of the relics was enormous --  Paris became the "New Jerusalem".  This window is a master class in the religious underpinnings of the Divine Right of Kings.

Some post-window FYI: About 30 years after the sale Baldwin II was forced into exile where he presumably lived comfortably on the sale proceeds that weren't passed on to Venice. Subsequent kings of France gave away the thorns in the crown to important people they liked or were afraid of and today what's left is a circle of woven reeds. The shrine holding the relics was melted down during the French Revolution (see above re: divine right of kings) and the relics were transferred to the national library and then on to Notre Dame de Paris. They survived the fire. Louis IX was made a saint.

 

          Sacre Coeur

Our other moment of religious tourism was a visit to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Montmartre. Sacre Coeur is a huge, white, dazzling building on the top of the "mountain of martyrs" built in the style of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul - note the domes. Some might see the Taj Mahal (big, white). 

Sacre Coeur

The church was built by a group of religiously motivated Frenchmen "in reparation" for France's fall to Germany during the Franco-Prussian War. The individuals behind the vow to build the church were sure France had lost the war because of the country's spiritual failings. Or it could have been because Napoleon III wanted a big win to bolster his popularity and got disastrous advice from France's Generals . . . 

There is a spectacular mosaic inside the church (see above re: Hagia Sophia) but a highlight of anyone's visit is likely to be the view of Paris from Montmartre. 

Bryce Doing The Tourist Thing

Molly's main memory of the day is the fabulous falafel plate she had at a little corner café in Montmartre. We all worship differently. 

          Conciergerie

A medieval royal residence which later became a judicial administration building and prison overseen by a steward or "concierge", the Conciergerie played a pivotal role during the French Revolution. For anyone interested in trying to follow how the well-intentioned revolution escalated into The Terror, this museum is a good place to start. It might also convince the visitor of the value of governmental checks and balances. 

This museum also provides a look into the operation of an 18th century prison - the ultimate in prison privatization. One room includes a few things previously owned by Marie Antoinette; very poignant reminders that she was a human and not just a thoughtless, despotic ruler oblivious to the plight of thousands of starving, powerless peasants. Justice is confusing sometimes. 

          Napoleon's Tomb

We hadn't bothered to visit Napoleon's Tomb on our prior trip because aggrandized despots aren't really our thing -- well, except for those who oversaw the Roman Empire which fascinate Bryce for reasons Molly can't quite figure out. But Napoleon was a disastrous influencer of French history, so we went. Those interested in studying narcissistic personality disorder might also find this tomb fascinating.  

A Type Of Memorial That Has Fallen Out Of Fashion 

 

          Eiffel Tower

We rode the Batobus past the Eiffel Tower during our last trip, but had decided not to spend the time or money to ride the tower's elevators. Ditto this year, though we did walk under the tower, which one can do for free. That's pretty spectacular for anyone who is interested in engineering and iron work.

That Tower Is BIG

It's Also - Lacy 

          Tuileries Gardens

We walked from the Eiffel Tower to Napoleon's Tomb through the Tuileries Gardens; at least 10,000 steps . . .  and some great views. You can see better pictures of the buildings, statues and bridges elsewhere; here are a few of the people we saw last September:

Take Home Your Own Eiffel Tower!

Take Your Friend's Picture Pointing To The Tower!

Get Your Modeling Resume Pictures Updated!

          Vietnamese Food With Friends

We had the good fortune of sharing dinner with sailing friends Manuela and Olivier who, after selling their sailboat in Florida had returned to France and set up home in Paris. Manuela had gone corporate and Olivier had purchased a motorcycle and begun flying lessons. Once a dare-devil, always a dare-devil. 

They recommended a Vietnamese restaurant -- a Paris first for us. It was a fun evening catching up with friends and we enjoyed the food, but were fascinated by the differences between the dishes we were served and those we are familiar with from Vietnamese restaurants in California -- particularly because both places have very large communities of people whose families immigrated from Vietnam. E.g.: Bao were called dim sum (we failed to ask what to ask for if we wanted to eat dim sum). We were introduced to caramel chicken - a Vietnamese dish new to us. Best -- it was a truly off the tourist trail experience.      

Worth A Second Visit (Mostly)

We re-visited several places in order to give Brenda a full Paris experience but to be honest, mostly to avoid our family reacting with horror at finding Bryce hadn't included a visit to, say, the Louvre. ["You didn't arrange for her to visit . . . what?!"]. Here's what we found on our repeat visits to:

          The Louvre

We Were There!

Once again we found it difficult to enjoy our visit to the epically crowded Louvre. 

This year's Experience Improvement Plan included: a late afternoon / evening visit (times purported to be less popular with tour groups) and a mid-visit early dinner at the pleasant Café Angelina inside the museum where we had previously enjoyed lunch. Our plan failed in its execution: First, we clearly were not the only ones to have read that the Louvre is less busy during the evenings. Next, the half-hour we had scheduled for traveling through the vast museum to the restaurant was insufficient -- we got about halfway there only to realize the restaurant would be closing soon. [Background: Shutting down various elevators and notifying visitors of this by posting information next to the already closed elevators -- a crowd control measure or a deep seated hatred of tourists?] 

A sandwich from the lobby sandwich bar almost provided adequate nutrition but no place to sit and relax. The Louvre lobby has very few chairs and fewer tables, most of the latter covered in sticky soda residue. 

Despite the failure of our plan, we were able to spend some time looking without bumping into other tourists. 

Brenda, Looking

We did have one good laugh. We returned to see "Her" (our friend Christina's term for the Mona Lisa) - it was Brenda's first visit and She is a must. We found that She had been moved and new crowd control measures had been put into place. There was a long, winding, slow moving line herded by shouting guards -- think: a TSA security line. This did result in fewer people crowding in front of the painting at any one time and we actually got an unobstructed view for a moment or two. But our personal experience was improved by the fact that, to accommodate the TSA-style line the Mona Lisa had been moved to a different room. As we shuffled along in line Bryce burst into laughter -- and pointed out that She had been moved to the room of giant Peter Paul Rubens paintings commissioned by Marie de Medici (in 1621) which, on our previous visit we had found to be the least crowded room in the museum. To see the giant paintings of Marie and Henry IV (her husband and ticket to the French aristocracy) completely ignored by the crowds surging forward to see the tiny Mona Lisa was the height of our visit. How the mighty do get ignored . . . though we did feel a little sorry for Rubens. 

Brenda In Line - Marie On The Wall
 - And The Mona Lisa Out Front 

Her Line

   

Some Humble Tourists' Louvre Musings: Those better schooled in Art Appreciation may be able to block out crowds or wait patiently for a good sight line, but we found it exhausting and unrewarding to try and stand back enough to appreciate the spectacle of a large piece, get close enough to appreciate the brush-strokes that created the shine on the pearl or lace or walk around a statue to see it from various angles without being blocked or jostled -- or feeling like a jerk for doing the same to someone else. Perhaps the current global "social distancing" experience will require the Louvre to improve what they offer. Our humble suggestions are: 

• The Louvre management might consider sending a representative to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City where a moving sidewalk has been installed to motor visitors past the shroud containing the Lady of Guadalupe's image. Everyone gets their momentary look. Surely a moving sidewalk passing Her would cost only a small fraction of the millions of Euros that flow into the museum every week.
• How about sacrificing one wing of the Louvre to The Top Ten Hits, in recognition that the Louvre's business model needs to embrace the idea that it is not just an art museum - but a major tourist attraction. Many tour groups won't have to go anywhere else in the museum. Those who want to see more can - and more freely.
• You're welcome, Louvre - no consulting fee. 

          Beyond The Louvre

As during our prior visit, we passed Notre Dame by land and by Seine.  

Notre Dame w/ Scaffolding

We used the Batobus as transportation and for sight-seeing. 

Same Tourist, Similar Photo, Different Year

We walked along the banks of the Seine and came across some Fashion Week gatherings which were fun to watch. We were not invited in. 

The route from our apartment to the Seine took us back through the Jardin des Plantes. 

We Stopped To Consider The Flowers

We did a walk-by of the Arc de Triomphe and spent an evening at a concert by the Orchestre de Paris at the Philharmonie -- a long metro ride to the 19th Arrondissement, but worth the effort to see the spectacular building and hear Holst's The Planets performed by France's leading symphony.

We also re-visited the Galleries Lafayette -- but rather than focus on the shopping center's glass dome as we had last time, we focused on finding a gift for Brenda's youngest granddaughter (our great-niece) -- the rest of the clan's gifts having been taken care of previously. 

On Our Own

During Brenda's week with us in Paris we hit as many of the Greatest Hits as we could comfortably pack in -- and then it was time for our sister and travel companion to return to Canada. All-in-all it had been a great 3 weeks in France.

Our trip to Charles De Gaulle airport was carefully planned, using public transportation and our Navigo cards -- clever us! we thought. We made it only part of the way there. The bus passed its stop near the train station without stopping. What had just happened? Had there been a change in schedule -- posted somewhere obvious but in small-type French? -- that we had missed? Fearing we would not be able to make the RER train connection to the airport, we took a cab. 

We will never know what went wrong with our original plan, but are happy to report that the cab got to the airport in plenty of time for Brenda to catch her plane to Toronto. Our return into Paris using public transportation and our Navigo cards went smoothly. Note: Even a one-way trip to/from Charles De Gaulle makes a weekly Carte Navigo worth purchasing.

The next day, our last full day in Paris, we joined friends Liane and Patrick from California for lunch at Le Coup de Torchon @ Rue St. Jacques. It was fun to join in on their vacation and to get francophone Patrick's help with ordering. [He told us that even Parisians who compliment his French privately dismiss him as a country bumpkin because he learned French from his non-Parisian family.] After lunch Liane and Patrick went to a macaron baking class and we spent the afternoon wandering without a plan through the Garden of the Explorers, the Luxembourg Gardens and the Marché Mouffetard.  

Even Plan-Free Wanderers 
Need Google Maps

Liane and Patrick delivered a box of their delicious artisanal macarons later that evening. Not a single macaron made it onto the train we took early the next morning. 

We travelled south to Brive-la-Gaillarde to begin a 50-mile walk in the Dordogne. 

See ya there?