Incongruities/ A Mental Disconnect for Me

So everyday we met with Realtors to look at investment properties, and on this day, Janet Novak of RE/MAX Beaches and City took us around. (It's always a pleasure doing business with her.) Anyway, along our stops, she took us to see Noriega's home. It's abandoned and vacant now, but it has huge historical Panamanian significance. At the time we saw it, I wasnt aware of how much. This was on 1 Feb. 09. I am aware now (March 09).

Another reason that we had for this trip this year to Panama was to see if we were just infatuated with it last year when we were on vacation. We didnt buy souveniers, but we bought a condo in Panama City, and one at Playa Blanca, at the beach...we love the country and many things about it...the people, the use of US dollars, the food, the prices, the weather, the water, the amazing differences in climate and terrain (beaches, mountains, cities, jungles, rivers, oceans, and more).

So we wanted to learn more on this trip. We are seriously considering it a place to live and work and invest in for real estate. Maybe part time, maybe full time.

So when we got home after being there and traveling around for a month, I got the book and read "Panama, the Whole Story" by Kevin Buckley. I was pretty much shocked and disheartened to see what happened there in the 1980's to 1990, when the book ends. That wasnt that long ago! I vaguely recall reading and hearing about those things, but lets face it, at the time I was having and taking care of 3 babies, and we were working hard to sell real estate here in MD. However, I did read the Washington Post every day, and heard the national and international news on a regular basis. I was internationally and politically aware I thought.

What I found out from the book was that it wasnt only the Panamanian government and Noriega that were totally shady, but also Bush the father, Reagan, Cheney, Scrowcroft and lots of others. All mostly inept and liars. Even C.Powell could be drawn into this..there were also heros in the Senate that tried to help, but were tharted by our own government. Many people needlessly were beaten, tortured, and died as a result of this stupidity and political game playing.

I'm sorry to say that at that time, my focus was more on Europe, Asia, and Vietnam. Not that I could have
done
anything. But I didnt realize the
suffering and turmoil that Panama endured.

Which is why I found the book so shocking. Returning from there, I saw no signs of the very recent past. The country seems to be totally different than its recent history. Although some there have alluded that corruption still exists, it seems to mostly entail getting paperwork through beauracracy...not death and killings or secrets and terror.
And there is a saying there that is heard all the time..."It's Panama"- which has many meanings Im sure. But sometimes you hear it when 10 cars just go through a red light, or when people say something will be delivered by a certain time or date..like furniture, or the completion of a building and its permits and occupancy, and much more. Its like of like...do your own thing..no problem! Cool in some ways, and in a country with only about 3 and a half million people, its seems to work out ok. But maybe that is just the new attitude, after the oppression of the past..it needs to be that way for a while, to make up for the past.



















So the Panama that we keep/kept seeing is full of people who are kind, helpful, friendly, love to dance, make friends, dont have road rage cause actually no one pays attention to road rules (except wearing seatbelts- they seem to respect that law), enjoy good food, and rum and cokes are $2, their very good beers are $1, and their corvina(fish) is everywhere, so everyone, or most, are able to eat well for little money. Public transportation is easy, everywhere, and dirt cheap.

I wish we could make friends here at home as easily as we make them in Panama.

Stealing some time

So even when we go on a vacation, Paul enjoys working wherever we are-thanks to phones, email, and realtors around the world. We managed to convince him to try out the pool in the condo where we were staying, between appointments with property managers and realtors.

It was fun! I called it a Business Vacation. He prefers to call it Strictly Business. (for me, just traveling is a vacation, plus I dont do laundry or cooking or shopping either!)

Anyway, the rest of the day was spent looking at properties for sale in Panama City. I can tell you that we saw some real beauties and great prices compared to the States.
Did I mention that Panama has no earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes or snow? It was snowing at home in MD on the day these pictures were taken in Panama City.

Jumping Ahead

The last four days we spent in Panama were in Panama City, where we feverishly shopped to furnish our condo for short term rentals. With Mara's language skills, mission accomplished! It wasn't easy, not knowing the city or the stores available to shop at, the language barriers, as well as shlepping packages without our own car, being at the mercy of finding cabs during rush hours, delivery arrangements for furniture, and getting everything set up..all within 4 days! We finished an hour before our taxi picked us up to take us to the airport to return home to DC.

Nevertheless, our property is finished and is available for rent now with a property management company.
You can see the link here: http://www.rentinpanamacity.com/panamarealestate/New_Upscale_Executive_Rental/id=571/852
On the lower right you can see the youtube tour of the apartment/condo.

Corvina and Friends of Friends

So everywhere we went in Panama City, restaurants and out and about, we met people and tried the foods and saw the sights. If the USA has a national food it would probably be the hamburger, if you asked tourists and visitors. In Panama, the national food has to be their Corvina..which is a sea bass extraordinare! We didn't visit any chain restaurants, like a few McDonald's around, and others (Subway is here), only local privately owned places, but almost everywhere we went, all over the country, corvina was offered in so many styles..fried, sauted, in salads, appetizers, and so many more ways. It's almost always an economical dish, with fresh and healthy sides. One could be a corvina junkie here with great results!

Plus, when you meet a friend, they introduce you to their friends, and then you are friends with them too. Panama is sooo friendly!

We met up with friends of Paul's cousin Steve from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, who have a vacation home in the Zonian section of Panama(where the American canal zone was)..they also live in FL. They invited us to their lovely home in the Zone, and then we all went just minutes away to the Amador Causeway, an upcoming entertainment/yacht port/museum/convention center/restaurant area very close to their home. We all had a lovely evening conversing and enjoying the outdoor dining and the weather and well...Panama.

Oh, and I have to mention two more things. The tap water in Panama is sooo gooood! At home I use filtered water, but there it is soo good out of the tap. And in one month, we never had a touristy stomach issue with it.
Also, wines from South America are so available and cheap, compared to the United States! If you are a lover of fine wines, you will love their availability and prices! Argentina, Chile, and more...

Whirlwind of Panamanian Duties

So we arrived in Panama, excited to see the finished product, the condo that we purchased in Pacific Sky, that was under construction the year earlier. We were not disappointed. In addition, Paul's and my suitcases finally came from Dulles and arrived from the airport the next day, we showered and were rested, and had enjoyed the previous evening discovering the local Punta Paitilla neighborhood and celebrating Mara's 23rd birthday, which was shared with a Panamanian friend of hers (from SAS) who joined us at an outdoor patio table restaurant. The weather was warm and beautiful, and we enjoyed the change from freezing cold winter to 95 degree days of sunshine. The condo we rented for a week from HomeAway.com had a great pool with lovely views of the city, and was only a 5 minute walk away from our new condo.

The next days were busy with meeting with our local lawyer, signing papers, arranging for a local bank account, and meeting local realtors to pursue a course of property management with them, as well as determining our best course for managing our condo investment.

In all these encounters, the people that we met were so nice and helpful, and genuinely friendly and kind.

We also had to immediately shop for lighting packages for the condo, as they are not typically installed with any buildings..that is all personally chosen, so that was also one of our first orders of business. We went to a lighting store, picked out lights, ceiling fans and made a list, and the property managers we chose picked them up and had them installed for us with their "people." They did a great job.

Here our our first pics of the condo. They look out over the Pacific Ocean, and overlook a low rise residential area, a park and the city country club of sorts- the Union Club. It is a great view, in that many of the ships that are waiting to enter and go through the Panama Canal line up there, so you can often see an assortment of ships in the ocean distance, and at night, their twinkling lights.

We decided to rent it out furnished, so Mara and I will return weeks later to accomplish that task. Paul is only staying on for a few days..getting back to work in Maryland.

So I Digress...A headcold and Snow and Work prompted this

I've been home for just over a week, and its been so nice to sleep in my own bed (love it), with my hubby, and have my electric toothbrush again (I dont know why I love it so), and go though the mail, emails, get 2 new listings and do all the web stuff and brochures also, do laundry, unpack, get sick, go grocery shopping, and have a dinner/bunco party for 20 on Saturday night. I cooked Polish/Czech food...all homemade, and we had a wonderful evening Saturday night.

Then the snow came too- which was very pretty, very cold, but ok. Since we havent really seen it all winter yet. It did postpone a visit to my inlaws in VA though. But that will happen soon.

Anyway, I wanted to blog on Panama, and it has gotten waylayed by everyday life and the laziness/recovery of being sick. But I'm better now, and wanted to share this site with everyone near and dear in Gaithersburg, or Germantown or where ever/whomever could benefit from emergency alerts, for whatever reason. We watched "24" tonight again, and being so close to the White House, I guess you can't be too careful. You can sign up for email and phone alerts to emergencies at http:alert.gaithersburgmd.gov or 301-258-6310. I'm doing it tonight myself.

"When an incident or emergency occurs, authorized senders will instantly notify you using Alert Gaithersburg, which is your personal connection to real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do, or what not to do, who to contact and other important information. Note that emergency messages from Montgomery County's Homeland Security Department will also be sent via the Alert Gaithersburg system." I learned of this at a Gaithersburg Chamber of Commerce function...it really wasn't prompted by my watching the latest episode of "24".

The snow was really pretty and fluffy and not so hard to shovel today too..thank goodness sunshine followed the storm. It made for a nice day outside to shovel, and Mara took some lovely pics and they are on her facebook site. Paul spent the day wheeling and dealing on the phone, and it looks like a friend of Adrians got a good deal on a house today. A great deal for a lovely couple! It wouldn't have happened a year ago the way the market was. So, the Panama story will continue soon...but not tonight.

Back from Panama

So I started this blog originally, so that I could journal on our upcoming trip to Panama. Plus, I just wanted to share some thoughts occasionally, on real estate, and other things too.

Mara and I were gone for almost a month, from January 26th till February 19th. We returned just as Carnival was beginning in Panama.

Paul, Mara and I left for Panama on January 26th, early morning- Mara's 23rd birthday. In fact, we saw the sun rise inflight. Its not a far flight to Panama. Actually pretty easy...direct from Dulles on COPA airlines, the Panamanian airline, to Tocumen, Panama City, in 4 to 4 and a half hours. We had good weather, despite the prediction of snow, and arrived and traveled without problems. Except that Dulles forgot to put Paul's and my luggage on the flight. But with God's blessing, Mara's luggage came with us, birthday-luck that day. Ours was delivered to the apartment we were renting for a week in Punta Paitilla the following day around 3 pm. We had a nice place to stay and the nicest landlord for a week that anyone could expect. David not only picked us up at the airport, he took us to a phone store to get a local phone for Panama, we had coffee at a gourmet cofffee shop with him, and then to his apartment. It was furnished with all the amenities, plus he had coffee, milk, red and white wine, cereal, bananas, popcorn, pool towels, laundry detergent, and more. We found his apartment through www.homeaway.com and he is the best!

Anyway, due to the inability to find free internet connections, or early mornings and late nights of being so busy, or bad weather, I never did find the time or sometimes the energy to post blogs. But I do want to share this great experience in Panama, so I will do it now with pics and this blog afterwards.

This all started last year when our family went to visit some old and dear friends in Nicaragua for a wedding of one of the kids our kids were close to growing up- our neighbors in West Riding, Gaithersburg. They were from Nicaragua, and returned there about 15 years ago when the political situation became more stable. We lived on Kimberly Ct. and they lived on Diamond Dr., and our homes backed to each other. We instantly connected, the kids played together almost every day, and still find them like family to us after all these years.

To go to Nicaragua, we took COPA airlines, and had a plane change in Panama, and decided to take a week to check out that country on our return, as we have been hearing for years about the many wonderful attributes of it, ecologically, sociologically, weatherwise, as a retirement haven, $$wise, as well as a great place for real estate investments.

We spent a week there last year, and while we dont go for buying a bunch of stupid plastic or otherwise meaningless souveniers, we experienced the culture, traveled around and we ended up purchasing a being-built 2 BR/3 bath condo on the Pacific side in the neighborhood of Punta Paitilla. The area is just gorgeous, but the real reason we loved it there was the people. It's very international, and everyone is sooooo nice and helpful and just so kind and its just a breath of fresh air. Our condo overlooks the ocean and a park and is a block from the new Trump building going up there(for way lots more money though). Its close to shopping and downtown, the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and in an upscale residential neighborhood. And with the Panama Canal being expanded, there is a need for hotel rooms and residential rentals for engineers and other business people who are coming from all over the world to work on this project.

So we wanted to go back there again for the closing, as it wasnt finished yet when we bought last year, but to also verify that we just werent in "vacation nirvana" when we purchased. It was pretty risky what we did I admit..purchase with being in a country for a week! But our recent time there verified that we made a right decision. We have spent more time there now and have no regrets. This is a very cool place, somewhere that has great potential, and we hope to be a part of it.

So, more pics and stories coming..but this is enough for tonight. oxoxoPaula