THANKS FOR TAKING THIS JOURNEY WITH US

Hope you enjoyed the blog over the course of the last year. I have tickets to return to Minneapolis on June 2, 2009 and Nikki will join me a couple of weeks later. I think I will realize what living down here has meant to me after I return to Minneapolis and have a chance to reflect a bit. I plan to write an essay over the summer about the whole experience, so send me an email if you want me to send you a copy in a couple of months.

Cuidate and Hasta Luego

Pictures from Panama 43 (HHDL and Nikki- See Panama Update #163)

Panama Update #164

Panama Update #164
May 10, 2009

We saw a sloth this afternoon while walking in the Quarry Heights area with Carmen and Santosh. It was on the side of the road and crawling back toward the forest. Carmen said it was a 3 toed sloth. I had seen one or two before when they were high up in the tree, but this one was on the ground. It cannot walk on all fours, only pull itself along on its belly using its front claws. We watched it for about a half an hour. Carmen said they only come down from the trees once a week to take a bowel movement. She thought this one was a young adult, as it was on the smallish size, like a combination of a monkey and raccoon. She said they can get real fat. They are slow all the time, but when they are on the ground they are very awkward and have trouble maneuvering and are completely unprotected from whatever predators are around. He (or she) crawled for the closest tree and found one that was very skinny. It looked like the tree would never support its weight, but it moves with such balance and agility once it gets off the ground, that when it got to the top of that tree it was able to lean over to get to another branch on a bigger tree. They are built for hanging in the trees. It moves so slowly so it can test its weight to see if the new branch will hold it. It kept one claw on one branch and did the splits while it slowly leaned over to the other tree. It was like watching a Tai Chi master. I had never seen anything move so slow, but so smooth and perfectly controlled.

Panama Update #163

Panama Update #163
Thursday, May 7, 2009

We arrived in the Newark, NJ airport at about 4:00 PM on Monday, May 4. We took a shared ride van to my cousin Sally's apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and we were the last ones dropped off so we didn't arrive until about 6:30 PM. That night we found a great organic grocery store and deli where we ate dinner and stocked up on vitamins for the last month in Panama.

On Tuesday we went with my cousin Sally and her husband Rob to meet HHDL. We arrived at the hotel by 9:30 AM. Security was very tight. We had to show ID and we were searched. We gathered in a room of 108 people and were given instructions. Groups were to stand together by family. Nikki met some of her cousins and uncle for the first time. We were a group of 9. There were about 4 people there who were personally in Tibet before 1950 and they were older, around 90 years old. The rest were descendants of people who had been to Tibet before 1950. Nikki's great uncle, Archibald Steele was there at the time and wrote a book about the experience based on articles for the Chicago Daily News. He was the first westerner to see future Dalai Lama at age 3 or 4. The Dalai Lama came in to the room and greeted us as he walked by. He touched my hand and shook the hand of Rob. He gave a 10 minute talk on how touched he was by all the people who were there. He also talked about the problems with China and their poor treatment of the Tibetans and said it is important that the true facts come out. Then each family group went up to speak to him for 1-2 minutes. He touched Nikki's face and gave her a big hug. A professional photographer was there and we plan to post the pictures when we can order them off the internet. We all thought it was a remarkably special experience to be in the joyful presence. I plan to write more about the experience in an essay form later on.

That afternoon we went to lunch at the 2nd St. Deli and then on to Brooklyn and Coney Island on Brighton Beach with Nikki's cousins. They had a van and took us along. That night we went to a Ethiopian Restaurant with Rob and Sally. We all wanted to continue talking about the incredible experience with HHDL that morning.

The next day (Wednesday) we visited an artist friend of Nikki's mom and she had us over for breakfast. She had a beautiful 3 story apartment and rooftop in Greenwich Village. After that we visited the Tibet House which has Tibetan art exhibits, gift store, meditation room, etc. The original Tibetan issued passport from 1939 from Nikki's uncle was on display.

We then found a nice vegetarian restaurant for lunch, walked by my former school that I attended in 1984, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and took a train from Penn Station to the airport. The train was only 20 minutes and cost $15 each, much quicker than the shuttle can we took on the way in.

Pictures from Panama 42 (Visit to NY- Daniel, Tibet House-1939 Tibet passport from A. Steele.,Nikki w/friend,ConeyIsland,withrelativesafterHHDLtalk

Panama Update #162

Panama Update #162
Saturday, May 2, 2009

This may be the last blog entry until returning from New York, but if I have computer access there I plan to make an entry or two. We are scheduled to leave Monday AM and arrive in Newark at about 4:00 PM. I have a shuttle scheduled to pick us up at the airport and take us to my cousin Sally's by about 6:30 PM. It will be a long day, but if everything goes as planned, the flight itself is only 5 hours, direct from Panama. On Tuesday we are scheduled for a short time with HHDL and then we are scheduled to leave NY at 4:00 PM on Wednesday. So we will have 2 nights there all together. Maybe we will squeeze in a visit to the MOMA or possible see a play. Nikki also wants to visit the Tibet House.

Today I am going out to the Albrook Mall to develop some pictures to bring to NY with us.

Nikki's mom, Carolyn, said Red is doing fine after his heart operation yesterday. He is scheduled to stay in the hospital about 5 days before going home.

Panama Update #161

Panama Update #161
April 30, 2009

It looks like I will be staying in Panama until June 2, the date Nikki is scheduled to leave. For a while it looked like I may go back early to help out in the school district, but now it looks like that won't happen. Because my leave does not offically end until June 15, according to Human Resources I cannot work for the district until that date. They are very frustrated at the school because they don't have anyone to fill in and there are a lot of burning issues about who is eligible for graduation this year, etc.

My last day at the school I worked at down here was on Tuesday. The school was let out early that day for some holiday or another and I went out to the Balboa Yacht Club with a few of the teachers as a way of saying good-bye. Because I was only part time at the school I didn't bond with the staff and students as much as would be usual when working full-time in a place. The Balboa Yacht club is a nice bar right near the entrance to the Causeway that overlooks the ocean. It is a popular hang-out for the English speaking crowd, but is the first time I had been there. The principal wrote me a very nice email thanking me for my contributions to the school this year and all the help I gave the teachers that I worked with. I wrote her an email thanking her for the opportunity to work there. The part-time schedule was a good fit for me.

Yesterday I went to a matinee movie called Almost 17. It is discount day at the Albrook Mall Theatre and tickets only cost $2.25 all day. It was a fun movie and was in English with Spanish subtitles.

There is a lot of talk down here about the Swine Flu. It has not come to Panama yet, but someone said there were two cases in Costa Rica so it is only a matter of a short time. Nikki and I go to New York in Monday for a couple of days and I hope we can get back into Panama after that because of all the screening they are doing at the airport.

Panama Update #160

Panama Update #160
Sunday, April 26

We are down to about 5 weeks left in Panama and possibly sooner for me (depending on the job situation in Minneapolis). My guess is that I will find out this week if I will go back early to fill in for a position (see Panama Update #159). The week after next, on May 4, we go to New York for two nights. We are planning to stay with my cousin Sally. I think as each week goes by it will get busier and busier as we wrap things up here. I have all the boxes and packing tape ready to mail the things back that we can't fit in our suitcases.

Nikki signed up for a 5 day silent retreat that is offered this summer from July 18-23 in St. Paul (http://www.himalayanyogatradition.com/stpaul.html). While she is doing that I will probably be up at the cabin.

Yesterday we found the the book by Nikki's great uncle- In the Kingdom of the Dalai Lama, at Aaron's apartment. He had borrowed it and we didn't get it back before he moved to Vancouver. The person subletting his apartment helped us find it in some box Aaron had left in a closet. Yesterday I also got my first (and probably only) haricut in Panama. Carmen and Santosh showed me the place they go to. They charge $5 for the cut and $7 if you want a shampoo. I had about an inch trimmed off the bottom but it is still long enough to put in a pony tail.

Panama Update #159

Panama Update #159
Friday, April 24, 2009

I heard a couple of days ago that the guy who had been filling in at my old job in Minneapolis had to go on Medical Leave for the rest of the school year. They asked me if I could come back and help out. It is tempting, but I told them the earliest I could make it back is in about 3 weeks, or around May 15. Nikki said it is OK with her if I leave a couple of weeks early, but they may not be able to work out the funding details and they would have to have me reinstated early from my Leave. So it is still unclear what is going on with that. My guess is I will hear something by next week. In case that is an option, I have started to speed up the moving back preparations. I went to the Super 99 Supermarket at Albrook Mall and got a bunch of cardboard boxes, packing tape, labels, and a marker. We have a few things to mail back, but not as many as when we came. I have sold and plan to sell or give away more of the things that we had brought down here. We are leaving most of our kitchen stuff for whoever moves in here next. I also went to the artists mall that is close to here and bought a few things for souvenirs and presents. While at the mall I went to a photo place to develop some pictures that we are bring to New York with us for HH. Even if I don't go back early, it feels good to be making good use of the time now and taking care of a lot of the tasks that I need to do, whether I leave early or not.

Panama Update #158

Panama Update #158
Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Today has been the first all-cloudy day we have had for the last few months. It is a clear sign that the dry season is ending. I was caught in a downpour when I went to the Fruit and Vegetable market this morning. Fortunately my plastic poncho was stuffed in one of the pockets of my backpack so I just continued walking in the rain. The rain lasted about 2 hours, but the clouds remain.

I informed them at work yesterday that my last day will be next week. I was going to stay for a couple of more weeks, but since we are going to New York the week after next, it seemed like a natural break. That will give me the last couple of weeks here free to do whatever I need to get ready to leave Panama, such as packing and mailing back some boxes of books, etc.

The Twins-Red Sox game was supposed to be on cable here last night but was rained out. That would have been the first Twins game I had seen on TV this season. They usually only put them on here when they are playing New York or Boston, which is only a hanful of times a year.

Panama Update #157

Panama Update #157
Friday, April 17, 2009

Last night I went to the a semi-pro baseball game at the Estadio Rod Carew, the biggest baseball stadium in the country. It is about a 20 minute drive outside of Panama City, depending on the traffic. They have a 3 month league with about 6 teams that each play each other several times. They were pretty good. I was told that many times there are pro scouts there from the US. I went with a couple of guys who work at the school where I do. There were about 1000 people there but it was easy to get seats right behind home plate. Vendors are constantly coming by and offering beer, pizza, popcorn, hotdogs, KFC, hamburgers, and peanuts. Everything seems to cost a $1. It is cheap and the service is good. Parking was free and plentiful and admission was only $4. It was also beautiful weather to sit outside. The temperature was moderate with a nice breeze. The game started at 7:00 PM and was over by about 10:00 PM.

I have pictures to post and hopefully will get those up soon.

Pictures from Panama 41 (Panamanian baseball at Rod Carew Stadium)

Pictures from Panama 40 (Nikki's field trip to the Chitra area of Central Panama with associate Fumi)

Panama Update #156

Panama Update #156
April 16, 2009

There is some news to report. Nikki and I are scheduled to go to NYC for two nights on May 4, 5. Her great uncle, Archibald Steele, was a journalist working in Tibet at the time The Dalai Lama was growing up in the 1930s/40s. He has passed away a few yers ago, but there has been a request for descendents from his family to meet with the Dalai Lama. Nikki's mom can't make it so she has encouraged us to go and has offered to buy the tickets for us. I purchased the tickets today. The airline prices at this time are pretty good.

Yesterday I bought 2 large suitcases for us to carry things back when we leave here. I found them at the mall at a discount store for only $16.99 each. They look fine and I figure they can make it through at least one flight.

Tonight I am scheduled to go with some teachers from the school where I work to my first Panamanian baseball game. It is at Rod Carew National Stadium. I plan to report more on that later and to post pictures.

Panama Update #155

Panama Update #155
Saturday, April 11

It is starting to switch back to rainy season here. It has rained 2 or 3 times this week which hasn't happened since last December. The rains are also lasting for longer periods and it is more cloudy. My guess is that it will slowly transition until it is in full bloom by the beginning of May. I came last July, so now I am seeing the full cycle of the two seasons that they have here. The dry season is only about 4 months long.

Panama City is noticeably quieter over this Good Friday/Easter weekend. I guess a lot of the people head out to what they call "the interior" to celebrate, including our landlord and his family. Downtown is quiet and it is easy to get a taxi. I went this morning to one of the El Rey Supermercado and it was very easy shopping. When I am buying things now I am starting to think of if we can use it in the next 7 weeks or not, before we leave.

Nikki went out to the field for a night with Fumi, an archeological graduate student who we have become friends with. She wanted Nikki to take a look at the site where she is working and had some geological questions. They left at 5:00 AM this morning (Saturday) and I was supposed to go with, but I woke up with 3 or 4 giant welts on my feet. It was probably bug bites, but it looked like almost a allergic, hives kind of reaction. I decided it would be best not to go to the isolated area they were going to which was a 5 or 6 hour drive. I put some rubbing alcohol on it and it cleared up in about 2 or 3 hours. My plans today are to watch some of the Masters golf tournament on our cable this afternoon and tonight watch a rebroadcast of American Idol.

Panama Update #154

Panama Update #154
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Yoga class had a nice turnout last night. There is a good core group and new people are still coming. There are only 7 more classes left before we leave Panama. Angel,the person organizing the classes, is planning to go to Yoga Teacher Training this summer in St. Paul to help him feel comfortable and able to lead the classes.

We have decided to buy a new Honda Fit when we return to Minneapolis. We had sold our car before leaving. The new car prices are very good right now and it makes more sense to buy a new one than a late model used car. The Fit is the smallest Honda model and it is a good fit for what we are looking for. It is a 5 door hatchback and gets good mileage (27/33). US News and World Report ranked it as the best buy in its class.

Last night we had dinner with Fumi and Laura in the dorm where we used to live. Both are Ph.D. students who are doing research here for their dissertation. We met Laura when we first came and she is staying until August then returning to Florida. We met Fumi since she works in Nikki's building. She is planning to stay here at least until January and wants to move into our apartment after we leave. She is looking for a roommate if anybody wants to try living in Panama for a few months.

For Passover tonight it looks like it will be just Nikki and I. We have stocked up on some goodies for dinner. We almost went to some one's house that I work with at school, but it didn't work out. Our school is on vacation next week for the holiday.

Pictures from Panama 39 (Mark and Nathan returning from their Kuna Yala adventure)

Panama Update #153

Panama Update #153
Friday, April 3, 2009

Mark and Nathan returned from the Kuna Yala (San Blas) today. They are fine and said overall that it was a good time and fun experience. The first day they went to a small island that Mark said was postcard beautiful. It was a beautiful palm tree lined beach with a lot of good corrals for snorkeling. Only one Kuna family lives on the island and Mark said the parents were working very hard the whole time he was there. The husband was trying to catch enough fish to feed the wife and kids for the day. They are sunburn, but in good spirits. They ate a lot of fish, and hung out with the villagers. Today we plan to visit Casco Viejo in the morning and we are not sure yet about the afternoon. They leave for home (St. Paul, Minnesota) tomorrow (Sat.)

Panama Update #152

Panama Update #152
Thursday, April 2, 2009

Mark and Nathan missed their flight back to Panama City. Mark called this morning and they are back in the Kuna Yala (San Blas) island village for another night. Their taxi boat picked them up this morning and got them to the airport on time, but were wrongly informed about which plane to take. So they had to take the small boat (1 hour) back to the village. They are doing fine and being fed well, but maybe a little bored and sunburn. They are definitley having a unique Panama experience.

Hopefully they will get on the plane tomorrow and then have one more day to tour around Panama.

Panama Update #151

Panama Update #151
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mark and his 14 year old son Nathan arrived Monday night as scheduled. On their first morning (yesterday), we hiked to the top of Ancon Hill and they loved the view of the city and the canal. Nathan was very tired and after we returned he took a 2 hour nap. I think the sudden change to a tropical climate got to him. We also figured out he was not drinking enough water and was dehydrated. Once he started drinking more he felt much better. In the afternoon they went to see the Mires Fores Locks Observatory.

Today they caught an early flight (6:00 AM) to the Kuna Yala region. It is only a 20minute plane ride to get to the Caribbean side of the country. We arranged for them to stay a night in a village there, like Nikki and I and Swami Ritavan had done a couple of months ago. They speak very little Spanish and no one in the village seems to speak much English, so we hope they will manage OK. In fact most of the people in the village speak the Kuna language much more than Spanish. We sent a Spanish phrasebook with them because we know the host speaks Spanish along with the Kuna.

Panama Update #150

Panama Update #150
March 30, 2009

Rich and Mariam returned from their adventure in David, Boquete, and Bocas del Toro. Last night we went out to dinner and tonight they came over for dinner before leaving tomorrow so they told us all about it. They took a 7 hour luxury to David which was really noisy with loud violent movies. Other than that they were glad to see the scenery along the way. They immediatley went to Boquete upon arriving in David. They stayed in El Oasis B and B and highly recommend it. It is on the river across the bridge, about 2 blocks from the central plaza. They stayed in a really nice huge condominium style apartment for $99 per night. It included a nice breakfast and cleaning every day. They also loved the scenery in the cooler and more mountainous area of Panama. They took a 4 hour bus ride from David to Bocas. The bus ride was beautiful, right along the continental divide. They stayed on Isla Colon in a place called La Coralina. It is hotel run by a woman from Maplewood, Minnesota. They highly recommend that place. It is within walking distance of a beautiful beach. It was $90 a night for a double room (double bed and single). The food served in the hotel was excellent. Today they took a taxi to the Gamboa/Pipeline area and really liked the Gamboa Rainforest Discovery Nature Center they had there. They found good hiking trails, saw a lot of birds and wildlife and thought it was a very special place. It was $15 admission and they also have a 30 meter tower with a great above the tree line view. The taxi was $25 and it is hard to find a return taxi, so it is probably best to rent a car.

Panama Update #149

Panama Update #149
March 28, 2009

Last night (Friday) Nikki and I took a taxi out to El Dorado. It was ony about a 15 minute ride with little traffic. It is in a section of Panama City that we haven't been to yet. By the time we got out there it was dark, but we walked around the main area of town. It is a town of strip mall after strip mall, for several blocks. We went there because several people have told us about all the Chinese stores and restaurants that are there. In the Chinese store we came across we stocked up on rice noodles and spices, things that are hard to find in other places. We bought some nice Curry spice and other spices that Nikki can use to make Chai tea. We saw several Chinese restaurants and found one that was all vegetarian. They serve the food in a cafeteria style. They had about 25 various items to choose from including noodle dishes, a variety of vegetables, sushi, dumplings, and much more. You point to what you want and they only charge $.25- $.50 an item. Including the soybean drink, the total for both of us was under $4, and was plenty of food.

Panama Update #148

Panama Update #148
Thursday, March 26

Today both Nikki and I came to Barro Colorado Island (BCI). It was Nikki's first time here. She came to look at it for possible future research. It is an Island in the middle of the Canal on Gatun Lake that many of the scientists come to stay at for a while. They have a nice dorm and kitchen facilities. It takes a 40 minute drive to Gamboa and a 40 minute ferry ride to get here. I came for the health fair to give mini-Biofeedback sessions to the staff using the Heartmath program. I also participated in a health fair like this that they had here last July, shortly after I arrived. They also had people checking blood pressure, body fat %, and a few other things such as health insurance information. About 20-25 people stopped by to try it. Nikki picked today to come along since she got a ride with the people who were taking me. She walked around the island exploring then came back to have lunch together. They had great vegetarian options such as the usual steamed vegetables, rice, and frijoles. It makes for a long day, but it is a pleasant way to spend a day. We get a ride at 6:30 AM and return by about 5:30 PM. There is another Health Fair I am scheduled at next Tuesday in Panama City.

Pictures from Panama 38 (Angel- has helped organize the Yoga classes here)

Pictures from Panama 37 (Rich, Mariam, and Juna- friends from Minneapolis)

Pictures from Panama 36 (Michael G., Mary, and Ian- friends from Minneapolis)

Panama Update #147

Panama Update #147
Monday, March 23, 2009

Yesterday we showed Rich, Mariam, and their 5 year old daughter Juna around Panama City. We got ripped off by one taxi driver, but other than that I think they had a good time. They bought some of the indigenous Kuna art in Casco Viejo such as a painted feather and a couple of Mullas (hand-stitched colorful art). I bought an old Panama license plate for a souvenir to take home. They stayed at our house last night and then this morning planned to take a 9 hour bus ride to the David area. They then plan to go on to Bocas del Toro and return to Panama City in a week.

I heard from Michael G. that he arrived back in Minneapolis as scheduled. They carried two duffle bags or ours home. We are trying to send our things back with the visitors so it will be less to mail when we leave in a couple of months.

I still plan to post pictures of the most recent visitors, but the internet has been down again in our apartment. It has been going on and off quite often over the last couple of months.

Panama Update #146

Panama Update #146
Saturday, March 21, 2009

Rich, Mariam, and Juna arrived at about midnight last night. They are staying at a hostal that is fairly close to us. Their flight was late, their taxi was not there to meet them that the hostal had ordered, and the hostal said they were booked and did not have room for them. Fortunately they found a room for them. I met them this morning at around 8:00 AM and we had breakfast and discussed their plans for the day. They went out to the Mires Flores locks and then went out to the Causeway for dinner. I am scheduled to meet up again with them tomorrow (Sunday) AM.

Michael, Mary, and Ian arrived back from their week in El Valle de Anton. They had rented a car for the week and really enjoyed the convenience of it. They loved the El Valle area and had a great time. They found a nice place to stay that they recommend. It is called Los Capitanes (www.los-capitanes.com). Before they returned the rental car they drove up to the top of Ancon Hill and also to the Mires Flores locks. Tonight we had dinner at a fancy French restauant (Restaurante Las Bovedas) in Casco Viejo that is near the French Plaza.

I plan to post a few pictues in the next couple of days.

Panama Update #145

Panama Update #145
Thursday, March 19, 2009

Monday and Tuesday I was in bed with a fever and flu-like symptoms. I emailed my principal on Monday AM that I would not be in and she told me it was going around the school and that it would last 48 hours. It helped ease our minds to know that I did not have something unknown. It turned out she was exactly right and by Wednesday I was fine. Yesterday and today I have been in touch with people from my old job and we are trying to figure out things for next year. It still looks like we will be back in Minneapolis, living at our old house. I know things can change from day to day but it is funny how things work out sometimes.

Michael, Mary, and Ian are scheduled to return Friday or Saturday from their side-trip to El Valle de Anton and the beach area. They will have one or two more days in Panama City to see some sights. Rich, Mariam, and Juna arrive Friday night and I plan to meet them at the Hostal where they are staying on Saturday at 8:00 AM. So we are moving into a busy period here for the next couple of weeks.

Panama Update #144

Panama Update #144
Sunday, March 15, 2009

I am writing this (10:00 PM) as I wait for Michael G. and his family to arrive. We expect them by 11:00 PM or hopefully sooner. I have scheduled a taxi to take them to the Mires Flores Locks Observation deck tomorrow at 9:00 AM. After that they want to rent a car and go to El Valle, but it is not clear if they will go there on Monday or Tuesday. When I talked to him he said he has no reservations so they can keep it flexible.

The big news today is that the woman who is renting our house in Minneapolis emailed and she has decided not to renew the lease for another year. She will be vacating the house on June 30. Since I have renewed my job in Minneapolis and it looks like we will be living there for next school year, we will probably move back into the house rather than looking for someone else to rent it. If we know someone who wants to rent it we would possibly do it, and then we would rent an apartment for less money than the mortgage. We are happy about moving back there, but we think it will be very strange at first getting used to living in Minneapolis again after being gone for the year. We really had the mindset that we would not be back, so we are adjusting again. Most of all we are just taking it day to day as best we can. Since we brought most of our furniture up to the cabin before we left last summer, we will probably just buy cheaper, more portable furniture to use in the house this time around. That way if we move again in a year we can have

Panama Update #143

Panama Update #143
Saturday, March 14, 2009

This is the first update in a few days. The wireless internet in our apartment has been down for most of the week but somehow is working today. Michael G. and his wife and son are expected to arrive tomorrow night (Sunday). They are planning to visit the Locks on Monday and then rent a car and go to El Valle for 3 or 4 days. It is more mountainous and cooler there, and it is also near the beaches. Nikki and I might drive with them on Tuesday and then take a bus back. It would be a good chance for us to see the place for the first time also.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, Aaron and his daughter Mila left for Vancouver to join his wife for 4 months. We said good-bye to him at lunch at La Novena vegetarian restaurant. It was a small group, mostly people like Felix and others who work directly with him. We thanked him for all the help he gave us in our adjustment to Panama. By the time he returns, we are scheduled to be gone. My return reservation is for June 2 and Nikki is scheduled to go to a conference in Denver before joining me back in Minneapolis. At this point it looks like I will be returning to my job with the school district. We haven't heard from our renter yet if she wants to renew. If she does, we will probably try to rent a small apartment.

The rest of the week was busy for me with working on our income tax stuff and doing some private English tutoring with a new client. It is a bit complicated as far as taxes and living in Panama, so we are waiting to hear back from our accountant as to what our best option is. Last night we saw two one act plays by Woody Allen at the only English speaking theatre here. We can walk to Ancon Theatre from our house. Both of us were surprised and impressed by the quality of the shows. It was much better than what we saw there last fall. Tonight we are planning to go to the Albrook Mall to see the new release The Watchmen.

Pictures from Panama 35 (Costa Rica- Host Indira and her home, Basilica, National Theatre, Hot springs)

Panama Update #142

Panama Update #142
Sunday, March 8, 2009

We arrived back in Panama at about 11:00 AM today. For both of us it was the first time in Costa Rica and we liked it a lot. It was dry season there like in Panama, but there are many different micro climates so we did run into some small patches of rain. But it was definitely cooler and less humid there. It felt good to wear a light jacket there in the mornings and evenings. Stepping off the plane today in Panama we ran into the stifling heat and humidity. Costa Rica also has many more tourists, so it is set up to accommodate them much better. Even the customs at the airport is much more efficient. The taxi cabs there are on meters and the whole tourist industry is set up well. But that also means much higher prices than in Panama for taxis, hotels, etc. On Friday we paid a $9 admission fee at the Gold Museum in downtown San Jose. That seemed high for what you get. We also paid $7 to tour the Teatro Nacional, which was built around 1890 and is constantly under renovation. It is much more active than the National Theatre in Panama. We could have gone to an Oscar Wilde play there Friday night for only $5. Instead our host, Indira, took us to see Slumdog Millionaire, which all of us like a lot. We went to the VIP theatre, which means you pay $8 a ticket instead of $4 and get your own individual recliner seat with a waiter to get what you want to eat or drink.

On Friday afternoon Indira took us to what may be the largest and most famous Basilica in all of Central America. It is in a suburb of San Jose called Cartago (the old capital of CR). The church is called the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles. It was founded in 1635 when a little girl found a statue of the "Black Madonna." The statue has shown many documented qualities over the years such as mysteriously returning to the church after being stolen a couple of times. Many people have also claimed miracles in its presence and there are large Pilgrimages each year. The church as it looks now was built in 1824 but has had to undergo many restorations.

On Saturday we took a tour to the Arenal Volcano. We were told it is the only active volcano in Costa Rica. We went with a tour group and it was a long day. We left at 8:00 AM and got back at 10:30 PM. It took 3 hours to get up to see the volcano and included a very nice buffet style lunch and dinner at a fancy resort. We had 3 hours free time in the afternoon to enjoy the natural hot spring pools. They have a hush, lush, beautiful garden and about a dozen different hot springs, so you can have some privacy if you want. The minerals are not strong smelling, but are supposed to have healthy qualities. We did not see the actual volcano because of the clouds, but I guess that happens fairly often. It was still a pretty enjoyable day. The whole package for the guide, transportation, hot springs, and meals was $99 each person. The other people on the tour were very friendly and from many different places such as Quebec, Switzerland, Austria, Costa Rica, and Texas. One couple from Costa Rica runs an online casino that apparently is very profitable. She is from London and he is from the US. Another guy we met is from Texas and is a crane operator for large building projects from around the world. He travels to wherever the jobs are and has been to Dubai, Kuwait, Thailand, and the Philippines.

I plan to post pictures in the next couple of days.

Panama Update #141

Panama Update #141
March 4, 2009

Our return reservations to Minneapolis are set for June 2. I paid the March rent yesterday and that means we only have one more month to pay and we will use the deposit we put down for the last month. Today I showed our apartment to someone who works in the same building as Nikki. She liked it but will need to figure out a few things before she decides if it will work out for her. They are putting bars on more of our apartment windows for security measures. Most of the houses in Panama have them. We are scheduled to leave for Costa Rica on Thursday night and then return on Sunday (8th). The following Sunday (15th) the first of several visitors are expected to arrive here.

Panama Update #140

Panama Update #140
Sunday, March 1, 2009

Today I went to the only Indian store in town, that we know of, and bought some Mango Pickle and Besan Flour to bring to the person we are staying with in Costa Rica. Apparently she can't find those things there so she asked us to bring them. We leave Thursday night and return on Sunday. One of the days there we plan to tour the city of San Jose and the other day we have signed up for an all day group tour to the Arenal Volcano. We plan to bring the camera so should have some pictures to post when we get back.

We didn't get to see Slumdog yesterday. When we went to the theatre they informed us that the show wouldn't actually be playing until Sunday, even though it was advertisd as starting Saturday. We stayed at the mall and got some shopping done anyway, so it wasn't a wasted trip.

Since we are scheduled to leave on June 2, we are starting to think more about what we want to move back to the US, what we will sell, and what we will give away. When we came last June I shipped about a dozen boxes down here, but it will be more complicated to ship it back from here. We may only ship a couple of boxes of books and we had another idea on how to send the rest of the things. A couple of our visitors have offered to carry some of our stuff back with them since they can check up to two bags each and have extra space.

Panama Update #139

Panama Update #139
Friday, February 27, 2009

All week long I and we have been contemplating whether to revoke my leave with Minneapolis Schools for next year. I am on a 3 year leave, but the contract states I can revoke it by March 1 of each year if I want to return. With Nikki's job situation still up in the air, I had to make a decision by today if I was going back to the district or not. This morning I called the Human Resources office and they ended up giving me a month's extension, which is really great. That means I can return to the same job if I let them know by April 1. It gives us more time to figure out what is happening with Nikki.

The owners of our apartment building have been collecting dogs lately for some reason. They have 3 now, plus the upstairs apartment has 2 more. The problem is that the dogs are barking or howling all the time, day and night. A couple of weeks ago, when Laurie was here, they brought in a pregnant dog that someone had given them, so they could have even more, I guess. She had the babies recently but rolled over on them and all but one died. Today they hauled the mother away somewhere. She is real mean and they needed several people to tie her up in the pick-up truck. They told me they were bringing her to the Darien, which is the most isolated jungle part of Panama. I think the little puppy is too young to be separated from the mother, but now it is living here now too. She is the size of a palm and the eyes are still closed. It is better to wait about 6 weeks for separation, not one.

We are excited to see that the movie Slumdog Millonaire opened in Panama City today, at the movie theatre closest to us. We plan to go tomorrow.

Next weekend we go to Costa Rica for 3 nights to renew my tourist visa. In two weeks, Michael G. and his family arrive for a week-long visit.

My return reservation to Minneapolis is for June 2. Nikki goes to a convention in Denver on the same day for a week and then will join me in Minneapolis. We plan to be there for the rest of June and July.

Panama Update #138

Panama Update #138
Februry 24, 2009

The school where I work is closed this week for the Carnival activities. It has been very pleasant in the city, at least in the area where we live. There is a lot less traffic and noise in the night, although last night we heard fireworks in the distance for a few minutes. We are told that a lot of the people travel to the interior of the country for all the parties, so that is why the city has a quieter feeling to it. Even thought the Carnival is a Federal holiday and many of the stores are closed, etc., Nikki went out into the field for a long day's research excursion with some people from her office group. When she came back she reported that she saw a lot of people celebrating the Carnival holiday. She was in a remote rural area and they had huge tents set up and a lot of people had arrived by bus. She said people were standing and partying in the river and drinking. They were spraying each other with water. There is probably more to it than that, but that is what she observed. I guess they do that type of thing all over the country.

Tomorrow I am supposed to get my Canal ID badge so I can accompany Nikki into that area when she needs someone to go with her.

Panama Update #137

Panama Update #137
February 22, 2009

We made reservations yesterday to go to San Jose, Costa Rica from March 5-8. I need to leave the country for 72 hours to renew my 90 day tourist visa. We finally picked Costa Rica because it is the closest and cheapest place to go. We also received an invitation to stay at a friend's house there. Her name is Indira and I have met her at the Meditation Center in Minneapolis, where she has visited the last couple of summers. One day we plan to tour around the city of San Jose and another day we plan to go on a nature tour outside of the city. We are currently researching the options with that.

It is Carnival week here in Panama, which means most of the people take a long weekend, at least through next Tuesday. The school where I work is closed through Wednesday. Many go out to the country where there are a lot of big parties and celebrations. There are also celebrations here in the city. Some people say it is like Mardi Gras. Mostly we are trying to avoid it as much as we can. There were some loud parties in our neighborhood, but thankfully they ended at a reasonable hour.

Panama Update #136

Panama Update #136
February 21, 2009

We returned from the Casa de Campo Bed and Breakfast yesterday after staying there for one night. It was a good rest for Nikki after her busy week in Texas. It was in a place called Cerro Azul, which is about 40 minutes from the Tocumen International Airport. It was quiet, the air was clean, the surroundings were scenic (see the pictures below), and the food was wholesome and tasted very good. They were very willing to accommodate our dietary preferences. It cost $80 for the room plus an additional $50 for the 3 meals for two people. Both of us thought the price of $130 was high, but we enjoyed our time there. Added to the $130 was the additonal expense of taking a taxi to and from there, which added on another $60.
There was only one other couple staying there. They were bird watchers from New York. We visited them when we saw them in the dining room. Each one of them had a foot massage and Nikki also had a relaxing massage.

Pictures from Panama 34 (Nikki and Daniel in Cerro Azul in a B and B for Nikki's birthday)

Panama Update #135

Panama Update #135
February 19, 2009

Nikki's flight is scheduled to arrive today (Thursday) at 2:00 PM from Texas. The plan is for me to ride to the airport with the taxi driver, and then immediately after we get Nikki drive to Cerro Azul. I think it is about a 45 minute ride to the B and B there. We are going there to do something special for Nikki's birthday today. There is no internet there, so the next time either of us will be on will probably be sometime on Saturday.

Panama Update #134

Panama Update #134
February 18, 2009

Nikki is still in Texas until tomorrow (Thursday) PM. I talked to her later last night and she said the visit was going fine and that the faculty was friendly. She said her talk was mixed up since the power point presentation she put together on her Mac would could not be used with the projector they had. So at the last minute she had to transfer her material, but she used the wrong version and all of it did not go through. Other than that she said it has been a good experience.

Last night after Yoga class I went to Casco Viejo and met a friend of someone I worked with in Minneapolis. She is a niece of Dixie's and has been in Panama for about a week. She spent most of the week in Volcan and Boquete but came back to Panama for only one night. I recommended she see the Miras Flores Locks Observatory today before her flight leaves today. She was staying in a youth hostel in Casco Viejo called Luna's Castle, which has pretty good reviews in the guide books. She said she needed much more time to see the country and was disappointed she had only scheduled one day in Panama City. She was planning later to go out with a person she found on a website called www.couchsurfing.com. You can meet people from this website where ever you travel and I have heard very positive things about it from a couple of different people.

Panama Update #133

Panama Update #133
February 16, 2009

The internet has been down in our apartment for the last few days so it is more difficult to keep up with the blog. On Saturday, Valentine's Day, we went out to Albrook Mall. Nikki wanted to do some shopping for her trip to Texas and then we went out to lunch. She found a couple of stores that she likes and there are more small sizes here than in the US, plus the clothes usual costs less than in the US. Yesterday I did a couple of hours of English tutoring and some shopping for the week while Nikki caught up on her work. I went off to work at the school this morning and Nikki's flight to Texas is scheduled to leave around 3:00 PM. She is expected to arrive there at 8:00 PM and then gives a lecture tomorrow. She is scheduled to return on Thursday (19th), which is her birthday. To celebrate we are going to a B and B in Cerro Azul, where Laurie and Pat went a couple of weeks ago. It is about an hour from the city, and a friend of Pat runs it. We will leave for the B and B directly from the airport on Thursday.

Pictures from Panama 33 (Laurie's favorite Panama activity, with Daniel, with Nikki, with taxi driver on the way to the airport for her departure