Panama Update

THANKS FOR TAKING THIS JOURNEY WITH US

2009-05-20T20:14:00.002-05:00

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)

2009-05-11T15:40:00.005-05:00

Panama Update #164

2009-05-10T20:55:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-07T15:36:00.002-05:00

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

2009-05-07T15:15:00.012-05:00

Panama Update #162

2009-05-02T15:13:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-30T10:23:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-26T11:35:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-24T17:08:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-22T15:14:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-17T15:52:00.002-05:00

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)

2009-04-16T17:29:00.005-05:00

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

2009-04-16T17:25:00.005-05:00

Panama Update #156

2009-04-16T11:39:00.004-05:00

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

2009-04-11T14:10:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-08T15:33:00.002-05:00

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)

2009-04-03T07:44:00.003-05:00

Panama Update #153

2009-04-03T07:37:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-02T08:36:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-01T07:06:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-30T19:36:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-28T11:23:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-26T14:33:00.002-05:00

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)

2009-03-25T13:54:00.003-05:00

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

2009-03-25T13:39:00.003-05:00

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

2009-03-25T13:29:00.004-05:00

Panama Update #147

2009-03-23T15:03:00.003-05:00

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

2009-03-21T21:35:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-19T11:06:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-15T21:58:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-14T14:00:00.002-05:00

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)

2009-03-08T19:52:00.013-05:00

Panama Update #142

2009-03-08T15:34:00.002-05:00

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

2009-03-04T13:23:00.002-06:00

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

2009-03-01T19:26:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-27T17:39:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-24T13:28:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-22T11:21:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-21T10:22:00.002-06:00

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)

2009-02-21T10:01:00.017-06:00

Panama Update #135

2009-02-19T10:06:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-18T13:35:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-16T13:29:00.003-06:00

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

2009-02-13T13:14:00.009-06:00

Panama Update #132

2009-02-12T15:07:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #132
February 12, 2009

On Tuesday night Laurie came to the Yoga class that I give here. It is the first time she has been to a class that I gave and this type of Yoga. I think she liked it but is used to a faster pace in the health-club style Yoga. Yesterday Laurie helped Nikki do some shopping at Albrook Mall. Nikki has a trip to Texas next week and found a nice jacket and pair of shoes, both on sale at a good price. Today Laurie went on a long bike ride on the Causeway in the morning and then we met Nikki for lunch at a Vegetarian restaurant on Via Argentina called La Novena. La Novena means The Ninth and refers to Beethoven's symphony, which is playing all the time in the restaurant. There are some Chinese vegetarian restaurants here, but this is the only one we have found that is not Chinese. I had carrot soup with fresh Blackberry juice and a spinach and potatoe soufle. It came with a side salad. Nikki had a brocolli salad and Laurie had a curry rice dish. In the afternoon Laurie went to the Contemporary Art Museum that is within walking distance from where we live.

Laurie leaves tomorrow. The taxi is scheduled to picke her up at 12:30 PM and she connects in Miami and continues on to Chicago. We saw on the television that it is 41 degrees there, so she is pretty happy with that. It has warmed up a lot since she left almost 3 weeks ago.

Pictures from Panama 32 (Laurie's day as a field assistant in Panama Viejo)

2009-02-12T15:03:00.005-06:00

Pictures from Panama 31 (Renato, our friend from Quito, Ecuador who recently returned home)

2009-02-12T14:58:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #131

2009-02-09T08:51:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #131
February 9, 2009

Laurie came back from the B & B in Cerro Azul yesterday (Sunday) and said she enjoyed the experience. She said the food was outstanding, and they were able to accommodate her vegetarian diet. She said the soups were great and that she ate very well. She said it was a nice quiet escape from the noisy city. Nikki and I may go up there for a night on her birthday, February 19. Laurie's friend Pat went directly to the airport from Cerro Azul. Her flight was delayed 2 hours, which meant she missed her connecting flight in Miami. They gave her some hotel vouchers and Miami is a nice place to visit, but it throws off her return schedule.

On the way back from the airport Laurie stopped at Multi Centro Mall to buy some things at the Kosher Market, but it was closed for the holiday Tu Bishvat. She knows the city well enough that she can now direct a taxi driver to our apartment. This particular driver tried to charge her $10. She called his bluff and only gave him $5, which is still very high. Most of the drivers here are OK, but a few will do what they can to part you from your money.

Panama Update #130

2009-02-06T18:23:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #130
February 6, 2009

This morning Laurie and Pat caught a taxi at 6:30 AM and caught the Canal Train to Colon. It is a nice ride, costs $22, and only takes about an hour. On the ride you can see the whole length of the canal. It only returns once a day, at 5:15 PM, so they took an express bus back which only costs about $3 and takes about 2 hours. That bus returns about every 15 minutes all day long.

After that they went to Albrook Mall to buy a few things and got back to the apartment about 1:00 PM. Then they went off to meet Pat's friend who owns the B & B in Cerro Azul. They will ride with her to the B & B. Both of them will return to Panama City on Sunday. Pat will go directly to the airport and return to Chicago and Laurie will return to our apartment for another week. She wants to do some volunteer field work next week but nothing is planned at this point.

A friend of ours, Renato, from Quito, Ecuador, leaves tomorrow. He has been here about 6 months. We met him when in the dorm when he first came. I hung out with with last fall when Nikki was on the 3 week research boat trip to the Kuna Yala region. It is a funny place to be when so many people you meet are coming and going. The friends we have had the longest and who are still here are the more permanent researchers on staff.

Panama Update #129

2009-02-05T20:44:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #129
February 5, 2009

This morning Pat and Laurie went to visit Nikki's office and some of the sites around there such as the Gorgas Hospital, legislative offices, and the supreme court building. After that we took a taxi to the top of Ancon Hill so Pat could see the views. She leaves soon and otherwise would probably not get a chance to go there. We then walked to the Artesenal store where they sell native crafts and they bought a few presents there.

In the afternoon we went to see a college friend of Pat's who is from Panama. They haven't seen each other for over 30 years. She owns a B & B in Cerro Azul, about an hour outside of the city (www.panamacasadecampo.com). She is also the administrator of a new high-end Wellness Spa in Panama City and was very interested in seeing my Biofeedback equipment so we went there and I gave her a demonstration. She wants me to show it to one of the physicians there next week and I may end up doing some work there.

After that Nikki and Laurie went to see a skin doctor and got some lotion for there skin afflictions (see most recent Pictures from Panama). We then went out to dinner with Pat's friend to a restarant on the Causeway called Alberto's. There was a nice cool breeze coming off the ocean and we had a table with a nice view.
Now she

Pictures from Panama 30 (Souvenirs from Laurie and Pat's big adventure)

2009-02-04T20:19:00.006-06:00

Panama Update #128

2009-02-03T21:16:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #128
February 3, 2009

Today Laurie and Pat went to the Mires Flores Locks at about 9:30 AM. While they were doing that I went on some errands to the bank and store. At Mires Flores they have an observatory where you can watch the ships go through the locks and they also have a canal museum and nice lunch buffet. A taxi driver we know took them up there but was not available to return them, so I gave them directions on what to tell whatever return taxi driver they found. They were anxious about being able to direct the taxi driver back to our apartment. It got to be 4:30 in the afternoon and they were still not back and I was wondering what could have happened because that is a long time to stay there. At 4:45 PM, just as I was leaving to go to Yoga class, they arrived. It turns out they enjoyed watching the ships so much that they spent the whole day there and Laurie was very proud that she could direct the driver to our apartment. I think now she will feel more comfortable about going out on her own.

Tonight we went to the photo exhibit opening of our friend Aaron. It was in a restaurant/gallery in Casco Viejo. The restaurant was packed with a Canadian tour group, so they had the art in a room that connected to the restaurant. There was a nice turnout and I think everyone enjoyed the photos and the company. I got Aaron and his daughter Mila to autograph a postcard that advertised the exhibit which will be worth a lot of money some day if either one of them becomes famous.

Pictures from Panama 29 (Laurie and Pat's weekend in Boquete, near David)

2009-02-02T20:52:00.007-06:00

Panama Update #127

2009-02-02T20:43:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #127
February 2, 2009

Laurie and Pat returned from their 3 night trip to Boquete, which is near the city of David. It is a cooler mountain area of Panama where the temperature went down to 65 F at night with a nice breeze. They stayed at a very nice and clean B & B in their own separate cabin for about $150 a night. They loved the grounds and coffee plantation and had a great view of the Volcan Baru. It is owned and run by a Canadian couple and is called the Coffee Estate Inn and the website is www.coffeeestateinn.com.

Nikki also heard today that in a couple of weeks (week of Feb. 16) she is traveling to visit Texas A & M University to give another talk. She enjoyed the trip to LSU lastg week but it was tiring. Hopefully when she leaves in a couple of weeks she will be ready to go again.

Panama Update #126

2009-01-31T20:12:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #126
January 31, 2009

It is a little hard to believe tomorrow (Sunday) is February 1. That means we have about 4 months left in Panama. We don't know yet what we will be doing or where we will be living in August, but I plan to be in Minneapolis for June and July. We sold our car before we left, but I plan to rent one in Minneapolis for the trips to the cabin and other errands.

Nikki arrived back from the US and her trip to Baton Rouge this afternoon. She said it was a good trip and really enjoyed the city, the university, and the people she met there. Tonight (Saturday) we went for a walk and hopefully she will get a chance to catch up on her sleep a bit.

Laurie and her friend Pat left for David, in the cooler mountains, yesterday morning. They plan to be there for 3 nights. They return Monday night to the airport near our house. I plan to meet them at the airport to help them get back to our apartment, since they haven't learned yet how to get here.

We thought the small (2 inches), baby gecko we found wandering around our apartment a few weeks ago had disappeared. But yesterday and today we started seeing it in the kitchen area. It is about twice as big now, much quicker, and can climb the walls much better. We were glad to see it again since to us it is like having a pet. One finally showed up in our dorm room before we moved out of there 3 months ago, and now we have this one in our apartment.

Panama Update #125

2009-01-29T15:09:00.002-06:00

Last night (Wednesday) the internet went down at our apartment, and is still out, so I am writing from the library. I talked to Nikki briefly in Baton Rouge last night and she said it was very nice and that I would like it. She went to a Thai restaurant last night. I plan to call her again tonight to see how her talk went. Today (Thursday) I took Laurie on a bike ride on the Causeway. We left about 8:30 AM and got back by 11:00 AM. It is hot and dry this time of the year, with the temperture close to 90 and the humidity a relatively low 65-70. We stopped for a refreshing bottle of coconut water at the halfway point and checked out a nice restaurant on with an ocean view that we may go to later next week. On the way back from the Causeway we stopped at the large artesan mall and Laurie bought a hat. She will probably go back there before she leaves to get some more presents. After that we went to the fruit and vegetable market. It was her first time there and she wanted to get some things to make a stir fry tonight. She got some Bokchoy, onions, garlic, papaya, and pineapple. Her friend Pat arrives in the next couple of hours and tomorrow they leave for the mountains in David.

Panama Update #124

2009-01-28T20:05:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #124
January 28, 2009

Laurie, my sister, arrived last night (see picture on previous entry). She flew from Chicago to Miami then to Panama City. Nikki left early this morning to give a talk in Baton Rouge, LA so there is a lot of coming and going around here. NIkki sent me a quick email when she arrived to say that the place looks really nice and that someone from the Geology department is taking her out to dinner. I plan to call her later on Skype. Tomorrow night (Thursday), Laurie's friend Pat arrives and the the next day they take off for three nights to the mountains near David (Boquete) which is supposed to be very nice.

Today I showed Laurie to the top of Ancon Hill for a view of the city and the canal. It took about 2 hours round trip. Later in the morning we took a taxi to Casco Viejo and back. After lunch and a nap back home we went out to Albrook Mall to see the movie Bolt. It was dubbed, but I liked that for the Spanish practice. Because it was a cartoon, Laurie could easily understand it even though she does not speak Spanish.

Pictures from Panama 28 (Laurie, my sister, arrived- standing in front of our apartment building)

2009-01-28T19:56:00.001-06:00

Panama Update #123

2009-01-27T13:51:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #123
January 27, 2009

The last 2 days we have been catching up a bit after the departure of our guests. It was a big morale boost to have the visitors. They reminded us of how special the experience of living in a new place can be and to enjoy each day. They also reminded us of how cold it is in Minneapolis. It feels so hot here all the time that it is easy to forget there are places in the world where it is freezing cold.. The shopping for fruits and vegetables in the market that is close to us is an on-going process every couple of days. We have a small refrigerator so we can't stock up too much on the perishables. Eric left us a large bag (25lbs.) of tangerines that he bought at the market for $4 and we can't eat it fast enough to keep some from spoiling. Watermelon seems to be in season and is very sweet and juicy. I paid $2.50 for a large one and it was very good. Nikki didn't really get a chance to catch her breath since she has been preparing to go to the US again. She is scheduled to give a talk in Baton Rouge, LA on Thursday at the LSU campus. I took these two weeks off from work because my sister arrives tonight and I wanted to be available to show her around as needed. Today I had some time to help Nikki prepare for her trip by making some copies and looking up some information about LSU.

Panama Update #122

2009-01-24T13:58:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #122
January 24, 2009

Our two visitors left early this morning (Saturday). They had a busy week, as you can see by the pictures that follow this entry. Most of the days were filled to the brim, except for yesterday, when they had a chance to slow down a bit. Yesterday morning they spent some time at the library of the organization where Nikki works. We ate lunch on the campus and Swami Ritavan met with one of the Yoga students here who is interested in coming to teacher training this summer in St. Paul. In the afternoon they rested and caught up on emails and we went for a short walk before sundown. Eric went out to the mall to see a movie in the afternoon, but found out it was dubbed in Spanish and decided not to stay. He had a big accomplishment this week in taking a taxi to the mall on his own and finding his way back to our apartment. It is not easy since no one goes by the names of the streets, only by landmarks and directions.

Last night we stayed in and Nikki cooked a tradional Shabbat dinner. After dinner they packed and got ready to leave.

Today we did some laundry, rested a bit, and caught up on some chores. We may go see the new Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie (sp?) later on. Our next set of guests, my sister and her friend Pat, arrive in a couple of days.

Pictures from Panama 27 (Panama Viejo-1500s)

2009-01-23T10:36:00.003-06:00

Pictures from Panama 26 (Trip to the Kuna Yala, San Blas, region on the Caribbean side)

2009-01-23T10:15:00.014-06:00

Pictures from Panama 25 (Hike to the top of Ancon Hill with our guests)

2009-01-23T09:54:00.012-06:00

Panama Update #121

2009-01-22T20:53:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #121
January 22, 2008

Early yesterday (Wednesday) morning we took a small plane that seats 20 people to the San Blas/Kuna Yala Region on the Carribean side of Panama. The region is part of Panama, yet is independently governed. Tourists go there to enjoy the nice beaches. Nikki, Swami Ritavan and I took the 20 minute flight on the smallest plane I had ever been on. Eric, our other guest, decided to take a day trip on his own to a place called El Valle. He wanted to see a dormant volcano and hike in the forest. He took a bus there and back, which was about 2 and 1/2 hours each way.

The airport where we landed was in Cortis and had a small concrete building for a terminal. We had arranged ahead of time to stay in the family home of one of the Kuna Yala (Indigenous) people. The host met us as we got off the plane and brought us to a boat that looked like a lifeboat from the Titanic. We were told it would be a half an hour boat ride to where we were staying, but it ended up taking 1 and 1/2 hours. The water was very choppy, which made me more than a little nauseous, but I did not throw up. The family we stayed with were great hosts and we learned a lot about the culture. They lived in a bamboo house that is divided into separate rooms for the bedrooms and kitchen. Most of them sleep on Hammocks. The Kuna have their own language, but the host also spoke Spanish. Since I knew more Spanish than the others, I was the translator for the group, which gave me a lot of practice in listening and speaking. We also met the Chief of the village and saw the hut where they have the gathering place for the village. That is where the governing body meets to discuss the business of the day. It sounds they have a modified communal lifestyle where all the money and crops that are taken in are shared with the whole village. We even had to pay a tax of $3 when we landed and departed, which is the equivalent of a Tourist Visa. The next morning our boat came at 5:00 AM and we just barely made our 6:30 AM flight back to Panama City.

Today we went on a tour of Panama Viejo, which was founded in about 1500 but was destroyed by pirates (Henry Morgan)and then moved to Casco Viejo, another part of Panama, in the 1700s. They have dug up a lot of the remains and you can walk around and see what they have done. There is also a museum explaining everything.

Pictures from Panama 24 (#3-Our guests eating breakfast,#2-The inaugaration, #1-Nikki,Swami Ritavan,and Eric watching the inauguration)

2009-01-20T17:14:00.006-06:00

Panama Update #120

2009-01-20T17:04:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #120
January 20, 2009

We continued to show our guests around. This morning I took Eric and Swami Ritavan on a long bike ride on the Causeway. Our cable was not working, but they really wanted to watch the inaugaration, so we watched CNN International on the TV in the owner's apartment across the hall. This afternoon we took a taxi to Casco Viajo and walked around all the sites there. Tomorrow we are taking a 20 minute plane ride to the San Blas area on the Caribbean side and staying in a home there for one night. We have to catch a plane at about 6:00 AM and then return early the next morning. Eric may not come with us. He is thinking about taking a bus to a dormant volcano about 3 hours away.

Panama Update #119

2009-01-19T21:04:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #119
January 20, 2009

Our houseguests Eric and Swami Ritavan arrived as scheduled last night. Their taxi ride from the airport was the normal $30 and they gave the driver a $10 tip, which they didn't realize was very for Panama. We told them that would cover the driver tips for the whole week. The same driver came to take them to the Miras Flores Locks Observatory, the first major locks of the canal. Early this morning they walked to the top of Ancon Hill and in the afternoon we walked to the large fruit/vegetable market in our area. Tonight we went out to dinner with some Yoga friends at a nice vegetarian restaurant.

Swamin Ritavan took a lot of pictures on their walk to Ancon which I plan to post as soon as I can get to a fast enough internet connection, so stay tuned.

Panama Update #118

2009-01-17T16:47:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #118
January 17, 2009

Our washing machines are installed and working now in our apartment, which is saving us a lot of time from having to haul the laundry to another location. The woman who cleans our apartment is coming now on Thursdays and she will help some with the laundry but mostly we will throw it in as needed. That is the convenient thing about it that we were so used to in the US.

The Yoga class at the organization where Nikki works started again on Thursday. It was 5 weeks since the last class and it was nice to see everyone again and it felt good to give a class again. For now that is the only Yoga class I am giving.

The tutoring business is picking up. I am getting several requests to start tutoring. The requests are mostly from people in the neighborhood who heard that I give English classes and they are interested. I will schedule those in the weekday afternoon and evenings, after I finish my other job.

We are still continuing to bike regulary. Early morning (6:30 AM) is the best time as far as having moderate temperatures and less traffic.

We are expecting two house guests on Sunday night, Eric from Minneapolis and Swami Ritavan. They have been in Costa Rica and Jamaica before comng here and plan to stay for 6 nights. We have a lot of things we can show them, but will take their lead as far as what they are interested in.

Panama Update #117

2009-01-14T16:55:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #117
January 14, 2009

Today I went into work for the 2nd day after break and the adjustment of going back was a little better. There is something about going back to work after a long break that takes me a while to adjust. I have been helping to teach math lessons in Grades 1-7.

In the afternoon I went with Nikki while she renewed her Canal ID. The plan is for me to also have a Canal ID so in the future I can help in the field when she has to enter the secure zone. It will probably take a couple of weeks to get mine. After she renewed her badge, we went to the Canal Library. They have many books in English on the history of the canal, both scientific and otherwise. Nikki found some books she was looking for but mostly she was happy to find a map she needed for her research.

There is a big jazz festival going on here for the next 3 days and it sounds like a lot of the events will be near us in Balboa since it is sponsored by the Canal Administration. We may not go to any of the events, just depends on the schedule.

One of the bright spots of our stay in Panama is Aaron, a colleague of Nikki's (his picutre is in Pictures from Panama 21) . He has been more than generous in helping us to make the adjustment of living here. It is a blessing to meet people like him along the way of life's journey.

Panama Update #116

2009-01-13T19:45:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #116
Tuesday, January 13

I know there is a cold spell going on up north, but Panama is still the same hot place. We have AC in our bedroom and turn it on at night. It is more comfortable to use when sleeping although a lot of people go without. The unit blows right on me so I don't like to go to bed with wet hair. Now I have started taking showers in the morning instead of the evening right before bed. I returned to work today. Mostly I help out the elementary teachers with math lessons. Today we did a lesson using Geoboards. It is still a big adjustment for me to be we with the younger kids again like I was earlier in my career. It probably would not be my first choice of jobs, but the hours are good and the people are nice and it gives me something to do here besides the usual reading and writing.

I have to admit I am starting to look ahead to how much time we have left in Panama. It is 4 and 1/2 months until June 1, which is the target date for leaving. We don't know where we will go after that, but at least for June and July I am planning to be in Minneapolis. I think it is a big accomplishment for me to have made it this long here(6 and 1/2 months). Nikki seems to be fine with it here. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that is causing me to look ahead to when we are leaving. I think it just comes down to what you are used to culturally and also the stores and of course the people and activities in a place.

Panama Update #115

2009-01-11T10:56:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #115
January 11, 2009

Yesterday (Saturday) we went for a long bike ride on the Causeway in the morning. We left by 7 AM which is a great time to go before it gets too hot. The round trip took about an hour and a half. We love to stop at one of the corner markets on the way back and get a bottle of agua de pipa (coconut water). It tastes great when you are thirsty. And it is easy to get thirsty here with all the heat. Last night we saw the movie Australia. It is a long movie but both of thought it was pretty good. Sometimes the new movies are delayed a few months in getting here. At the peak time they still only charge $4 admission. It was a long movie and it was English with Spanish subtitles. Sometimes they dubb the movies and don't have subtitles. Those are good practice for learning Spanish. If it is a children's movie it is at about the right level to understand it.

Our landlord installed our washer and dryer for us and also upgraded the security with bars on some of the windows and a chain on the doors. They are things that they have on most houses here.

I am scheduled to go back to work on Tuesday and have also picked up some clients for private English tutoring. I am tutoring the 5 year old daughter of our landlord a couple of times a week and also some adults in the neighborhood. They have found out that I tutor and have inquired about it. We also found out today that someone who works at the school where I do lives only two doors down from us. I had no idea until we saw him today while we were our for a walk.

Panama Update #114

2009-01-09T20:34:00.004-06:00

Panama Update #114
January 9, 2009

Yesterday was definitley a full day. The owner of the apartment we are renting and a friend had some business to do in the remote Darien Region of eastern Panama. They were researching some land for a farm they want to buy and they asked me if I wanted to come along. Some pictures are posted in the entry that follows. We left at 5:00 AM and got there about 10:00 AM. We stayed only for a short time and returned by 4:00 PM. It was about 9 hours of driving time. The road was OK but had a lot of bumps and rough spots, which is typical of the highways here. They don't seem to put a lot of money into the infrastructure, which I don't understand since better roads would be a bi boost to the commerce in the country. There were some small towns along the way and a couple of nice scenic spots, but other than that it was pretty remote and deserted country.

A half hour after returning a friend picked us up and brought us to a town north of the city called Gamboa. We went to a geology lecutre that Nikki wanted to hear and then had dinner. It was late so we stayed the night and took an eary bus back at about 6:00 AM. They had a nice guest room for us with a folding futon couch. Gamboa is a small town of about 3500 located right on the canal at Gatun Lake. It was built by the Americans and is very quiet with a lot of vegetation. People seem to really like it there although it is a long commute (about 40 minutes) to get to town, so you need a car if you are living there.

Pictures from Panama 22 (Darien Region- 1.Restaurant 2.Bayano Lago 3.River IpretiKuna 4. Kuna House 5. Traveling Companeros-Bayano Lago)

2009-01-09T10:33:00.009-06:00

Panama Update #113

2009-01-07T19:53:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #113
January 7, 2009

Nikki and I had our teeth cleaned with a dentist here. It is the first time we have been to any doctor since arriving 6 months ago. The office was modern and the dentist was fluent in English. He formerly had worked for the US government in Panama as a dentist and stayed on after the land was returned to Panama. He cleaned the teeth himself with the sonar equipment that a lot of the dentists in the US are using now. He had an assistant in the room with him and charged $50 dollars for each of us.

Tomorrow (Thursday) I am spending the day driving to the Darien region of Panama. It is suuposed to be the most wild jungle region of the country, but I will find out. The owner of our apartment has some business out there and he asked me if I wanted to drive along. It is about a 3 hour ride each way and we are leaving at 5:00AM and plan to return by 3:00 PM. I plan to take some pictures and if so can post them on Friday. In the evening tomorrow we are scheduled to go to Gamboa, an area about 30 miles north of town to have dinner with some friends who live up there. It sounds like a long day.

Panama Update #112

2009-01-06T14:21:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #112
January 6, 2009

I have another week of vacation left until school begins next week. So far I have been keeping busy by catching up on some shopping, errands, studying Spanish, writing, and reading. We have cable TV but I have been able to avoid spending too much time watching that. Having wireless internet in our apartment allows me and Nikki to do a lot of work from home. Today I found a bicycle shop that sells many parts. It was difficult to find, but someone gave me the name and it had the parts I needed- a new cale and pedal crank. A guy who is the friend of the owner of the building where we live has a truck and he drove me to the bike shop, helped me find the right parts, and also drove me around for some other shopping. He is not a taxi driver but does errands like that with his truck for his job. He is also a bike mechanic so he helped me fix the problem.

On Sunday AM Nikki joined me for a long bike ride on the Causeway and I did the ride again this morning. It is hot, but if you get out early it is not too bad. We have found a little Chinese restaurant hidden away in the large fruit market near us and have eaten there a couple of times this week for lunch. One of the dishes they serve is homemade rice noodles with tofu and vegetables.

Tomorrow we both have a dental teeth cleaning appointment. The dentist was recommended to us and cleans the teeth himself. It will be our first visit to a dentist since we got here.

Pictures from Panama 21 (New Years Outing- Picture #1-Edible flower #2- Nikki,#3- Daniel,#4-River,#5-River,#6-road lunch,#7-Aaron w/mother anddaughter

2009-01-04T13:25:00.009-06:00

Panama Update #111

2009-01-03T19:33:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #111
January 3, 2008

We have returned from our 3 day trip to western Panama and plan to post some pictures tomorrow, after our camera battery recharges. We went with Aaron, who works with Nikki, and his daughter and mother. We filled up his Toyota SUV. When traveling with a small child there is always a lot to pack and move around. It took about 3 hours to get there. We stopped for cheese empanadas on the way and several other stops as needed for bathroom or snack breaks. It was at a family farm of one of their work colleagues. They have an area for guests to stay that is separate from their house. The walls are open on the roofed structure that is perfect for the dry season. We slept on hammocks and it has running water and flush toilets and a wood stove for cooking. The weather was very pleasant and the atmosphere welcoming and relaxing. The river is a short walk and it has a nice sandy beach. It is great for swimming and we went each of the 3 days. We also took a nice long walk one of the days.

I have another week off before my school job starts again. This coming week I have some English tutoring scheduled along with a Yoga class and some Biofeedback. We also have our first dental teeth cleaning scheduled for Wednesday AM. Our first set of guests from the US arrive in a couple of weeks.

Panama Update #110

2008-12-31T15:18:00.004-06:00

Panama Update #110
December 31, 2009

Happy New Year and Feliz Ano Nuevo! We are taking off tomorrow (Thursday) to another part of Panama for a couple of days with a colleague of Nikki's so I probably will not have another blog entry until January 3 (Saturday).

Our cycling guests left our apartment this morning (see Pictures from Panama 19) and are in search for a boat to Columbia.

Today I gave Nikki a hand in her field work since all her other colleagues are on vacation. On the way, we saw Rod Carew National Stadium (see Pictures from Panama 20). The picture of me is taken by me. It was an experiment with our new camera and it worked OK. You can see a ship in the Canal in the background.

For New Year's Eve tonight we are hanging out at the apartment. Nikki has some work to finish up before we leave town tomorrow. The football bowl game that the University of Minnesota is playing in tonight is on a cable channel that we have here so I'll probably check that.

Pictures from Panama 20 (Rod Carew National Stadium and as a field assistant at the Canal)

2008-12-31T15:01:00.006-06:00

Pictures from Panama 19 (Our Cycling guests at breakfast in our apartment and getting ready to leave in the morning)

2008-12-31T14:53:00.006-06:00

Panama Update #109

2008-12-30T21:13:00.003-06:00

Panama Update #109
December 30, 2008

Today I spent some more time shopping. I found a bike helmet for Nikki and also bought some grocery supplies since it is the first time I have been at the store since we came back from the US. In the afternoon, Ariel ,our cyclist visitor, met up with her two biking companions that have been with her since Guatemala. She started her trip in Mexico City in March and has biked about 3000 miles so far. From here they are looking for a boat to Columbia. I took all of them out to the mall near us tonight because they were looking for some supplies such as a hammock, new sandals, sleeping mat, and pump. They found most, but not all the things. All three of them plan to stay at our house tonight and then they will be on their way tomorrow.

Panama Update #108

2008-12-29T20:30:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #108
December 29, 2008

I called up the same guy who helped us move to this apartment and asked if he could help us pick up a couple of bikes. He has a pick-up truck and does this kind of thing for a living. We originally found him since he is a friend of our landlord. He does not speak English and is of Chinese descent, but communication in Spanish was not a problem. He drove us quite a ways (about 30 minutes)to the Goodwill store where they sell donated bikes for about $50. Nikki found one that she liked and I decided to get another to have for guests. The driver is also a mechanic and he adjusted one of the bikes on the spot to fix some minor problems. He charged us $20 for the round-trip and we gave him a tip for helping fix one of the bikes. Nikki is excited about biking with me tomorrow in the afternoon, after I buy her a helmet in the morning.

Ariel, our first guest in Panama, arrived today. She is the 24 year old daughter of a friend of my sister. She started her journey last March in Mexico City, spent 6 months doing volunteer work in Guatemala, and has finally biked to Panama City. She found her way to the large Police Station near here and I met her there. If her mom is reading this, I had enough bail money to get her out (just kidding). She was separated by her biking partner, but through email has figured out where he is and they will meet up tomorrow and both of them will probably stay here one more night.

Panama Update #107

2008-12-28T21:10:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #107
December 28, 2008

Yeah! Our luggage arrived today at about 8:00 PM with all the things we had bought in the US, so we were very happy about that. I didn't know what the proper protocal was, but the driver from American Air who delivered the things seemed to be waiting around for a tip, so I gave him $5. Today we refilled the refrigerator with items from the fruit and vegetable market and caught up on some sleep. Tomorrow is a laundry day and I am also planning to bike down to the Causeway. We are also expecting house guests. We just heard last week that a daughter of a friend of my sister Laurie's and her two body guard friends who have been biking across Mexico and Central America for the last several months are arriving in Panama City tomorrow. They plan to stay at our apartment for a couple of nights so I can report in the blog more information about them and their trip.

Pictures from Panama 18 (Los Angeles)TOP:Daniel-Cousin Barbara-Nikki, MIDDLE: Nikki-Daniel-Aunt Betty, BOTTOM: Barbara, Daniel, Aunt Betty

2008-12-28T17:09:00.006-06:00

Pictures from Panama 17 (more from Coeur d'Alene) Top: Eating dinner with Marilee, Red and Carolyn (Nikki's mom) Bottom:Lighting the Hannukah candles

2008-12-28T15:59:00.007-06:00

Panama Update #106

2008-12-27T22:14:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #106
December 27, 2008

WE ARE BACK IN PANAMA afer 12 days of running around in the US. It seems funny to be back, yet familiar at the same time. Our flight today on American Air from SF to Dallas was over an hour late. We made our connection to Panama but our luggage did not. The airlines said they would deliver it tomorrow (Sunday), but I'll believe it when I see it.

In the 12 days we visited many places and people and it was too much running around but we had a good time visiting with everyone in SF, Berkeley, Oakland, Ceour d'Alene, and LA- Carolyn, Red, Marilee, Fred, Ran, Betty, and Barbara. We had a lot of back and forth and early morning shuttles, including this morning at 4:00 AM. Tomorrow I'll plan to post some more pictures from the trip.

Panama Update #105

2008-12-24T21:59:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #105
December 24, 2008

The shuttle picked us up this morning at 4:oo AM to bring us to the Spokane airport. We had a nice visit in Idaho. It was short but I think everybody had a good time. We arrived with our luggage in Los Angeles as scheduled. Even with all the weather mess and crowded airports we made it from Spokane to Oakland to LA on time. My cousin Barbara picked us up at the Burbank airport and because of the holidays, the traffic was very light. We had a nice lunch with my Aunt Betty and then went for a walk around the neighborhood. LA is surprisingly and unusually cold and rainy. The weather is very similar to SF with drizzle and highs around 50. On the way back from the walk we saw a sign advertising for a foot massage in the strip mall across the street. Nikki and I both made appointments and came back later in the afternoon for a one hour massage at a very good price. I think it helped both of us a lot. We needed something like that with all the flying and weather changes we have been experiencing on this trip. This morning we started to feel the effects of schleppling our things and bodies through so many airports and cities in the last few days. Tomorrow we may go for a walk or bike ride along the ocean or see a movie, depending on the weather.

Pictures from Panama 16 (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)

2008-12-23T19:06:00.007-06:00

Daniel and Red (red jacket) and Nikki (blue) shoveling snow in northern Idaho. A slight contrast to Panama. Taken with our new camera. The previous camera was another victim of the Panama humidity.

Red taking off his boots.

Nikki and her mom (Carolyn).

Panama Update #104

2008-12-23T18:50:00.004-06:00

Panama Update #104
December 23, 2008

The snow let up today in the Spokane area and our plan is to be picked up tomorrow at 4:00 AM by a shuttle van that will bring us to the airport. It takes about an hour and a half to get there from Nikki's mom's house in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. We switch planes in Oakland and then go to LA where we would like to take a long walk in the afternoon to get some exercise. We haven't gotten much exercise here because of the cold.

Panama Update #103

2008-12-21T19:34:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #103
December 21, 2008

We arrived in Spokane, WA today from Oakland on SW air at about 11:30 AM. Our flight was only delayed for only about 10 minutes even with all the weather problems in the area. The people going to Portland were not so lucky. While we were waiting to board our flight we heard that the airport in Portland, OR was closed for the day because of an ice storm. They announced that all people at the airport who had a flight to Portland should go home and try again tomorrow. We were also slow to leave the plane once we landed in Spokane because a woman got sick in flight and they called any doctors on the plane to help out. They thought she was having a heart attack, but it turned out to be some complications from her blood pressure medication. The paramedics met the plane in Spokane and they took her immediately to the hospital. I found all this out by talking to some family members at the baggage claim. I had met the woman and her family before the flight, while we were waiting in Oakland.

It was a high of about 12F in Spokane today with a windchill of 0F. Earlier in the week they had 3 feet of snow on one day and the airport was closed here 2 days ago. We are scheduled to leave for LA on Wednesday so hopefully that will work out with all the weather problems. The contrast to Panama weather and the winter weather here is amazing. I haven't had culture shock yet on this trip to the states, but moving into deep winter weather is bringing me there. I have my silk long underwear with me and some heavier clothes, so I have been warm so far. Nikki's mom lives in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho which is about 50 miles from Spokane.

I have traveled to so many cities and different weather conditions in the last couple of months (in addition to all the places in Panama) that my head is spinning trying to get used to the idea of Miami, Houston,Austin, San Francisco, Coeur d'Alene, and still Oakland and LA yet to come on this leg. I know many people have this type of travel lifestyle, but for me it has been about 10 years since I have run around so much.

Panama Update #102

2008-12-20T23:20:00.001-06:00

Panama Update #102
December 20, 2008

Today I took the BART over to Berkeley at about 1:00 PM. Nikki and I had made plans to meet after her meeting at about 5:30 PM at an Ethiopian restuarant on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley. The BART took about 30 minutes from the Civic Center stop near us and cost $3.40. When I arrived I could see a big Farmer's Market down the street from the station, near a park and city hall. They had about 75 booths selling all sorts of different organic foods, prepared and raw. I hadn't eaten lunch yet, and I find a seaweed burrito and some Indian style pancake and ate in the park. After lunch I found a bike rental place and explored around the UC-Berkeley campus and some other parts of the city. There was a huge art fair on Telegraph Ave. that was packed with art booths and people. They had some Hare Krishna group chanting on the sidewalk, which I haven't seen in a long time. They also had booths that were selling radical bumper stickers and all the crazy stuff that you can imagine.

After I returned the bike and walked back over to meet Nikki, there was a UC/UNLV basketball game going on and they let me in for free since it was already the 2nd half. I watched for about an hour since I had some time before meeting Nikki. It was a pretty good game and I think UC won, but I left before it was over. When I met up with Nikki we found out the Ethiopian restaurant was closed, so we did not have a chance to eat that kind of food here. We haven't had good Ethiopian food since we were in Ethiopia a little over a year ago. Nikki found a tea and herb shop that she really liked and bought a bunch of different teas to bring back to Panama.

Tomorrow the shuttle is supposed to pick us up at 6 AM and take us to the Oakland airport and then on to Spokane, weather permitting.

Panama Update #101

2008-12-19T23:32:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #101
December 19, 2008

After 3 days of doing errands in San Francisco, I had completed all of the things I wanted to do, so today I decided to do some tourist activities and Nikki was able to join me. We walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and along the way stopped at a tea store where they make samples for you of exotic and expensive teas. At Fisherman's Wharf we rented bikes and went along the trail to the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn't go all the way to the bridge, but saw some nice sites along the way such as a view of Alcatraz and the Palace of Fine Arts. It was a beautiful sunny day here but windy and cooler than average, maybe about 50 for a high. We returned the bikes and took a cable car to Chinatown where we found a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. From there we took a bus to a huge Old Navy Store on Market Street in the shopping district and Nikki found a few things to buy. After that we walked back to the Youth Hostel. Nikki has a meeting in Berkeley tomorrow (Saturday) so the plan is for me to meet her there later in the day and go to an Ethiopian Restaurant. I may go early and rent another bike and explore around there in the afternoon.

It has been about 30 years since I have spent time looking around SF, but my impression this trip is that it is a city that works. The population is large enough and dense enough that the public transportation system here is great. The buses come so often that you don't need to check a schedule and they are only $1.50 to ride. We plan to take the BART system to Berkeley tomorrow. This is in contrast to Panama City, where the traffic is terrible and the public transportation does not work well. There also seems to be a vibrant, open, fluid, and accepting energy here with a large diversity of people. It is a real international city like Panama City is. There are a lot of street people, but even they (the ones that are awake) seem happy somehow. It is easy to see why people like it here. They have something for everyone and more.

We are scheduled to leave for Spokane early on Sunday AM. They have been having some big storms there and had to close the airport a couple of days ago, so whether we go there is a day to day decision and we will have to call the airlines again tomorrow night to check the status. We found out that Southwest will refund flight amounts, if necessary, without a hassle, which makes it very different than the other larger airlines.

Pictures from Panama #15 (San Francisco)

2008-12-17T17:00:00.007-06:00

Nikki explaining her Poster to someone at the conference (2008 American Geophysical Union).

Nikki setting up her Poster and making last minutes edits.

Panama Update #100

2008-12-16T22:16:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #100
December 16, 2008

This is the 100th entry to the blog since leaving Minneapolis on July 10, 2008. If anyone ever has any comments about the blog, feel free to write me at my email address, since it cannot be posted directly.

I am writing today from San Francisco. We arrived at the downtown City Center Hostel at about 10:00 PM last night. We left for the airport in Panama at about 4:00 AM yesterday morning. It took about 18 hours to get here, including time waiting at the airport in Panama City and Miami. We had a 5 hour layover in Miami and the flight left an hour late. It is more than 6 hours flying time from Miami to SF. On the flight to Miami we were given seats right next to the bathroom, but found some empty seats and moved away a bit. We sat next to a Jewish woman from Panama who told us about the community there and wants to have us over some time. She told us about the popular Rabbi in Panama who had recently passed away after serving the community for the last 60 years. She said his son plans to take over. She has a place in both Miami and Panama.

Today in SF I had a bunch of errands to do and will continue on more tasks for the next couple of days while Nikki is busy at the conference. I accomplished more today walking around than I could in about 2 months in Panama with a lot of taxi rides. The place we are staying is very convenient to a lot of restaurants and stores that are on streets called Geary, Larkin, Polk, and California. I found a Best Buy and got a new wireless card, a tea shop that has exotic teas in bulk, a Whole Foods, a shoe repair, a drug store, a hardware store, a post office, and a bookstore. I had Thai food for lunch and we found a great Indian restaurant for dinner. We have plans to go to a vegetarian Chinese in the area and another in Chinatown, along with an Ethiopian restaurant if the timing works out.

Panama Update #99

2008-12-14T12:17:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #99
December 14, 2008

Nikki stayed up all night last night to finish her Poster for the conference in SF. The taxi is supposed to pick us up for the airport at 4:30 AM tomorrow. We have a 5 hour layover in Miami and are supposed to arrive in SF at 7:00 PM so it will be a long day.

While Nikki was busy working on her poster, I have been fixing up and riding a bicycle that I recently bought for $20 from a friend who is leaving Panama soon. I found a mechanic in Balboa (a section of town close to us) who normally works on cars, but has all the proper tools that were needed for the bike. Early in morning today (about 7:00 AM), the weather was very pleasant and I rode the bike out the Causeway, which has a nice bike path along the ocean. It was probably the funnest thing I have done so far in Panama, so when we return from the trip I plan to do it more often. Nikki will also probably buy a bike when we get back. I found a route that allowed me to stay on the sidewalk the whole way, if necessary, because of the traffic.

I read that the high temperature in Minneapolis, Minnesota tomorrow is only supposed to be zero degrees farenheit, so I appreciate biking along the ocean.

Many of the people that Nikki works with are leaving soon for the holidays and many will not return, so we have said goodbye the best we could. Because Nikki was busy with her work this weekend we had to cancel some social events. If you read this, goodbye Marina and enjoy Vancouver. We will do our best to baby sit Aaron while you are gone.

Panama Update #98

2008-12-12T21:27:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #98
December 12, 2008

In addition to the blog, I have gotten a lot of writing done here over the last 5 months. I have finished essays called Why Collect Things, Staying Positive, and Home. If anyone is interested in seeing them, send me an email. I have also set a goal of reading in both Spanish and English as much as I can. In English I am reading a anthology of nature writings and in Spanish I am reading a book called El Libro de la Nada by Osho. Both are slow going, especially the Spanish book since I have to look up a lot of words. Since we are about half-way through our stay in Panama I am assessing how to best spend my time for the second half here. It looks like my job at the school will continue, but there will still be some time for other activities.

Panama Update #97

2008-12-11T15:58:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #97
December 11, 2008

Nikki's big talk on Tuesday went well. I walked over to the talk with Nikki from our apartment. We were in a big hurry and I forgot the camera, so sorry that I do not have pictures to share. The talk was about climate and land-use in Ethiopia and how it affected the societies about 3000 years ago. It is based on the research she did in Ethiopia the last two years. The powerpoint was one hour long and she took some questions after. There were about 25-30 people there. She met some researchers here who she had not met before and got some good connections from that. Now she switches gears and is preparing a Poster to present at the San Francisco AGU conference on her work here.

Today I finished work at the school until January 13, a long winter break (they call it summer here). Today is also the last Yoga class until January 8. Everyone at the organization here where Nikki works seems to be dispersing for 2 or 3 weeks over the holidays. Some will return and others have ended their time here. We have seen a lot of people come and go in our 5 months here, including some very good friends from different countries that we plan to keep in touch with.

Panama Update #96

2008-12-09T12:38:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #96
December 9, 2008

Nikki's big talk is today at 4:00 PM. I am planning to take some pictures of it to post on the next blog. She stayed up all night last night putting the finishing touches on the presentation and talk.

Today is the 2nd day in a row without rain, so maybe it is changing seasons here now. I check the weather in Minneapolis almost everyday to see what we are missing. So far it looks like a cold and snowy winter.

After this week we will be taking a 3 week break with the Yoga class. When we return in January we may go to one time a week, depending on the turnout. That would free me up to offer a class in a different location, but we will see what happens.

We leave for San Francisco in less than a week, on the 15th.

A friend sold me a bike for cheap which needs a couple repairs. When we get it going, Nikki might also get a bike. When we return from the trip to States, we may start biking out to the causeway regularly, which would be a great place to bike. We think we can do it pretty easily from our apartment.

Panama Update #95

2008-12-07T17:32:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #95
December 7, 2008

While Nikki was busy working today (Sunday) I did some errands around town. I bought some holiday gifts, fancy imported sweets, for the people we work with. The Kosher Grocery has all sorts of specialty items like that. We were also craving our new favorite drink, Agua de Pipa (coconut water) so I ran out to another store to get that. Sundays are easiest for shopping since the traffic is not bad and it is easy to find a taxi. Tomorrow I am going to show some new friends here the giant outdoor fruit market that we shop at since they have never been here before. It is Mother's Day in Panama tomorrow, and it is a national holiday, so the school where I work is closed. There sure are a lot of holidays here in November and December. They also have a big carnival in February and another big break later in the spring. The weather here has been much drier lately and some people are saying that it is now switching to the dry season, where it doesn't rain much for about 3 months. Everyone seems excited about that since there has been so much rain lately.

Panama Update #94

2008-12-05T09:44:00.002-06:00

Panama Update #94
December 5, 2008

Nikki is busy preparing for a big talk she gives next Tuesday, December 9. It is the main talk for the week at the organization she works for and all employees and the public are invited. She is speaking on the research she conducted in Ethiopia over the last 2 years, before coming to Panama. After that talk, then she has 5 days to prepare for the poster she is presenting at the American Geological Union (AGU) in San Francisco. She is also continuing to see an Ayurvedic doctor down here who she likes a lot. She has made her appointments early in the morning since we live on the other side of town and the traffic is so bad. The taxi driver picks her up at 5:30, it takes about a half-hour to get there, and then she returns home by about 7:00 AM. She gets some massage, therapy, herbal tea, and suggestions on diet and nutrition. In order to get a taxi driver to come to the house at that time, she has to pay him $6 to driver her over there, which by Panama standards is expensive, but otherwise it would be difficult to find someone.