June 15 to June 22

Monday we went to see some condos in Gorgona. (less than 10 minutes from here) One looked OK on the internet, but they weren’t very nice once we got there. Not to mention a really bumpy road to get to it. They are only 3 years old, but even the realtor said “Don’t you get the feeling they are at least 20 years old?” That pretty well summed it up! He took us to the building he lives in and they were nice but we really liked the ones in Coronado Bay, so we will wait to get in there. We also liked the building right next to where this realtor lives pretty well too (Bahia), but we like the convenience of living a bit closer to the town with the most shopping etc. The guy who showed us the condos was from Arizona so it was fun to talk to him about the different areas we lived in. When I mentioned 32^nd and Shea it really brought back memories for him. (and me)

Tuesday the car guy Len called to say he could take us to the city to see about a car. We went Thursday and he had gotten in a new vehicle at his place which he wanted us to try. It’s a Lexus SUV, but had a lot of miles and a bit on the large size for here. So, he and his wife Lynn drove us to the city to the Honda dealership that has a used car lot across the street. We had it narrowed down to 3 vehicles which we drove and he looked them over. We decided on a 2010 Honda CRV with 4 wheel drive for the roads here. We liked the Nissan Qashqai too, but the CRV had more power, low mileage and great tires. We hope to pick it up next week. We need to wire money to their bank and then once they receive it, we can go back and get it. Len is taking care of the insurance so that will be in place when we pick it up. Easy Peasy! We stopped for a light late lunch with them and then he took us to PriceSmart (like a Costco). We definitely will join as they had a lot of things we can’t get here in Coronado and pretty good prices. Plus, the city has more stores where you can find just about anything you need. He and his wife are very nice and we chatted about just about everything on the drive down and back.

Later that day we met with a guy that rents out several condos at Coronado Bay. We looked at 4 or 5 on different floors. They were all furnished exactly the same way. After seeing the first one with a yellow green wall (just the one) with a red couch in front of it, I was hoping the next one would be decorated differently. Of course to Greg color means nothing and he was ready to rent one. (and we may) I wanted to wait and see what Cat came up with later this week.

Wednesday we went to the Happy Hour at Picasso’s where we ran into our realtor Cat and her associate at Inside Panama Realty and she introduced us to a nice French Canadian couple that have been here just a few months as well. So, we chatted with them and since it was standing room only we called it an early night. (my feet just can’t stand in one place very long….) They also had a local band playing “oldies” that were quite good. Cat did say that she had at least 2 to show us on either Friday or Saturday. (we looked up one of them and it was another one decorated by that same guy….) I’m hoping the other one is different. Either way we will pick one of them as we want to leave here at the end of our 1 month commitment. The hot/cold water situation is a pain and having our own laundry room would be a plus. Here we have the use of one, but the dryer doesn’t heat so we have to hang everything up to dry. Plus, Greg really likes the exercise room they have at Coronado Bay. (on the top floor looking out over the ocean) Now, he drives into town to a small one there and pays as he goes.

Today marks our 2^nd week here in Panama! Cat showed us 1 condo today and said the other unit had people still living there and couldn’t show it until next Tuesday. It was on a much lower level so the views wouldn’t be as good, so we decided to rent the one on the 10^th floor for 6 months with option to stay on longer. (yep, same red and green area, but the rest of the condo is tasteful enough.  LOL) We set it up to move in on the 1^st of July despite the fact that we are paid up here until the 8^th. That way we can get in a do a few things and probably move in asap. It’s got quite a nice view of the ocean and the beach and the mountains in the other direction. Unlike here it is all electric vs. propane so the water situation should be better there. (no scalding on and off with cold) Electricity here is more expensive so most prefer the low cost of the propane. I think if there was a larger tank here it might get more consistent pressure, but……perhaps not.

So, we had a pretty productive week. Found a vehicle and a place to stay while we continue to look at other areas close by.

Here is a link to where we are staying now: www.panamamundo.com We are in the Las Palmas Villa. We do highly recommend the villas, they are clean  and in a beautiful setting. Very quiet and serene, which has been nice. Richard & Lise have been great! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPtK28slRmo  This is a video on youtube of the unit we rented.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEBnM_2AYr0  This is a video on the Coronado area. Eventually, we will get out and take some photos of the area as well, but these are better than anything we can do. (though ours may paint a bit more realistic picture….)

Renting in Coronado Bay for 6 months should determine if we can be “condo people” or not. Adjusting to such a small place will take some getting used to, but I guess we did just have almost 4 months on a cruise ship in a small cabin. We’ll see….. ‘Til next week….Hasta Luego!