me on the beach
view from the balcony
fishing village
Of course we
maximized our drive into the city by visiting PriceSmart and the mall to get a
few things. Next week when we go we need to stop at the office of our shipping
company to get them the information they need to ship our things to us. It is
located in or near the Albrook Mall so it should be easy to find.
We went to
Orele’s Taco & Tequilas last Sunday and noticed a building that has been
under construction for quite some time had a Riba Smith sign on it. Riba Smith
is a grocery store that really is only in the city and it caters to getting
specialty foods from all over the world and people say that if you request something
they can usually get it for you. It will be a “mini” one so it will be
interesting to see what they have. They opened this weekend, so will check it
out next week. They are supposed to have a great bakery and prepared foods
center as well diet type foods etc. So, we were excited to see it! (now we have
a 4th store to add to our shopping afternoon….and it normally takes
a whole afternoon!) Luckily, the 4 stores are just across the street from each
other with Riba being just a few minutes more down the same road……
Wednesday we
went to Picasso’s and a couple we meet while walking on the beach one morning
were there and some of the real estate people sat with us. They invited us to
go whale watching with them the next day. We have been wanting to do that, but
unless you have a group it’s really expensive, so we of course said “YES!”.
Three cars of
people drove to the city. The couple we met on the beach rode with us. They are
here checking out options for retirement. Like us they scoped out a few other
countries before deciding. We had a private boat that the Inside Panama couple
had rented and they brought tons of food. There were about 16 of us with a
couple of crew. We had a welcome aboard mimosa and they served us a nice brunch
and had snacks out all day. Then, a late lunch of chicken sandwiches, beans and
chips etc. We lucked out and had a beautiful day weather-wise. They stopped at
one point to let people swim if they wanted to, but we still hadn’t seen any
whales. Then, on the way back we saw quite a few of them. Huge ones! No
breaching, but lots of bodies and tails. There was rain all around us, but we
missed it all until we got back to the city and there was a light rain.
Bridge of the Americas
transport to the whale boat
our host & crew
shrimp boat
somebody's yacht is being delivered
One of the
ladies that had been visiting here is headed back to the States to sell
everything and she plans to return next June. Another lady is still in the Air
Force Reserves plans to return when she gets finished with her last project.
Interesting that there are so many single women down here. I knew there were
quite a few single men here as it is “easy” to find a nice Panamanian woman.
Also quite a few young people raising their families here. Most from the U.S.
or Canada. There was a young woman on the whale tour that took some fantastic
photos of our trip and I will post those when I get a chance. She is from the
Netherlands. Came down as a nanny for a Dutch family visiting and stayed. We
are meeting lots of interesting people!
We have been
watching a family of Yellow Headed Caracara raise their baby. I think the
young one has finally gotten his adult feathers because we have not seen him
lately, but still see the adults. We also have tons of parakeets here. They
chitter in the trees all the time, but can be hard to see. We have seen a few
pairs nesting in holes in palm tree trunks lately. When I get through our
Panama pictures I will put some of them in the album. They are pretty green
& blue with peach bills & chins.
We also see blue & grey tanagers and others. (yes, we are bird nerds…) Today we saw a very different hummingbird and we are trying to identify it.
We also see blue & grey tanagers and others. (yes, we are bird nerds…) Today we saw a very different hummingbird and we are trying to identify it.
Well, not
much else new this week……
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