Panama - Day Three

We wake, make coffee and hit the beach, all before 8AM. We want to see if the fisherman have their nets out and sure enough, there’s a group in either direction, working the nets. We walk in the direction of the group we have never seen before. They are younger and catch far less than the other group we have seen. It appears they have to pay off the police, who stand around and watch until the nets are up, and then help themselves to two plastic bags of fish.

This is our last day, we must leave early in the morning for a Noon flight. We decided to find a bar (we had read about online) and try the burger they bragged about. XS Memories Sports Bar is about one mile from where we are.

The burgers are OK, but the wild life on display was much better. Toucans, parrots, squirrel monkeys and lots more birds in large cage all over the well kept grounds. Worth the 5 minute drive and the price of a burger & beer ($4.50). The owners are Americans and were having a fund raiser the next day for local school.

Back to #11. Beach, beers, cigars and relaxing. Trying not to think about leaving tomorrow, But at the same time talking about somewhere new to go.

Panama - Day Two

So…We woke early the next morning, had coffee and headed to the beach for a pre-breakfast walk. The “teams” are at it again. They have just started to pull the net in. You can tell because the birds are circling overhead. We hurry to see the catch. Huge. A couple of string-rays (again) and thousands of fish. Pelicans get some. Black turkey buzzards get some. All on the team take home plastic bags full.

We try to ask how they divided up the catch, how they are related and what do they do with all the catch, but very little of our English is understood. Only smiling people looking back at us. Back to #11 for breakfast and to prepare for a relaxing morning on the beach. As this is our first beach trip for the year, we can only handle so much sun in one sitting. Time for more beers and a little break. We get in the car and drive to the mini super or bodega, which is about 5 minutes from #11. You can get eggs, 35 cents beers, rum, Spanish wines, bug spray, coffee - you know - the important stuff. We only have a one hundred dollar bills and 4.25 in change.

Today, they cannot make change, so we get 8 beers, 4 eggs for $3.40. Just what we needed. When we drive back to Las Sirenas, I see Mr. Inez. He is sitting in the same spot as when we checked in. He seems to oversee the other workers that do yard work, collect trash and exchange dirty towels for clean ones. He’s good, but no English at all. I tell Tracy to stop. I will see if he can make change on the $ 100. Tracy chuckles and says “Good Luck.” I walk over to where he is sitting. It’t outside the cottage that says “Recepcion”. He looks at me. I hold up the one hundred dollar bill and say “make change” and “picito”. He looks at me, then at the bill. Takes it. Looks for the magnetic strip, making sure it’s real. Then opens his check in log book, there’s money in the pages. He counts out 5 $ 20 bills. Perfect. As I get in the car, Tracy says “Pretty Good”.

Late afternoon and we are ready for some air conditioning. A shower and ceiling fan feel really good. A pupu platter with apples, nuts, chirizo and leftover cheese from the restaurant and a white Spanish riojas wine. For entertainment, we have brought along a portable dvd. We rented Borat and the series WEEDS - first season. We sit on the back porch, looking at the dvd and relaxing well into the evening. The bedroom is the only room with actual air-conditioning. The kitchen/living room and the back porch have ceiling fans. The bedroom keeps just above freezing.

It’s really easy to sleep. We are so spoiled.

Panama - End of Day One

Sunset, beer, tequila and watching a boat drop a net for the catch. Cannot figure out what is going on. Will watch and look. Try to learn.

The boat is barely off the beach where the waves break. He has dropped a flag to signify the start of the net. We watch, he moves slowly and is about a mile from shore, having stretched the net out to sea. Different from the beach scene earlier in the day.

The sun disappears, we can still see the sun in the distance. A light flashing every so often. OK, he wins. We are hungry and there is no sign of him pulling up net.

We decided to go to a restaurant that we passed on the drive-in. It’s only about 5 miles up the street, on top of a hill. The Camerones.

The place is all lit up with lots of chairs. 4 tables are occupied. One is a table of eight, that happens to be the gringos staying at out place. The restaurant has table cloths and lots of candles, but no walls. Open air with a thatched roof overhead. Very nice. Our server brings the menu, which is in Spanish and English, and offers to get cocktails. Beer and tequila is a good start. Ceviche - cool and refreshing - either with shrimp, octopus or fish. We choose fish. He’s off to get our starters and we continue reading the menu.

I read two words (actually 4 in Spanish) shrimp and garlic. That makes it an easy decision for me. Tracy is found of rellaneos, usually breaded and fried peppers stuffed with all kinds of goodies. Looking at the menu, we were not sure stuffed with what, so we tried to ask.

Both are pork, but one was jowls and the other intestine. Let’s go with the jowls.

Drinks and ceviche arrive - yum! Fish, diced onions “cooked” in a vinaigrette. Perfect.

Large shrimp with heads on sauteed in garlic and butter. So simple, so good.

The rellaneos are four small roasted red peppers cleaned and peeled. Stuffed and smothered with pork. Very good, but not what we are used to.

The gringos speak as they are leaving, acknowledging Tracy as the fisherman from today on the beach.

Dessert, no thank you, but they do have a cheese plate. In Panama ? Why not.
It is supposed to be 5 cheeses but our server tells us they have only 3. It’s ok, we will still try it. I think they only have 2 ( brie and manchego) but they put enough on the plate, that we took some home for a pupu platter the next afternoon. All in all, a nice evening out.

Back to Las Sirenas #11.

Santa Clara - Panama - Day One

So…
Most mornings are very quiet in Santa Clara - Panama. The sky is gray with low clouds not yet burned off from the soon to be hot sun. Coffee is good and strong. We sit and listen to the waves crash, the birds singing and the heat thunder rumble.

A girl on horseback comes riding up the beach with a stray horse along side. He’s at full gallop and kicking his hind legs, trying to play with the other horse. Other guests are starting to come down to the beach for their morning walk. It’s a typical morning in Santa Clara- Panama. It’s nice to be in #11 - right on the beach.

For breakfast, scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes and chrizo sausage. Corn cakes with orange marmalade and strong coffee. Then a long walk on the beach.

We see some fisherman on the beach. They are slowly dragging in a net they had set hours before. It’s a team effort to drag the net in. They start about a hundred yards apart, in teams of eight to twelve, slowly pulling in the net that was stretched out to sea, in hopes of catching fish. As the net gets closer to the beach, more people come down to observe. It’s slow and tedious work.

My “gringo” husband has stepped in and has been helping pull for about 15 minutes. As the center of the net is visible, he yells to the others “Hey, how about some help?”. The eight “gringos” jump in to help.

Finally, the center of the net is on the beach. Fish are jumping and making a lot of motion. Pulling the net in means working with the waves. The fish in the nets weigh it down and it takes all efforts to get “the catch” to the beach.

Lots of fish. Lots of birds overhead. Quite a production. The net is in the sand where the waves hit the beach. Fish, eels and sting rays are in the net. The Locals are throwing the rays to the side. A woman is kneeling down with a knife, cutting on the sting rays. We asked what she was doing. It’s difficult, as she does not speak English and we do not speak Spanish. But she does say “tongue”, “medicine” and “asthme”. [As a side note, we really need to learn Spanish. How ridiculous not to know the language]. Other locals that were working the net have plastic bags or plastic laundry baskets. They begin throwing fish into each. Birds are swarming overhead. People are throwing small fish into the air, as the birds are diving to catch them.

The rain begins to move in. The Fishermen are happy with their catch. Everyone eats tonight !

Relaxing on the beach, eating and reading filled our afternoon.

Arriving in Panama

So…

Our jobs afford us the flight benefits and the time for travel. A couple of weeks ago, we found ourselves on our way to the Republic of Panama. It’s our second trip to Santa Clara, Panama - a tiny fishing village an hour and half west of Panama City. Beach and relaxation here we come. The drive is a an easy one, once you get to the PanAmerican Highway. A straight hour and fifteen minute drive, no turns, no exits, just straight ahead.

We did make two stops for cold 8oz beers at .35cents each. A quick stop at the “REY” a 24 hour supermarket for provisions for our stay, then on to Las Sirenas, where we find Mr. Inez waiting in his usual spot. He is the resident innkeeper at Las Sirenas, speaks very little english, but takes good care of you. He must remember us, as he takes our credit card, gives us the key and does not walk us to the cottage - like the first time.

Las Sirenas has hilltop cottages overlooking the Pacific Ocean or cottages right on the beach. We choose # 11 - the closest cottage to the beach. The cottage has an air-conditioned bedroom, living room (with sofa beds), porch (with hammock) and a fully-equipped kitchen. We turn the a/c all the way up, unpack our groceries, and change into shorts. A couple of .35 cents beers later, we truly begin our vacation.

Fourth of July

We started early with a pre-fourth of July dinner at Repast. We’d been there once before and really enjoyed it, so the choice was easy.

Chilled summer corn soup, ginger shrimp summer rolls and fried oysters for me. A foie gras appetizer special and grilled hanger steak for Tracy. Martinis and Wine. We are off to a really great start.

In the morning, we get up early to drive to Serenbe. They (the community) are having a Fourth of July parade and have invited us to participate. Actually, Tracy helped build the frame for a float, so, they have cordially invited both of us to been in the parade.

We arrive about 9:20. The float is GREAT. The body of the float has a lot of pink and red tissue paper, green tissue paper around the edges, black paper sprinkled in for seeds. It’s a perfect slice of Watermelon.

The girls have tiaras and pink sashes that proclaim “Watermelon Queen” and the guys have large red, white and blue hats and t-shirts that say “I’m with the Queen” on the front and “Watermelon Parade Brigade” on the back. Festive beads and dum-dum lollipops are the throws. Fun.

It turns out to be the only float in the parade but there are small children in various types of motorized vehicles, a couple of horses and many residents dressed in red, white and blue. Quite a production for a relatively new community. It will only get bigger and better in the years to come.

Home by Noon. Ribs on the grill. Nap until 3. Ribs, corn and potato salad at 5pm.

Our neighbors, Julie, Mark and Madighan came over for a late evening dessert of stawberries and shortcake. We hung a huge 15 foot by 25 foot flag from the trees in the yard. A few cocktails on the porch and we are ready to see fireworks.

Living in a small community like East Point, we have only to walk about 3 blocks and see a really awesome fireworks display.

It’s been a nice day.

Mark Mothersbaugh

The other night, Stacey and I went to the Rabbit Hole Gallery to see a Mark Mothersbaugh show. If you don't know, Mothersbaugh is a founding member of Devo, the 80s eletronic band with a great sense of humor. The show was named Beautiful Mutents. Mothersbaugh has recently been writing music for Tim Burton movies and the television show Rug Rats. He has probably been doing lots of work I don't even know about. For the last ten years, he has also produced prints of images made with a technic he has developed. He uses antique photos and a computer to create some very hauntingly beautiful works of art. Most pieces are portraits of one or more people. He stretches out or shrinks up the original image to make a face look slightly wider or more narrow. This gives the subject a freakish look. A tight tiny, face may appear to have pinched eyes or a fellow in a suit, wearing a hat is streched out enough to add a third leg. Hence "Beautiful Mutants".

The pieces looked very antique. The edge of some prints was faded and the frames were carved from dark wood. Old style gold print identified and dated some of the pieces. The names of a few of the pieces are "Baby Hoodie-Hoo, Portage County Trailer Park", "Halfway Sammy", "Two Suitors for Honeysuckle". The pieces ranged in price from $300 to $800.

Stacey and I purchased one named "Fairy Queen, Lisboa". It was one of the larger ones. The lady in it reminded us of an antique Mardi Gras Queen holding her hands in the air. And with our connections to Mobile Mardi Gras, we couldn't resist.

It was a really good show, I am glad we heard about it. We did not go with the intention of buying a piece but liked them so much we must have one.

Mothersbaugh was not there but the soundtrack was a special recording he had made for the art show. It was heavy organ music, quite fitting for the art.

Ingenuity Cleveland is hosting the next Mothersbaugh showing.