Ojo de Agua, Panama

Panamanian Chicken Hawk!

One of the beauty of tropical beaches is you never know what may wash up on them. Unfortunately during the start of the rainy season, many years, it’s a lot of garbage. But at times, beautiful pieces of hardwood timber wash up. Not to long ago I was lucky enough to pick up one of these great pieces of timber off the beach, throw it in the back of my car, drive it to Ojo de Agua, clean it up, and make a living room table out of it.

Any beach comber would consider it a great find. A large piece of Cedro Espino, or Spiny Cedar, these are the native trees with the large spines on the trunk and branches. I have lots of young ones planted around the property.

Dexter helped me load the log into the back of the pathfinder to get her to the property and then came up with the idea for the frame using wood scraps from around the job site.

The large furniture piece took a number of days to plane, sand and seal. After all the work, the table turned out beautiful and is a nice addition to the home.

I do not generally post articles that others have written. Occasionally I or my good friend that created my website will post something about Panama that has come out in an international publication, but it’s rare. I really should do more of it because now more than ever there’s a lot of good press about Panama. I am making an exception this time because something I read on ExpatExchange caught my eye. I am a member of ExpatExchange, a forum for Expat’s or those interested in becoming one that is segregated into different countries so people can create topics, ask questions and exchange information. I receive emails as people discuss topics, I almost never reply because I do not know how to using my Blackberry and am to busy doing other things once I am online with my Mac. But, I enjoy reading the banter between those that are here in Panama and those that are potential expats back in there home country investigating “their move” to Panama.
On ExpatExchange one guy, 802Mark, always has good information and he never sugar coats it, which I really like. Recently he was responding to a post and really articulated what it is like living here in Panama. I have had many very similar experiences as he mentions in his comment. I took the liberty to correct some of the grammar only so it would read more clearly, since it is a forum, I don’t think he was to worried about it. It’s really worth the read. I hope you do not mind 802Mark.

Enjoy!

“…It boils down to this. Do you love it when your sitting out and it’s spring weather and you have nothing that you have to do? Outside of what you want to do.

Do you love eating new foods and learning and seeing things that you have never seen? That’s what it boils down to, not the cost. You guys want something new in your life, so go for it and grab it or you could just stay home to what your use to your whole life. Panama changes people, many times for the better. It makes you say oh well, ok sure, tomorrow is fine, and not care if they don’t show up. It forces you to get off your ass and do things you never dreamed of. It pushes you to just take that extra step because you hear running water and you can’t wait to see it.

Want me to tell you how the people are here? Today my good friends Tom and whats her name, oh well doesn’t matter, hehehe, they took a hike up the mountain and got lost and ended up in someones yard. The people came out and not only showed them where they needed to go, but gave them fruit and water and told them they could sleep in their home if needed… WHAT?? YOU MUST BE KIDDING… well no I’m not. Someone posted they could live in the U.S. in some places cheaper then here… well maybe so, but show me that in the U.S.

Panama is a wonderful woman, she can be loving, she can be a mother and yes sometimes she can be a bitch, but in the long run she will force you to see a side of yourself that you never dreamed was there. You ever took a dug out up a river not sure where it was going and when you hit shore were surrounded by little kids all smiles and wanting to just touch your lilly white skin because it is something new to them? Sit with them and eat fresh seafood they just caught and drink from a coconut and watch as the sun dances on the water? Or maybe see so many stars at night that it reminds you of just how small we all really are? Does being with these people make you feel better when you do return to your a/c homes and makes you thank GOD for the things he his given you? If not don’t come here… because Panama will force you to look inside yourself and feel things you never knew were in you…”

Any person that has spent any time around the project here in Ojo de Agua notices the amount of Vetiver Grass planted around the property. I have to admit that I have probably gone over board with the stuff, I just can not help myself. I love planting this grass!
I started with only eighty small sprigs of Vetiver back in 2007 and since then I have propagated and grown my Vetiver to well over a thousand full grown plants. Last year we had a few incredible rain storms that eroded a part of the drive coming into the house around a culvert. It was not to bad, but if left unattended it could become a serious problem. Instead of spending money and a lot of labor in building some sort of rock and concrete structure, I went the inexpensive and green route by just digging up a couple full grown Vetiver plants and broke them into smaller pieces and planted them on a temporary terrace system back filling the eroded area. I will keep them watered enough during this dry season to have a good root structure to hold firm during next years rainy season. I have done this in a few different areas of the property and it always works. I took a few photos of the repair, unfortunately I forgot to snap some before shots, but if you look close you can see the different color of the soil as we back filled and get an idea of where the eroded part of the drive was.
Vetiver is a great grass for erosion control. I highly recommend anyone who plans on living in the tropics to investigate its many uses. The Vetiver Network International at vetiver.org is a wealth of information about this amazing plant. Check them out.

Bocas was so much fun during the shoot of Pucha’s 2012 calendar that she decided to return to show her appreciation and have her calendar premier party at Bocas Bambu Beach Restaurant and Bar. The restaurant is owned by the same folks that own the Limbo by the Sea Hotel, one of the sponsor’s of her 2012 calendar and where we stayed during the photo shoot and during the few nights we were on the island for the party.
It was a great time. A local reggae band jammed out old school reggae tunes, a Argentinean guy fire danced and a local Isla Bastimentos duo danced island style caribbean salsa. The place was packed.
I made a quick video of the festivities, I hope you enjoy.

One of my favorite places to visit in all of Panama is the Caribbean island paradise of Bocas del Toro. In Bocas life revolves around the sea. It is common for a local to own two or three boats and no cars.

I have not traveled there in more than five years, which is a shame since it is only seven hours away by car from Ojo de Agua. I had the pleasure of returning there a couple of months back with Pucha while she shot photos for her 2012 bikini calendar. It was a first class all expense paid vacation for me, thanks to my girls calendar sponsor’s.

Normally I do the behind the scenes video for her to use at her calendar premiere party, but this year she had Bolivar Andres handle the filming. Bolivar is a multi talented young ecuadorian native practically born and raised on a sailboat who has lived in Bocas for the last six years. He is an amazing surfer, experienced boat captain and a very creative video producer. I cant wait to see the final edit of the behind the scenes video he is making, I know it is going to make my previous videos look sloppy.

This time around I was planning to kick back and enjoy the show. But, the photographer Federico Galbraith, the best in his field in Panama, was short an assistant so I volunteered to help. Professional photographers travel with a lot of gear – generator, lights, cameras, sand bags, cooler, tripods, batteries, umbrellas and on and on. Add in the make-up and stylist personnel and all their accessories being lifted from dinghies to sail boats and on and off docks and beaches, it becomes a good bit of work. So much for sitting back and watching the show. I ended up working my butt off. I was down right soar after a couple of days of pitching in.

Pucha contacted Bolivar looking for local help in contacts for lodging and locations for photo shoots. She definitely contacted the right guy. He is captain of one of the most beautiful sailboats in Bocas del Toro, a classic nearly 100 foot wooden yacht named the Patron. The Patron is owned by a young hospitable Austrian named Lucas who is converting the boat into a Panama surf touring machine. The Patron will be touring the Bocas area during their wave season, than crossing through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean for the south swell season during the remainder of the year. Anyone interested in catching some waves while passing time on a beautiful boat with a great captain and crew should contact them at http://www.panamas-treasures.com/. Lucas volunteered his boat and crew and we could have not been more fortunate, the Patron and her crew really made the trip something special.

While not sailing on the Patron to and from different shoot locations the entire photo entourage stayed at the beautiful Hotel Limbo By The Sea located waterfront in Bocas town. Another Bolivar contact. The Limbo has nice comfortable rooms, friendly owners and staff and a great restaurant. It’s definitely worth going back.

The highlight of the trip was on the last day. The final shoot was finished in the afternoon so Bolivar took Pucha and I to one of the surf breaks in Bocas named Paunch. The waves were not spectacular but they were small, clean and fun. One of the Patron’s engineers, a friendly South African named Jerome Mosetic, came along to take some surfing water shots. Jerome is a globe trotting talented surf photographer. He snapped some great water shots that Pucha will be able to use for her calendar and maybe for more marketing materials. He also got a couple of shots of me that I will enjoy having in my collection.

All in all it was an amazing trip. Pucha got photos for her 2012 calendar, we had the opportunity to hang out on a lovely sailboat cruising the crystal clear Caribbean waters enjoying the beautiful scenery and we got to score some waves.

Now I just have to figure out away to convince Lucas and Bolivar to take me on one of their surf tours so I can get some offshore island barrels. Anyone considering a visit to Panama has to pass through Bocas del Toro and if you are a surfer make sure it is during their wave season December through February, around Christmas and New Years is the best. Hope to see you in the water there next year.

Panama is known for it’s abundant food production. Over half of the three million plus population live in or near Panama City. The rest of the small country is very sparsely populated other than the cities of Colon at the caribbean entrance of the canal and David in Chiriqui province near the Costa Rican border. The low density of the nations geography allows for plenty of land to be used for agriculture. Almost everywhere you look their are food sources. Cows are nearly everywhere. Corn and rice are predominate crops nearly all over the country. Chiriqui is known as the bread basket of Panama. In Chiriqui people grow everything from international award winning coffee to incredibly delicious fruits and vegetables like strawberries, pineapples and broccoli. If I were not a surfer and addicted to the ocean I would want to live in the chilly, abundantly agriculturally rich and stunningly beautiful Chiriqui highlands.
Here in Los Santos Province where Ojo de Agua is located it is rare to see a yard with out food growing in it or chickens running around. Panamanians eat a lot of poultry. They make a chicken soup called Sancocho. It is cooked up almost every sunday and Panamanians love to serve it at almost every special occasion.
I am doing my best to follow the locals lead by planting crops anywhere I have space. I have already planted corn, yuca, platanos, bananas, pigeon pea or guandu, pineapple, peppers, cucumbers and melons to go along with all the fruit trees planted back in 2007 such as papaya, oranges, limes, mango’s, healing noni fruit, star fruit, guava, tropical cherries, and of course coconut palms.
My plan is to always have many different crops growing for my consumption and for future neighbors to propagate.
One thing is for sure here in Panama, one will never go hungry, food is always growing or grazing somewhere nearby.
Here are a few photos of some of the food producing at the moment, plus a photo of the local church in Canas with it’s new paint job.
Enjoy,

Dexter and I were fortunate enough to be visited by a young architect interning for the Kalu Yala development project located near Panama city. Bradley Luna Wilson came out to the interior and spent two days with us. We toured him around my project in Ojo de Agua, the Super Camp near Pedasi and finished the first day visiting Seth, one of our best friends here near Pedasi that is building his own unique post and beam home. The second day Bradley worked with us on site and listened to our perspectives on trying to build custom wooden post and beam homes here on the Azuero Peninsula. Read our new friends perspective about the area and our work at his blog post at the Kalu Yala website.

Bradley Wilson’s Post on Kalu Yala Website

I must thank my friend Jimmy Stice at Kalu Yala for allowing Brad to visit us, we enjoyed his company and his help working with us, he is a great person and a pleasure to have around. I hope his experience with us here can help the Kalu Yala development become a success.

A few months back while spending a sunday afternoon at our local beach, Playa Venao, Pucha and I were interviewed by an american couple, Brian and Leela Gill, working on a trailer for a television series about expat’s relocating to foreign lands such as Panama.

If it were not for Pucha they probably would have not been interested in me, I do not have much star power, unlike my girl.

You can watch the video trailer for the upcoming television series with a short section of our interview below.

They recently returned for a more in-depth interview for the Panama show. They interviewed Pucha at her house and store in Pedasi, me at the project in Ojo de Agua and all of us together at the beach. This time I think they got some better shots of us surfing. It will be interesting to see what the final show looks like.

Unfortunately, looks like this is the final Update for the Super Camp.

Although the project is not completed it is close. Dexter had to part ways with the architect in charge of the project. Another crew must takeover from where we left off. I do not want to get into details, pointing fingers and naming names, for the reason why everyone is parting ways. Although I would like to, it would make me feel better, but it would be very unprofessional. I will just say agreements were made, work was completed and money is owed. Until further payment, we had to go!

Anyways, the finish work for the project will be finished by some one else. The hard part is all completed so they should not have much trouble, I wish them the best.

Things work out for reasons, now I can finish my house in Ojo de Agua.

Adios Super Camp! It’s been real interesting.