Ojo de Agua, Panama

Well, this has been one of those weeks that I knew would come. Non-stop rain. Ok, so it stopped for a little while each day, but not much. October is almost always the rainiest month during the rainy season here in central america and this week is a fine example. I was able to dig a little on the water lines, put a couple of coats of anti-rust paint on the bolts fastening the beams to the posts and do a little planing on a few of the blocks that were sticking up a hair or so above the floor joists using my new Skil planer I bought at Grupo Moreno in Chitre, but that was about it as far as work on the job site.
I have spent most of my days searching through my collection of photos I have from Panama and posting them with a short description onto my blog. Check them out.
Oh yell, there has been some swell this week. Surfing in the rain is not a problem as long as it is not lightening, your already wet.
It’s pouring as I write this, I don’t hear any thunder, maybe I need to go check the waves.
Charlie

If there is one thing that makes a man feel like a man, it’s camping. There are river systems deep in the mountains of Panama that are unbelievably beautiful.
I went on a camping mission with a friend. I say a mission, because that was exactly what it was, a secret mission. If anybody reading this is curious as to what the mission was or where we went you have to come and visit me here in Panama for the personal de-briefing.
Now I am not one of those people that absolutely love to go on weekend camping trips and never have been. Sweating while trying to sleep on a uncomfortable mat, killing biting bugs, eating Spam or Ramen Noodles and squatting to take care of nature’s call is normally not my cup of tea. But camping in the wilds of Panama was different. Where we were there were no mosquitos, no no-see-um’s or other biting fly’s. It was hard to even find a spiny or thorny bush. The river water was crystal clear, drinkable, delicious. The night air was cool enough to sleep comfortably, with a fleece blanket. We were smart enough to go in the dry season, so it hardly ever rained and the river was as clean and clear as, well, a mountain stream. We slept near, drank from,and bathed in the river.
We had to hike four hours up a winding river just to get to our base camp and from there we set out on multi-night “expeditions” farther up the river and it’s tributaries. There were times where we were more than eight hours hiking time from where the car was parked and from where the car was parked, two hours driving to the nearest cell phone signal. We were way out.
All together this trip was over two weeks in the mountains. There is nothing like the feeling of being out in the middle of no where, completely disconnected from the technology that so easily keeps us all connected. What a great time.
See you on the river, if you can find me.
Charlie

Short Circuit or “Corto Circuito”, so called by the panamanian surfers, is the name of a wave at the end of the road past a small pueblo named Cambutal, located on the Pacific Ocean, in the heart of the Azuero Peninsula.
I, as well as many of my gringo friends, prefer the name Rio Pedregal or just Pedregal. This is the name of the river that each year during the rainy season, when the river is swollen and raging, dumps tons of rocks and sand into the ocean, helping to create the great right hander that everyone loves to surf. The waves are amazing there when the conditions are right. Over the past dry seasons I have taken a few trips to catch some waves. Here are a few photos of the surf and the beautiful Rio Pedregal River Valley.
Enjoy,
Charlie

I was fortunate to have my good friends Joe and his son Dominique come down from Florida and visit me here in Panama. They were nice enough to let me be their tour guide and pay my way to go do some of the “tourist” things available in this wonderful country. Unlike most of my buddy’s from back home, that always only want to surf and drink cheap beer, this crew wanted to experience some of the other beautiful attractions Panama has to offer.
One of the most fun things we did together was the Tree-Trek Zip Line in Palo Alto, Chiriqui. Palo Alto is the name of a small coffee growing community located just above the popular mountain community Boquete. Palo Alto is near the tip of the continental divide. The place is incredibly beautiful. The air is crisp and clean, one can see for miles and miles from Palo Alto.
Tree-Trek is by far the best zip-line in Panama. I highly recommend it to those who are not scared of heights. The price is reasonable and the crew is professional and courteous.
Below are some photos from our trip.
If you come to Panama, Boquete area is a must see and the Zip-line should be at the top of your list.
Charlie

A few years back I found myself in the city for one of the two annual Panamanian Independence day celebrations. Panamanians really know how to party, they do not have just one independence day celebration, no, no, no. They have two! They celebrate independence from Spain and independence from Columbia. I do not remember which celebration this was, I just remember it being a good time.

Here are a few photos “de la independencia” in Panama City.

Charlie

Panama is an amazing place.
One can travel by car for a few hours and arrive in another region with a climate and “feel” completely different from the area at the start of the journey. Here is a small collection of photos taken over the past few years while visiting mountain areas in the Chiriqui, Cocle and Veraguas Provinces of Panama. Most of the photos were all taken from the roadside. Stop the car, point, shoot and continue on the journey. Other photos took a little bit of hiking and exploring. One of the greatest things about Panama is there are so many picturesque places. Places that in most developing countries would be turned into a tourist attraction charging entrance fee, but here, there is no one. I love it. The photo quality is not the best, but the natural beauty speaks for itself.
Enjoy,
Charlie

Another good week here on the project site in Ojo de Agua, Panama. We had a few blistering sunny days. Either I am getting older and weaker or the sun is getting stronger. It was hot! We were able to bolt all the beams, fasten all the floor joists, nail in all the blocking, rearrange the wood pile and thoroughly clean the construction site. I have a nice size callus on my hand and a sore fore-arm from the blocking installation. It has been a while since I swung a hammer so much in a short period of time. No complaints though, it had to be done. Unfortunately, we are waiting on the next shipment of lumber to arrive at the end of the month. The carpentry is going to be on hold for a few weeks. This will be some good time to work on the water and septic systems. There is nothing as fun as digging trenches in the tropical heat. Well, actually there are a lot of things more fun, just about everything. Until next update. Enjoy!
Charlie

This was a good week on the building site.
We had a few rainy days to start the week, giving us time to manufacture the beams and clean the tool shed. Once the sun came out we were able to finish the post compaction, roofing tar treatment, level mark and notching for the beam fastening. We glued, screwed and nailed the double 2″ x 10″ x 20′ beams together and fastened them to the posts with large nails and will be bolting them the coming week. With some good weather we should have all the floor joists rolled and blocked by the end of week four. Until next week.
Take care,
Charlie