Life is good in Panama

I enjoyed Christmas Dinner with Gringo friends in Volcan. My grandchildren's birthday is just passed also, and I miss seeing them on a regular basis like I did when I only lived 3 miles away.

My birthday is coming up in a couple of days and quite a number of my new Panamanian friends, neighbors, and Gringo friends are coming over for an afternoon cookout on the following Saturday afternoon. As the 4 month dry season seems to be in full swing, I would expect good weather. The daytime high will undoubtedly be 78 F so a good day to be outside and/or inside in the mountains of western Panama.

Speaking of Gringos, one of my old friends from Nashville, TN will be arriving next week just in time to bring me birthday (& Christmas) gifts from the U.S.

The house is progressing nicely, albeit slowly. We are finishing the plaster facing for the inside walls in the next few days. The two outside walls with concrete blocks were faced with plaster this past week. The plumbing is complete and the major electrical circuits are in. I still need interior doors and the dropped ceiling installed but that will come with time. We will begin part of the painting in the next couple of days and finish in 2 or 3 weeks.

Ham radio has taken a "back seat" to construction and finishing of the house, however I have managed to talk to several hams around the world in the past 3 or 4 weeks. My Internet service is generally reliable but some tree limbs were interfering with the wireless signal. We managed to trim them today so things should be back to normal on the "net".

Personal responses and topics of interest to blog readers are welcome here. However, I have had to moderate comments due to a couple of rude abusers, personal and commercial, so comments do not appear immediately.

All the best from my corner of Paradise!

Milestones - New House

I have two milestones to report today from my new home in Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Panama. The first is really from yesterday. A couple of helpers and I hauled the final load of stuff from my rented house in Volcan to the new house. This follows a month of trips spanning the 5 miles between houses. The very heavy radio tower will have to wait for appropriate help before moving to the new place.

The other important event was that I was able to take my first nice warm shower at the new house today. (No pictures of this event.) No, I have not waited for over a month to bathe! Since I was still paying rent, I have been using the electric "suicide" shower at the old place. I now have a propane fired demand hot water heater and it works great. I'm still working on the other plumbing but a working toilet and shower were first.

I only have a temporary wire antenna up for the 75 meter ham band but it is working great. I have talked to Korea, Japan, the Middle-East, Europe, Australia, and the U.S. in the past month in the early mornings and late evenings when not working on the house.

Happy Holidays to everyone from Panama!

Moving to New House

Well, I'm finally moving to the new house this week. It is not "completely finished" but it is close enough for the 2 dogs and I to enjoy the country life after the confines of the city.

Actually, Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Republic of Panama is just a quiet ranching and farming community in the mountains of far western Panama. However, we will be much happier with more "room to roam" in the country three miles from town. We will not have to be quite so careful of traffic when we walk in the evenings and there is seldom any traffic at all during our early morning walks. Our neighbors across the road run a small dairy and the lady makes very good white cheese that she shares with me in exchange for letting a couple of their cows graze near my house.

The dogs have finally learned to stay on the property and they are very protective of their "turf". I hope to have Internet connected this week and be able to use my ham radios again soon. I will continue to work on the house and it will be much easier when I am there full time.

Best Regards from Panama!

Recovering from Surgery - House on Hold

Well, I am recovering nicely as it has been 17 days since my surgery. I have been out to the new house 2 or 3 times, but I am not yet cleared to "lift" and work. I have been about 1 month from moving in for the past 3 months and the estimate has not changed much.

There are not too many things to finish before the 2 dogs and I will be able to live in the house. It will not be finished and "pretty", but should be a fine place for us to live while I finish everything. The current estimate is near the end of October (next month).

The absence of city noise will be a blessing and the dogs want to move today! It also seems to be a very good location for amateur radio operation just like the 2 previous locations that I have had in the Volcan area. Since I border a small stream with a "mini-Rain Forest" environment I expect to take lots of pictures of Orchids, birds, the occasional monkey and other wildlife.

Best Regards from Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Republic of Panama

Personal Timeout from Building

Well, it's been a while since I have taken time to post here. I'm still alive and soon-to-be well in Panama. Someone recently send me an e-mail with the phrase "Old Age Ain't for Sissies".

Just this week I found out that it is true. I had to go to a local hospital for emergency surgery to remove a "hot" appendix. Then I spent three days in the hospital with IV antibiotics to take care of the infection from the leaking appendix. It was not a pleasant experience! The surgery and medical follow-up were first rate, but concern for other people's comfort is not part of the local culture. I am very happy and grateful to be recovering at home now with many local friends helping out.

My new house that has been one month from being finished (for the past four months) will have to wait until I am fully recovered from the surgery, physically and financially. Maybe I'll be able to move in by the end of October.

People often ask me, "Why Panama?" Well, in the mountains of western Panama I have 75-80 degree days and about 55 degrees at night year round with no tornadoes, hurricanes, snow storms and few prairie fires. We do have plenty of rain (Tropics) and the occasional mild earthquake (living less than 9 miles from Volcan Baru volcano). The volcano is dormant and supposed to stay that way for another 150 to 200 years.

So, having survived the surgery and hospital stay, I can now say without reservation: "Old age ain't for sissies" nor is it for the faint of heart.

Best Regards (73 to my ham friends),

Jay

Busy Times

These are busy times for me. I am building a new home and construction is slow due to having to build for the future house that goes on top of the lower section. I will move into the lower portion of the house, about 1,100 sq. ft., later this summer.

I had hoped to attend my high school reunion in Kansas this month (May), but I will not be able to leave during this phase of construction. I will reschedule my trip to the U.S. for later this year or early next year.

My two dogs go out to the site quite often and they both approve of the move. All of us are looking forward to the freedom from noise, traffic and crowds of the city.

The great news is that the paving of the 5 km. (3 miles) of road to Volcan is complete and I can be at the 24 hr. supermarket in 10 minutes. My photography and ham radio have been limited due to a 5 1/2 day work week on the house. I am very happy with my decision to relocate to the mild climate of the mountains of western Panama. My best regards to everyone ... be well and prosper!

Ground Breaking

We finally broke ground, in a big way on the new house on 21 January 2009.  I am building the downstairs "basement" and will move there in June or July.  My 2 dogs, Blue and Rosie approve of the change to the rural setting.  It is just 10 minutes or 3 miles from the city of Volcan, but a world away from the traffic and noise.

I am looking forward an even better location for my ham radio and photography than I have with my rented house in the city of Volcan.  The mountain air and slower pace have been good to me as I have lost (the extra) weight and my blood pressure is much lower.

I have been on several photo adventures in the past few weeks and everyone has had a great time as well as some good exercise with the hiking.

I have invited a couple of International hams to visit me and we will see if any of the plans materialize.  This is a great DX location with almost 10,000 contacts since February 2007.

Take care and all the best from the land of "Eternal Springtime"; the mountains of western Panama.

Happy New Year from Panama

I have not posted anything for many weeks, but wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year from the land of eternal Springtime!  Nights are in the range of 50-60 F, with 74-79 F almost every day. 

After being here permanently for 14 months I am very happy with my decision to move.  I still live in a 2 bedroom rented house with my 2 dogs, 1 Australian Cattle Dog (Red Heeler) and 1 Panamanian mixed breed (mut).

My on and off home building plans are on again.  Sort of!  I am still looking for a bilingual person to manage the small crew of locals who will build my new home.  Because of the economic difficulties in the U.S. and Europe I have scaled back my plans until real estate prices in other areas rebound.  In general, land and home prices here are about the same, with a pause in the rapid escalation of the past 3 to 5 years.

I now plan to only build the lower level of the house, including the 2 car garage.  The lower level was planned as an apartment and I have redesigned it for my personal comfort.  I am hoping that construction will not interfere with my plans to attend my CVHS Class of '59 reunion in Kansas in May. I am also planning to visit my family and friends while in the U.S.,  as my plans do not include many more trips stateside. 

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy & prosperous 2009!

Jay & best friends Blue & Rosie

One Year in Paradise

A year in Paradise has made lazy, although I was somewhat lazy before arriving here. I don't feel any pressure to do anything at a certain time or in a particular order, so I have neglected to update this blog and my www.paradisepanama.net web site on a regular basis.

I have been very busy with Photo Adventure trips, ham radio (over 7,000 contacts with other hams around the world), and preparations for construction on my new house near Volcan. Below are some of my reflections on my first year in paradise as contained in a small newsletter that I send to a list of interested contacts 2 or 3 times per year.

Reflections about Paradise after one year. I chose Panama after over a year of study and 3 visits here to get acquainted with the area, and to acquire a building site for my home. I am still happy with my decision! *Be aware that this is not the U.S. and we should not expect things to be done "out way". That said, living here is much less stressful than in the U.S.

The positives totally outweigh the few irritations. The people are friendly and almost the only crime is petty theft. The climate is mild all year up here in the mountains. You can get by without learning Spanish, although it would help.

The price of living is much less even though some things will cost as much as the states. Some of the few things that are as expensive here include:
-- gasoline but we take fewer, shorter and slower trips
-- land; in short supply in every desirable part of the world
-- electricity; although we use much less due to no
air conditioning
-- major appliances and vehicles

Things that cost less, to much less, include:
-- building costs; as much as 50% less
-- car insurance; less than 50%
-- health insurance; less than 20%
-- doctor / dentist visits; about 50%
-- rent; much less than 33% of stateside
-- food in restaurants and locally grown vegetables & beef; varies
-- car registration; varies
-- maid / cleaning service; 10% what I was paying in U.S.
-- repairs of almost any kind; 50%, to much less
-- public transportation; buses and taxis; less than 50%
-- haircut; less than 50%
-- and the list goes on

I am looking forward to a long, happy interesting life here. I welcome your questions and e-mails.

Regards and try to enjoy where you are while you are there!

Jay
panama@jaymills.org

A Welcome Vist from Family

My daughter, her husband and their triplets just returned to the U.S. after a week-long visit to my Paradise in Panama. We had a great time sightseeing and experiencing the local area. I have posted a few snapshots from their visit at my photo website.

We all visited Barriles, a local archeological site that dates to about 600 B.C. where we saw barrel-shaped stones used to transport heavy loads and etched rock maps. We also saw a flat rock stained with drawings that can only been seen when the stone is wet. The original people who lived here were not Indian, but probably from Asia and Africa. The site also has beautiful gardens.

Vince and the boys hiked for an hour with my local guide Manolo through the jungle to a high local waterfall. It was a great adventure. Then we all visited friends, took in the Saturday market at Cerro Punta, found souvenirs in Guadalupe, and spend a day at the beach (Pacific side). All of us enjoyed visiting an English language class and a kindergarten class at a local elementary school

The family got to see my city lot and the country lots, which they agree are in a fantastic setting. We also visited the plaza in David and the Bambito resort hotel for a good meal. They really enjoyed the local and international food at the Loco Pollo and Daly's restaurants here in Volcan.

I'm very glad that they got to visit and to see why I personally think the the mountains of western Panama are Paradise.

Activity at My Country Lot

UPDATE 20 JULY 2008

I have delayed the beginning of my new house until later this year or early next year because the crew that I want to do the work is not available at this time. Also, because some parts of the structure are unique to this area we are still finding suppliers and getting quotations. I did find out that the taxes on new construction are forgiven for 20 years (again) if the structure is completed by 31 Dec. 2009.

The road paving is complete in front of my property. However, it appears that it will be at least a year before all sections and new bridges are complete. I purchased the property because it was in a low traffic location and it should remain so. The new road is somewhat narrow and will still be used mostly by the 10 or 15 residents along the road. Almost all are Dairy farmers with a couple of Gringos thrown in. I can now drive to Volcan in 15 minutes at no more than 35 miles per hour. When the paving is complete, it will be an easy 10 minute drive.

The water connection is in and we have the stand for the electric connection and the beginning of the entrance from the roadway completed. The house will be about 2,300 square feet, with a half-basement that contains the garage and a small apartment.

Deep River Gorge at New House

Today Blue and I went out to "Paradise Ranch", the site of my new home project. I had never ventured down to the river behind my property. It involves cutting through a jungle type environment on a very steep slope and some of the trees that would make good hand holds have thorns on their trunks

Blue went part way down with me, only stopping when he could no longer get footing ... long after I had told him to "stay". The first trail I cut was down a drainage ditch behind the 2 lots that I have for sale. That trek ended on a rock ledge about 30 feet above the river. Altogether it is about 120 feet vertically to the river at this location. It is dry season, so the river is just a small, steady, spring-fed creek now.

The second attempt was led by one of my helpers who cut a new path with his machete. This was about 40 yards from the building site for my new house. Again, we ended up about 30 feet above the river on a cliff. The third try, we went down beside my building site, below the 2 old giant trees and were successful in reaching the bottom.

It is evident that much more water flows in the river during the 8 month "green" season but right now it is a pleasant, shallow, rocky stream with a very small water flow.

We had a successful morning and even managed to get the tall grass cut over the entire "footprint" of the new house.

Rain Starts - New Oranges - House

It seems that the "green" season (rainy) has begun. We have had heavy rain showers for the past 3 days, starting from noon to 3:00 pm and lasting for 30 minutes to an hour. I haven't checked the amount of rainfall but it is usually 1 to 2 inches in a short period of time. Update 8 May: False alarm! We are still not fully into the green season.

Today I picked the first new orange from one of the 3 orange trees in the back yard of my rented house in Volcan. I should have waited another day or two. Although oranges here are often ripe while the skin is still green, this one was not yet ripe.

Monday I have a second appointment with the surveyor to stake out the foundation outlines of the new house at "Paradise Ranch". Keeping appointments is not a 'thing' to be counted upon in Panama. I may overwork "Paradise" but this is my own personal experience of the scenery, climate, location and people in the mountains of Chiriqui Province in western Panama.

New Adventure Begins

Today is not the first day of the new adventure of building a new home in Panama, but I have made significant progress. The plans are complete and they have the dozen or so agency approvals stamped on them. I have estimates from a couple of builders and I will be getting some more.

Appointments were made today to get the surveyor out to "Paradise Ranch" to stake out the outline of the foundation and columns on my lot so that we can begin building soon. I have arranged for the water connection, and we will set up the temporary connection for the electricity soon. I plan to be on-site each day to monitor the progress of the building.

The wet season has started but we don't have rain every day yet. Part of the building schedule has to allow for a 1 to 3 hour stoppage of work each day, during the earlier stages, while the rain falls.

My dog Blue and I have been to Paradise Ranch several times in the last 2 weeks. He is as anxious as I am to get the house built so that we can move to the country. The property is 3.5 miles from the main highway at the outskirts of Volcan. With the road improvements it will soon less than a 10 minute drive to Volcan.

The road work for the new paved road is coming along nicely. Workers are putting concrete gutters along the road in places where they are needed and work is progressing on several new bridges. There is a fair amount of remaining work before they can begin paving, but they are making rapid progress.

Things move more slowly here than in some other parts of the world. However, the positive side is that very few people are "stressed out". Patience is definitely required, especially regarding schedules and appointments.

Blue & I Travel to the Coast

It's not very far from where we live in Volcan to the coast. About 30 miles due south will reach the Pacific and a little farther (and over the mountains) and we could be at the Atlantic (Caribbean) coast.

Today we traveled down the Pan American Highway, east of David about 25 miles, then south to the coast. The small town of Boca Chica itself does not have much to offer, but nearby are a couple of resorts with restaurants and great coastal views, including the small islands nearby.

On the way, we stopped to visit with our new friends "Sam" and Fred and their great pets. Two Doberman dogs and a squirrel monkey... along with another dog and various birds. They are on a private hilltop outside of Boca Chica and have an excellent view of the mountains, David at night, and the Pacific inlets and coves. The climate at nearly sea level is much too warm for me, but we had a nice visit!

I did get to let the monkey climb on my arm and Blue got to chase the monkey. Blue discovered that he is not as fast as a monkey, and that dogs cannot climb trees.

Vacation Friends & Adventures

Sometimes while on vacation you meet someone who is a delight to share time with. This happened to me recently here in Panama. I live here now, but she was on vacation ... and now she has returned home. I am already missing the times that we shared talking, dining out and most of all exploring the mountain trails, waterfalls, and nature that surrounds us here in the Volcan area.

With my passion for exploring the area to take photographs, including steep trails up and down mountain sides, it takes someone who is in good physical condition to keep up with me and with our younger guides. Most of the (gringo) men and women that I meet here are not ready for steep mountain hikes or long walks through the rain forest. Lorna was more than able to keep up with the climbs and hikes.

My very limited Spanish makes it difficult for me to make friends with locals who do not speak some English. So, I was delighted to meet a Scottish lady on vacation from England who had an interest in the local people, nature and photography. She has been here many times, speaks Spanish (with a Scottish accent) and knew many of the locals and several of the "tourist" areas.

We hiked and took pictures in the "bamboo forest" on the lower reaches of Volcan Baru, visited the Pre-Columbian archaeological site at Barriles, and hiked down (and up) to the big water falls at Cordillera. We also shared dinner at local restaurants and visited with other gringos.

At my age, finding people with similar interests is not easy. And true friendship becomes much more important than "romance". The "funk" that I am in will pass, but I will remember the adventures and good times that we shared. I am much like a child that lost his playmate, sad, but I will recover soon. God speed...

"Dry Season" Shower in Volcan, Chiriqui Province

Picture taken just after noon on Sunday, February 17, 2008. We are supposed to be in "summer" here; the "dry season".
Notice the boy on the bicycle in the middle of the picture and the water falling out of the open down spout on the adjacent roof.
I could see the heavy rain moving slowly up the street from the southwest to the northeast. We had heavy showers for at least 30 minutes. Over 2 inches of rain fell altogether.

Photo Adventures - New Opportunities

Photo opportunities are numerous and varied in this part of Panama. Two recent trips just scratch the surface of the possibilities.

1. I recently went with my favorite local guide to a giant, cascading, straight vertical drop waterfall within a few miles of Volcan, Panama. We don't know the exact height, but it is over 50 meters high and falls straight into a pool at the base. The force of the water is so great the it creates its own wind, driving the water spray and mist over 25 meters away at the base.

The route to the water fall starts on private land and descends about 1,000 meters into a deep canyon. Once at the river, we went upstream about 1 km, crossing the rapidly moving water 3 times to reach the falls. I got some beautiful pictures of the falls and the river that will be up on the web site eventually. The climb back out of the canyon was more strenuous than the walk in.

2. A few days after visiting the waterfall, we went to another canyon, this time a very narrow, vertical canyon that we reached by lowering down on ropes for about 30 or 40 meters. At the bottom, we landed in the stream that fills the canyon and waded for about 100 meters in both directions, before swimming a short distance and climbing out over a pile of boulders. I got some unusual photographs of the rocks, and of water "squirting" and flowing out of the rock walls.

The interest in "photo safaris" in this beautiful area is growing. Several photographers that I know, or that have heard about our trips, are interested in visiting and photographing here. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail and we can discuss the best time to plan a trip to Volcan.

Or, you can contact me about joining our "Western Panama Photo Adventure" now planned for July 17-24, 2008. More information at: www.jaymills.org/main/page_photo_adventures.html

Panama Adventure Continues

Blue (my dog) and I are getting settled in our rented house in Volcan, Chiriqui, Panama. We are comfortable, but not a lot of extra room.

I cleaned out the spare bedroom and put sheets on the beds in preparation for friends of mine who will be spending the night with their two young daughters. It is a real job to find a place for everything from a 4 bedroom U.S. style house in a 2 bedroom home in Panama, but it can be done!

We happily spend our days playing on the ham radio (radioaficionado), taking photographs, and playing "fetch" with Blue's ball. I am also preparing to build the house at the "ranch" outside of town beginning in January.

Anyone who is considering Panama for retirement should look at Volcan for all that it offers "off the beaten path". The friendly people and lower cost-of-living alone are enough, but there is much more if you are open to new cultures and new experiences.

Happy New Year from Panama!

Views to Pacific

These are views to the Pacific Ocean from 2 of my lots near Vocan, Panama.

Orange Lemons, Green Oranges and Green-Yellow Lemons

Here in Panama were have orange lemons (bitter I’m told), ripe green oranges that are sweet and good, and green-yellow lemons that are sweet, and not so good. It’s a bit confusing at first. I have learned about the green oranges from picking them from trees in my back yard, and about the green-yellow lemons from a tree one street over that is in the public right-of-way.

It is all part of getting used to a new part of the world. Our days here are between 11 ½ and 12 ½ hours long and the sun always rises at 6 something and sets at 6 something. Of course we do not use “daylight” savings time as it would be redundant. We have only 2 seasons, green (wet) and dry. The green season lasts from about mid-April until around mid-December and the dry (Summer) season is the other 4 months.

Many folks here do not have the money to buy a car, so they get around in a variety of other ways: walking, bicycles, horseback, motorcycles, taxis that are inexpensive, and small, very inexpensive, buses that run at many times during the day and go almost everywhere. The main roads and city streets are quite good and secondary roads and streets vary from OK to very bad. Our electric power is U.S. standard 115/230 volts, 60 Hz (cycle) AC and seems very reliable (and radio quiet) compared to Nashville Electric Service.

Heating and air conditioning here in the mountains are provided by mother nature, free of charge. If you want even more comfort, a ceiling fan and fireplace will even everything out completely. House construction varies from shacks that provide adequate shelter in this mild climate to expensive villas build by rich locals and foreign immigrants. Most immigrants are from the United States and Europe, although people from all over the world find their way here.

This is a beautiful country with friendly people and a slower paced life style, except when these crazy locals get behind the wheel of a car or pickup. Then everything speeds up considerably. Defensive driving here often means taking the right-of-way if you are there first and (maybe) a huge bumper sticker (in Spanish) saying, “Be Careful, I Drive Like A Local!”

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