Part two Of our Central America and Colombia Trip 2014

A Candid View Of Panama

Norman Wolfer

January 2014

I don’t think we have ever visited a country around the world that one could consider perfect.  Every country seems to have wonderful things to offer along with the idiosyncrasies that take away from paradise. Panama is no exception. Our visit to Panama started in Panama City where we were subjected to much of the same bureaucratic nonsense we experience in the first world countries. We were finger printed, photographed, questioned, and sent on our way.  Panama City is a large, high population city that is suffering from a great deal of new infrastructure construction and an ever growing population. Views from the airplane’s windows had confirmed new construction of large Panamanian neighborhoods to absorb the growth.

Infrastructure construction provides many of the new jobs, which lead to a growing economy and what is touted as a burgeoning middle class, confirming much have what we had heard. Our transition through the city seemed like it would go on, forever. Traffic was horrendous and construction sites impeded progress, especially because there were relatively few traffic lights to keep order.

We had decided to experience Panama by rental car, without an agenda. The first destination we had identified was Coronado, for no other reason than to visit a beach community in Panama. 

We traveled on the Carretera Panamericana (Hwy 1) following some friends,

Dusty and Carolyn

Dusty and Carolyn Tubbs who live in Panama, for the better part of two hours, which put us in Coronado at dusk.  Upon entering the Coronado village, we were stopped at a guard gate, revealing much of the Coronado beach area is a gated community. The young man at the guard shack was kind enough to call ahead to the Coronado Golf Resort (Av Roberto Eisenmann, Playa Coronado, 0816-00571

+507 240 4444 http://www.coronadohotelpanama.com/ ) and confirm they had a room for us.  We landed in an austere, but pleasant and quiet room with two queen beds for a little more than we would have spent on a nice motel in California, which included a meager breakfast.

Our next destination was Santiago, a medium sized town and we found a nice habitacion, called the Hacienda Hotel (http://hotel-lahacienda.net, (507) 958-8751 / 958-8580 / 958-8579 located right on Carratera Panamericana), which though nothing fancy, turned out to be a very pleasant place to stay. There was an attached restaurant, but no breakfast was included.  The food in the restaurant was reasonable and good.

Our next stop was the second largest city in Panama, the City of David. That it was large was evidenced more by the number of cars and people than the geometric size. We spent the night in a room that felt like a jail cell (showing the extreme diversity) in a hotel I would never recommend but cost only $35 for the night.  The next morning we were rested and ready for our main destination. We would be driving to the city of Boquete, which was only about 30 kilometers from David, and as luck would have it, there was a flower fiesta going on. We were told it would be a great experience, because the Panamanians would be celebrating that festival for a full ten days. Whether it was “luck” or not could be debated. The number of people attending, from far and near, choked both

the roads and the hotels. The first night in Boquete we ended up getting what was apparently the last room in the area. It was far enough away from the celebration, which continued very loudly until 6:00 in the morning, every morning, that we were not kept awake by the festivities. The Valle Del Rio was a very nice hotel which included a nice breakfast and a comfortable room. It did not include wireless internet access, however, except in the lobby. It is located at Camino

2 Valle Escondido Bajo Boquete, Phone +507 720 2525 and web address

www.valledelrioboquete.com.

 

Boquete from above

The city of Boquete was alive with many hundreds, if not thousands of visitors, most of whom were very friendly.  The activities were pleasant and festive. There were many pastry shops and restaurants and we found a restaurant that served cafeteria style that had remarkably good food for a fair price. It was called El Sabroson #3 and was on the uphill side of the main street. There was at least one more (El Sabroson #2) further down the street, and we were told there was a #1, somewhere not too far away.

The next morning, we decided the rate for the last available room in town was a little too rich for our blood and started scouting around for a different place to stay. We were challenged by not wanting to be too far away from Boquete, not too close to the celebrating masses, and hoping not to spend too much for lodging. We headed down the road toward David, again, hoping we had missed something on the way in. We turned at an intersection that had a sign showing a golf course and country club, but after driving a ways we were convince that was a “dead end.” We turned around and drove back to the main street where we noticed a small strip shopping center, on the corner, called San Francisco Plaza. I decided I needed to ask someone in a restaurant we spotted about potential

lodging.

As we parked in front of the restaurant, my wife said, “Look, Norman. The restaurant is called, 'Zum Emsländer'.  My wife is originally from Germany and finding a German restaurant in Boquete was kind of nice. We had already eaten, so I went in to inquire about any nearby lodging.

Zum Emsländer

There were several people sitting at various tables and I could hear German being spoken. As a result of my wife’s diligent tutelage, I am fairly good with the German language, so I went up to a lady who seemed to be in charge and asked whether she knew of any place we could spend the night. She did. She asked us (my wife and me) to sit and have a cup of coffee and she would make a call.

Sure enough, she knew a Panamanian woman who had a guest room with a separate entrance (and very simple) who would rent it to us for $30 per night…would we be interested? Of course we agreed. 

Zum Emsländer turned out to be a first class German Restaurant that served the German specialties that looked, smelled, and tasted like classic German Cuisine. It is operated by George the German, who also operates a used European Furniture outlet from the same location. This restaurant is only a little more than a mile before getting into the town limits of Boquete. It is very high on our list of recommendations for restaurants. Tell George, Norman and Evelyn sent you.

Our stay in Boquete was very pleasant. The perfect weather (year around) was a big attraction for us. There was usually a comfortable breeze, which kept it in a very tolerable temperature range, even when the sun was shining without cloud cover. The Flower Fest was less than awe inspiring, but the energy level of the people celebrating the festival was contagious. There were native Indian demonstrations in the central park, small, private vendors selling indigenous meats and wares, and all the normal Panaderias (pastry shops), coffee shops, and restaurants lining the streets making it easy to fill one’s appetites. The two nights we spent in the guest house were quiet, comfortable and reasonably close to town. Since it was a private party, if your interested in staying in this  accommodation, you might want to stop at Zum Emsländer and ask for Ruth.

Michael Holz and Ruth Eyer, our two new German friends from the restaurant, informed us they were taking a three day, two night trip to a beach resort. We had paid for two nights in the guest house and, since that coincided with when they were planning on leaving, we asked if it would be okay for us to follow them and spend a few nights there, too. They were very gracious and not only agreed to have us follow them, but managed to negotiate the Resident Retiree rate for the room we got, which brought the nightly rate from around $120 per night to about $80 per night.

Our spot on the Pacific beach

When we arrived at Las Lajas Beach Resort, located at Playa Las Lajas, Jobo, Panama, and Phone:+507 6790-1972, where we were treated to beautiful lawn areas bordering the clean sandy beach and the 80 degree surf. The sunsets were remarkable, the people extremely nice, and the food was good. This resort, too, was high on our list of places we could recommend in Panama.

We met other Germans there, who were spending an extended time there. They had been in Panama for thirty days and had only one warning related to Panama. Their visit to Bocos Del Toro had been a nightmare, because their two year old son had managed, from just having his pacifier rinsed in the tap water, to contract a deadly parasite, which put him in the hospital. That caught our attention, because we had been freely drinking of the water throughout

Panama. Fortunately, we did not experience any negative effects from the water.

Our first night in Las Lajas, we went to another resort about 15 kilometers away, called Paradise Inn. It has caught the attention of our friends, because the owner and operators were German.  Located at Las Lajas Adendro / Centro, Playa Las Lajas, Las Lajas 0446, Panama (cell 011 507 6580-8800) and website with Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Reviewg1390105-d1642626-Reviews-Paradise_Inn-Playa_Las_Lajas_Las_Lajas_Chiriqui_Province.html, which boasted not only unique and pleasant lodging, but had exquisite food. It is operated by Harold Merzscheidt and Helena Muensch, who were excellent hosts.

Upon completion of our stay at this resort, we set out toward Panama City, again. Our friends, Michael and Ruth, recommended we stop and visit El Valle for a few nights. That took us almost to Coronado, again, but turned out to be about 20 kilometers inland from Highway and took us into a higher elevation. At about 2500 meters (7,500 feet), the climate

Entrance to our hotel at Valle Verde

was once again one of eternal spring. We happened upon a very nice hotel, Valle Verde (www.hotel-valleverde.com, P.O. Box 87-4381 Panamá 7 República de Panamá +507 983-6080) which offered extremely nicely manicured gardens, a quiet setting, and included breakfast. Although the winds, at this elevation, were gale force at night, the two days we were there were pleasantly breezy and pleasantly cool. Valle Verde is a family run facility, but they spoke only Spanish. While that created some obstacles, we found them to be very willing, friendly, and great hosts.

Frankly, in general, we found the streets in places in Panama (especially the main Carretera Panamericana Hwy 1) to be somewhat treacherous. However, the people were friendly, the terrain was as diverse as California’s, and the cost of meals, lodging, and the sights, were worthy of any traveler’s visit.  Regarding the things we find in publications enumerating reasons to retire in Panama, we found most of them to meet or exceed the reports. There were, of course, things we did not care for in Panama, but the cost of living (especially for those on the pensionado program, which gives seniors generous government mandated discounts on almost everything including air fares), along with the eternal spring, wonderful people and numerous like minded expats from many different countries, more than make up for those certain inconveniences. Visit Panama with an open mind and look for the good and you will find it in abundance.

A Year Of Travel, 2014 part 1

Pyramid type mt, in back is from the Juan Valdez logo

2014 was a very interesting year.  Not only did we sell our house and have to find a new place to live, but it was a year of very rewarding travel.  We started out the year on January 1 (which was also my birthday) landing in Medellin, Colombia.  Now I know there are a lot of concerns about the drug cartels, violence, and intimidation, regarding Colombia, and perhaps even more about Medellin.  It is located in the northern portion of Colombia and I have seen videos about the fear, killings, and cartel brutality inflicted on the Colombian people as a result of drug lords trying to get their share of the money, power, and action in those areas.  Most of those videos were filmed in the 1980s and don't reflect today.

I have seen people (in those videos) who were on buses stopped, pulled off, and shot for no apparent reason, except to make a statement about who reigned supreme in the domination of a geographical area.  When we first contemplated taking the grand coffee farm tour we were offered at a highly reasonable price, we were a little skeptical.  We were assured that that problem either no longer existed or was at a minimum.  We bit the bullet and flew from Sacramento to Medellin, over Houston.  The view through the airplane windows was filled with the lush greenery on can only see in truly tropical areas.  Even landing in the high elevation of the Andies mega-city, the mixture of vegetation and granite mountains presented a picturesque panorama of colors and scenery.

Hotel Diez included a nice buffet breakfast

The drive into the city was about 20 minutes.  We were picked up by a local Colombian, Freddie.  He worked for Cima Farns, the coffee producing company that was hosting us for our week in Medellin.  He held up a cardboard sign that displayed our hand written names.  To our surprise he could only speak a few words of English.  That was quickly remedied by the use of a translating app on his i-phone.  He was genuinely pleasant and generously tried to convey as much information as he could before we arrived at the Hotel Diez, which was, coincidentally, where the Cima Coffee Farms had their main office

Don Eduardo Zapata tying coffee bag on a Mule

Cima was a very honorable and upstanding company to deal with.  Their whole purpose for offering the tour package was to try to interest us in 1/2 acre farm plots they were selling for growing coffee.  The coffee farms are managed by a sister company, Tierra Cafeterra, which grows high grade specialty coffees that are sold world wide.  While we were there, we were treated to excursions to acquaint us with the city, nice restaurants, and first class dinner parties.  One of the gentlemen who greeted and entertained us was Don Eduardo Zapata, who is in reality what Juan Valdez who represents National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1958 (actually a fictional character portrayed by an actor). 

One of our excursions was an over-night trip to La Virgin, coffee farm.  We actually had to check out of our hotel in Medellin for a night and we stayed in a small hotel in the farming village of Concordia.  Our stay there coincided with their celebration of the Three Kings (the Three Wisemen of Christmas).  They had a huge celebration that encompassed the two main streets and a large plaza.  They sold their wares, food, drink, and always offered a smile.  There were lots of high stepping horses and the streets rattled with the sound of the metal shod hoofs clattering their rhythmic cadence.  The clatter went on all night long right below our window/balcony, which didn't even have any glass to dampen the noise.  Colombians, it appears, really take their celebrations serious.

The views from the ridges

This is a Chiva

From Concordia, we took a "Chiva," which is a modified world war two, heavy duty, four-wheel drive, open-air bus, colorfully painted conveyance, to the closest coffee farm owned by Cima.  It took about forty minutes to get there and although some of the dirt road was precariously perched in the razor back ridges of a mountain crest, the views of the coffee farm slopes were breath taking.

While at the coffee farm, we were fed, educated, and played games, bit the most interesting part was when they taught us about "cupping."  That is the method by which they smell the aroma of the ground coffee beans, assess the fragrance of the brewing coffee, slurp the essence of the coffee (without swallowing it), and compare the results of various beans.  This, it turns out, is a very serious process.  They claim to have been able to sell coffees that have a high enough rating for as much as a hundred dollars a pound.  They also claim that, although they sell a lot of commodity grade coffee (not all beans measure up), their average specialty coffee is graded in the mid to high 80s.  That is a very good coffee.

Evelyn, cupping some coffee

Medellin was a truly good experience.  At around 5000 foot elevation, Medellin enjoys a year round temperature of about 73 degrees.  There are frequent light showers that keep the vegetation green and the air clean.  There are police on every other corner and even though they carry rifles, they are friendly and helpful when you ask them directions.

The population of the metropolis and the surrounding communities exceed three million people.  The infrastructure is good, with good roads, city trains and even a cabled gondola transport that carries commuters up and down the steep slopes that are carpeted with residential housing and retail stores and restaurants.

View of coffee farms

Wall-to-wall housing from Medellin River to hill top, with Gondolas

I would recommend everyone try to find the time to visit this European influenced community and see for yourself what a truly pleasant and modern community this is.  If you like shopping malls, there a malls that dwarf our own modern shopping malls and are equipped with full blown children's carnivals.  You will also find all the stores you love from your home malls.  If we find another inexpensive means to get there, I would do so in an instant.

Sadly, we found the owner of Cima lost his life in a small plane crash while visiting his home in America.  As a fledgling company, it was too much to recover from.  Cima no longer operates, but the sister company Tierra Cafeterra is still going strong and producing very high quality coffee.  We got them to ship us a couple pounds, recently, and it is truly robust and mellow.  It is not acidic or bitter.  Highly recommend it.

Traveling is like eating

What I have discovered is, there are similarities between traveling and eating.  Have you ever  noticed, the better quality food is and the easier it is to get, the more you want of it.  For instance, I remember an all you can eat restaurant by the name of King's Table.  The food was okay and you could eat all you wanted, but because it wasn't great, all you want becomes less than one might expect.  Of course one enjoys the food, but not as much as if it were, for example, the buffet at the Atlantic, or Harrah's, or the Silver Legacy, in Reno.  One has to pay more for the better quality foods, but if there is a way of reducing the cost and still getting the same high quality, one can enjoy it even more.

It is the same with travel.  It is enjoyable to jump in a car and take trips to less expensive destinations and staying in low cost lodging.  Traveling to resorts at higher expense is, without a doubt, more enjoyable.  It costs a lot more, but the results make it worthwhile, if you can come up with the funds.  On the other hand, if you can take the higher cost trips to resort locations for a greatly reduced cost, the trip ends up being even more enjoyable.  We recently went on a cruise that underscores that point.  We received an email from vacationstogo.com telling us of a last minute cruise at a deep discount.  The offer was for a 14 day cruise for only $400 per person.  We decided to bite the bullet and charged the cruise, knowing it would take several months to pay it off, because the 14 day cruise and eight island ports would give us a sorely needed reprieve from other issues we were dealing with.  We enjoyed the cruise immensely, just as if we had paid the full amount for the cruise.  Actually, we feel we enjoyed it more, because we were getting the full effect of an expensive trip while paying far less for it.

I will be writing a couple articles I will be posting to this blog, in the near future.  I can tell you with certainty, though, as we find these low cost deals and find the time to take these trips, we are thoroughly enjoying high quality travel and deeply discounted prices.

Stay tuned and feel free to write me at normre49@gmail.com if you have any questions I might be able to help with.  All feedback is welcome.

Berlin: The Old and The New

The Berlin of 2014 is a mixture of the unchanged and the ever-changing.  We were visiting and evaluating today’s Berlin against the backdrop of our four year life there in the early 1970’s. There are many facets that make up a city.  One has to be willing to experience all kinds of things to find out what really makes any city tick.  One of those facets is getting out among the people.  On this most recent visit to Berlin, we decided to stay for over two months; mostly for personal reasons, but also for pleasure.  Since we were spending a longer time, and since we wanted to compare the heartbeat of Berlin with our early 1970’s life when we lived in this metropolitan hive of activity, we decided it made little sense to rent a car for the full time. 

We purchased a monthly public transit ticket for the BVG (Berliner Verkehrs Gesellschaft) for about $100 each, which was the price for what they call an A-B ticket.  That is a far cry from the $1,300 we normally have to pay for a car, just for a month.  The A-B ticket covers most of Berlin.  If you have need of going into the outlying C zone, you can either spend another approximate $30 that gives access to all the zones, or you can purchase a supplemental ticket for approximately $2.00 to reach your C zone destination and $2.00 to purchase another for the return trip.  One of the nice things about public transportation is, we walked a lot.  We were able to purchase our monthly tickets at a newspaper stand.  (For more information regarding tickets and connections call 030 19434 9)

 

Among the first things we noticed, in our public transportation experience, was the overwhelming number of foreigners we encountered.  There were people from all countries, from Africa to Saudi Arabia, from England to the Middle East, including the Czech Republic, Rumania, Russia, and more.  In fact, I believe Germans only made up about half of the passengers on the buses, city trains, and subways.  Of course there are many reasons for that.  For one, most Germans travel by car so they naturally don’t show up in those public transportation observations.  

 

The second thing we noticed was the increase in obesity, not just since we lived here, but even since our last visit, two years ago.  It is perhaps no wonder with so many fast food restaurants (including McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and others).  The use of sugar additives and Monosodium Glutamate has increased in most all of the processed and prepared foods, including foods where one would not expect to find them, like lunch meats, salami, etc.  There were numerous pizza and/or Italian Restaurants, Greek Restaurants, Döner (Middle Eastern) Restaurants, and Chinese/Asian Restaurants galore.  It is apparent foreigners are not hindered in their entrepreneurial spirit in Germany.  We were fortunate enough to find a couple restaurants that served international cuisine, which included some standard German delights.  I am not, however, talking about the fancy, expensive restaurants that attract visitors from around the world.  In fact, these restaurants are tried and true bastions of success.  One is Restaurant International, located at 94 Quarz Weg, in Templehof, Berlin (Tel. 030 742 4027).  It is actually a Croatian restaurant, owned and run by Ivan and Jozo Pavic, that serves a broad selection of international cuisine.  We have been going there for years and the owner recognizes us, even after a two year hiatus.  He even remembers my favorite dish, which in this restaurant is Eisbein (boiled, salted, pork hock with sauerkraut and potatoes). 

Tell him Norman, who loves Eisbein, sent you.  The other restaurant is Zum Adlermühle, which is located at 320 Mariendorfer Damm, also in Tempelhof.  It is a family run business that has been around since 1909.  They, too, have an excellent international menu, which includes fresh trout taken live out of a glass tank upon receiving an order for trout.  Their menu is somewhat more extensive, but the quality of the two restaurants is very comparable and the prices, while not exactly cheap, are affordable.

The public transportation, in Berlin, is truly a wonder.  We have found it relatively simple to go anywhere in and around Berlin without too much difficulty or spending too much time.  Most buses, subways, and City Trains, leave each station every ten minutes.   Nights and weekends (not to mention holidays) the schedule changes to every twenty minutes.  We find we seldom have to wait more than 5 minutes at any stop.

The City of Berlin and the surrounding Brandenburg area has much to offer visitors and residents, alike.  The fact that Berlin has a lot of waterways is given testimony to by the fact it has more bridges than Venice.  One can take advantage of that fact by taking a Dampfer Fahrt (boat tour) from one to five hours through or around the city.  There are museums, galore, and spots that memorialize the wall that surrounded Berlin for several decades.  There are Castles, Fortresses, historical event sites, and ancient churches, all of which can be toured most any time.  There are large, impressive castles, small and ornate castles, and almost non-descript castles constructed purely for the purpose of providing a very comfortable place to hold up while hunting.  Some are old, dating back to the mid-fourteen hundreds, and some as new as 150 years.

Scloss Charlottenberg a huge summer residence

One of our favorite castles, located in an area of Berlin, known as Charlottenberg, is the Schloss Charlottenberg, built in 1695 to 1713 by Queen Sophie Charlotte as a summer residence.  It is located at Spandauer Damm 10-22, 14059 Berlin.  It is huge and sits on many acres of highly cultivated, park-like property.  It literally takes hours to tour the castle and the grounds.  Another castle of note, although much smaller, is Schloss Pfauen Insel (Peacock Island Castle), built 1794-1797.  It was built as a restful place for Friedrich Wilhelm the Second to spend his nights with his lover Wilhelmine Encke, who was banned upon his death.  While very small and only accessible by ferry or boat (pictured here exterior and interior), it is a wonder of paintings, tapestry, and inlay flooring that boast great skill and craftsmanship.  Appropriately named “Peacock Island,” the island is well populated by Peacocks and you can see them close up as well as hear their piercing cry from all over the island.  The castle is located at Pfaueninsel, Nikolskoer Weg, 14109 Berlin.

Peacock Castle

We had some business to attend to in Königswusterhausen, which is located in the southwestern part of Berlin.  It is in the former German Democratic Republic.  While there, we visited the local open-air market and walked to the local Castle “Schloss Königswusterhausen,” located at Schlossplatz 1, 15711 Koenigswusterhausen, which was built in 1688, or at least given as a present to Friedrich Wilhelm the 1^st in 1688.  It is one of the examples of a castle built primarily for hunting.  It shows the opulence and attention to comfort the kings afforded themselves.

One truly grand Castle is Schloss Sanssouci, built as a quiet refuge by a Prusian King from 1745 to 1747 and located in a suburb of Berlin called Potsdam.  It is also the site of a grand University of Potsdam, which has blossomed since the eradication of the wall  that separated Berlin from East Germany and lies in the shadows of Schloss Sanssouci.

One of the most famous churches in Berlin is the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche (memorial church), built from 1891-1895, and located in the center of Berlin in a retail district known as Breitscheid Platz.  It is a remnant of a very large, ornate, church that was almost totally destroyed during the bombing of Berlin in 1943.  The remaining tower has been preserved and fortified as a memorial (thus the name) to the war and a monument to peace.  A new and very modern church has been built next to the old church along with a matching bell tower.  There are, however, a myriad of small Dorf Kirchen (Village Churches) that one would think just historical and ornamental until one reviews the monthly activity schedule.  They seem to be very active, offering children’s activities and adult gatherings, along with the typical church services.

One of those things that has not changed, in the makeup of Berlin, is the number of bakeries, meat markets, small appliance stores, boutiques, and travel agencies.  It is not unusual to smell the almost irresistible aroma of fresh baked bread and pastries while walking down almost any street in any small or large community.  A Fleischer (butcher) is inevitably not too far away and usually also offers prepared foods to their clientele for prices that make it difficult to make for less, yourself.  Most of the time, one has to eat such fare on foot at very small tables, but occasionally there are tables and chairs on the sidewalks under a canopy.  More sidewalk cafes are found in the rapidly expanding advent of Gelaterias with flavors and combinations that are out of this world. 

One of the things that has and is changing is the presence of department stores.  The ones we used to shop at, in the seventies and as late as two years ago, are disappearing at an alarming rate.  They are being replaced by larger boutiques and discount stores.  The financially discreet are turning to stores like the 1 Euro Stores, which are the equivalent to the Dollar Tree stores in the states.  The big difference is, one Euro is the equivalent to $1.35 (at the time of this writing).  That makes everything a little more expensive, even in the discount stores.  Otherwise, the inventories are not a lot different.  Another new and apparently thriving discount clothing store is Primark, which is located at ·  Walther-Schreiber-Platz 1 12161 Berlin, Schöneberg Germany. There is only one of these stores, in Berlin, and it is very crowded.  Prices are great, but pay attention to the quality.

The more we explore Berlin, the more we find things have not changed a whole lot and the more we find things are in a constant state of flux.  The experiences Berlin offers makes it more than worthy of any tourist or expat’s time and attention.  Whether viewed by public transportation, or by car, Berlin is a treasure trove of experiences, tastes, history, and entertainment.

The New and Modern Medellin, Colombia

As some of you already know, the trip to Panama was on the return leg of our trip to Medellin, Columbia.  We actually landed in Columbia on January 1, 2014 (my birthday) and stayed for just over a week.  It was an eye opening trip.  Medellin is at an average elevation of 2500 to 3000 meters (8000 to 10000 feet) and has a very spring like weather, year around.  The airport José María Córdova International Airport (IATA: MDE, ICAO: SKRG) is the second largest airport in Colombia after the El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá.  This trip was exclusively to give us the opportunity to experience the city and the coffee farms in the surrounding mountains.  We were picked up by a young Colombian gentleman, Freddi, who held a sign with our names, but couldn't speak a word of English.  The 45 minute drive from the airport to our Diez Hotel Categoria

Address: Calle 10A # 34-11, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia, Phone:+57 4 4481034, was pleasant and filled with smiling and gesturing, especially to his Iphone, which had a spanish translator app to aid us in our communications.

Front of Diez Hotel Categoria, Medellin

The hotel was very nice and we started out on the seventh floor, in a room that had a picture window looking out over the central district of Medellin.  It was a mountainous terrain and we could see clear across the river that transected the populous city.  It was gorgeous.

    Medellin from our 7th floor room looking NW

We were in Medellin, as mentioned, to learn more about the current state of affairs and about coffee farming in Colombia.  Our host and tour guide was the owner and founder of Cima Coffee Farms, who regretfully has passed away, in the mean time.  He was pleasant and very thorough.  He conducted tours of Medellin, which was still in its Christmas Season celebration, provided meals in popular, but not touristy, restaurants, and a tour of a pleasant tour of an orphanage where kids captured our hearts with their all engulfing, dark, eyes. 

On our first day in the hotel, we met a couple who had moved to Panama from Hawaii and who were taking the same tour we were.  Their names were Dusty and Carolyn Tubbs.  It was evening, on that day, but we decided to meet up and take a self guided tour of part of the city, the next day.  The coffee farm host had one of his employees drive us to the city train station.  We were headed for an elevated area of town that was served with public transportation in the form of cable gondolas.  The gondolas were entered, without stopping, by means of a moving platform that followed the gondola around its terminus allowing passengers to enter the small conveyance while it was moving.  

Entering the gondola while moving.

We were in an ideal position, above the steep slope of the mountainous city, to see the densely arranged residences and the crowds of meandering population as they went about their business of shopping or working.  You see, the cables and gondolas were built, not as a tourist attraction or for sight seeing opportunity.  Rather, it was an extension, the only one feasible with those steep slopes, of the public train system.  It provided public transportation for residents up and down the towering mountains.  It was far more utilitarian than touristy.  That was further evidenced by the number of locals who used the cable system to go to and from shopping areas and work and their homes.

A shopping plaza with gondola cable above

Upon arriving at the end of the line, or the top of the mountain, we sought out a nice little restaurant to have lunch.  I can't say I would recommend the restaurant, but we enjoyed the meal, anyway.  After having lunch, we went to a large (still somewhat under construction at the time we were there), dark gray, building that was called al Parque Biblioteca España (Biblioteca EPM, Plaza de Cisneros. Carrera 54 No. 44 - 48. Piso 2.
Teléfono: (+57-4) 231 7166), which doubled as both a library and a museum.  After that, we headed back to our hotel to relax for the remainder of the day.  That evening, we were to be treated to a tour by night of Medellin, in a Chiva (an old WWII all terrain vehicle converted to festive conveyances for hire).

Exiting our Chiva after the tour

We enjoyed a nice meal and cocktail party, after the Chiva ride and ended up going back to our hotel around midnight.  The next morning we actually had to check out of our room and meet up with the rest of the tour to head out to the coffee farms.  Our first stop was at Don Eduardo Zapata's personal coffee farm (finca) where we enjoyed a home cooked and native style breakfast.  Don Eduardo is the Colombian equivalent of the coffee icon Juan Valdez, with the difference that Don Eduardo is not just an actor, he is the real McCoy. 

Breakfast at Don Eduardo's

After breakfast, we got back into our bus and headed out to La Virgin Coffee Farm for a first hand experience.  We drove to the small town of Concordia, where we stayed the night in a room barely larger than the bed.  Although it had a nice courtyard, the noise from the Three Kings celebration, that went on all night long, was deafening (there were no window panes in the windows) and sleep was impossible.

Upon arriving in Concordia, we took our overnight bags into the courtyard and deposited them with the staff and went back to the street and climbed into another Chiva.  This one was larger and truly geared and designed for all terrain type travel.  The driver took us over roads (roads is an exaggeration) that were mere trails at the crest of drop offs on both sides of the vehicle.  A slight fear of heights was enough to set several of the passengers on edge with fear of dropping off one side or the other.  We arrived at the coffee farm in time for a very full and satisfying lunch on the large grass area, under some canopies. 

Lunch on the farm

After lunch we were driven to the area of the farm where they were growing seedlings and coffee plants of transplantable size.  We even got to plant our own coffee tree in an area where they were putting in new plants.

That evening we were back in Concordia, where we were fed a nice dinner and then moved to a table at the edge of the plaza where all the celebration was taking place.  The people were there from all over Colombia and even further away.  

The next morning, were treated to an organized parade of the locals and coffee growers and were fortunate enough to be able to watch it from the balconies of the hotel we had spent the night in, on the second floor.

Part of the parade procession

Roger Rollins, one of our tour guides

That afternoon, after having another lunch, we headed back on the tour bus to our hotel, where we checked into a new room.  The next day, we were offered a ride to a local shopping center by one of the Cima staff, Sandra Carrerra.  We were absolutely floored by how modern, comfortable, and complete the center was.  It was actually nicer and more accommodating than any of the shopping centers we were acquainted with in California.  The facilities for the kids were far more entertaining than anything we had seen, before.  There was a nice playground with a two story spiral slide, and there was even a zip line high above the open arena of the mall.  There were outside rides that were of carnival quality and views that were breathtaking.

Children's playground

Outside amusement park style rides

View of mall from second floor shopping area

View from the mall

All-in-all, we were very pleased, surprised, and happy with our visit to Medellin.  There were no signs of the drug lords or their activities.  There was a feeling of tranquility and a definite European feel to the populace and a modernness that was unexpected.  There were enough police present in the streets to give a feel of security without feeling like a police state.  I can highly recommend a visit to Medellin and the surrounding small towns and coffee farms.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at normre49@gmail.com.  The email address to which this blog is attached in old and, while I do check it, this email address is the more current and active one for me.

It has been a long time since my last blog. I can either spend a lot of time explaining why the delay or I can jump into my next blog.  I choose the latter.  There have been many changes in our lives, but there have also been some very interesting travels.  I will begin with those travels. The first entry is from our January trip to Panama.  The following was printed/published in Hackwriters.com at http://www.hackwriters.com/LasLajasNW.htm.  It is the same article, but you can read it here.

A Candid Panamanian Experience

Norman Wolfer

Normre49@gmail.com

January 2014

I don’t think we have ever visited a country around the world that one could consider perfect.  Every country seems to have wonderful things to offer along with the idiosyncrasies that take away from paradise.  Panama is no exception.  Our visit to Panama started in Panama City where we were subjected to much of the same bureaucratic nonsense we experience in the first world countries.  We were finger printed, photographed, questioned, and sent on our way. 

Panama City is a large, high population city that is suffering from a great deal of new infrastructure construction and an ever growing population.  Views from the airplane’s windows had confirmed new construction of large Panamanian neighborhoods to absorb the growth.  Infrastructure construction provides many of the new jobs, which leads to a growing economy and what is touted as a burgeoning middle class, confirming much have what we had heard.  Our transition through the city seemed like it would go on, forever.  Traffic was horrendous and construction sites impeded progress, especially because there were relatively few traffic lights to keep order.

We had decided to experience Panama by rental car, without an agenda.  The first destination we had identified was Coronado, for no other reason than to visit a beach community in Panama.  We traveled on the Carretera Panamericana (Hwy 1) following some expat friends, Dusty and Carolyn Tubbs who live in Panama, for the better part of two hours, which put us in Coronado at dusk.  Upon entering the Coronado and dining at a Panamanian version of a fast food restaurant (actually quite nice) we drove into what promised to be Coronado village, where we were stopped at a guard gate, revealing much of the Coronado beach area is a gated community.  The young man at the guard shack was kind enough to call ahead to the Coronado Golf Resort (Av Roberto Eisenmann, Playa Coronado, 0816-00571 +507 240 4444 http://www.coronadohotelpanama.com/ ) and confirm they had a room for us.  We landed in an austere, but pleasant and quiet room with two queen beds for $150, which included a meager breakfast.

Our next destination was Santiago is a medium sized town and we found a nice habitacion, called the Hacienda Hotel (http://hotel-lahacienda.net, (507) 958-8751 / 958-8580 / 958-8579 located right on Carratera Panamericana), which though nothing fancy, turned out to be a nice place to stay for about sixty dollars.  There was an attached restaurant, but no breakfast was included. 

Valle Del Rio

Our next stop was the second largest city in Panama, the City of David.  That it was large was evidenced more by the number of cars and people than the geometric size.  We spent the night in a room that felt like a jail cell in a hotel I would never recommend but cost only $35 for the night, and got up the next morning rested and ready for our main destination.  We would be driving to the city of Boquete, which was only about 30 kilometers from David, and as luck would have it, there was a flower fiesta going on.  We were told it would be a great experience, because the Panamanians would be celebrating that festival for a full ten days.  Whether it was “luck” or not could be debated.  The number of people attending, from far and near, choked both the roads and the hotels.  The first night in Boquete we ended up getting what was apparently the last room in the area.  It was far enough away from the celebration, which continued very loudly until 6:00 in the morning—every morning, that we were not kept awake by the festivities.  The Valle Del Rio was a very nice hotel which included a nice breakfast and a comfortable room for $200.  Again, it was more than we wanted to spend, but we did not want to drive back to David.  It did not include wireless internet access, however, except in the lobby.  It is located at Camino Valle Escondido Bajo Boquete, Phone +507 720 2525 and web address www.valledelrioboquete.com.

The city of Boquete was alive with many hundreds, if not thousands of visitors, most of whom were very friendly.  The activities were pleasant and festive.  There were many pastry shops and restaurants and we found a restaurant that served cafeteria style that had remarkably good food for a fair price.  It was called El Sabroson #3 and was on the uphill side of the main street.  There was at least one more (El Sabroson #2) further down the street, and we were told there was a #1, somewhere not too far away.

Boquete seen from high on a coffee farm hill

The next morning, we decided $200 a night was a little too rich for our blood and started scouting around for a different place to stay.  We were challenged by not wanting to be too far away from Boquete, not too close to the celebrating masses, and hoping not to spend too much for lodging.  We headed down the road toward David, again, hoping we had missed something on the way in.  We turned at an intersection that had a sign showing a golf course and country club, but after driving a ways we were convince that was a “dead end.”  We turned around and drove back to the main street and noticed a small strip shopping center, on the corner, called San Francisco Plaza.  I decided I needed to ask someone in a restaurant we spotted about potential lodging.

Zum Emsländer Restaurant

As we parked in front of the restaurant, my wife said, “Look, Norman.  The restaurant is called, “Zum Emsländer.”  My wife is originally from Germany and finding a German restaurant in Boquete was kind of nice.  We had already eaten, so I went in to inquire about any nearby lodging.  There were several people sitting at various tables and I could hear German being  spoken.  As a result of my wife’s diligent tutelage, I am fairly good with the German language, so I went up to a lady who seemed to be in charge and asked whether she knew of any place we could spend the night.  She did.  She asked us (my wife and me) to sit and have a cup of coffee and she would make a call.  Sure enough, she knew a Panamanian woman who had a guest room with a separate entrance (and very simple) who would rent it to us for $30 per night…would we be interested.  Of course we agreed. 

Zum Emsländer turned out to be a first class German Restaurant that served the German specialties that looked, smelled, and tasted like classic German Cuisine.  It is operated by George the German, who also operates a used European Furniture outlet from the same location.  This restaurant is only a little more than a mile before getting into the town limits of Boquete.  It is very high on our list of recommendations for restaurants.  Tell George, Norman and Evelyn sent you.

A young Native Girl with her daughter

Our stay in Boquete was very pleasant.  The perfect weather (year around) was a big attraction for us.  There was usually a comfortable breeze, which kept it in a very tolerable temperature range, even when the sun was shining without cloud cover.  The Flower Fest was less than awe inspiring, but the energy level of the people celebrating the festival was contagious.  There were native Indian demonstrations in the central park, small, private vendors selling indigenous meats and wares, and all the normal Panaderias (pastry shops), coffee shops, and restaurants lining the streets making it easy to fill one’s appetites.  The two nights we spent in the guest house were quiet, comfortable and reasonably close to town.  Since it was a private party, if your interested in staying in this accommodation, you might want to stop at Zum Emsländer and ask for Ruth.

Sunset in Las Lajas

Michael Holz and Ruth Eyer, our two new German friends from the restaurant, informed us they were taking a three day, two night trip to a beach resort.  We had paid for two nights in the guest house and, since that coincided with when they were planning on leaving, we asked if it would be okay for us to follow them and spend a few nights there, too.  They were very gracious and not only agreed to have us follow them, but managed to negotiate the Resident Retiree rate for the room we got, which brought the nightly rate from around $120 per night to about $80 per night.  When we arrived at Las Lajas Beach Resort, located at Playa Las Lajas, Jobo, Panama, and Phone:+507 6790-1972, where we were treated to beautiful lawn areas bordering the clean sandy beach and the 80 degree surf.  The sunsets were remarkable, the people extremely nice, and the food was good.  This resort, too, was high on our list of places we could recommend in Panama.  We met other Germans there, who were spending an extended time there.  They had been in Panama for thirty days and had only one warning, related to Panama.  Their visit to Bocos Del Toro had been a nightmare, because their two year old son had managed, from just having his pacifier rinsed in the tap water, to contract a deadly parasite, which put him in the hospital.  That caught our attention, because we had been freely drinking of the water throughout Panama.  Fortunately, we did not experience any negative effects from the water.

Our first night in Las Lajas, we went to another resort about 15 kilometers away, called Paradise Inn.  It had caught the attention of our friends, because the owner and operators were German.  Located at Las Lajas Adendro / Centro, Playa Las Lajas, Las Lajas 0446, Panama (cell 011 507 6580-8800) and website with Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1390105-d1642626-Reviews-Paradise_Inn-Playa_Las_Lajas_Las_Lajas_Chiriqui_Province.html, which boasted not only unique and pleasant lodging, but had exquisite food.  It is operated by Harold Merzscheidt and Helena Muensch, who were excellent hosts.

Lawn leading to beach in Las Lajas

 

Hotel Valle-Verde in El Valle

As we set out toward Panama City, again, our friends, Michael and Ruth, recommended we stop and visit El Valle for a few nights.  That took us almost to Coronado, again, but turned out to be about 20 kilometers inland from Highway 1 and took us into a higher elevation.  At about 2500 meters, the climate was once again one of eternal spring.  We happened upon a very nice hotel, Valle Verde (www.hotel-valleverde.com, P.O. Box 87-4381 Panamá 7 República de Panamá  +507 983-6080) which offered extremely nicely manicured gardens, a quiet setting, and included breakfast.  Although the winds, at this elevation, were gale force at night, the two days we were there were pleasantly breezy and pleasantly cool.  Valle Verde is a family run facility, but they spoke only Spanish.  While that created some obstacles, we found them to be very willing, friendly, and great hosts.

 

Frankly, we found the streets in places (especially the main Carretera Panamericana Hwy 1) to be somewhat treacherous.  However, the people were friendly, the terrain was as diverse as California’s, and the cost of meals, lodging, and the sights, were worthy of any traveler’s visit.  Regarding the things we find in publications enumerating reasons to retire in Panama, we found most of them to meet or exceed the reports.  There were, of course, things we did not care for in Panama, but the cost of living (especially for those on the pensionado program, which gives seniors generous government mandated discounts on almost everything including air fares), along with the eternal spring, wonderful people and numerous like minded expats from many different countries, more than make up for those certain inconveniences.  Visit Panama with an open mind and look for the good and you will find it in abundance.