BREADMAKING

I know, I know..."Stand Up Straight!"

Dining Al Fresco

The bread making class was held in the most adorable little cottage.  It was open plan kitchen / dining/ living room (with fireplace) and had great LIGHTING!!  I note this because poor lighting is so......common in Panama.  Can never see what you're doing.  Our instructor is a gringo and a cook - so he has lights everywhere - a man after my own heart.  Charming local Panamanian art all around; cookbooks everywhere and lots of interesting, friendly wanna-be bakers like myself - a great recipe for a fun day!

Turns out that Boquete has an almost perfect climate for bread making - always about 75 degrees (room temperature) so no fuss about making the ingredients warmer or cooler.

ARTISAN BAKING

Traditionally, Panamanian baking is rice and corn-based, not grain-based like the U.S.  For this reason, good flour is harder to come by.  Artisan bakers, both Panamanian and Gringo, are beginning to spring up and creating a demand for good flour products though and several have excellent bakeries in the Boquete area much to the delight of carb-lovers like me.  We made challah bread and rosca bread with candied fruits (which are ridiculously inexpensive here).  Had fun experimenting with different braids and shapes - only limit is your imagination here.

COMPOSED SALAD LUNCH

The bread baking was followed by a lovely lunch including a composed salad with home made dressings.  Recipe for the French Tomato Dressing follows.  It was DELICIOUS and I highly recommend.  Sampled 3 different wines (all under $6) which were fabulous and ended with some excellent vanilla ice cream.  Left full, talked out and with two loaves of pretty good bread, if I do say so myself.  Class organizers did a great job with enough utensils for all, pretty take home Christmas apron and cake plate

I did it!  Yummy too.

Fabulous Panamanian baker and talented!

FRENCH TOMATO DRESSING:  Mix in blender.  Refrigerate when not using.

1 Can Tomato Soup
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/4 teaspoons Prepared Mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

PRIORITY MAIL PANAMA STYLE

As with most things in Panama, you need to bring your patience and your sense of humor along.  After inquiring at Mail Boxes etc, it was going to cost a lot of moolah to send a cell phone back home to Colorado.  Heard from a friend that the local postal service has a version of "Priority Mail" and decided to give it a try - $15 versus $40 at Mailbox Etc.

First Visit to Post Office (El Correo)

Went to store and got wrapping pager and packing tape.

Wrapped, taped and addressed mobile phone and accessories to send to Colorado.

Took phone package, all wrapped up and taped to post office a week ago Friday. 

No tape allowed, told that package must be glued only.

Second Visit to Post Office 

Went to store and bought more wrapping paper and glue.

Wrapped and glued ...  a multi-step process with elmer like glue, one end/side at a time, and packaged items..

Very proud of ourserlves for completiing, took wrapped and glued package to post office today.

No good. Told that they have to inspect what is in the package, hmmm...they didn't mention this before and we didn't see the sign..  LOL

Ripped open glued package so they could visually inspect the contents.

Surprise - Well you never asked!!

They then produced a plastic shipping mailing envelope ... which wasn't produced a week before( we asked, but maybe they did not understand our version of Spanish??) and when they told us the package had to be glued, and inserted inspected items into plastic "EMS" mailing envelope.

Had to leave post office and go over to copy store and get a copy of my passport for the post office to keep.

Returned to the post office with copy of passport and gave it to the counter person.

Gracias Senor, that is "all" that was needed.  What, no copy of the videotape of my birth, no "shrubbery"??

I didn't dare ask how long it would take as the young woman who spoke English who helped me through the process was no longer there.

Wrote on package "broken phone - doesn't work in Panama" and claimed 0 value.

It is in the Panama postal system for delivery.

Good luck ever seeing that package.

Getting started living in Panama

THE BEST THING TO MAKE FOR THANKSGIVING IS RESERVATIONS!!

Happy Thanksgiving to friends and family!  I am writing from Boquete, Panama and it is a beautiful, breezy day about 75-80 degrees.  Joe and I will be having a holiday lunch today with about 20 other expats in Los Molinos, the community we'll be living in as of January.  Don't know if it will include turkey, but I do know that there will be no cooking or cleaning up required, so I am all over it!!  Love to cook, but anyone who has done the T-Day feast knows that it is a labor of love and one of the best parts of the day is a quiet glass of wine on the couch after the last dish has been dried and put away.  Or maybe the turkey sandwich (with stuffing) at about 10 O'clock, yes?

VISA APPLICATION

Have been remiss on posting the past few weeks as the majority of our time has been spent doing the prep work for getting our permanent residency visas in process, setting up a bank account and most importantly, getting Joe a small motorcycle so he can tour the hillsides!

Panama has debuted several new visa options recently and the one we have applied for will give us permanent residency and option to apply for a permit to work in Panama, which we will want to do.  Primarily the new options are to attract skilled workers to Panama to provide a ready workforce for their burgeoning economy.  Secondly, to attract business investment and the creation of small businesses which, of course, will mean more jobs for Panamanians.  Besides your passports, you need an FBI report (Joe was wise and had this done before we traveled here), a local bank account, and lots of documents confirming that you are a person in good standing.  According to our lawyer, we should have our temporary residency cards before we travel home for Christmas.  This is especially good because without this card, you are required to leave the country every 6 months.

BANK ACCOUNT

Here in Panama, you have to be introduced by a local of good standing to a bank manager to apply for a bank account.  Again, you have to have several local folks attest that you are a citizen in good standing, letters from previous banks saying that you are a good customer, FBI report etc just to APPLY!  Often this process from start to receiving your account number can be 4-6 months.  We are expecting to have our account up and operating next week - time from start to finish less than one months!! Thank you, Lord.

NETWORKING

We spend a great deal of time networking and soaking up the information that so many kind and experienced expats are willing to share.  Once we are established, we will be certain to "pay it forward" and help the next newbies here.  There is SO much to know in order to make life easier, more fun and how to buy and live smart.  It takes a LOT of time, but has been invaluable.

We have been hiking three times a week with a hiking group.  Each hike is about two to three hours and you spend the time exercising while meeting new people - and it's free!  Networking is where you find out about the best place to buy or do this or that, real estate opps that are not listed, people who are looking for investment partners, home rentals and services, where to get a good haircut/manicure/teeth cleaning/dog grooming/grocery item etc.  Also, you meet folks almost everytime you eat out.  $4 for lunch and priceless amount of info - good idea.

IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME

We are spending a lot of time researching casitas - plans and how to build them.  We met with a family this week who are building with pressure-treated wood and greenboard.  Totally new for Panama, where almost all construction is from concrete block.  Superior product in every way and very cost-effective too.  These would make great long-term or short-term rentals / sales and you can even purchase some of these as kits - ready to assemble on your lot.  Great idea.

Most every expat we meet is here for a number of reasons, but almost without exception, the major reason is that they see the writing on the wall for the economy back home and are looking to diversify.  The economy here, which is multi-faceted, is booming with a growing middle class.

THE PEOPLE

Even those who have very little according to US standards, and that's most people, have a lovely and friendly attitude.  Not uncommon for folks to stop what they're doing to assist you with directions or to try and understand and/or translate my terrible Spanish in a store.  Uncommon kindness is a lot more common here.

RECOVERING TYPE A's

It has taken me these last 2 months to calm down.  I never thought I was a Type A, but maybe I became over the years as job and life just kept getting faster and faster - survive or drown right?  Like someone going to AA for the first time, I am admitting to possible Type A and perfectionist tendencies and am on the road to recovery!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We all have much to be thankful here and in the United States - still one of the best places on earth.  Special thanks to our military men and women who fight daily for our liberty, may we always protect, appreciate and defend it.

Cooking in Panama

NGOBE INDIAN MOM AND DAUGHTER

DINNER TONIGHT

CARVED TREE TRUNK

Butternut Squash soup last night, Pasta Fagioli tonight for dinner.  Yea, yea, I know - doesn't sound very Panamanian, but I am planning chicken enchiladas tomorrow night!  It has been a pleasure and a challenge to cook in Panama so far.  The fruits are excellent, they have a bumper crop of carrots, bell peppers, squash, and fresh ginger but some things are surprisingly hard to get - spinach, cilantro, basil, decent beef - just to name a few.  Fortunately, all incredibly inexpensive I might add.  We are so....spoiled in the U.S. where, no matter the time of year, we have most any vegetable you can imagine available to us.  Our proximity to the second largest city in Panama, David (pronounced Da-veed), only about 30 minutes away really helps.  They have 3 large supermarket chains there and if you shop all 3, you can usually get what you need or a good alternative.  Patience is not one of my original spiritual gifts, but I believe that I am growing in this area!!    Also, not always easy to get the spices you want so you have to be creative.    

FOOD ENTREPRENEURS

MY FAVORITE HOUSE SO FAR

Went in to a little local grocery called the Food Box (how cute) yesterday and they had some really unique items I had not seen in the grocery stores. Being as this was a small, neighborhood (7/11-type) place, I was surprised and started a conversation with the lady at the checkout.  She is a Muslim woman married to a Jew (check that out) and was one of the happiest souls I have had the pleasure of meeting here.  Anyway, her sister lives in Saudi Arabia and frequently travels back and forth to Boquete.  She gives her a list of customer requests for specialty items / spices, etc and she brings back a few each time she returns for a visit.

HILLSIDE OF SAME DEVELOPMENT-CHARMING

Long story short,  if you are enterprising and willing to shop a bit, you can get almost everything you need.  I think I forgot to mention, but fish here is fresh, inexpensive and fabulous!!    
Corvina (Sea Bass) and Dorado (Mahi-Mahi) are readily available and excellent.  About $6/pound.

COOKING WITH THE INTERNET

It must have been a trial before the internet, but no need to carry recipe books anymore.  I have all my favorite recipes and chefs available to me 24/7.  Need a recipe from Giada for Pasta Fagioli?  No problem.  Forgot the ingredients for pina colada mix - it's all right there.  Need a recipe for taco seasoning which I can't find here? Truely, you have your whole food library right on the internet.

ALSO VERY NICE

Boquete has a number of informational sites where folks can flog their products.  As the holidays are approaching, there are expats who have formed a catering / take-home business where you can purchase any number of fabulous appetizers, dinners, etc.  Fabulous cakes and pastries (really, really good).  You can pick them up or a delivery guy will whiz them over to you for a couple bucks.  Have not used that yet, but would be great to supplement a dinner party with a fancy appetizer or an impressive dessert.

Our current condo is fairly well-equipped and I'm enjoying cooking here.  The knives are dull - working on where to get them sharpened.  Unfortunately, the door on my oven is falling off, so can't use till it is repaired.  As this could take weeks, I'm majoring on what you can cook on the stovetop or toaster oven.  We visited a gorgeous housing development this week - would love to build there - and spent a lovely couple of hours visiting with the developer and his wife.  They are Expats as well.  Anyway, I told him I'd love to have a really nice kitchen and good appliances, but if those expensive appliances need repair, what do you do?  He sheepishly said that you have to take the appliance TO the repairman!  Yup, load it up in the pickup and haul it to the city.  I'm sure that over time, there will be repairmen who can do this, but not yet!  LOL.  We have seen some really lovely areas here for potential home sites and are going to view a bank-owned home today.  I think our best plan would be to purchase a lot where we could build several casitas that we can rent out, a main house for us and perhaps a plunge pool in between.  That would give us some passive income.  Also weighing the pros and cons of living in a gated community.  Although they provide more security (haven't really heard of a big crime problem, but a few) you have to deal with HOA's.  Have lots of real estate to see today, followed by Happy Hour at 5 down the street.  Hasta Pronto!