Panama City

Good day, matey! This is an incredible harbor right along the shores of Panama City.

Our mission today is to take the dinghy into the dinghy dock, a taxi to Albrook Mall, find the Apple Store (ie: Mac Store) for a new iPhone for Max and a new iPad for Whitey, buy a few groceries, discover some new Rums and see what else we find along the way.

Mission accomplished.
XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 12
GMornin'

Today we moved the boat - fueled up Nutmeg and the dinghy at Flamenco Marina and dropped anchor outside of La Playita Marina, just around the corner on the other side of Flamenco Island, with easier access to "things." Another incredible anchorage. This entire area is like nothing we have ever seen before. Very hard to put into words and pictures don't really do it justice. You just need to experience it. The calm open sea dotted with islands and all types of boats anchored near and far and moving around plus the immense skyline of Panama City. Just incredible. Can you find Nutmeg?

GNight
XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 13
It's a new day.
Max and Whitey are flying to Belize today to check on their property & "things" there & see some old freinds. They are packed and ready to go. We dinghy them to shore, walk around the area, replenish our stomachs.
The day is done. XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 14
Woke up to a beautiful sunrise this morning with several paddle boarders dotted among the boats.

Today we visited Casco Antiguo, Old Panama City. Privateer Henry Morgan - the Welshman and namesake of Captain Morgan Rum - looted and destroyed Panama City in 1671. Fortified and rebuilt by

the Spaniards, this was a vibrant center of Panama City for 100’s of years. After years of decline and neglect in the 1900’s this area was declared a UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site in 1997, spurring revitalization, Strolling along the various plazas and narrow cobble-stone streets, there was colorful local art, centuries-old buildings in various stages of renovation, saw the Metropolitan Cathedral, visited the Canal Museum, and even found a French Patisserie – so we just had to enjoy a couple desserts and a fancy coffee. The tide, which changes an average of 12’ here, was down which gave an interesting perspective to buildings and the downtown skyline.

Gpa found a Panama City craft brewery! We took a taxi to Casa Bruja Brewing Co., met the owner/brewmaster, Jonathan. We had a flight of various beers - all very good. And their burgers looked delicious. We decided to come back another day - to arrange a tour and have a burger. And more beer.

Nighty night.
XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 15
Good morning, Sunshine!

We walked. And walked. Over 3 miles. All the way down the Amador Causeway. And then some - past the Biomuseo to Balboa. Glad I have my favorite shoes with the hole in the big toe.

Actually, it was a wonderful walk. This is such a beautiful asset to Panama City – a boulevard with 2 lanes of traffic on each side and a wide sidewalk with designated lanes for walkers and bikers. Nicely landscaped with various flowering trees, bushes and plants, palm trees and lots of art, benches, birds, little lizards, a cat, a sloth and, most importantly, water and even a bubbler on both sides.

Signs with historic information are spaced along both sides. The Amador Causeway is a huge breakwater built in the early 1900’s with dirt and rocks from the excavation of the Canal. Its main purpose is to protect the entrance of the canal from the strong currents of the bay. Part of the Panama Canal Zone, the U.S. had military bases on the islands to defend the entrance of the canal. After Panama took over control in 1996 the area has been developed with marinas,

restaurants and attractions for locals and tourists. Named after the 1st president of Panama, the causeway connects Panama City to 4 islands, Naos, Flamenco, Culebra and Perico.

Hello, Moon!
XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 16
Rented a car this morning, drove over the Bridge of the Americas to El Valle de Anton, a village in the caldera of an extinct volcano surrounded by cloud forest and mountains. The 2.5 hour road trip was a good opportunity to see the real Panama – some really good new roads, some really bad old roads, lots of road construction with new bridges, communities with businesses right alongside the main highway zooming thru, small villages, large modern shopping centers, cattle - a glimpse into how people really live and work

After visiting the tourist center and local market we headed to the Mariposario (Butterfly Haven). First we watched a short video explaining the life cycle of butterflies. Our guide then took us into the flight house with an amazing variety and number of Panamanian butterflies – so many that we have never seen before – and into the rearing lab to see the eggs, caterpillars and chrysalis stages of many individual species. Nothing fancy but oh so very well done.

Had a nice lunch in the country at Volcancito’s & then we 1) Hiked up the trail and over the

suspended bridge to Chorro El Macho, the area’s largest waterfall. Beautiful. 2) Walked the trail to see the Arboles Cuadrados (Square Trees) along a stream fed by another smaller waterfall. 3) Visited the EVACC, El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, which is working hard to save some of Panama’s endangered amphibians including the Golden Frog. The chytrid fungus has wiped out as many as 90 species of amphibians worldwide. We were very interested in their facility as we hope to visit a previous Animart Pet employee from Madison, Devin Edmonds, during our circumnavigation who is now a world renowned frog expert in Madagascar.

So much more to see and do here … horseback riding, so many hiking trails with more streams and waterfalls and mountains, National Parks, canopying (zip lining), biking, museums, El Nisporo Zoo, El Serpentario snake park, an Orchid Center, petroglyphs and hot springs. You always need to leave something to come back for!

Crazy lots of heavy traffic coming back – so glad we weren’t on the other side coming out of Panama City! WAZE helped take us around some traffic and took us back over the Centennial Bridge, along the

Panama Canal Railroad, and the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks.
Couldn’t believe how many sailboats were coming into the marina – in the dark - as we dinghied out to find Nutmeg.

Been having some strange dreams lately. Too much sleep?
Maybe will dream of butterflies and frogs tonight.
XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 17
Happy St Patty’s Day & Top o’ the Mornin’ to You!

Spent the day at Biomuseo at the other end of the Amador Causeway. We were the 1st ones in and I think the last to leave. Biomuseo, a museum of Panama’s natural history and biodiversity, was designed by renowned architect Frank Owen Gehry (also did the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis the Guggenheim Museum in Spain). Various areas focused on how the Panama Isthmus was created millions of years ago, creating a bridge between the north and south and how it changed the world for animals, people, plants, the oceans and the climate. It also covers more current history from the 1500’s to today and into the future. So glad we didn’t miss this!

Here's my St. Patty’s Day toast for you:
“May your heart be light and happy. May your smile be big and wide. And may your pockets always have a coin or two inside!”
XO XO Gma & Gpa

BTW – for you older kids like Eric – & it being St P’s day – I just finished reading "The Hungry Road," a historic novel about the Great Irish Potato Famine. Heartbreaking. A very sad must read for anyone with any Irish blood.

March 18

Hola!
Big excursion of the day was to take a taxi back to Casa Bruja to meet with Jonathan at 11:30 for an official tour and to enjoy a burger and some good beer again. Jonathan Pragnell, owner/brewer, grew up in Panama City, went to engineering school at Purdue, worked for a few years Kimberly Clark in Neenah, WI, started home brewing, worked at BrewDog in Scotland, came back and started a brewery with a couple other brewers bitten by the craft brewing bug. In business since 2013, they have won numerous awards, including a silver at the World Cup for their Gose Beer in 2018. He also has started a new coffee bean fermenting business. Quite the entrepreneur.

On the way there, we had an extra hour, so stopped at Panama Viejo to view the expansive ruins – many religious churches and convents - from the original Panama City destroyed in 1671 by Henry Morgan and his privateers.

Hasta Manana, XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 19
Up and at 'em!

Punta Culebra Nature Center, adjacent to La Playita Marina, is another Smithsonian Institute Research Center with a nice mix of marine and amphibian exhibits and walking trails. Did you know?...Frogs, salamanders, toads and other amphibians all around the world are facing mass extinction due to the chytrid (kit-rid) fungus, loss of habitat and pollution. Panama is home to nearly 200 different kinds of frogs. We met several of them here where scientists are studying methods to protect them and are breeding several to eventually release back into nature and hopefully saving these special animals for future generations to enjoy. (They also partner with EVACC in El Valle, several zoos and other research centers.)

They are also working to protect whales. Over 2000 humpback

whales migrate from Antarctica to Panama's warm waters from late summer to fall to give birth and raise their young. When a ship and whale collide it can be devastating. In 2014 the Smithsonian Institute helped initiate the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) which reduces the space and speed for ships going through the Gulf of Panama’s entry to the Panama Canal from August 1 – November 30.

Along the trails we saw a large iguana dining on leaves nd several sloths chillaxing. Sloths sleep 15 to 18 hours every day up in the trees hanging upside down or curled up in the V of branches. Sloths will fall out of its tree once a week – to poop. Sloths are almost blind but have a great sense of smell, move very slowly but are good swimmers – they can hold their breath for 40 minutes under water.

Be a sloth. Slow down. Take it easy.
XO XO Gma & Gpa

March 20 It's Spring! Spring out of bed!!
Somehow spring is kinda lost here. It's more about the long rainy season (May to Juanuary) and the short dry season (January to May). Glad to see Wisconsin having some warmer days to melt all that snow. Tulips and daffodils will be up soon!

Early this morning we went to the Metropolitan Nature Park, a 573 acre tropical forest right in the heart of Panama City. The park is home to 227 bird species (we saw many and many hardcore birdwatchers with their fancy cameras), 45 mammals (saw none), 36 kinds of snakes (saw 0), and 14 kinds of amphibians (0). We hiked up to the highest point, the top of Cerro Cedro, with mpressive views of the city. (Yep. Saw that.)

'Twas a beautiful spring day. XO XO Gma & Gpa

FYI
* The Canopy Access Crane allows forest ecologists to study the forest from top down. * Interesting roommates: Several bird species actually nest in active termite nests.

March 22
HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY, LUCY!!
I hope you had lots of cake and ice cream today and saw some unicorns!
We haven't seen any unicorns here. I hear Uncle Eric had a sighting, tho!
XO XO XO XO XO

March 21-??
Welcome back, Max & Whitey!
Most of the ARC boats have sailed out so there is now room in the marina for Nutmeg for a few days to prepare for our final departure.

Lots to do again! Lots of shopping for provisions - food, TP, etc - it's much less $$ here than it will be in French Polynesia, so we are really stocking up on what we can here, besides what we will need for our 21-28 day sail to the Marquesas. It's a large city, so there are really big grocery stores and Costco type stores - which do have small appliances, but no popcorn poppers. We also go to their local produce market, meat market, fish market and Chinatown. Amazed by how clean and modern they are. Amazed by how much of all this I have no idea what it is or what to do with it. Can you find the pig tails? Pig's feet? and 2 pig heads? No - we didn't buy any. The Great White Egrets were doing a good job helping to clean up the fish scraps.

Nutmeg got a good cleaning, including along the waterline. Oil change. New 300' anchor chain. Filled both propane tanks (need to be able to cook!). The dinghy got a good cleaning (its bottom really needed it!) Updated navigation and iridium systems, boat and travel

insurance. Laundry's done (good job, Gpa!) so we have fresh sheets, towels and undies. Just before we leave, will top off the water tanks and fuel up the diesel and dinghy gas. Jerry cans are full of diesel, gas and water for back-up emergencies.

Every morning there are people on paddle boards or swimming out from the beach at the marina's hotel. Saturday morning they entertained us with paddle board races. There's a resident crocodile we have seen several times swimming or sunning in the same area - tho fortunately not at the same times. Maybe there's a schedule...?

Still waiting for more parts to fix the water maker and the clothes washer. Should be here Monday! Then we can leave! Next stop: the Pearl Islands (aboaut a 7 hour sail, still Panama) where there's good whale watching from June - November, will anchor for a night, Then, 21-28 days sail to the Marquesas Islands (our 1st stop in French Polynesia).

Hasta luego, Panama City!
XO XO Gma & Gpa