Nice bay.
Svetlana and John...We're on a boat going to an island.
Rob being resourceful in getting us a snack. So hungry! All stores were closed because of the country-wide census.
360 acre beach-front land for sale (270 feet of beach).
I went to Bocas del Toro this weekend with my boss and his client to look at some island property. I'd never been. Bocas is on the Caribbean side of Panama alongside Costa Rica. The drive there was windy and mountainous, but very beautiful. We stayed a night in a villa in a development overlooking the ocean, it was awesome. There was a bar on the island and I discovered that although I still suck at Texas Hold 'em (lost $10), I'm actually pretty good at ping-pong (won $10). We went on a tour of the development the next morning which was impressive and has three beautiful beaches. Getting around requires water taxis which are fun and fairly inexpensive. The next day, we went to Bocas town and got a hotel. It is very touristy compared to what I'm used to. We went out that night to a few bars/clubs to check out the scene. Definitely a party place, and a younger crowd of mostly backpackers.
I have been warned for several weeks now about the Panamanian Census that took place on Sunday. The entire country shuts down and people are required to stay in their homes, hotels, hostels, etc., until the census people come around and interview you. You are then given a card and allowed to leave. This happens anywhere between 7am and 7pm. So, on Saturday, we went to the census office in Bocas and asked if we could pre-register because we had tours set up for the following day. They told us we would have to get a written letter from our hotel stating that we had to leave. We did that and were given our cards.
The following morning, we left for the water taxi and were immediately stopped by the police. One wave of the magic card fixed that. The town looked deserted. We took a taxi to the main land (we were the only ones on a 20-person boat that is usually full) and drove to a different port to get a boat for the day to investigate several island properties. On the way, we were stopped by four roadblocks of police officers to show our census card. They all seemed a little disappointed that we actually had the cards because they had no reason to harass us for a bribe.
We got to the port, joined other members of our team, and headed out to some amazing island real estate. Most of it was raw land and stunning in views. Unfortunately, I dropped my camera in the ocean. I recovered it, immediately removed the battery/card, and it is drying out while I pray.
We got back to David and my boss dropped me off at the bus station when I realized I left my phone in his car. I borrowed a stranger's phone, but to no avail. The next day, my friends Fred and Maru (who I've been spending a lot of time with lately) were in David because their dog got hit by a taxi and needed a vet, so they picked up my phone for me.
Today, I'm signing some listing agreements. Still no car, so I use a taxi. I almost bought a car from a Panamanian (Maru is a lawyer and helped me negotiate) but was unable to wire funds from my account to my brokerage account because my bank has blacklisted the bank in Panama.. So, I need to find another way to transfer several thousand dollars or buy a car from a gringo so we can transfer money from US to US accounts.
Life is getting busier all the time, I'm healthy and happy, and loving the overall experience of living in a foreign country.
No comments:
Post a Comment