Tag Archives: Panama

Far South

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Decision made.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks deciding what the best move would be, for me.

A couple of deciding factors. One, it’s high season in Panama and I am concerned that once there, I wouldn’t be able to find a rental. And as I will have, by then, sold my car, everything here, I really would have nothing to come back to. It would be like starting all over and it is way too expensive to do that here.

The other factor is the comfort zone as far as working goes. My work at ecology.com is expanding, which of course means more hours. If I was in a new country, I would be so tempted to be out and about more, exploring, instead of working. In South Africa, I won’t have that pressure on me. I need to work and make the money. I don’t have the luxury of being retired. But I don’t plan on spending all my time working. All work, no play etc etc! No more dull days and years for this girl!

And of course, going to SA is going home for me. As I am giving up my home here in the States, it feels like a safer stepping stone for me. Once there, I can also adjust to the heat which I have to find out if I can still handle. Supposedly one of the issues with my supposed affliction - inability to handle heat. That would be a real shame!

Once I have settled into the idea of being a rolling stone again, probably towards the middle of next year, I will decide where to go.

The time frame is still October. I am planning to go to SoCal and spend time with Ryan and Cody and family before heading out. I also would like to meet the people I am working with in Carpinteria so hope I can do that too.

So I have really started to get my stuff together, discarding and packing for storage the few things I will save, like my beautiful woven baskets, all my photos from eons ago. Things I just cannot give up. Sorting through the things I need to take with me, like the small “world phone” I had when I went to New Zealand and important papers. Most of the really important ones I will leave with Ryan.

Not sure which route to take. Depends on the fares, but I prefer to fly Malaysia Air. That way I can break my flight in Kuala Lumpur. Hopefully they still have the same setup, where the layover is something like 18 hours and they put you up in an hotel so you can get some sleep, a shower etc. Makes a huge difference. I don’t think I will take the four day detour to Langkawi, though that would be fun!

Oh, and mymixednuts is dead. Sad. I am selling off all the inventory this Saturday and Sunday. The lease on the warehouse is up next week so it is done. A relief but sad because I put so much of myself into it.

a little each day

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Each day is another step to moving to Bocas.

We ALMOST had a rental but it was snatched out from under us. At first glance, it looked perfect for us, but obviously it was not meant to be. So I am in contact with another owner and hoping to get some pictures of her house down there before we make any commitment.

I had an eye exam and ordered new glasses. The main reason, not that I really need new glasses, I need the prescription for my snorkeling mask! I found a place in Tacoma with a good selection of goggles, and then, if I don’t like there pre-made prescription lenses, will send the mask and my new script to a place in San Diego that makes them custom. I am getting bifocal goggles! Have to be able to see clearly underwater!

Then yesterday, I took the first batch of clothes to the Goodwill store. I know there will be more as I fine tune things, but initially this was good. Some of the stuff I haven’t worn for years! And then started going through my papers and this morning, spent two cups of coffee time burning the old papers in the wood stove. There is very little I need to take and any important stuff I can leave with Ryan.

Another giant step is that Cody and Mel hooked up Skype so we chatted and I saw the little boys! Everett is a little chubby guy, just like Cody was at that age, and Oliver is a wild man!  Very active and sooo cute. He was shy to start, then wanted to be on camera all the time, “Susu Susu!”  showing me things and dancing around. So now I won’t feel as disconnected when I am way south.

Voice found

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So now I have a “kid” voice for ecology.com - it was a challenge, but after several iterations, I got it. Now I have a series of articles to do, basically rewrites of existing, dense pieces to make them kid friendly. My current one is all about algae! It’s like going back to school, as I am finding it is actually easier to write these things from scratch, rather than trying to edit down, and totally rework. Doing it this way entails a lot of research, but it’s a lot of fun!

This is a perfect set up for me. Part-time, anywhere-I-am work. Exactly what I want for Bocas, or wherever I end up. Be out and about in the early part of the day, home and working in the heat of midday, then out and about in the evening coolness. Just perfect.

Crab traps on the boat

Had a great weekend, weather-wise. A typical summer in the NW kind of weekend, with sun! Yes it actually was out for two whole days! Went crabbing both days, snagged seven beautiful, big Dungeness. For the first time, we trapped a lot of females, which of course we threw back. Got to keep those girls producing!

Went out crabbing again yesterday, snagged four more good ones – but they are a lot of work if you don’t eat them right away. It entails cleaning them, then cooking them. Then the “fun” part, cracking them and extracting all the meat, then pressing the cleaned meat into cupcake pans, freezing, popping the frozen serving size portions out of the pans and then into vacuum-sealed bags for long-term freezing. Takes ages! And my fingers are cut up from the sharp shells. But still definitely worth every morsel!

Because November and December are getting into tourist time in Bocas del Toro, I have decided to go down earlier, mid-October. But will go to Southern California first for a couple of weeks to see all the kids and leave from there. That makes it only two months before I go. Time to get things in gear and start getting rid of stuff. Clothes, junk, organize paperwork, decide what goes and what goes into the rubbish bin.

I travel light.

 

Psyching myself up

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I sometimes doubt myself and what I am doing. Wondering if I am strong enough to do this on my own. And I know that Susan is only planning to be down in Panama for a short time, so I am basically on my own.

My friends think I am a fearless adventurer, and at heart I am. Hell, I was when I was really young! Absolutely fearless – or maybe just too naive. But regardless, I have to wonder if I still have it, whether I can still go out, traipsing around the world on my own, a single baby boomer woman.

I do know that I enjoy doing things and going places with someone. They give me the impetus to get out and do stuff. I’m afraid that I might get stuck somewhere and not get out and experience the people and cultures if I am on my own.

So I have to figure that out – but as I sit here writing, I realize that this is the impetus I need. I remember how good, successful and adventurous I felt in South Africa, heading out off the beaten track to interview some little African woman and photograph the bead work she was doing. And how much fun it was to visit the game lodges and beaches and hotels, getting stories and photos. Visiting the women’s groups as they struggled to survive; spending those 10 days in Zululand, 4-wheeling through sand traps and all the excitement. That is what I am supposed to be doing – and I CAN do it on my own.

It wasn’t that long ago that I went following sailboats across the Atlantic, taking ferries and trains and boats and planes! Ending up spending the night in a red light district; visiting castles and all sorts of other amazing places.

So can you guess? I am psyching myself up to go it alone – again!

The days are skimming by, and now I must set some deadlines for myself. When to book my flight, when to sell the car, when to buy the V-Lux 30, when to book language school and very importantly, when to send out pitches to all the publications, blogs and online magazines about this new adventure of mine.

Interesting…

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Yesterday I had an interesting proposition!

Several months ago, I talked to a guy who is working with Escape from America, an online magazine. That was when I hadn’t decided where I was going, thinking most likely Mexico. He has the Mexico portal of the magazine, and we discussed writing for him. Then I didn’t hear back from him. So I thought, oh boy, another flake and pretty much wrote him off.

Yesterday, I happened to think about him again, changed my phone number in the signature and wrote a quick check-in email. Within an hour, he called me, basically offering me the Panama portal! But, of course, there is money involved, significant money, of which there is basically none! So I turned him down today. But it sure would have been fun. A lot of work, but fun! And as Betsy pointed out, we don’t pay to work any more! But I will keep in touch, so that I can write for them once I am there. And hopefully, get paid to do it!

This week, besides working on ecology.com, I am going to start writing my “pitch” letters for the list of magazines and blogs that pay writers. Then, once the letters sound good, and it is closer to departure time, I will send them off.

Getting ready to go out and drop crab traps! It’s going to be fun – love crab, especially Dungeness and have been looking for crab cake recipes and how to make crab louis salad!

 

Taking steps

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I’ve decided on the Spanish school I want to go to in Bocas del Toro. It is called Spanish by the Sea  and they have a hostel attached – one option – or I can do a homestay or go to a B&B. The course will probably be about 4 weeks and within that time, will find a place to rent. Susan will most likely be down the first part of December so I hope to have found a place by then. There are some pix of Bocas Town here. Love those beaches!

The classes are five days a week, four hours each day so that will give me time to explore and decide what part of the island/town is the best place for me to live. It will need to be close to town, if not in town, as we will be riding bikes or walking. The island itself is only eight miles long so getting around isn’t an issue. There are taxis as well if there are groceries but will most likely have a bike with a basket on the front and a carrier on the back! Then I’ll need a poodle to ride in the front with a ribbon in its hair! Not!

It looks like most of the places to rent are completely furnished, which will suit us perfectly. I’m only taking one suitcase which will have my Kangen water machine in it as the water on Bocas is not good and I don’t think I can live without the machine!

I’ve cut out one dress so making some progress there. Now just have to put it together! I haven’t sewed for so long, I hope I haven’t forgotten how.

Flights are my next mission – whether to fly to Panama City then to Bocas or go through San Jose, Costa Rica which is most likely less expensive. There is a flight from San Jose directly to Bocas so it’s a good option.

On a stateside note, it is crab season! Joe (next door neighbor) dropped off two enormous Dungeness last week! Oh my! So we are loading up Chris’ boat and taking a couple of traps out – after we get licenses! – today so hope to stock up the freezer. I have to find a good recipe for crab cakes in case boredom sets in from having fresh crab every day. Darn!

Summer?

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I think we might have summer today! Here it is, on the downside of the summer solstice, and we are still waiting…

But today is beautifully clear, although it is very cold outside, 46F/10C. Maybe it will warm up to 60 or so, which will be a treat. The forecast is for 68/20 but I’m not holding my breath. I am tired, tired, tired of being cold and having the heat on in the house. And I am certainly not the only one complaining. People who are died-in-the wool Pacific northwesterners are complaining. It has been just miserable.

The birds don’t seem to mind – I am watching a huge osprey survey the estuary. He has been very active, diving and being quite successful too! Big fish being snatched! A lovely sight. In fact, we have two of these birds that have made this their own fishing grounds. The original one, which has been here for the past 3-4 years is still around and now this new one. The original one is smaller so maybe a female and now the male, so maybe babies soon?

But I hopefully won’t be here to see them, although staying focused on leaving is difficult. I wish I could simply pack up now and leave.

The nuts are still there and Annie knows I am leaving in November. But nobody seems to be making any effort to do anything about moving the business south to Southern California, or finding someone here to run it or close it down. It just blows my mind that they show so little interest – but want it to keep going, according to Ryan. It’s sad, as we keep getting more and more interest, with a big wedding favor order and a possible deal with gift baskets that I will find out about this week. If I had been getting paid properly, I probably would not be so anxious to leave, as I really am proud of the company and hate to just walk away from it. I guess that is why I keep working at it, keeping it ticking over, even though there is no money in it for me. Ever the optimist, I keep thinking someone is going to take it seriously, and it will become famous, and we will all make money. It takes years for a business to become profitable, and we are just in our second year. Very sad.

My tomatoes are finally growing well in the sunroom. The weeds outside are doing well too! It’s been so miserable, that things outside have had very little attention so everything is looking rather ragged at the moment. Maybe I’ll do some weeding today, put on my iPod music and sit in the sun.

I did find a couple of dress patterns for my summer clothes, but haven’t set up my machine yet. I’ve been dragging, but really must get myself in gear. I need to go through all the cupboards and boxes and discard stuff. Consolidate. Photos are about all I will save. The rest can go to Goodwill! Although, on second thoughts, there are things that I have saved for years: my Belize drum, jippy jappy baskets, Zulu baskets, beads. I can’t just get rid of them. So I guess I pack them up and store them until I am settled somewhere – wherever and whenever that might be.

 

How to eat an elephant

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Sometimes it seems like I am taking on too much, moving to a different world, keeping the nuts going, editing, etc.

But then one giant piece of the puzzle falls into place and things appear a whole lot different.

Finances of course, are a huge piece of this equation, and until I decided to take early Social Security, these dreams were out of reach. Then going through all the hassles of actually getting the monthly payment almost made me think it wasn’t worth it. My payment is not huge by any stretch of the imagination (and may that be a note to young, self-employed people, pay your self employment tax or your social security will be minimal, it might be minimal or non-existent by the time they get to be my age anyway, but that’s a whole different story) but it will make a nice, though small, safety net.

So this week, it was a very pleasant surprise to find the funds in my bank account! Followed a couple of days later with a letter from SS telling me they funds were there. Duh! I really have no idea how these government departments function – they are so dysfunctional!

So now I feel re-energized to get moving. Today I am heading down to Silverdale to buy dress patterns that are on sale for .99c which is unheard of. And I found a store that has some really pretty fabrics that are also relatively inexpensive. I have found in the past that by the time you buy the pattern and the fabric, it’s cheaper to just go and buy a dress.

But that again, is another beef I have. Clothing styles for people my age are abysmal. They are soooo dowdy and grannyish. So you either have to go that route or you end up with clothing only suitable for teenagers – and that is not in the cards for me. So I have been thinking – for years – about designing clothes for women who are my age, active, trendy, full of life, colorful, easy to wear, that look good too. So something else to think about and add to my “to do” list.

Weather note: We had our three days of summer last week. While the rest of the nation swelters in record-breaking heat, we are still below normal and I have heard that it will most likely be another winter like the last one – but do I care? Hell NO! I won’t be here!

Planning

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Planning is a great way to keep the dream alive and moving forward.

My funky painting I did years ago

Years ago, I painted a picture of the house I want to live it. It has been stashed away in a box and I had forgotten all about it. Then the other day, I was browsing rentals in Bocas Town, actually the local newspaper, and my jaw dropped. My house was staring back at me. Other than the cupola on top, my painting is the same style, with the railing etc, but has a thatch, or palm frond roof!

 

The ad I saw

So visualization works!

Deciding what to do about my camera is a major issue for me. I love the 30D I have. The lens is amazing and I have had really good results with it. But it is SO heavy! When we went to New Zealand, I got tennis elbow from all the hefting around! So I end up not using it as much as I think I should. It’s also very “in your face,” being as big as it is. So I am thinking of downsizing. But I need all the features.

With technology advancing as fast as it is, and accelerating, I think what I am going to do is go with the Leica V-LUX 30 which comes out this month. At least that is what I am thinking at the moment. It is an amazing little camera, with a great lens and optical zoom from 24mm to 384mm. It does HD video as well, which is something I want to get into so I can do podcasts. And it only weighs 7.7 oz (219g) including batteries. I may still keep my Canon. It would be difficult to let that go.

I am finally over those hellish weeks at the nut house, and things have settled down to where it looks like 2-3 days a week again. So I can get back into the editing which I tried to do this weekend, but their site was down. Very annoying as I had budgeted the time. Oh well, perhaps I was supposed to take the time off and relax, after all, it was a long weekend.

end of hell week(s)

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That was a marathon! Twelve back-to-back days of nuts and packing and shipping. Finally sent off the last batch yesterday – pushed to get it done so I wouldn’t have to go in today.  I don’t think I could have faced it.

rain wet iris

if the iris can make it, so can I

Today I crashed.

Sat around and did nothing with Josh Groban Radio playing on Pandora. Watched a movie about Panama that didn’t show a lot but was totally mind-numbing.  It poured on and off all day, sometimes hail, but mostly downpours.

My irises are struggling but this beauty made it. The blue and yellow ones are trying to come out, and expect in the next couple of days they will prevail.

Picked lovely fresh lettuce for dinner. All wet and clean from the rain. My veges patches are trying to produce, but really, this weather is just so cold that not much is growing at all. I suppose that getting fresh lettuce like this won’t be an option in Panama – it will be too hot but I remember growing up in South Africa, we had lettuce so maybe there are varieties that grow in the heat.

I am so looking forward to being warm, going barefoot and swimming. This dark, gray, dank weather is too much for me, although I am taking 1500IU Vit D3 to help counteract the weather effects.

There has been no time for me to do any Panama planning – all I could do was look at pictures on the Internet and keep dreaming. Didn’t even have time to do any editing – it was strictly nuts and more nuts – but I am still sane – maybe not in others’ minds but in mine :)

Farmers Market tomorrow and then get back into a normal routing – and only a few nuts in the mix.