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Marcelyn

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Blog Entries posted by Marcelyn

  1. Marcelyn
    Every resident applying for a renewal Panamanian driver license (good for 4 years) must pass an eye and hearing exam. For people 70-85 years old, a certificate of good physical and mental health from a Panamanian doctor who specializes in internal medicine or geriatrics is required. All this plus an actual test in parallel parking and back-up maneuvers is required for residents over 85 years old. For us seniors the renewed license is valid for only two years.
    Since I meet the requirements for the actual test, I used my very small car (named Tiny Tim) and practiced for a week prior to my test date. Everyday Bud had me out doing the backing up and parallel parking drill. The word is that if your car even touches a cone on the driving test range then you fail. The cones are sometimes small and generally not visible to the driver taking the test.
    During my first attempt at test parallel parking on the actual license renewal day the inspector saw me turning my head to look out the rear window. Maneuver was successful, but he made me repeat the procedure and this time I used the vehicle mirrors only....instead of turning my head and looking backwards. Managed the back-up maneuvers, so inspector gave me a thumbs up and approved my drivers license renewal request.
    I understand that no one 90 years old or older is approved for driving in Panama. Individuals can try to renew a license at 89, but probably won't be successful. Everyone at the David Sertracen office was courteous. The only downside is the very rapid Spanish used by employees when giving instructions for taking the eye and hearing exams.
    Many people 85 years of age can't pass the health requirements... certainly can't perform the actual test maneuvers, so I'm celebrating my success. 🙏🙏👍👍👏👏
  2. Marcelyn

    And Now I Know - Box Shop Boquete

    By Marcelyn,


    main thread
    As long term customers of the Box Shop in David, we are happy this service is now available in Boquete.
    Box Shop Logistics for delivery of packages is now open in Local #5, Plaza Los Establos, Bajo Boquete. Phone 778-0595. www.boxshoplogistics.com. (To WhatsApp the David office, use +507-730-1041 or +507-778-0270.)
    Arial, the friendly staff person, speaks excellent English. No charge for registering for an account. Credit card accepted for payment.

     

     

  3. Marcelyn
    What did you do with Anouk and who is this dog?
    A scare this morning. We took our two year old Husky to The Dog Spot for a bath and almost didn't recognize the dog Roberto brought out to us from the back room. Darker fur and several inches smaller. Oh no--what happened? Then Roberto showed us the fur he had combed from Anouk. I think it would be sufficient to stuff a small pillow. And her last bath was less than a month ago.
    She looked great and I believe our car seemed to handle better with the less weight of all that fur.
    Anouk really is a beautiful dog.
    P. S.  Anouk is wearing her new dog tag. The one we purchased at Mr. Dog; the  "I was Rescued" tag with her name and telephone on the reverse.
  4. Marcelyn
    Excitement in El Santuario this afternoon.
    We lost electrical service for a second time today (Friday, June 18th), with the first outage being scheduled maintenance. The first outage lasted about seven hours, ending about 2:00 PM. A second outage started about 3:15 PM, and a few minutes later a neighbor called saying a high tension wire was on the ground and “arcing and sparking” in front of his house. We alerted Rodny Direct, who called Naturgy’s emergency number. Rodny called back within a few minutes to report that two Naturgy repair trucks were Immediately dispatched from David to our location. As a sidebar, Rodny informed us that when Naturgy dispatches more than one truck to site that it is called a brigade. Bud alerted our neighbor then drove to meet and direct (using flash lights) the Naturgy trucks when they arrived and moving up the hill into El Santuario.
    A fire truck arrived in case a fire started, and also to block the area immediately around the downed wiring. That fire truck refused to allow a taxi driver and a few other vehicles from entering into the danger area.
    Naturgy arrived with two trucks and assessed the situation. Electrical power was shut down to the high tension wiring. Naturgy estimated three hours for the repair to be finished.
    Great job, Rodny.  👏👏  We’ll certainly renew our yearly subscription for Rodny Direct. This service is the best buy in town.
    Pictures available tomorrow after electricity is restored.
  5. Marcelyn
    The recent CL posting about border hoppers (Click Here) by Mr. Abel Gomez (a well known Boquete attorney), reminded me of when Bud and I were sitting in the Mexican Naturalization Office waiting for finalization of our Mexican residency visa paperwork. We couldn’t help but overhear four Americans had overstayed their Mexican Visa allowance and now faced a major fine. One woman exclaimed “we can’t pay that much money, we’ll come back later”. The Naturalization Officer told the complainer “come back tomorrow and the fine is higher because the amount due increases each day it is owed”.  The American female shouted “we don’t have that much money, what can we do?” The Officer calmly explained “because you remained in Mexico beyond your visa allowance  time, now you can pay the fine or go to jail, your choice”.
    Sensing what would happen next, Bud and I quickly moved to the back row in the waiting room of the Naturalization Office.
    P.S.  Not sure if these four people are still in a Mexican jail !!
  6. Marcelyn

    The Big Bang

    By Marcelyn,

    Anouk and I are glad The Big Bang time during the recent holidays is finally over. Just noise. To me fireworks mean rockets shot skyward and the explosion of colored star designs high above the roof tops. Pretty to watch.....not just noise that frightens animals and interrupts conversations.
    Maybe next year we could have a fireworks display in a nearby field and invite everyone in the community.  I know Anouk would be happier. Me too.
  7. Marcelyn
    Not long ago an acquaintance (maybe I should call him a “real character”) came to visit us. He needed a haircut...did he ever! But he claimed he didn’t have time or the opportunity for this. Too many other activities like Jazz Festival, Tree Trek, food to try, practice his Spanish, etc.
    Then one day after his spending the day touring around the Boquete area, I noticed his hair was neatly trimmed. Where? was my question. Bert explained he had asked friendly Panamanians standing near Romero’s. They told about a favorite shop close to the Melo store and across the street from Dr. Gómez. Of course Bert had to try this place. Said it was the kind of business he liked to explore and make new friends. Called it educational and the right price.
    Later I discovered this is Lasso Barber Shop. Mr. Lasso is a gentle and very polite man. I think he has been part of the Boquete culture forever.
    Now Bert is continuing his world travel adventures in other places, making friends, and learning. He probably could need another haircut. Maybe tomorrow or perhaps next week or?
    What a great guy! That comment applies to both Bert and Sr Lasso. They are both winners.
     
  8. Marcelyn
    Last month Bud broke a tooth. A chunk just fell away. He wasn’t eating anything hard or difficult to chew, but a big part of that tooth was missing. This was a major and unexpected happening plus scary. A new problem and no dental experience in Boquete. What a blow!
    Using the Health Care Resources for Chiriqui Province maintained by CL moderators Doug and Jo, I called Dra. Monica Sanjur. Told her Bud was in pain and requested an emergency appointment. (She is located in new building not far from the Library.)
    Dra. Sanjur inspected Bud’s tooth within a few minutes after we arrived at her office. Took an x-ray and there was discussion about a root canal. More inspection and Dra. Sanjur checking on the condition of the remaining part of the tooth. Decision was for a crown. All measurements taken by the dentist and technician then sent to Panama City for preparing of this device.
    End result is “feels great, no pain” “Dra. Sanjur did a wonderful job”.
    And Now I Know about dentistry in Boquete.
  9. Marcelyn
    This morning (Thursday) our Panamanian gardener appeared at our gate on time for work  Bud told him no work now.  Poor soul thought he had been fired! Bud spent several minutes explaining coronavirus and how Panama is in total quarantine. Bud paid him his full salary then asked him to return to work when quarantine is over.
    Our great gardener left with a better understanding of the current environment.
  10. Marcelyn
    Silly me !!  I donned my mask and gloves to go shopping today (Monday, April 20) because I thought this was the assigned day for females to be away from their residence. Reckon not!
    I observed more males (in stores shopping, driving taxi, selling produce from back of their pick-up, walking along the street with shopping bag, numerous male vehicle drivers, etc.) than females during my quick trip downtown to buy groceries.
    Seems fines, taking away drivers license and car for 90 days, etc., is not a deterrent toward stopping people from doing what they want to do. Paying $100,000 penalty for holding a catered wedding or scheduling a birthday party during quarantine is 0.K.? I observed people walking their dog during last weekend shutdown days.
    Perhaps stiffer penalties are needed. Maybe these vehicles held for 90 days could then be sold at public auction or place offenders in stocks in the park.  
    What’s the answer?
  11. Marcelyn
    A new experience at Tocumen last week. My one bag was stopped by a determined Custom inspector who asked me three times what food I had. Tried to assure “no food,” but she directed me to the inspection station where I had to open my luggage. Took her about two minutes to locate my bottle of water and a handful of candy mints I had dropped into the side pocket.
    The interesting part of this experience was my 50 minute delay caused by the lady in front of me. She had three suitcases all wrapped in plastic. The inspector used scissors and removed the plastic covering and proceeded to remove various items from the woman’s bags. Two rolls of sausage (about five pounds each), several bottles of wine (I think six total), and various types of snack foods...looked like crackers and dips.
    The inspector kept all the food. Needless to say, the bags were now pretty empty and the owner didn’t look happy. We wondered if this woman was headed to a party or had just cleaned all remaining food from a festival gathering!
  12. Marcelyn
    Last week Bud and I had a scare at a Florida airport for our return flights to Panama. We trust the information posted on Chiriqui.Life and had even called the airline prior to going to the airport to verify the Covid-19 documentation requirements was still current. However when we arrived at the airport check-in counter two customer service personnel refused to issue our boarding passes. The issue was that they believed all international passengers had to show a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of leaving the US. They said we didn’t meet required criteria, walked away and got busy helping other customers. Bud requested to talk to a supervisor. This gentleman reviewed two screen sources on his computer and announced the information did not agree with what the prior two agents had said. We told him what we understood, which also agreed with what we had confirmed by telephone the day prior; what we reported was the most recent version for travel to Panama.
    We had not yet entered information for this return flight into a Panama website to get our QR codes, which is now a requirement. By using our iPad, and with help from the Supervisor we were able to document our vaccination status and each of us got our QR codes via email. The supervisor issued our boarding passes. When we arrived in Panama our iPad screen information allowed us to pass through passport control without delay.
    Message learned: Always have electronic equipment (cell phone or iPad, etc.) to collect/document information and request a supervisor for support when encountering a barrier.
  13. Marcelyn
    January is my birth month and 2019 is when I had to renew my Panamanian drivers license. Visited a lab here in Boquete for blood test. Then two days later, with blood result information in hand, went to doctor office for a physical exam and memory test. (At my age this exam has to be done by an internalist or gerontologist). Dra Díaz issued the “results” letter which I took to the licensing office the following day. (Glucose and blood pressure reading seem to be the primary criteria for consideration for license.) Also remembered to take copy of my cedula — instead of paying 10 cents for a copy at licensing office).
    The staff at the ATTT (Transito Y Transporte) office which is located in Chiriqui Mall (near PriceSmart) was polite and efficient. All instructions were in Spanish. I had to ask one female employee to repeat her information because I couldn’t be sure I had understood her very rapid Spanish!
    Passed all hearing and visual tests. Process was completed and license issued in less than 20 minutes from time we entered the building. With my jubilado discount, the cost was $16.00. 
    A happy experience.
  14. Marcelyn
    We had scheduled a grooming session with Casandra at Veterinaria San Jose for this morning. We believe it was the first time for Anouk to experience a grooming session. We had no idea how she would handle it. Getting Anouk into the car was not that difficult, but keeping her calm during the short 5 to 6 minute ride was a bit difficult.
    Bud took a picture of the ride just before departing our driveway area. He was to drive, and I opted to sit in the back seat with Anouk to help her through the car ride, her first in our car.
    Anouk really was dirty. We may have to burn the car now from the residue odors.   Strong is a gross understatement. I am going to put some deodorizers in the back of the car to see if that will help.
     
     
    And then here is a picture of the Veterinaria San Jose where the grooming took place. Casandra and Ruby took very good care of Anouk. Ruby speaks pretty good English, and Casandra only a little bit. Bud did his best with his Spanglish. Everything worked as described.

     
    I posted this after we got her back home. Casandra did a good job. She believes Anouk is a bit younger than the other estimate. She thinks possibly a year to maybe 1.5 years old. The actual age is not that important; we know she is a young animal and a full life ahead of her. Anouk's hair did not need to be cut, but a lot of brushing was needed after the bath. Upon picking up Anouk after this experience, she seemed kind of okay with it. That is good because I think she will go through the grooming thing rather routinely.
  15. Marcelyn
    Several weeks ago I purchased a purse from an indigenous lady at the BCP Market. Just the right size and color and I used it daily. Last week I was in a hurry, forced and broke the zipper.
    Tuesday I took the purse back to this family and asked if a replacement zipper could be installed. No problem and the lady would not accept any payment. I was so happy with the results and impressed with her “no charge” that I purchased a small purse as a gift for a friend.
    As I’ve thought more about this experience, I remember three friends in the US who would enjoy a hand-made purse from Panama, so next Tuesday, I’m going back to the indigenous lady’s booth at the Market and buy more purses as gifts for friends. 😊😊😊
  16. Marcelyn
    A short time ago I ordered jeans from an internet source. Quality was not very good. They were cheap; about half the price of what I could find elsewhere. Yes, once upon a time my mother told me “you get what you pay for”. 
    The color was O.K. The real concern was the length of the pant legs. They were seven (7) inches too long. Now that would be a heck of a roll-up cuff! What to do. I had paid for them; spent money to ship them here, and they were cheap.
    Off I went to downtown Boquete looking for someone with a sewing machine. Found him in his shop on the NE corner across the street from Farmacia Revilla. I had marked the desired length correction with big safety pens so not much Spanish conversation was needed.
    I’m hoping for a happy outcome and will probably never learn who or what was the model used by the manufacturer to make these jeans. But at least I know about the man with a sewing machine in downtown Boquete.
    His name is Domingo.
  17. Marcelyn
    Bud and I traveled from Mexico City to Panama City last week and noticed a substantial difference in the handicap assistance at Tocumen as compared to other airports. (Yes, I know the airport in Mexico is bigger than Tocumen in Panama City.) While waiting for two hours at the Mexico City Airport, Terminal 2, for our next flight, we counted 42 wheelchair assistance operations. In contrast there was Zero wheelchair assistance when we arrived at Tocumen Airport even though we had requested this service ahead of our flight. Every staff person we encountered at the Mexico City Airport spoke both Spanish and English, and clearly understood what they were doing while using politeness and efficiency. Not true at Tocumen.
    Tocumen is a major airport in Panama and for The Americas. Tocumen needs substantial improvement to welcome travelers to this country.
  18. Marcelyn
    Took Anouk for her physical check-up with Dra. Chely this morning. Remember when we accepted this beautiful Husky about one plus years ago, this rescue dog had some health issues including raw ears devoid of hair because of flea infestation. So bad that Dra. Chely was fearful the hair would never grow back! With the application of medicine and a lot of work on our part Anouk now has clean and "hairy" ears. Per Dra. Chely's instructions we bathed Anouk's feet daily in white vinegar and water to get rid of fungus and of course there was a problem with poor fur (matty and bad smelling).
    This morning Anouk got an A+ in all areas including her clean teeth. We give her a raw bone (preferably tan bone, pig) once a week plus dry dog food with a small amount of canned wet food morning and night. "0nly egg white" per Dra. Chely "not the egg yolk" is included at breakfast. Anouk enjoys chewing on a Nyla bone on a regular basis. "Excellent mouth, no dog breath" per the vet.
    Will admit that Anouk could lose a few pounds. Guess that means more walks and my throwing the ball for her to chase more times.
    Reckon I better get busy....rain or sunshine ?.
    She really is a beautiful dog and a major addition to our family.


     
     
  19. Marcelyn
    Gurrr........another day with electricity outage. Again, home laundry is not happening. So I discovered a nice full service laundry guy located behind Boquete police station. This place does a fast turn around of wash/dry and fold at a reasonable price. He only does wash and dry — no ironing, dry cleaning, etc.
    Happy clean day at our house.?
  20. Marcelyn
    As a dog owner, one of the "duties as needed" that comes my way is Yard Poop Cleaner. Doesn't take a lot of time and requires minimum training. These were the selling points to me.
    So here I am at my job last week when I walked right by a brown leaf...or so I thought. Circled back and took a closer look. No way! This was a cane toad in my backyard. The second instance of finding one of these critters on our property. I rushed to the kitchen. Searching for a weapon, I grabbed my spray bottle of bleach and returned to the toad area. Sprayed this creature several times as he jumped away from "my mighty weapon". Of course Anouk was trying to help my efforts with her jumping and barking.
    I could see my bleach wasn't working, so with my almost OK arm (earlier broken in a skiing accident), I lifted a sizable potted plant in container and dropped it onto the toad. 
    Now the rest of the story. After various suggestions and long consideration, the contractor is here today beginning the installation of wire mesh along the bottom section of our fence line. Hopefully this will keep out toads and any snakes that wander our way.
  21. Marcelyn

    And Now I Know - Entitled People

    By Marcelyn,


    main thread
    Have you heard of the “entitled people”?
    Because of surgery on Bud’s hand and arm, we decided to fly first class on a recent trip in US. During our flight when Bud went to the toilet, a fella from economy section sat down in Bud’s aisle seat next to me. The flight attendant told him he couldn’t sit there. The passenger said that’s where he wanted to sit and started an argument with the flight attendant. I unfastened my seat belt and grabbed my cup of hot coffee because I could sense a fight happening, and I wanted to help the attendant. When Bud returned to claim his seat, the economy customer finally left and returned to his assigned area.
    On another leg of our travel the attendant requested three times that everyone be seated so the plane door could be closed. Suddenly the attendant from economy section rushed forward and said there was a female customer who didn’t like her seat and wouldn’t sit down. She demanded a “better” seat. The Captain announced “the woman can sit in the seat she paid for or get off the plane immediately”.
    End of discussion and plane was airborne.
    Our attendant rolled her eyes and said to me “some people sure feel entitled”.
  22. Marcelyn
    Yesterday, July 31, Anouk (our 2 year old rescue Husky) was scheduled for the Amigos de Animales spay/neuter clinic. We arrived an hour and a half earlier than the appointed start time and discovered other pet owners with their animals already waiting in the parking lot. Anouk was excited. A novel car ride, no food or water since last evening, and other dogs barking caused her to jump around inside the vehicle. Not an easy task trying to calm her. Finally she takes a nap.
    We were fortunate to be assigned a low number for the surgery line. Bud waited in the registration area and I stayed with Anouk in the car. Some drivers came speeding into the lot and parked close to the building to unload their crates containing dogs and cats. The scene that caught my attention and touched my heart was the Indigenous family that walked to the clinic with the little boy carrying his special pet dog.
    At the appointed hour, volunteers put equipment (e.g., cages, etc.) in place, opened the doors, and the program began. First step was a short registration procedure, which Bud took care of while I sat with Anouk in the car. Lots of people, noisy animals, and all kinds of activity -- but well organized. I was impressed how helpful and friendly all volunteers and team members were. Mr. Huff (don't know his first name) explained the routine.
    We watched and accompanied Anouk as she started through the process. That the helpers knew their role and the routine of animals moving along the surgery line was obvious. A well organized and trained staff of people were at their assigned stations, starting with Dra Chely administrating the anesthesia, others shaving the animal before surgery, tattooing the letter "S" in the animal's ear, hand carrying the dog or cat to the appropriate surgery table for the operation, and then making certain each patient received an injection of vitamins and antibiotics before receiving individual monitoring and rubbing on the "wake-up" blankets.
    Dra "Ingrid" (don't know her full name) was the vet that operated on Anouk. Sigrid was the attendant who took good care of Anouk at the recovery station, petting her, checking vital signs, etc., until Anouk was awake enough to go home. A "trolley" carried our 40 plus pound dog to our vehicle and placed her (half asleep) in the back of the SUV for the trip home.
    Anouk doesn't like it, but after getting her home we placed a bonnet (parabolic collar) around her neck to keep her from scratching or licking her wound. We had already purchased such a collar at Melo based on recommendations of some friends. We hope this helps in the healing process. Now the job is trying to keep her quiet (no cat chasing) for the next several days!
    Here are some pictures that Bud took with his iPhone during our time at the Clinic.

    The shaving/preparation station. (That is Anouk, out like a light).
     

    The tattoo station (that is not Anouk, but another pet, and another awaiting the procedure).
     

    Anouk on the operating stand with Dra "Ingrid" and a helper.
     

    Some of the volunteers at the recovery station with a small kitten.
     
     

    Magaly, part of Anouk's "rescue team". Magaly is super nice and so helpful. (Well, actually all the volunteers were wonderful!) Magaly is very special to us because she is one of the people who brought Anouk into our lives.
     

    Marcelyn looking after Anouk at the post-surgery clean up station, and also where some shots are administered.
     

    Sigrid helping bring Anouk back to the real world, and checking vital signs, etc.
  23. Marcelyn

    Flower Pot Toy

    By Marcelyn,

    I'm looking for a dog toy in the shape of a flower pot. Why? Anouk is the owner of a variety of toys. Chew rag, ball, plastic bone, and the latest addition is a squeaky giant hamburger about the size of a dinner plate. All of these hold her attention for a few minutes, then off she races to tackle one of my flower pots. True, a couple are favorites but none is safe.
    Good food recommended by Dra Chely, freedom to run in a fenced yard, and medicine to cure her health problems seem to give her energy....and she has lots of it! 
    We gotta protect our flowers, especially the orchids. They don't have a chance with Anouk "playing" with them.
  24. Marcelyn
    This past December we took our first international trip since the pandemic started. We have a condo in Mazatlan (Mexico) and typically go there every Christmas season. Arranging the flights was not easy; we engaged Andrea Cook and she worked some miracles for us. We finally got our reservations completed, but they were changed many times (I recall at least five changes, and they were major changes, not just minor time shifts, etc.). Previously we were able to go from David to Mazatlan in the same day. Not this year. Copa was the DAV/PTY/MEX connections, and AeroMexico was from MEX to MZT. Two days travel outbound and three days travel inbound.
    The outbound trip involved an overnight at PTY (we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which was substantially cheaper than the Riande), then the second day was from PTY to MEX, and onward to MZT. We finally got to our condo about 7:00PM. Two days of hassles and stress, but we got there safe and sound, although exhausted. Other than wearing masks (required) and face shields (not required, but something we do), the flights were nice and uneventful, but totally without food or drink service. We were given a bottle of water upon entering all of the flights. Whoopee! There were no Covid-19 tests involved in getting to Mazatlan.
    Sidebar comment here. A couple of days before we started our return flights we opted to get Covid-19 tests in Mazatlan. That was not easy because they all require appointments at least two days in advance. We didn't know that, but by encouraging (tipping) our driver he was able to call a relative who had a friend, who, well you know that story. We did get unscheduled testing completed. Cost was about $50.00 USD each (not including the $20 tip), and results (negativo!) were returned via email about four hours later.
    The return flights were not easy and quite stressful. Upon checking in at MZT for a domestic flight to MEX we were stunned to be asked for a copy of our Covid-19 tests. We had them, but questioned why. Mexico does not require Covid-19 tests for their airline passengers. Further this was a domestic only flight, as we were to overnight in Mexico City before heading south. We have permanent residency status in Mexico, so as a legal resident we should have been treated like any Mexican citizen, and they were not being asked for their tests. Only we were asked. What was going on? The agent, Guadalupe Hernandez, was incredibly friendly and helpful. We showed her our test results from the email on my iPad, but she needed them in writing. So she gave us her email address and we emailed the two reports to her. That was scary. Eventually we cleared the check-in process, which took almost an hour, and then went to the boarding gate to wait for our flight. At the boarding gate we saw Guadalupe again (she is multi-tasked). I asked her about the need to show our test results while no one else was being asked, and she responded with two comments. First, the airline knew we were enroute to Panama, and Panama requires Covid-19 testing for entrance. (We presume that we were the only passengers at Mazatlan for that flight who ultimately were going to Panama; safe to bet on that presumption.) Her second comment was that we would not have been denied boarding for the flight to MEX, but having the test "completed their documentation" (her terminology) for our reservation details.
    We get to Mexico City, and overnight. The next flight was extremely early and we were told we needed to be at Terminal 2 at least three hours in advance. So we get up at 4:00AM for a 4:30AM scheduled taxi from the hotel to Terminal 2 (the Hilton Hotel does not have a shuttle van). No problem checking in for the Copa flight to PTY, and we never were asked for a Covid-19 test. 
    Arrival at PTY was at the furthermost gate at the end of that wing of the airport. Almost all of the passengers on that flight were through passengers going further south into South America. Only about ten passengers deplaned in PTY. The very first question we were asked (at the ramp door, not even one foot into the terminal itself) was whether we had our Covid-19 test results. We told the agent we did, but they were rejected as too old (not within the 48 hour window from arrival at PTY). We were shuttled to a Covid-19 test station in that wing of the airport.
    We were fortunate because there was no queue at the testing station. A few minutes later there was a rather large queue. We showed our cedula's and provided address and contact information to the first agent, and paid $50 each; credit cards accepted. We then immediately were shuttled to the back area for the tests. There were two holes in the transparent shield between us and the medical technicians. The paperwork went through one of the holes, and then she had to see our cedulas. She studied the cedulas and our faces quite intently. The test was described as a PCR (probe up the nose version) and was completed within a minute. We were told it would take 30 minutes for the test results and to wait outside in the chairs. The waiting area had been set up with many chairs, and right next to toilet facilities. At exactly 29 minutes after completing the tests, an agent came into the passageway and called our names. Both tests were (again) negative.
    Here are a couple of pictures taken at the Covid-19 testing station in that wing of Tocumen Airport. You can't see the chairs in the waiting area, but they are there.


    Onward we go to passport control. Only one passport control station was operating. The first thing upon entering that area was to show our Covid-19 test results. That required showing not only the Covid-19 test report, but also holding up our cedulas so that they could verify that the report applied to the person standing in front of them. Again, a lot of attention to identity details. There were several police officers in the area, presumably to keep things under control and moving as smoothly as possible.
    We then go to the passport control station. That agent moved slower than cold molasses in the dead of winter at the North Pole. I estimate at least ten minutes for the two of us to finish that task. There was a LOT of typing on the keyboard, much more than previously experienced. Maybe she was just a bad typist. Who knows.
    We overnight again at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The third day of travel again starts at 4:00AM, with a 4:45AM scheduled taxi (no free hotel shuttle van at that hour). The third flight was uneventful. 
    Deplaning on the Copa flights is done one row at a time, starting at row 1. The explanation is that the procedure is done for physical distancing reasons. Fortunately for us we were in the front sections on those flights. The passengers in the rear probably had at least a ten to fifteen minute wait to deplane.
    Collection of our suitcases at David Airport was "managed" so that only about ten passengers were at the luggage carousel at any given time. Fortunately both of our suitcases arrived.
    And finally, upon exiting the David terminal was an experience with lots of people outside crowded around the one exit door that was in use. You have to keep pushing your way through to get out of the terminal. But we finally made it home. A successful but not easy trip.
  25. Marcelyn

    Snake

    By Marcelyn,

    Big excitement this morning. Bud was attending his ROMEO meeting when I heard a warning bark from Anouk. Before passing through the front door, I grabbed a heavy walking stick. Expected but didn’t see anyone inside the yard and both gates were closed.
    Anouk started digging in the flowers next to the house. I used my walking stick to separate plants and spotted a two foot+ long coral snake (deadly type). Kept striking it with my big stick, but couldn’t get leverage in the soft ground.
    As the snake was slithering through the flowers, I dashed back into the house for a spray bottle of ammonia (cheap but effective defensive weapon). Using the spray I managed to guide or force the snake up against the hard surface side of the house so I could smash the critter.
    Even with Anouk’s help of barking and digging in the dirt, took me more than 15 minutes to kill this deadly thing. My concern is that snakes don’t usually live or travel alone. Reckon we should stay alert!
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