Book Board Chat

You can also get a feel for bocas here.....
https://www.facebook.com/TheBocasBreeze

Buena noche.... Good night everyone...

Helen,
http://thebocasbreeze.com/wp/current-issue/current-issue/

Helen, we get earthquakes sown here too. At least once a month, but very small, just enough to notice. At first I thought I was having a dizzy spell, but then realized neighbors were also having dizzy spells 🙂 There seem to be 2 types of small quakes here, the sliding kind and the shaking kind. The sliding kind are a bit disconcerting....

Buena dia! Good morning from Panama. Want you all to know I am enjoying my J D Robb books!
I have been a little busy here at my home sprucing up things and doing some electrical maintenance....
FYI the following web site has a nice article on my hotel. It is our local newspaper in Bocas Bocas Breeze, Sept. issue.

On Oct 1 I am having a little celebration at Hotelito del Mar, it is for our 10th anniversary. Some finger food, and a band with ex-pat members, old timers who appreciate music that is not hip hop or electronic. Having it catered by a Spaniard master chef. You are all welcome to attend, yes I know it is far, but if it falls within your transportation budget, and your vacation time, come on down, room is at extreme discount for you. Let me know so I can reserve room. Last plane comes in (Air panama) at 4:30) get together starts at 5 PM.
The next day or if you come earlier, you can go to the beaches here, or snorkeling... Lots of stuff to do here.

Re: International travelers. People form Panama are always asking me if I know so and so also, people who are in the DC area... I guess they do not realize how big the population of the DC area is... I just tell them, oh am so sorry, but I don't know tia Esmeralda....

Mysteryhorse!! I got them... ooowe ha! Thank you, kindly!!! I am a very happy camper!

Good morning from sunny El Silencio, Panama!

LookatwhatBobfound... I am laughing out loud at that one!!! These countries are bigger than you think and a lot trouble to cross borders.... 🙂

I certainly will check on line first, before I plan an expensive (for me) trip to the USA.

It was a very well planned robbery, with the metal grill half cut in advance for an easy access through the carport area. That location was very close to my dogs, obviously the man had no fear of the dogs, which is a further indication that it was someone who knew them, and vice versa. Also, he used the machete, knew where that was kept, to open a hook and eye lock on the screen door, knew that there was a hook and eye on the inside of the door, and with a crack there was able to unhook the hook, he knew where that was on the door, and he knew it was there. He also managed to unscrew the security lights, which means he had access to my ladder, prior. the 2 days prior to the robbery, the yard man was here with the ladder trimming my bushes and trees, using the machete in the process. So, I know exactly who did this. But by now there is no way I am going to ever retrieve my cards and docs... waaay too late. Those are long gone... along with the nice leather bag that my DIL gave to me.

Janice, I am going to have to go to the US, I think, to get the SS card, and the driver's license. Don't know how I can do that from here. Not with a non US isp, and a Miami snail mail address....

Good morning from Panama, cloudy, and in the high 60's. Papaya almost ready for harvest, cats are happy with moderate temperatures... and so am I.
Will be off to Panama City, 10 hour trip via bus, in another couple of days to get new passport and national docs due to break in last week. Took my hand bag with all docs, immigration papers, checks, ATM, credit cards, US SS card, and VA drivers license and cash... I know who it was, but justice is very slow here. Too many different depts., none coordinated...

Maybe they were Irene's books? Just wondering... anyway, again, thanks.

I expect Mysteryhorse's books will be arriving soon, too. I will be checking the airport regularly. Thank you both for this wonderful gift.

Helen, yep, these books are for my personal reading... However, when I get done some of them will go to the hotel, to exchange for others that tourists bring and wish to change for what they have finished. Thank you Helen, for sending them.

Helen? Must be from you? Who ever it was, I just want to thank you, very much!!

Mysteryhorse... The package I picked up at the Changuinola airport today was books!!! I cannot believe how fast they got here... Lots of JD Robb books. Are these from you? There was no note inside... OMG, I thought, when I opened the box, they are here!!! The books are here already!! That was really fast!

Hi everyone... How y'all doing?

Thanks Mysteryhorse.....

Good afternoon. buenas tarde.

Mysteryhorse
Happy Birthday...

Helen,
Thank you, kindly...

I am so excited about books coming!!! I can hardly wait!

lookatwhatbobfound
My house is across the street from the water plant, and down about 6 houses, directly across the street from me is a lot of land, I have a gray satellite dish on my roof, and the house has a cyclone fence around it. and behind my house is a lot of land and in front of my house in my front yard is a very big fiscus tree, an enormous tree, also in front of the house is a cement electric power pole. Anyway, now you know where El Silencio is!
We have only one hardtop road going to the river, and there is not much traffic, we are rather rural, cars usually park along side of the road.

Helen
You may probably already know my sister antsy and I lived in the mountains of the Philippines when we were teenagers for a short period of time.

aegbooks
Adventure is an understatement... more like a challenge that keeps you on your toes all the time. But that is fine, since I do think that a little challenge and creative necessities keep one younger longer.

paula
This little cat is starved for affection and food. Even with a little time here, she is less wobbly, and more active. She follows me all over the house.

Helen, for more about the hotel, it is better to go to tripadvisor. com and look us up there. That site has more pictures, some old and some new. And the reviews will pretty much reflect who we are, and there are descriptions of the rooms.

Lookwhatbobfound... Wow! You found El Silencio? The rusted roof across the street and to the right, from the elementary school is probably my place (facing NW)

You can find me at tripadvisor.com. My website is woefully out of date. I have to get that changed, but have a problem doing that because I now no longer have a way to get in there, password is a distant past memory.
Helen... My hotel is not in my village where my house is. The Hotelito del Mar is in the town of Bocas del Toro on Isla Colon, which is in the province of Bocas del Toro, as is the small city of Changuinola and the little town of El Silencio.
Here in El Silencio my power is imported from Costa Rica, and managed by Edesa, which is not managed very well. On the island, where the hotel is, the company that runs the power plant, diesel, is Union Fenosa. We have our own plant for the island, but not all the island is serviced, only the town itself some of the outlying areas, and a nearby island, careneros, and a small village on another island, Bastimentos. None of the other islands have access to company generator. Isla Colon is very large, the town only covers a small fraction of the island. On really big holidays, like new years eve, we often had power shutdowns. But recently Union Fenosa was sold to a Spanish company, and ever since then, we have had a lot more shut downs.

I challenge you all to find my little town, where my house is, on the map. It is on the National Geographic map of panama, not many other maps. The name of the town I live in is El Silencio. Isn't that a great name!? I am the only gringo/a here... which is fine by me. My hotel is 2 hours away by bus and boat on Isla Colon in the town of Bocas del Toro. When my manager is not on maternity leave or vacation, I commute only about 6 days, sometimes more, a month.

Mystewryhorse, I love well written mysteries! The mailing process goes like this. Mail including packages go to my Miami address. These people, Hot Express, mail to all over South and Central America. In my case they mail my stuff to the Hot Express office in Panama City, from that office they take my mail and packages to the domestic airport and they put it on a plane as cargo and it goes to the Airport in Changuinola, we have one flight in each day. I go over to the airport and pick up my mail there.

Hi y'all.. My name is Sally... Sorry bout that..
A very strange thing happened today. Early this afternoon, I was in my back yard conversing with a neighbor over my back fence, when a small young scrawny, I mean really skinny white cat, with an orange tail and orange ears, curled around the neighbors legs, wanting his attention, he had a plastic orange string, tied tight around his or her neck which had been broken. He or she had obviously been tied up and some point and had gotten loose by chewing the plastic string. She was so skinny my instinct was to rush in the house for some cat food to feed her. She saw it through the cyclone fence and nearly got her head stuck in the fence trying to get to it. The neighbor took her over the top of the fence, and she ate all of what I brought. She then just hung around in the yard. In the meantime, I had a late appointment that afternoon to bring my 2 year old all black cat in for a spay. I decided to take the newly found cat in first to be dewormed vitaminized, and discovered she had a temperature, she was given a shot of antibiotic... The doc had difficulty finding muscle for this cat, she was so malnourished, and then I brought it back to the house. Then I took the black cat in for her surgery. The black cat was given a small dose of tranquilizer to begin the process of anesthesia... before she got the shot of anesthesia, her heart stopped and she died. A terrible shock for both myself and the Doc, I was very stressed about the whole thing. But what is so interesting is the timing of these events. This cat appears out of nowhere, and then the other dies under bizzare circumstances... Within hours of each incident. The whole thing is very strange in my opinion.

Hi Irene, I love history, most well written stuff, not much for Sci Fi or romance novels.

I am sorry for your loss, furtima.

Helen... I would love that.

For those of you who asked...
my address is a mail forwarding address used for many of us in Latin America who have no real postal system locally.
S T Ramirez
Box 2662
2292 NW 82nd Ave
Miami, FL 33122

I am glad you have support here, furtima... Bless this book board with all their prayers going out for you and your sister. I hope you gain some nourishment from the prayers and thoughts of your friends and others around you. You ARE brave and strong.

Helen, ok, I figured it out and I sent you a message.

Helen... I thank you for your offer. It so happens that I subscribe to a mail forwarding system. I have a Miami address where all my snail mail goes to... It is the only way I can get any mail down here at all. There is no PO system here at all. Should I post it here?

Books in English down here are a rarity. I practically grab books out of the hands of customers who are on their last page... of course, with a smile on my face offering them something else I have already read. It generally goes over well.. and thus I have my new read, which makes me very happy.

Helen, she is ok... Difficult years taking care of my Mom prior to Mom's death in Dec 2012. She did a good job, and had a lot of patience and kindness to my Mom, but it was wearing on her. She's ok now.

Mysteryhorse... et al... Not much going on 'cept a lot of rain. Just finished a 4 month stint at hotel, 7 AM to 10 or 10:30 PM. My main girl was out on maternity leave and vacation. Now I am back on the farm, at a reduced speed.

Hola everyone! Good to see some old names here again. Just checking in let you all know that I am still breathing and to see what you all are discussing these days...

Happy new year. Hope you all will have a really good 2013.

Hello everyone...

I feel sort of funny coming here since I have not any book sales in a very long time. Of course my interest is not diminished, but for the moment I am in the hotel business. I did see these for sale at this place ( http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bi=0&bx=off&ds=50&kn=Rackham&pics=on&recentlyadded=all&sortby=1&tn=Aesop%27s+Fables&x=86&y=5 ) and I was interested until I saw the prices 🙂 I will try to come in more often to keep you all up to date on the Panama saga. I have been keeping a journal for a long time, if I ever really write any thing it is going to be comidic, probably with a title something like Hocas Bocas....

Hola to you all! I am alive and well. Thanks for the good thoughts on the big BD. I cannot believe it's 70. Boggles my mind. Time flies! I am probably going to make another big move. Think, an important word, that I have sold the finca, home; and will probably move back to the hotel, after some remaking on the second level and the attic into a small apartment. I have been using the rooms of my old apartment for the hotel, so don't want to lose those, thus a remake is in order. I have recently redecorated and done a lot of new mural and art work to the building. It's looking pretty good! If you want to see pictures, take a look at Hotelito del Mar on facebook, and check out the pictures. I am really pleased about the good reviews I have been getting on trip advisor. Am now # 3 rated of the hotels in Bocas del Toro. I am preparing for a big patio sale (garage sale) and of course I have many paperback books that I have accumulated, they have come from the book exchange I have at the hotel. Now of course I am going to have to find a way to pass them on to others. Since I am the only English person here in El Silencio, I have decided to take them into Changuinola, to the regional office of the Peace Corp to distribute to the Peace corp volunteers in the remote areas of Western Panama. So that is what is on tap down here in Panama. I have a page for mhyself and for the hotel on facebook, and will be posting some more recent pictures there, I have a new crop of papaya coming along nicely, and also recently harvested more Pifa (palm nuts) which has already been distributed to neighbors and friends.

Furtima, nice to know he was real... I remember he was so handsome, in my opinion, Sun is out hope it stays that way for a while...

G'mornin! I still remember Jay Silverheels, Tonto, do any of you still remember him? I thought he was really native american, or maybe Silverheels was a stage name? It is again rainy here, the few tourists here are very disappointed with the chilly temps in the 60's and the rain. I feel bad for them. They came for sun and beaches. Maybe tomorrow we will have sun, hope springs eternal. For those of you having health problems, I truly wish you well, and hope that some brighter days will come. I have forgotten how to use html, please forgive for bad formatting here. Have a great day, am off to do some long over due chores here at Hotelito del Mar.

When I go back to the states from time to time, I find I just cannot go in the winter any more... It is painfully cold for me. I have really gotten adjusted after 8 years, to the warmth here, although the humidity tends to be a bit much at times. OK, now that I know where you all are at, I'll be back to check in with you occasionally, again, nice to see some old BBers! Hasta luego!

It's nice to be back here... 🙂

pretty good, but have lost a lot of European tourists, just not coming... the global economy has had an effect on this tourist destination. Right now, this evening, it is cold here, somewhere between 63 and 68, and really windy, it's coming right out of the North, directly off the sea. I am expecting some surfers from Brazil this week.

Hola everyone from cool and windy Panama, great surfing weather!