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Checking in from Panama

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Hola!

Holy Cow Amigo´s ! Two months since I checked in . Sorry about the absence ,but boy have I been busy . Only left the Island Retreat 6 times in two months for supplies . I got a lot of great stories and pictures to share ,some good ,some bad .
I got a ton of work completed on the old place and even had a new 22 foot boat Custom Fiberglass built for island hopping .It came in 3 days ago so we have been busy outfitting it with all kinds of little goodies ,to make life more comfortable when we are down here . Did some great fishing too!
I am in Panama City for a couple days of R&R before returning to the states later this week .
We elected not to hook up to wireless internet at the house so it was very relaxing every evening ,but limited us for outside contact unless the wife when to town to shop . Sipping 5 star Rum and puffing on a good Cuban Cigar and listening to good spanish music in the evening ,while watching the sunsets from the swinging Hammock became a way of life :thumb:. Makes me want to write a great Hemmingway type novel . I think i´ll call it ¨The Old Man takes a Pee¨:rolf2:
I catch up with you all later !

Señor BigAl
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
I was just thinking of you the other day and was wondering how all is going. Thanks for popping in, how's the weight thing going? Mine is worthless.

murph
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
Hola!

Holy Cow Amigo´s ! Two months since I checked in . Sorry about the absence ,but boy have I been busy . Only left the Island Retreat 6 times in two months for supplies . I got a lot of great stories and pictures to share ,some good ,some bad .
I got a ton of work completed on the old place and even had a new 22 foot boat Custom Fiberglass built for island hopping .It came in 3 days ago so we have been busy outfitting it with all kinds of little goodies ,to make life more comfortable when we are down here . Did some great fishing too!
I am in Panama City for a couple days of R&R before returning to the states later this week .
We elected not to hook up to wireless internet at the house so it was very relaxing every evening ,but limited us for outside contact unless the wife when to town to shop . Sipping 5 star Rum and puffing on a good Cuban Cigar and listening to good spanish music in the evening ,while watching the sunsets from the swinging Hammock became a way of life :thumb:. Makes me want to write a great Hemmingway type novel . I think i´ll call it ¨The Old Man takes a Pee¨:rolf2:
I catch up with you all later !

Señor BigAl

Welcome back Big Al! So how's your diet going? I was hoping you would be Señor LittleAl by now!
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Hi Al. Great to hear from you. Life sounds like a breeze down there. I'm looking forward to pictures. :D
 

fogtender

Now a Published Author
Site Supporter
Great that you are enjoying yourself... post pictures...

Speaking of a new boat, what is the gas prices for a gallon down there, or do they sell it by the metrics?...
 
P

Pigtails

Guest
Welcome back.. Missed your posts. I've been trying to make up for you not being here though.. hehe.. :clap:
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Gas is a little over $4 a gallon . $5 for 2 cyl mix . .Everything else is much cheaper for most stuff . If it is tied to the gas prices ,it went up in cost . Air tickets to the Island took a healthy jump in price . $181 round trip now. 18 months ago it was $100 . Still about $1500 a month will get you one hell of a life style down here .

After a good English friend introduced me to the fine art of proper smoking of a Cuban Cigar , it is a favorite past time in the evenings . He bought a whole mix of different ones and each night we would sit on the deck as he explained to me the differences in each one . My favorites are from the Coleba(sp) factory in Cuba and a couple brands from the DR .
The wieght is still coming off ! No scale to wiegh on ,but I dropped another pant size and two shirt sizes . I been scouging through my closet looking for old cloths that fit . I have a new ¨baggy look¨ now . Will go get new clothes when I get back .
Went out to a nice little restaunt here in the city and had the best Greek Salad and Garlic encased Beef Filet I have ever had ! There goes the diet !!!

Had a dandy new 22 foot fiberglass boat built in Panama City and shipped to the Island . Much better then the old dug out canoe !!!

Saw a ton of different animals on the property this trip . Some I hope to never see again ! One was a now deceased ¨BushMaster Snake ¨ Supposenly they are not on my Island ,but I guess this one did not know about that rule . Beautiful snake ,but deadly !!! Got lots of Parrotts,Monkeys,Slouths, Caymans, Bird and Fish Pictures to share .

I´ll try to post pictures when I return later this week . No way to down load from here .

Laid down about 2500 sq. feet to new tile on the upper deck , 180´ of Bamboo railing , added 3 big bedrooms and a bath downstairs on the main house . A new roof on the Rancho . A new covered deck , and rain water system and increased the solar electric size on the rental cabin . Also installed a new 30 foot dock on my caretakers home .

It was a great trip and we were able to accomplish and incredible amount of work in a very short time . My workmen are incredible and I have never seen anyone work as hard as they did for me on this trip . As soon as they understood what I was trying to teach them in Construction it was best to just ¨get outta the way¨and let them do it . They learned a lot and I learned a lot too .

I´ll save the story about going deep in the jungle for one special tree for a later story but it took 6 men ,7 days to get the lumber out from the 1 Nespero tree they chained sawed ¨On site¨.Just under 1000 BF ! They stayed and slept on site and came in once to the house to deliver material . Just one 2¨x 12¨x 8´ board wieghs well over 125 pounds !!!!! It was a 3 mile trip one way through thick jungle and swamp !!!

Got a real sore neck from looking at pretty girls in Panama City so i think I better go rest for awhile .

More later!!!
 

Snowcat Operations

Active member
SUPER Site Supporter
About dammed time! Hell we thought some Panamanian women hog tied you and drug you off to some womens only villiage for there anuall sea man ritual!
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Good to hear from you Poobah!!! Glad to hear your visit has gone well. Looking forward to the stories and pictures.
 

Snowcat Operations

Active member
SUPER Site Supporter
Here they are.
 

Attachments

  • Indian women panamanian.jpg
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BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Great picture Mike ! The Kuna Indians are a very interesting proud people . They have one area called the San Blas Islands that they control in Panama . You see this type of typical dress every day . They are well know for the Molas they sew out of many layers of cloth . It can take weeks to make just one and can be incredibly expensive .We have several that we had purchased over the years .
Molas010.jpg
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
About dammed time! Hell we thought some Panamanian women hog tied you and drug you off to some womens only villiage for there anuall sea man ritual!

Well I was made a "Honorary Chief " of one Indian Tribe and I was offer a women or two if I wanted . I told them "they had to get my Wifes permission" and if she said "ok" I was all for it . I am serious !
We did some fishing with handlines ,like the local indians do and had a great time . We caught a lot of fish .I plan on doing that a lot more . Dove for lobster , but I get seasick swimming or diving in the ocean ,so the wife and friends did most of the catching of dinner while I turned green .
Practiced the fine art of sitting on the deck each evening sipping Rum and smoking cigars . That can become very habit forming addiction .
The wife even got a picture of me wrestling a 3-4 foot alligator,called "Caymen" .Here is a nice picture of one . I have 3 that I know of ,on the property . They are a very shy animal and you will be lucky to ever see one up close .

Caymen%20on%20Beach.jpg


So as you can see , life got real fun on this trip .
And that does not even include the stories of throwing out my back for a week , falling off the ladder ....twice, Fighting the killer "Bat from Hell" in the bedroom ,running out of Rum one night or living through the loudest Thunder/lighting Storm I have ever witnessed . It actually kicked in the Solar Electric "Protection Breakers"and shut the whole system down the lighting was so close . I've never seen that in 7 years here .
It seemed like there was a new adventure every day on this trip .
 
P

Pigtails

Guest
Well I was made a "Honorary Chief " of one Indian Tribe and I was offer a women or two if I wanted . I told them "they had to get my Wifes permission" and if she said "ok" I was all for it . I am serious !
We did some fishing with handlines ,like the local indians do and had a great time . We caught a lot of fish .I plan on doing that a lot more . Dove for lobster , but I get seasick swimming or diving in the ocean ,so the wife and friends did most of the catching of dinner while I turned green .
Practiced the fine art of sitting on the deck each evening sipping Rum and smoking cigars . That can become very habit forming addiction .
The wife even got a picture of me wrestling a 3-4 foot alligator,called "Caymen" .Here is a nice picture of one . I have 3 that I know of ,on the property . They are a very shy animal and you will be lucky to ever see one up close .

Caymen%20on%20Beach.jpg


So as you can see , life got real fun on this trip .
And that does not even include the stories of throwing out my back for a week , falling off the ladder ....twice, Fighting the killer "Bat from Hell" in the bedroom ,running out of Rum one night or living through the loudest Thunder/lighting Storm I have ever witnessed . It actually kicked in the Solar Electric "Protection Breakers"and shut the whole system down the lighting was so close . I've never seen that in 7 years here .
It seemed like there was a new adventure every day on this trip .

No wonder you want to live full time there. Hey, I have an idea, why don't you run for "honorary chief" here? You just might get it..hehe:clap::w00t2::rolf2:
 
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