In September of ’09 I enthusiastically “moved” to Panama. However the move was short lived as the basics I thought I had in place turned out to be naught. I certainly couldn’t have fathomed the gypsy journeys that lay ahead of me at that time. While I confess to many doubts about the “hows”, my vision remained constant and materialized again as my Panama return at the end of August 2011. While nowhere near the big picture I still envision, I am celebrating the milestone that it is.
What a roller coaster ride the preceding months were! I was on a daily basis, sometimes even an hourly basis, never sure whether I would actually make this Panama relocation. Yes, the air tickets did indicate August 25. Yes, I was packing…periodically. But the hows and details about other factors of the move kept playing shenanigans on me. It took every ounce of practicing what I preached…..it took every trick in my bag to remain vigilant for the light.
The return was plagued with premonitions although I did my best not to focus on negativity so as not to let my attention fuel them more. The sellers of the property my partner in this venture purchased where a high vibration when we originally met them in April. They told us many things that did not end up in the purchase contract as they were “people of their word so didn’t like to write everything down”. I felt the dark energy coming up after the down payment and before the final payment. Due to that lack of synergy and communication with my partner, I was not able to prevent the myriad of challenges we encountered due to the sellers not keeping their word and worse. They had agreed to sell us the house fully furnished which justified the amount paid considering the costs to bring all the tools and furnishings from the US or buy them here. Right under our nose the sellers took boatload after boatload of just about everything from the house. What was left behind was garbage and items that were broken. On top of that, they went around telling people that we had taken everything from them and they didn’t even have a mattress to sleep on. This was totally ironic since we actually helped them remove their mattress from the house. A sympathetic Panamanian woman (who didn’t have a lot of material possessions) gave them a mattress. Also interesting is that the sellers expected to entertain company (2 separate parties) in the house after we bought it and were angry with us when we didn’t relocate until their company was to leave. The whole situation was based on lies. Even the cute little house was like one on a movie set – built for a temporary purpose (to sell the property). There is one legality that the sellers didn’t fulfill in the contract time that may redeem the situation but only time will tell regarding that.
In the meantime, we are here on Isla Popa, Panama, making many beautiful friends both young and old. The people are simple, warm and colorful. Our encounters have involved mutually assisting and enjoying each other. Living on the warm Caribbean waters has many rewards as well. Both from the deck and the balcony of the second floor, the water is usually clear enough to see whatever happens to be playing nearby, fish, rays, starfish, crabs and more. Swimming in the warm water is always refreshing with the bonus of dolphins frequenting our tranquil lagoon on a regular basis providing occasional entertainment with their antics. Fish here are of the resplendent varieties I’ve only seen in fish tanks and diving in Hawaii. Oh, and much of the waters in the area are home to magical coral gardens. Gorgeous views greet us at all times of the day with the water, mountains, light and ever changing clouds. While never totally quiet here, the sounds are mostly peaceful – lapping water on the shore, a gazillion different kinds of birds, insects and other noise making critters.
Another benefit of this adventure was learning how to live off the grid. Our water supply is dependent on the generosity of the rain. Electricity is precious and used as little as possible as the batteries are charged twice a day with a generator. We discussed bringing solar panels in later but that may be a mute point now. Propane warms our showers and fuels our stove. We must tend to and be aware of all these systems throughout the day. Thankfully we are able to pick up an internet signal through cell phone which, during a few of those precious minutes using electricity, we hook up to the computer.
On that note, I’d better wrap this up and post as soon as possible. Until next time…..Be Well!
P.S. If you are my friend on FB you can see some pics there as I don't have enough electricity time to post at the moment.
