Two Little Expats: 2013-04-21

The town of Volcan sits at the foot of Volcan Baru.

We're hitching up the ol' mare, getting ready to mosey on down the road. ETD: Sunday morning 04/28/13.

Some might say we suffer from "the grass is always greener" syndrome - and they might well be right. How do we know if it's greener or not unless we jump over the fence? If you were in our shoes, wouldn't you do the same thing? Wouldn't you poke your nose into a swatload of pastures until one of them elicits that soul-relaxing sigh, Ahhhh!

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Until that happens, and as long as we still have the energy for this, why stop? Why settle for what IS, rather than what we feel good about?

So what's the conclusion about this place named Volcan? It is quite alright. As always, it just depends on what the individual seeks. The temperatures here are ideal, reaching 71-75 degrees every day we've been here. Every morning is sunny with lovely sunrises over Volcan Baru at around 7 am. The nights range around 56-60 degrees. Very few bugs, flies, mosquitoes, fleas. Friendly people, both North American and European expats and locals. People always greet each other in the street.

Passing the time with friends Ken and Anne near their beach home.

At this point we know (and like) our great expat neighbors, the barber, the hair stylist, various taxi drivers, the butcher, the market checkers, a number of produce stand vendors, the fanatic who bakes the French bread, a kid who keeps coming to the house and asking for bananas, and several cell phone & internet service people.

Mana's restaurant was built when Volcan could only be reached on horseback. It hosts a Friday morning expat breakfast and farmer's market.

There are a list of expats living here that we have contact with. Every Friday a lot of them get together for breakfast and socializing at a local restaurant. We've visited nearly half a dozen people's homes and farms in the area - in the hills, on the beach, and in town and find them all quite interesting.

It's a worthwhile challenge to build a home and a life on a primitive farm.

Plus, it's not uncommon to find locals that speak some English. In a pinch, that makes life easier.

And I simply MUST mention the 3 kittens that were born next door and were starving when we got here. At first I didn't feed them - but I didn't realize that the mother cat took off and the neighbor had no intention of feeding the babies. I finally caught on and began at least feeding the teeny bony creatures. We obviously can't take them over the border into Costa Rica, we don't even have a home to take them to. What a predicament!!

Our threesome of kittens.

When we leave, we'll put out a few days worth of food and run like hell, hoping and praying that the renters arriving on the next day will continue to feed them. We can't think of anything else to do. Originally they were feral, but as of today all 3 of them allow me to pet them while they eat. Now each one is prepared and willing to be somebody's pet cat.

So is Volcan our home? Well, we have the same reservations about Volcan that we started with. The wind whipping over the volcano from the Caribbean is more than troublesome, and would limit garden and orchard possibilities.

Volcan Baru may be geologically dormant, but the weather is decidedly active on a daily basis.

But really? The place is kind of growing on us. Less windy surrounding areas do have long term possibilities. A life could be possible here.

The valleys around Volcan Baru supply over 80% of Panama's vegetables.

Though we've got our sights set on our next stop: Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica. One week, 7 days at Finca Saramandaia in the Owl House. They've got 36 acres less than a mile out of town and we're interested in seeing what they're up to.

Then off to San Isidro, Costa Rica where we intend to stay for a whole month in a "cabina" on a river. We can't go there right away because it's now rented to a couple expecting a baby and the baby has not yet shown signs of arriving. This cabina is their home birth house. You heard me right. We are awaiting the arrival of a baby. At least it's not OUR baby!

Just another day in Paradise.

So that's how our plan is shaping up. We're pretty proud that we actually came up with a game plan spanning over 5 weeks. It takes some of the mystery out of travel, and adds more possibilities for deeper exploration.