El Valle for horses?

Only a few days ago I installed a contact form on this blog (upper left corner) so that readers can send me messages or questions, and already I've received a question from a reader:

Hi, Hope you can help us. Is it possible to find 3+ acres with some sort of home on it in El Valle, affordable to working middle class gringos from California?

Is the grass okay for horses?

Thank you !

- Laura

My response:

Hi Laura,

Thanks for your email. To answer your question in a word, maybe. Depends on your particular financial situation.

There are indeed large lots available for purchase in El Valle, particularly on the edges of town. Land here is priced by the square meter (m2), or the hectare (a hectare is 10,000 m2). An acre is 4,046 square meters. So three acres is about 12,000 square meters, or 1.2 hectares.

The going price for land in El Valle is about $30/m2 and up (sometimes as high as $50). At the lowest price of $30, an undeveloped lot of 12,000 m2 would cost you $360,000.

If indeed you could afford it, I would say it's a good buy. Property values in Panama are constantly climbing. And El Valle is an amazingly beautiful place.

There are many horses here. I often see riders on the roads and side streets, and horses can be seen grazing almost any plot of unoccupied land here, so presumably the grass is just great.

Land outside El Valle is much cheaper. You can get land in other parts of the mountains, or in the lowlands around Penonomé (for example) for as little as $5/m2, and in very remote locations it's even cheaper than that. At that price you could get your three acres for $60,000 or less.

Best of luck.

Wael

Gringos Moving to El Valle

There's a new restaurant in town, a little burger & hot dog joint called Massiel. I haven't tried it (not my kind of food) but it's often busy at lunch time. We also have a new pharmacy that has a pretty good stock of drugs and various magazines and snacks.

By the way, I know that many tourists and newcomers stay and eat at Los Capitanes Hotel, but let me just say that it's by far the most expensive restaurant in town and not any better in quality than the other much more affordable eateries in town. Do yourself a favor and go to El Rancho (formerly Niña Delia), Mar de Plata, Don Pepe or Bruschetta.

Gringos (North Americans and Europeans) continue to move here to El Valle in a steady stream. Whether this is good or bad I don't know. Let's examine the pros and cons:

Pros of Gringos Moving to El Valle:

1. Gives us (Laura and I) a larger pool of potential friends and more people with whom to trade English language movies and books.
2. Supports new businesses and restaurants here in El Valle.
3. Provides employment for some jobless locals in areas such as construction, maids, gardeners, etc.
   
4. Gringos here organize services such as ambulance service for El Valle, movie nights at the library, a cooking school for retirees, and my own wife teaches an English class for Panamanian children at the library.
   
5. Real estate prices continue to climb, which would benefit us if we sell. We are told that our house is worth significantly more than we paid in 2006.
   

Cons of Gringos Moving to El Valle:

1. As locals continue to sell their properties to "wealthy" gringos, it changes the nature of the town. Right now there are not enough gringos here to fundamentally alter the character of El Valle, but I would not like to see a "Boquete-zation" take place here, where El Valle becomes an insulated gringo enclave.
2. The jobs created are primarily service jobs, which means the locals become a population of maids and gardeners in their own land. I know that this bothers some Panamanians. It's no one's fault, but it's a disturbing dynamic, even if it is an alternative to poverty for many.
3. Spurs inflation. Restaurant prices in El Valle have gone up in the last year, and one restaurant (Bruschetta) has even decreased portion size while raising prices. Of course some of this may be due to the declining dollar and increased costs.

Do you have any arguments in favor of - or against - the increasing numbers of North Americans and Europeans in El Valle or in Panama in particular? Please share your thoughts.

Other Travelers' Visits to El Valle

In this photo you can see the former incarnation of the Hotel Campestre, the grand old dame of El Valle, before it was torn down. Laura used to say that it looked like the hotel from "The Shining." The golden frogs are gone, perhaps sheltered at the new amphibian facility in El Nispero. The square-trunked trees are not so square, but the grounds are still beautiful and it looks like they are re-building from the ground up. Nothing remains of the former structure except the central fireplace.

I'll try to drive by there today and take a few photos of the construction.

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I have encountered several stories on the web of other traveler's visits to El Valle. Here are a few:

Stefnflo's visit to El Valle: It's interesting and nostalgic. They travelled all through Central Ameria and I read most of their journals.

From the description I'd guess that they stayed at the Hotel Campestre. I drove by to check it out a few days ago and it has been torn down, all except the brick fireplace in the middle. It looks like they are going to build a new structure, and they do have a side building with some rooms for rent in the meantime.

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Another couple's daytrip to El Valle from Panama City. Their description of the bus ride is very familiar:

Bus Ride Panama City to El Valle

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Martin is a German who was working in Panama and has now returned to Germany. He's got some nice photos of El Valle on his website: Martin's last visit to El Valle.

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Mark and Emma's brief trip to El Valle. They did a quick jaunt from Chiriqui to Panama City.

Questions About El Valle de Anton from a Reader, Part One

Back in April 2006 I got an email from a fellow named Zach who lives in Colorado. He wrote,

My wife and I have been exploring the idea of living outside of the US for several years. We traveled to Panama in January 2006 and visited Panama City, El Valle, Santa Clara, Boquete/Volcan and Bocas and fell in love with Panama and the Panamanians.

Since then we've been considering where we would like to try and purchase some land. El Valle is high on our list for a lot of reasons including the amazing beautiful landscape, proximity to Panama City, the availability of a good internet connection and overall 'good vibe'.

We currently live in Colorado. My wife works as a project manager/drafter in architecture but is also a talented artist, and I'm a web developer with a video production background. We're both in our thirties so it's encouraging to hear about other folks who are not of retirement age making a move from the US to Panama. I also noticed you're also in the web development field. We have been emailing another couple who are video production professionals in Arizona who've purchased a lot in El Valle. Seems like there will be quite a vibrant creative community in Panama in the coming years!

Zach and Danyell

We stayed in touch by email, and Zach later wrote,

My wife and I are taking a trip to Panama in late November to look for property. We're planning on staying a few days in El Valle (Los Capitanes probably) and would love to meet you and your family.

Since I last emailed, we've been working with a local agent to find properties around El Valle, but it seems like there just is not much available and what is for sale is very expensive. So, we've been focusing our search on property in Chiriqui (our other favorite area) but feel like we should compare El Valle to that area one more time before we decide!

Indeed Zach and Danyell did come to El Valle in late November 2006, and Laura and I met them at Niña Delia (a local motel and restaurant) for dinner. We found them to be likeable and easy to talk to, and in one of those ubiquitous "small world" coincidences, we learned that Zach used to work at a movie theater in Berkeley that Laura and I used to patronize.

Just a few days ago Zach emailed me a few questions about El Valle:

Like I mentioned in my comment on your blog (which rocks) Danyell and I are hunkering down and trying to decide which area of Panama to settle. We have a tendency to "over think" things! At any rate, we're favoring El Valle and have some questions that perhaps you can answer from your experience living there. I hope that we are not too much of a pain in the a** - we just feel like we can trust you guys...

1. We understand that it can be pretty windy during the dry season. How windy and how often? Has this been a major nuisance for you or is it just "breezy"?

2. Also on the weather front, I've had a hard time finding a good weather website that has accurate current or historical weather trends. Do you know of any good sites? We're trying to figure out how hot/cold it gets.

3. I will continue to do web development work for a living which requires a good and reasonably consistent internet connection. I remember your story about the installation process, but how well has your wireless system worked since then? How often does it go down and what other
options are there in town if you need to get something done?

4. Finally, on our trip we looked at a lot that we really liked - it's about 2000 m2, has a little creek next to it, lots of established trees and plants and seems to be on a quiet streets (it's a corner lot). We're curious if you could go by this lot and see if, as a resident, you would notice any negative attributes that we wouldn't have considered as a tourist. Below are instructions - you'll see the for sale signs:

"beyond the Catholic church, turning right to cross the bridge..."

Zach, I did not include the complete directions to your lot, so that none of my other readers will snatch it up. Here are my answers to your questions:

1. The Wind: Sometimes I think I could trip and fall, and the wind would hold me up. The wind blows day and night in the dry season. In the daytime it's a refreshing breeze that makes fans and air conditioning unnecessary and feels lovely on your skin.

At night the wind seems to pick up in strength. The temperature is still quite comfortable, but with the wind it can feel downright chilly. We have to shut all the windows, otherwise the drafts tear through the house, blowing pictures off the walls, slamming doors and even blowing cushions off the sofa. Sometimes the wind dies down a bit and becomes just a gentle carress. Then suddenly it revs up to gale force strength, howling above the house, sounding as if it's going to tear off the roof. In fact it did recently rip away one of our rain gutters.

Our living room does not have solid windows, only screens, and three celing fans. High on the wall is mounted a sort of demon's head, a local craft left by the previous owner. Last night I went into the living room late at night to get a book I had left there. It was dark and the wind was rushing through the room. All the ceiling fans were spinning from the force of the zephyrs, and the demon's head was swinging back and forth, as if surveying its tempestuous domain.

And now I've exhausted all my synonyms for wind.

2. The Temperature: You've been here, so you know what the temperatures are like. Panama is sub-tropical, so the temperature is almost the same all year round, though of course the wind makes it feel much colder in the dry season. The year-round average high temperature is 20° C (68° F), and the average nighttime minimum is a comfortable 16° C (61° F). There's almost no difference between "summer" and "winter" temperatures, the only real variation being the amount of wind and rain from season to season.

3. Internet Service: Yes, I use a service called Mobilphone, based in Panama. I pay $75 a month for a 284K connection, not quite fast enough to watch real-time video, but good enough to qualify as broadband. It's very reliable. Maybe once a month I wake up to find that the connection is not working. I call Mobilphone tech support, they adjust something on their end, and it comes back up within minutes. Only one time was service completely disconnected for a long period of time - 2 days - because a primary cable into El Valle had gone down. No one in El Valle had internet service during that time. I went to the city to get my work done.

There is a small internet shop next to the serpentarium. It's cramped, hot and the connection is unreliable. Cost is 40 cents an hour, I think.

The local library, next to the church, has about 20 internet terminals. It's a more comfortable environment, and the connection is more reliable, though it does drop out frequently. Cost is $1 an hour, I believe.

Your last question, about your lot, will be answered in Part Two.

Crater Valley Resort and Adventure Spa

Laura, Linda, Salma and I left the house around 4pm today and made a trip up to Chorro El Macho. This is El Macho waterfall, the same one I took Ramon and his family to. In fact, here is a photo of Ramon and his family in front of the falls (Linda took some pictures today, but I don't have those yet).

So we took our little trip up to the falls, walking down narrow stone paths and over two precarious swinging bridges, carrying the thick walking sticks that they loan you at the ticket booth.

Afterwards we drove to Crater Valley Resort and Adventure Spa for dinner. I have been there before and surveyed the grounds, but I have never eaten there. I suspected it might be pricey, but I wanted to try it out at least once.

The restaurant and grounds are lovely. There are several covered patios for dining, a pool and hot tub with a few large hammocks swinging nearby, a water garden, and some beautiful trees. They also have a climbing wall on the property, certainly the only one in El Valle. We did not view any of the rooms, but I see from the website that they fall in the $80 to $100 range, which puts them at the (very) high end for El Valle. But if the grounds are any indication, the rooms are probably quite comfortable. If I were the type of tourist who could afford accomodations in that price range, I would definitely stay there.

We were the only ones there for dinner. In fact, when I told the clerk that we had come for dinner, he seemed momentarily nonplussed. "For dinner?" But he quickly recovered his aplomb and escorted us to a table, then informed us of the specials: Beef roast, prawns in a guava sauce, and corvina in a tropical fruit sauce. If I recall correctly the roast and prawns were each $15, and the corvina $12.50. This is twice to three times the price I would pay at other local restuarants, but not surprising for a commodious hotel such as this one.

We all ordered the corvina, Laura with a white sauce and Linda and I with the fruit sauce. As we waited we walked the grounds, admiring the water features, then returned to our table where we shivered in the cold wind blowing through the patio. Nowadays there is always a strong wind blowing in El Valle, and once the sun goes down it gets quite nippy. Salma was enjoying herself, just hanging out and talking a lot as she does these days, but we were worried that she might become chilled, so we tried wrapping her in a sling that Laura had with her.

Word of warning, if you visit El Valle in dry season, bring a jacket.

The waiter noticed our predicament and moved us to a semi-sheltered table in a room off the patio. It was much warmer.

The food was good. A small salad was well presented and fresh. The dinner plate came with a generous helping of vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and potatoes, which is unusual in Panama. The corvina was perhaps slightly tough, but the fruit sauce was delicious and unlike the simple presentations that are common in local restuarants.

When we left it was dark outside and we were still the only ones there.

Is Crater Valley an "Adventure Spa"? I don't know, but I believe the hotel is owned by an adventure tourism outfit. As far as dinner goes, I will not be a regular patron, but I may go there for special occasions or when I simply have a hankering for something different.

Why Panama? Part One

The inevitable question. Whether it's an American I've just met at the grocery store, or an email from an old friend, they always shoot the same question:

"Why Panama?"

Now why would an American in Panama ask me this? After all, he or she is already here. He knows perfectly well what is attractive about Panama. But the person always asks, just the same, like a parrott with a pet phrase. Why Panama! Why Panama! Polly want a cracker!

Ok, I'm being unkind. People are genuinely curious. Alright, let's answer it then and be done. I'll get a business card printed up with this blog address, and anytime someone asks me, "Why Panama?", I'll just hand them the card. Or maybe, since it's such a popular topic, I should create a website called, "Why Panama?"

WHY PANAMA?

The number one reason for any American to move to Panama, according to a recent poll of expatriates living here, is the low cost of living. Noriegaville News calls us "cheap but happy." By the way, Noriegaville is fine for exposing corruption and scandals, but if you are looking for more balanced Panama news, the only real source is Eric Jackson's The Panama News.

And guess what? "Cheap but happy" goes for me too. I guess I could summarize my reasons as follows:

1. Low cost of living allows my family to make do with my income alone. Laura can take time off work in order to devote herself to the baby, learning Spanish, and personal projects. We're out of the rat race, no longer running just to turn the wheel. We have a maid and a gardener - try to do that in the USA on a middle class salary.
   
   
2. People are kind here. Anytime I go to the store or one of the local restaurants, they ask about Laura and the baby by name. People smile, shake your hand, make conversation. Friends call and ask how I'm doing. People are kind.
   
   
3. It's beautiful here in El Valle de Anton. Peaceful, green, and natural. When Salma gets older she can run around outside with no worries of traffic or kidnappers. I wake up to birdsong and fall asleep to the chorus of crickets and frogs.
   
   Of course sometimes I want to wring the necks of the neighbor's roosters, and occasionally the other neighbor's dogs start yowling like Armageddon has arrived, until I go to the window and shout, "Shut up!" To no avail, since they are Spanish-speaking dogs.
   
   And none of this applies to Panama City, where you wake up to trucks shifting gears, or cars honking because the traffic light turned green one tenth of a second ago, and fall asleep to the sound of car alarms.
   
   
4. The chance to experience something different, to learn a new language, and to broaden my horizon as a human being.
   
   
5. It's nice to live in a country where I don't have to worry that I might soon have to wear an armband and register as an Alien Minority, just because I am a Muslim. Think I'm being extreme? I hope you're right.
   

Ahh, but maybe your question was really, "Why Panama and not someplace else?" I'll address that question in Part Two, to follow soon.

New Circuit Boxes for Air Conditioners

Among the recent electrical upgrades on the house - which has been completely rewired, from the street to the house interior - the last thing to be done was an upgrade of the wiring to the air conditioners. We have three split AC units, one in each bedroom. Apparently they run on 220 volts and the wiring was not sturdy enough to handle the flow. The electrician said that eventually they would have burned out.

To avoid tearing the wiring out of the walls, the electrician built a new master circuit box for all three ACs, and an individual circuit box for each unit, and ran the wiring along the outside of the house to each AC. Here you can see the outside setup for the master bedroom AC. The white unit at the bottom is the external half of the split AC. The grey box above is its circuit box; and where you see the box at the top, it goes through the wall to the internal cooling portion of the AC, which is mounted high on the wall in the bedroom.

The final bill for all of the electrical work was $3,600. A big hit for us but necessary. I have been paying Adam in installments, withdrawing $500 at a time from the ATM machine when I have it available. Not quite paid off yet.

Hapkido in My Living Room

As usual, you can click on any of these photos to see a quite a bit larger version. Since I came to El Valle I've been trying to find someone to practice Hapkido with me. I finally enlisted Niko, a local crafts seller with an oddly intense demeanor, and Eric, the super-athletic apprentice electrician who did some of the work on my house. Then Eric informed me that his brother, a karate blue belt, would like to attend as well, and I said ok.

Basically I'm going to be teaching them what I've learned, and practicing in the process.

So I went to the Price Smart in Panama and bought some thick floor mats for our practice sessions. These are puzzle mats consisting of squares that can be joined together to make larger pieces, then broken down for easy storage. The mats are about one inch thick foam, and I've stacked one on top of the other. They're not quite as soft as a normal martial arts mat, but they're good enough.

You can see that I've moved all the furniture to the side of the living room and laid the mats down on top of the rug in the center. After class I'll put the mats away and move the furniture back.

The first photo is taken from the front door looking in, and the second one from the other side.

Near the front door there you can see Li'l Fishy as well, thinking about whether she wants to venture outside.

I went to the mercado today and a craft seller that I don't know at all told me that he would be coming to practice with Niko next Tuesday. I'm not too happy that Niko is inviting people without telling me. Space is limited, and if this turns into a true class it's going to limit my own practice time, since I'll be busy instructing instead of getting in the mix myself. I'll have to talk to him about it.

If it looks necessary I'll set a maximum of four students, and a strict attendance policy.

New Garbage Basket, Finally!

For a few months now I've been asking around about getting a garbage basket, which is what everyone uses here in El Valle de Anton, Panama. We never know for sure when the garbage men will show up, neither the day nor the week. Recently there was a long period with no pickup, and I heard the truck was broken down.

Until now we've been setting the bagged trash out front in case the truck comes in the morning, and every night the cats and dogs tear into it and make a mess. Then either I or our gardener have to re-bag it and set it out for the beasts to rip open once again.

A few months ago I found a metal fabricator in Coronado who quoted me a price of $180 to fabricate a garbage basket. But Eric, the apprentice electrician, offered to do it for $50 plus materials cost (another $30 or so).

Eric and his brother borrowed my car to get their welding machine, or perhaps they rented the machine, I don't know, then they spent a day and a half in my driveway assembling and painting the basket. And there it is, shiny red and serving its intended purpose!

My Daughter Salma at Five Months

My daughter Salma, almost exactly five months old now.
Thank you, Diane, for the photo.

Lights, Action... Well, Lights Anyway

Wow! Though I may be alone, I am not in the dark! Adam's team has finished the majority of the electrical work. All the lights are functioning, our new refrigerator is plugged in and busy refrigerating, and I am back online, obviously. I am able to run several different appliances at once with no trouble. So far so good. I don't cross my fingers or knock wood, but I say, Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah in every case.

There is still work to be done. In particular the lines running to the air conditioners are substandard and will need to be replaced, which will necessitate tearing the walls open in all the bedrooms. In addition the water heater must at minimum be cleaned out, and possibly replaced. Next week, or sometime, or later.

I have been invited to Christmas dinner at Tracy's house in La Chorrera on Sunday. An atheist inviting a Muslim to Christmas dinner, isn't that a riot? Ridiculous, but kind. And the Brunner's have invited me on Monday, perhaps because I am employing their services, but maybe also just because they are nice people and they know I am alone right now.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Laura and Salma again. Only nine more days, Insha'Allah.

Lost Tourist in El Valle; Ways to Say Yes

Adam's team resumed work today and I went to the library to get some work done. I worked for a few hours, with a nun on one side of me and a retired American woman on the other. I could have done more but I got sick of the old, unresponsive computer mouse, so I went to lunch. After lunch I noticed a young American standing in front of the Melo store, sweating profusely and poring over a Lonely Planet guide. This being Christmas season, I have seen several American tourists about town. Many of them are out walking in the midday sun, a bad idea at any time of year but especially right now, the beginning of dry season, when UV levels are very high.

This particular young man looked lost and uncomfortable. I went over and asked him if he was trying to figure out where to go.

He said, "Yes!" in a tone that implied great relief, and said that he needed a guide. He told me his name was Eric and he was from Los Angeles. He is staying at Los Capitanes for a few days then moving on to some other part of Panama.

I took him to see Niko, a craft seller at the mercado. Niko asked him for three dollars an hour, and the young man said yes, but since neither of them have a car they will have to take a taxi. Niko is an odd young fellow with an attitude that is a mixture of intense, tough and ingratiating. Actually I have met many young Panamanians like him.

I later found out that a man named Mario, who runs the Serpentario (the snake shop) here in town, is a licensed tour guide and is bilingual.

As I turned to leave, Niko took me to the side. He thanked me for bringing him some business, then asked me if I know martial arts. He must have heard this from Cleo, another craft seller with whom I have developed sort of a friendship.

I said yes, I know some Hapkido, a Korean art. Why do you ask, do you want to learn?

Niko responded with a very intense, "Yes!", glowering and getting very close to me, like some young warrior trying to prove his sincerity at wanting to go to battle.

I may regret this, but I told him to come by the house Tuesday evening for a practice session. I do need a practice partner to hone my skills on. I made it clear to him that I am not an expert, but I will teach him what I know. He said, "How much I pay?" I waved him off and shook my head to indicate that there would be no charge.

When I got home Adam's team was gone. Rosa informed me that the mini fridge - the new one I bought just last week as a temporary measure until full electrical power is restored - is no longer functioning.

In addition, I discovered that one of my new surge protectors, one I just took out of the package yesterday, is fried. It smells burnt and no longer lights up.

Called Adam and he says that he's waiting on EDEMET to install a new transformer on the street pole. His team will put in the new wiring tomorrow. Looks like I'll have to go back to the library to get some more work done. I'm tired of this.

But would I trade it all to be back in Oakland, or even San Francisco, for that matter? No, no. Definitely not.

Night Time Parade in El Valle de Anton, Panama

If you read the last post you remember that I was eating at Nina Delia as the school Christmas parade took shape outside. I had left the front doors of the house wide open in the hopes that a trapped hummingbird might make its escape.

The parade itself took a long time to arrive, as things are wont to do in Panama. It's not unusual for a parade to begin hours after its scheduled starting time. No one is upset by this. They wait, talk, and sit quietly. They are the real sabireen.

For about a half hour I ate my dinner and listened to the drums approaching. Finally the first car arrived and I stepped outside the restaurant to watch. In actuality the restaurant is a large open air, palm-thatched bohio, so it's just a matter of taking a few steps to the edge of the bohio.

The first car was a fire marshal's pickup truck with a siren wailing and blue lights flashing. It carried a large display with Santa on one side and a Raggedy Ann on the other. At their feet were recreations of what looked like white seals frolicking.

Behind this car was a four wheeler ATV driven by Mark, the tall fellow from Tennessee who rents these electric golf carts here in town. Mark wore a Santa cap and smoked a cigarette as he drove, slouching in the seat. In the back seat several children waved to the crowd.

Then another fire truck, the occupants throwing entire bags of candy to the crowd, children in the streets scrambling to retrieve them. In fact I saw my waitress scurrying to get some.

At this point the parade halted. A little ways down the street a squadron of drumming boys continued to play.

I went back into the restaurant and ordered a piece of carrot cake. I brought the cake outside and stood on the grass, eating my cake and waiting for the parade to resume. As usual, it was a long parade. Girls in knee high boots and skirts marching and twirling batons, other groups of girls playing Christmas music on xylophones, squadrons of as many as forty boys drumming, a group of children in nativity costumes... and all of them wearing flashing lights on their caps and shirts, making the whole thing ridiculously festive and almost surreal.

At one point a small girl who could not have been more than three joined the marchers, twirling her own baton. Her mother came out to get her and she ran between the marchers, leading her mother on a chase, swinging her baton, determined to be a part of the parade. I pointed at her and laughed out loud, and said to no one in particular, "Panama is so funny! Panama is a trip."

And it really is.

When I got home, the doors still wide open and the lights out, I found that the hummingbird had gone to sleep in the loft. So I left the doors open all night, hoping the bird might wake up and find its way out.

It did not. The next morning it was still there, but when Adam came by to resume work he climbed up to the loft and caught it in a towel. We took it outside and set it free in the yard just as Rosa was arriving for work. She saw me open the towel and a small bird shoot into the sky, and watched with a startled look as it flew away. Life is a precious thing, subhanAllah, so fragile but so resilient.

A Place of Innocence: El Valle de Anton, Panama

I went out to eat yesterday evening, December 20th, because it was Rosa´s day off. A hummingbird had gotten into the house and kept trying to fly through the loft windows, even though I climbed up into the loft and tried to wave it in the right direction. So I left the front doors of the house wide open, and turned off all the lights in the hope that it might exit on its own.

I walked down to Nina Delia in the dusk after sunset, and along the way I noticed a large crowd gathering in front of the Hong Kong market. Many wore red shirts and santa hats with flashing lights. Pickups and buses were pulling up and disgorging more holiday clad revelers as I watched. One family had a toddler sleeping in a stroller, also wearing the ubiquitous santa cap.

I continued on to Nina Delia. I ordered the corvina with garlic and french fries - always tasty - and read my Robert Ludlum novel, Apocalypse Watch, as I ate. By this time it was dark outside.

The crowd continued to grow, now lining the entire street from the school to the Hong Kong market (as far as I could see). I asked the waitress what was going on and she said in Spanish, ¨School Christmas parade.¨

They love parades in Panama. And here in El Valle, parades are all-town events, with half the town either participating or watching, and people coming in from surrounding smaller towns like Los Llanitos, Las Margaritas, Caimitillo and Mata Ahogado.

It reminds me of the Davis that I grew up in, a small town back then, with tree lined streets and everyone getting around on bicycles. When there were parades I used to climb one of the many oaks as my parents stood below. It was a place and time of innocence, before I was aware of such things as oil wars, genocides, torture, intolerance and environmental exploitation.

El Valle reminds of that time. Of course I am now aware of all the ills of the world and I have to deal with the emotional effects of that knowledge, while at the same time trying to figure out what I can do to bring something good into the world, or to make a difference in even a small way.

But in El Valle I am often able to forget all that, or to feel happy in spite of it. When the sun is shining on Cerro Gaital in the morning, when the breeze is blowing and the yard is full of birds and the odd iguana, when the frogs are sounding at night, and when the locals smile at me and ask about my wife and my baby - or when the town revels in the pleasure of its amateurish but enthusiastic parade - I feel that the world is a good place and that there is some happiness to be found here, Alhamdulillah.