First Spanish Lesson

Ahhh! The joys of student life ...... I love it! My first lesson (3 hours) was a cracking success.....my teacher, Ines is a lovely Panamanian woman and my only other classmate is Camilla from Denmark who lives in Panama with her husband and 2 kids. Having everything I´ve learned in the past 6 weeks (and whatever little Spanish I picked up in Madrid) put in to a usable stucture is like a breath of fresh air. Next class is on Wednesday and I can´t wait..... I even have homework! (will I ever grow up?).

Isla Taboga

A gentle hour long ferry brought us out of the Bay of Panama and along to Isla Taboga. Lovely, quiet, quaint, with a couple of sandy beaches. Perfect hideaway stuff within a stone´s throw of the bustle of Panama City. This small island is host to the second oldest Church in the Western Hemisphere (1550, hence the Nuns who were on the boat with the rest of us). I of course opted not for the beach first up but the path less travelled. A tortuous hour and a half walk to the top of the island for some great views (link to Flickr for photos) but a bit of sunburn and dehydration for my trouble. The stone cold Cerveza I ordered when I got "down the mountain" was just tremendous. most of it just got absorbed before it got to my stomach. Proper John Mills in "Ice Cold in Alex"

Business meeting "Numero Uno"

I am to meet with the Project Director of CDS (the Business Park where I need to locate myself). Friday morning 10am. Will spend the afternoon tomorrow on a beach at Isla Taboga making notes and listing all the questions I need to fire at the meeting. I think a stone cold cerveza might also come in handy at said beach...

Interesting.......................

I have just been informed that the studio apartment next door to my cousin in the City has just been vacated and is available. A contract is required, as is a months deposit. No minimum period .... oh, and the rent? Lets just say my T-mobile contract was more most months............my own little bolt-hole in a suitably seedy part of Panama City (the Lonely Planet guide suggests not to bother with this area, especially at night....I love it)..........next door to my cousin and his wife's awsome cooking (she's no slouch with the masala tea either). I am really tempted.

My first bit of tourism

Going to visit Isla Taboga tomorrow. A gentle ferry ride in to the Pacific Ocean to a recently discovered gem of an island (apparently). Sailing out at 8.30 and returning at dusk. In an ideal world, I would probably live on the Island (in a house looking out towards the Panama City skyline) and commute in to work on the ferry.....well, its nice to dream anyway. During World War Two, the American Navy used to use one side of the Island for artillery practice (bless'em). Before that it was where hundreds if not thousands of Panama Canal workers were brought to a Sanitarium to recover (or not more likely) from the Yellow Fever and Malaria that thwarted the French attempt to dig the canal in the late 1800s. In the 16th and 17th Centuries, these islands were the refuge of many a British and French Bucaneer, killing, and stealing as much as they could off the Spanish crown (with a hearty hah hah!). I have a dim and distant 70s memory of a board game (god how we loved those board games) called Bucaneer, if only I still had it....

Still waiting........................

Cable & Wireless Panama..........hopeless! still no broadband at home

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Met up with the director of Panama´s top Spanish language school. I start a 10 week course (2 days a week, 3 hours per day) from next Monday. The college is in the business park where I want to locate my business and has some fine recreational facilities (tennis courts, open air pool,) for student use at a nominal fee. For such a hot and humid country there is precious little swimming being practiced....strange. Still, it means I get to go swimming twice a week.....which is nice!

Broadband at home from next week !!

Keep your fingers crossed folks, its only a 384mbps connection but I should be connected to the world free of internet cafes from next week.

2007 !

Happy New Year everybody
NYE in Panama was a blast .... my home made Chicken Tikka went down a storm at my Cousin´s BBQ and the hangover I had the next day was suitably painful. Soothed somewhat by an Sunset stroll down the beach at Veracruz, a 4 mile stretch of beach and bars on the edge of the city where the Panama "Massive" drive down and hang out for the day.
Having trouble uploading pictures at the moment, I think its just poor upload speed at Internet Cafes. Need to sort out some broadband at home I think.