Allegedly, it's "winter" here in Boquete, but it seemed a lot cooler a few months ago. We awoke this morning to approximately 65 degrees; I'm sitting here in a nice, warm robe typing away and reading in the Democrat about 103 degrees and higher in Florida. Except when it's cloudy, most days have been in the upper seventies lately, dropping to the high sixties as the sun goes down.
THE GOOD: Derek has come and gone. On the Friday after his arrival late Wednesday, we motored down to Chorcha to visit Steve and Michelle and their plants and animals at their Alouatta Lodge. ("Alouatta" has something to do with howler monkeys.) We were greeted by Steve's father, visiting from Australia, who sat on the front porch with a monkey in his lap. We joined him and promptly had monkeys in our laps, too--two adult howlers (Yahoo and Maisie), a toddler howler (Lisa), and a very young squirrel monkey (Mikey). We visited the cage containing two two-toed sloths (Oreo and Stinky), hiked a trail through the jungle, visited their camping site complete with three enclosed hammocks for guests, and enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by Michelle. Steve gave me several beautiful plants to bring home to the garden, including an outstanding but thorny bamboo. All in all, a fun day.
Another highlight of Derek's visit was a hike in Bajo Mono with Dan and Kay Wade. Only about ten minutes into the trek, we spotted a male Resplendent Quetzal! He obligingly sat high on a limb at a medium distance with the sun at his back. It's difficult to describe what breathtakingly beautiful birds they are and easy to understand why they are considered the most beautiful bird in the world. It is said by the Panamanians to be good luck to spot a quetzal, so we're eagerly awaiting a major change of fortune.
Derek enjoyed a day of golf with the gang, we had dinner out with friends, and we did a good bit of lounging around the house. Next time, I hope he can stay longer.
THE BAD: I had my first brush with the Panamanian health system this past week. Weekend before last I suffered from abdominal pain and general malaise for about three days. It disappeared, only to return on Thursday. I decided it would be wise to seek medical advice, so I called my friend Lulu (proprietor of Lulu's Tropical Gardens in David), whose husband is a physician, to seek a referral. I reached her at home during the lunch hour and, as her husband was there too, she turned the phone over to him. (Steve had told me that he is a neurosurgeon at Hospital Chiriqui, but he advised that, in fact, he's an internist and general surgeon at Hospital Mae Lewis.) He said he would be happy to see me and told me to report to his office at the hospital at 9:00 the following morning. After examining me and taking a medical history, he sent me for a battery of lab tests and a CT scan just down the hall. I had the tests and the results by 1:00, reported back to him at 2:30, and left with a handful of medications, punctures all over my arms (they couldn't find a vein for the extremely large needle necessary to inject the chemicals for the CT scan--painful, painful experience), and a diagnosis of diverticulitis. I was exhausted from the all day affair, spent a very uncomfortable weekend, but seem to be pretty much over it today. Now I'm trying to figure out what brought it on. Internet research indicates that diverticulitis is diet-related, particularly to the consumption of processed foods and to the lack of dietary fiber. We eat virtually no processed food, and we consume lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as beans by the potful. So go figure.
THE UGLY: We had the unpleasant experience this morning of firing Demaris and Juvenal, who have been with us from the beginning. Juvenal had lost his main job as caretaker of the house and property of a couple in the Santa Lucia neighborhood where we rented while building, so, in an effort to help him, we recommended him for a similar job with friends Sandy and Bill Dillon for a period of two months that they will be in Mexico completing some business there. Juvenal accepted the position, but then, the day before they were to leave (this past Saturday), demanded a higher salary, more time off, additional transportation funds, access to laundry facilities, etc., and ultimately backed out of the deal altogether, leaving Bill and Sandy with no caretaker for the property while they're gone. Juvenal is guileless and has never exhibited this type of behavior, so we assumed him to be operating on the advice of Demaris and/or her family, which was born out in Sandy's reporting that he was on his cell phone constantly during their Saturday discussions. I was sick, so Larry was obliged to run interference, which took most of the day and ended with his driving all the way up to Sandy and Bill's to take Juvenal home. After it was over, we were embarrassed, hurt, and very angry. When Demaris and Juvenal reported to work this morning, I explained our position and told them that we no longer had confidence in them. They left willingly, but I doubt that that will be the end of the matter. So I've cleaned house and am now left to clean the house.
So where's that Quetzal good luck?
