Hustle & Blog

Just getting back from Panama City, Panama. I had a great time down there in what is recognized as one of the top 5 cities to retire in (International Living 200-07). I arrived at Tocumen Airport on Wednesday, March 26th. The weather was warm (about 25C), but the city received me well. I was greeted by my driver who took me to an area known as El Barrios. Undisturbed by the name, I traveled to meet my host, Eric Rodriguez, at the penthouse that would be my lodging for 4 days. I was accompanied by my young partner in crime, Jeremiah, in his first taste of foreign soil.

Eric greeted me, and to my surprise, was a young gentleman, who works as an actuary for a major insurance company. He seemed cool, mentioned that he was married with a child, and owns several properties throughout the city. He mentioned the shortage of power in the city of Panama, as the population grows tremendously and energy cannot be generated fast enough to compensate for this trend. We agreed that I would monitor the A/C and not be careless about leaving power on when away.

Afterwards, Jeremiah and I had dinner at a nearby restaurant called Napoli. It was a short distance away, we noticed the credit card signs and figured we would conserve cash, and try out our first pizza in town, overlooking the busy highway and sprawling crowd of locals.

Ordering pizza was no easy feat, emphasizing the "por quito espanol" of which I would constantly have to remind others that was under my control. Nonetheless, a pizza and a pitcher of Sangria on a restaurants patio for lunch is always a way to capture the excitement of a city. It was the beginning of what was truly a great adventure that I wish to blog about in a 1 of 3 series...