October 17th, Wednesday, David, Panamá

one week after leaving Florida. A lot has happened in a week

Finally, the car! Today I got my car so now I am free to move about much more easily. The seller and his wife went downtown with me to do the change over. Everything went smoothly and it didn’t take long, I’m sure in large part because they had all the papers ready. The process seemed straightforward and when it was finished and I had my papers in hand. There was no waiting for a title to arrive in the mail. Insurance will have to be transferred later when the person I need to see is in the office.
The next thing on the agenda was cable and internet for the house. That also went smoothly, except for getting a parking ticket. I had forgotten to bring my tickets with me. They have a system here... the Parking System  Anyway, back to the cable people - the only problem was trying to explain how to find the house when I barely know that myself. I will print off copies of the map we made yesterday and carry them with me. Panama doesn't have addresses like in the US, which is the topic of another post addresses in Panama

Back to the house!

Now that I had mobility, I was eager to try and find my house. I went right to it without any wrong turns! I barely know my way around so it would be easy to get lost. But, the house is between a river and a major road, and my access road dead ends not too far past my neighborhood so I couldn’t get too far off, thank goodness, since don't have a good sense of direction.
The house definitely needs some cleanup and paint. But, with a little TLC it is going to be a very good house for us. I met a neighbor across the street, a very nice man. He says he loves the neighborhood because it is quiet, safe, and the people are very nice. I figured out what keys go with the various locks, and set up the temporary table my friends have loaned me. It felt good to be taking the first steps to make the house a home.

Keeping the Do-It Center in business!I was thinking of trying to find my way back to the cable place to give them a map but it was starting to look like rain, and I was going to be driving right by the Do-It Center (like a Home Depot or Lowes) so I figured I'd stop in for a quick look around. I need paint and I might find other things I need as well.
Well!! It turned out that they have a LOT of things that I needed! It was a MAJOR shopping trip - stove, fridge, washing machine, microwave, beds, sheets, towels, cookware, pillows, paint, ended up with two shopping carts full. What a nice store! I wasn’t quite comfortable shopping in the store with the really cheap stuff, but PriceSmart seemed too expensive. This was a great mid range, quality brands, and they had sales on the big ticket items on my list so I am very happy with what I bought. I’m checking out, looking at the pouring rain, and thinking about loading all that stuff in the car when they ask if I want it all delivered along with the large items. Delivered? the pillows and towels and vegetable peeler? Of course, yes, we would be happy to deliver all of it. Well my goodness, how nice! Si, por favor, gracias.

When I was about finished checking out, a man came in line behind me. I started to explain that I had too many things and it might be faster to go to another checkout and he answered me in English. I noticed Florida on his hat so I had to ask. It turns out he is from about 3 miles south of where I lived in Sarasota. Wow, small world!

Tomorrow, my plans are to tackle the city. All the streets look more or less the same to me, and there are few street signs so it can be a challenge to find your way around. Since the weather tends to be dry in the mornings, that seems like a good time to try to find the cable place and if I’m really good, maybe I can find the place to pay parking tickets. Then, I will go to the house to wait for the arrival of all my stuff. I think I will spend my first night there tomorrow night. I’m not far from a produce stand, El Rey (grocery store), Do-It Center, and a bunch of other shopping so I can get anything I need. I’ll see how I feel at the time but I’m excited to be in my own place so it is very likely.