Travelin' thru New Mexico

Left Tucson yesterday morning for Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Planning to play tourist today, hoping to take in the Museum of Art, the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, Canyon Road art galleries, and other scenic venues.   Got a hefty dose of Americana going through Hatch on Hwy 26 en route to Albuquerque.  Thought I'd share a few photos...

2013 Tucson Gem Show

Weather has improved and it was a nice day to get out and visit the international Tucson Gem Show.  A few photos below.

What appears to be dinosaur eggs above are really river rocks from India. 

Snow in the Catalinas

What a difference a day makes!  From sunny and warm yesterday to downright chilly with snow capped mountain peaks today.  Forecast for the weekend is 79 degrees, but that's 4 days away.  Feels a little like Wisconsin today.  Asi es la vida!

Revisiting Tucson

It's been 15 years since I last saw these spectacular mountains in Tucson, but they still impress me as much as the first time.  Didn't realize the intensity of my sentiments for the Sonoran Desert until returning this morning. 

   

One can't help but feel close to God when standing in the midst of His handiwork,  be it the volcanos in Chiriqui or the Catalinas in Tucson.  Spending a few days here before heading on to New Mexico.   

Below are photos taken at Gila Bend en route to Tucson.

Athanasiou--New Panama City deli is a Must !

Open only about a week, this internationally franchised Greek Deli is a trip to heaven for chocolate and pastry lovers.  Also available are deli meats, breads, olive oil and assorted other items.  Customer traffic was quite busy for such a short opening period, but once inside there's no wondering why.  Can't wait to go back!

Groovin' on a Sunday Afternoon

Was introduced to this idyllic spot by some Panamanian friends who are set on presuading me to relocate to Veraquas, somewhere in the vicinity of Santiago.  This spot is just outside Santiago, and is a popular local swimming hole. Water source is the Santa Maria river.  Water was a little cooler than the beach currents, but  very refreshing on a sweltering Santiago afternoon.

After a pleasant afternoon swim, what could be better than an impromptu barbecue?  The backyard of a friend's partially-developed lot worked just fine.  Cement blocks, a piece of fencing, and all set...

Festival of Sweets and a Kiss from the Candidate

Greetings from San Francisco de la Montaña...I'm in Santiago visiting a friend.  We took a side trip to the picturesque town of San Francisco, which boasts a beautiful, old church and many quaint, colonial style buildings and homes.  The town is holding it's annual Festival del Dulce, and the offerings really tested my resistance to temptation.   Have to say I did reasonably well.  Bought a sample of raspadura de coco, which was very good, but gave up my usual sweetened coffee and a fruit juice to atone for it.   

I enjoyed the event, which not only included pastries, typical Panamanian food, and tamales, but also hosted a cultural event and art exhibition. Instead of Boquete's ear-splitting disco music broadcasting out as far as the suburbs, several Panamanian short-story authors occupied the stage and read their works to a respectful and spellbound crowd.  I was impressed with the five selections I stayed to hear.  One story, about a dying mother experienced from a child's perspective, was especially memorable for being skillfully told, poignant, and uplifting at the same time.   

Juan Carlos Varela, 2014 Presidential Candidate for the Panameñista Party, was also present,  interviewing for the national television station.  He was shaking hands, and kissing babies and old ladies.  Yours truly received a warm hug and buss on the cheek which I won't quickly forget.  He's been my favorite from the beginning, even though I can't vote.  Can't say that the majority of expats are in his camp, but thankfully those expats who are opposed to him aren't able to vote, either.  I definitely like him, but my friend remains undecided at this time. 

 

Below are photos of the other highlighted festival activities.

Today's TVN Interview with MiBus Representative

The Metro Bus drivers forced to abort a work stoppage determined illegal by Panama's  Minister of Labor, received $150 in bonuses instead of their promised monthly salary increases. Thirty dollars of this $150 award was based on individual merit and good driving record.   These drivers currently are paid $580 per month, and had hoped to achieve a salary increase to $800 per month.

This morning, the general manager for MiBus, Miguel Cardona, was interviewed on TVN Canal 2.   He adeptly navigated around the direct questions posed by the interviewer and skillfully painted the rosiest picture of both the corporate enterprise and the current status of  collaborative negotiations forced upon the dissenting faction. He claimed that the administration and labor had been in negotiations for 12 days and the company was earnestly working at addressing labor complaints.  He mentioned the opportunity bus drivers will have in the future to form a cooperative, receive health and life insurance,  enjoy better education for their children, have access to scholarships, enjoy "game rooms", etc. and mentioned all these were benefits that needed to be figured into an employee's salary.  He stated the package being worked on cost the company two million dollars and is designed "specifically for the benefit of the workers".

Panama's public transit system was implemented two years ago, and TVN's interviewer pointed out that the conditions the company was to have met for 2013 have not been reached.   Mr. Cardona defended the company's position by stating that the projections are good and that with any project of this magnitude, Panama's being one of the world's largest in proportion to the size of the city,  is behind due to unforeseen obstacles along the way,  however the project is still moving along and remains uncompleted.  The interviewer stressed the company was behind by a year, which Mr. Cardona acknowledged.

Approximately $300 million dollars have already been assigned for the project, some 180 million of which comes from foreign investment, and the company is working to attract additional investment from a Swiss bank,  presently evaluating the circumstances.  Twelve hundred buses have been calculated for the project.  Currently around 900 are available and somewhere between 800 and 900 are actually in operation.