Ginger House
I guess it's no secret that one of our favorite places in Panama is the Altos de Cerro Azul development about 45 minutes to the Northeast of Panama City. At altitudes of 2500 to 2800 feet the temperature is much milder than at sea level, and can get cool enough for a sweater. The development is located within the boundaries of Chagres National Park and Ginger House provides one of the few places to overnight inside the Park.

Nora treated me to a night at Ginger House for my birthday. Ginger House is an upscale Bed and Breakfast surrounded by rain forest and adorned with many beautiful flowers. Capuchin Monkeys and Coatimundis are frequent visitors. Situated at about 2700 feet above sea level, the area is cool, sometimes chilly, at night and shirt sleeve comfortable during the day.

Our marvelous gourmet dinner started with cold shrimp salad with fresh basil and lemon zest, followed by a great garden salad. Next we had baked white fish with lime zest and lemon oil, and wild rice with cranberries. We finished with stacked spice cake with baked cinnamon , raisins, pecans, and fresh whipped cream. Ginger House does not serve alcohol, so if you want wine with your meals, bring your own.

A medley of wild bird calls, parrot squawks, and hummingbird chirps woke us, and we had a fine breakfast of quiche and fresh fruit.

For things to do, there are Nature Trails nearby and the Audubon Society maintains a bird watching trail. You can swim under a waterfall, and visits to any of the Park's attractions can be arranged. Reiki massage, body treatments, and other therapeutic activities can be arranged with advance booking.

Ginger House (http://www.panama4.me) is owned and operated by Laura Roberts, known to everyone as Picasso (gingerhousepanama@gmail.com). Her phone number is 011-507-297-7037,
cell Phone 011-507-6914-0753.

If you want to be pampered and enjoy the sights and sounds of the rain forest in a refreshing spring-like atmosphere, we highly recommend Ginger House.

Drive Carefully on New Year's Eve.


Remember, shiny side up.

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The newsletter has been remodeled, and has a new name. From now on, The Paradise Services Newsletter will be known as the Rio San Cocho News. We hope you like our new look.

Rio San Cocho is a small mountain community in rural Panama that exists only in my imagination, though everything there and every inhabitant is modeled on reality.

Life in Rio San Cocho
From time to time I will tell you about life in Rio San Cocho. For now, meet Chao Li Chang, proprietor of M/S Chang, and known to everyone in Rio San Cocho as "Chino". Chao Li came to Panama in 1988 on an immigrant visa that cost him US$10,000.00. Working 20 hours a day and saving every penny possible, he was able to pay off his  debt to his sponsor and with a US$500.00 grub stake, moved to Rio San Cocho in 1999, where he opened his little Mini-Super.

This is a picture of Chao Li in one of his rare moments of relaxation, a side of him almost never seen by his neighbors. Though with his customers he speaks broken Spanish, Chao Li is actually fluent in four languages. He fancies himself quite a playboy, and on occasional Saturday nights, you might see him trying to pick up Colombian hookers at the Veneto Casino in Panama City. Despite his suave and debonair appearance, he has never been successful. When I asked him about it, he snorted and said, "This wimmins is loca! Chao Li nevah pay more than ten dollah for date."

M/S Chang can provide for most of your day-to-day needs, whether that be rice, beans, soap, a cold soda, or a cigarette. He stocks a fair variety of canned goods, which you can find arranged on the shelves according to the size of the can. Try not to confuse the cat food with the tuna. I thought it strange that S/M Chang had cat food on the shelf, but it turned out that Chao Li himself had confused it with tuna on a buying trip.

That's it for this issue. See y'all next time.