Gorgona

Nora, Henry IV, and I spent Saturday and Sunday at our friend's weekend house in Gorgona in celebration of Nora's birthday. Charlie and Judy's house is a few minutes from the beach, but they have a nice pool, which I find preferable to the beach anyway.

We had dinner at the Malibu Restaurant in Coronado, and found the food to be excellent, but the service left a bit to be desired. I suggest that if you see something you like on the menu, ask the waitress to check in the kitchen before you order it. This is good advice at most restaurants outside the city, by the way. They didn't have any clams, so Nora had to forego her favorite appetizer, and after about 15 minutes the waitress came back and told her they didn't have any Langostino either, so she ordered something else. When our food finally arrived, Nora was served Langostino. The waitress explained that the cook had found one serving.

The Malibu prepares good food, and Henry IV and I enjoyed chicken nuggets and Corvina a la Plancha, respectively, but if you eat there remember to bring along a good supply of patience and be ready to make a second or even third choice from the menu.

Fish for Lunch

Sunday morning I got up early and went to Fisherman's Beach. Since my last trip here, they've added a community fish market, right on the beach, which makes it a bit easier to buy fresh fish. To get to Fisherman's Beach, turn right just after the old, now out of business, Gorgona Hayes Hotel and drive about 1/2 mile, nearly to the end of the road. At the last intersection, turn left and drive a couple of hundred yards until you see the entrance to the beach next to a large four story house. Walk down to the beach and you will see beached fishing boats and some small 'Fondas' and the community fish market.

I was there when the first boat of the day came in and it unloaded a nice catch of Red Snapper and some lesser fish. After they finished weighing in, I chose a  very nice 12 pound (gutted) Red Snapper for $1.00 per pound. A young fellow fileted it and prepared the head and back, which will be used for fish soup. While he was cleaning the fish, I amused myself taking pictures with my little Philips camera/camcorder/MP3 player and you can see a few pictures of Fisherman's Beach on the website 'Pictures' page under 'Gorgona'.

Back at the house, I set up a charcoal grill near the pool and smoke-cooked most of the two filets. Judy and Charlie joined us for lunch and we had the fish, Jamaican-style chicken, rice with coconut and a great salad, all washed down with local beer for the guys and a fine red wine for the ladies. Afterwards, a dip in the pool and a nap capped a fine day. I really don't see how it can get much better than that.

Upcoming Stuff

Within the next few weeks, I plan an article on building your own computer, to complete my series on buying a computer in Panama. My friend John Mercier is in need of a new machine, his having died, and mine needs some replacement memory (a good excuse to build a new one) so I'll have plenty of fresh experience buying and building. I'll be installing Windows XP and SUSE Linux 10 on John's box, while mine will be free of the Windows malware. I'll try to describe the Windows installation without using any curse words.

Feedback

Another vote for Cable Onda

I do not know what business requirements you may have. However, let me share with you that I have my Internet connection with Cable Onda and have never had a problem. Works like a charm and the speed is great, almost instantaneous from the time you click to the time you get a response from the system. - Joe Martinez.

Reply - Unfortunately Cable Onda has refused to provide internet service to my neighborhood, though we've had cable TV for years.

A suggestion about 'Big Mo'

If you need a SUV why don't you get a Ford Hybrid and save some money and
gas? - BA

Reply - We didn't need an SUV, we needed a people mover capable of carrying at least six modern-day full-sized Americans plus a driver in comfort and safety. We looked at mini-vans, SUVs and small buses. We were not interested in going into debt to buy one, and we were able to buy Big Mo for about one-third the price of the cheapest new 7 passenger minivan. Big Mo is superbly comfortable, very safe, low-mileage (42,000 km), and capable of carrying 8 full-sized people and their luggage plus a driver. I figure the minimum $20,000.00 we saved by not buying new will buy a lot of gasoline, even at $3.00 a gallon. We didn't consider hybrids, because there are none available in Panama that meet our passenger requirements, and I learned long ago the folly of buying the latest technology in Panama where frequently not even the dealer has the specialized equipment needed to service it.

Service and Assistance for People Who Want to Live in Panama