The Little Problems Of Living In Paradise.......

Don't get me wrong living in Panama is pretty good most of the time, but sometimes living in paradise isn't all that perfect.  Let me explain, for example one day last week I decided to go to the gym instead of working out at home.  Since Clyde had some errands to run and work to do for a client he dropped me off. I did my usual two hour workout which includes an hour of weight lifting followed by 45-minutes on the treadmill and then some stretching.  After that I changed into a bikini, downed a protein shake to feed the muscles I just worked, and headed out to the resort (with the gym) pool.  Like so many other times I had the whole pool to myself.  After dropping my stuff on a chair I grabbed a noodle to float on and quickly cooled off from the 90-degrees temperature.  The water felt cool at first to my hot, overworked skin but soon felt refreshing and wonderful.

My Other Gym
at Punta Chame Resort

 

After a while I decided to park myself halfway between the big pool and the smaller one on a landing.  Laying here works well since I can be laying out of the sun but half submerged in a few incles of water as well. While the sun was hot and providing me with more than my daily share of Vitamin D, the dry-season breezes were fierce.  After a short while I became chilly and my body became covered with goose bumps as the wind blew over my wet and dry body. This was my first problem of the day as I had to get out of the pool because I was cold and relax on a lounge chair.  Whoa is me....it's 90 degrees outside and I'm cold!

Pool at Punte Chame Resort



As I laid there chillin' Yovanny, the resort's maintenance man.... slash.....pool boy began to clean out a few leaves from the pool. Finally I'd be able to engage my mind as it wandered into my imagination of what the perfect pool boy should look like.  Dark. chocolate skin, bulging biceps, young, cute and of course.....scantily clad.  And while this guy is kinda cute with a hunky little body, dark skin and strong accent he wasn't exactly dressed to stimulate much of anything in my brain.  He was wearing baggy blue jeans with a blue tee shirt and work boots.  Over the shirt he wore a white hooded sweatshirt, zipped up the front. To cover his head he had another shirt wrapped around the side of his head over his ears and on his face he had sunglasses. About the only thing that showed was an inch of cheek space on his face, if even that.  Perhaps he didn't know what the law states about hunky pool boys and their proper dress code? As I laid there I went over in my mind how I would say all of this in Spanish to joke with him, but thought it would be lost in translation.  So I decided to let it all stay in my imagination and keep my mouth closed. Panamanians are conscious about protecting themselves from the sun, unlike us silly gringos that subject ourselves to it's danger.

Instead I enjoyed the tropical paradise that surrounded me as I watched the poolside palms blow in the breeze.  Squawking birds flew by as I slowly began to warm up in the hot summertime air. A while later Prince Charming (Clyde) showed up to take me out of that place, which was a good thing since I was hungry now for lunch.

After a quick veggie and ham wrap at the house we headed out to the mall for a few things. We made our way home by 8pm tired from another long day of retirement.

Later that day we met up with others for the monthly CASA meeting to finalize plans for the big party this weekend of giving back to the community.  CASA with the financial help of a many individuals will be handing out food baskets and interacting with special needs kids of the area.  Also at the CASA meeting, we will join other crafty minded expats to make crowns for the handicapped kids which we'll place on their heads during the fiesta.   Friday we will assemble 80 gift baskets of food for families with handicapped kids. They'll be given out at the big event on Sunday (another blog with photos to follow).  This annual shin-dig is put on by CASA (Coronado Area Social Association), a local group in which Clyde serves as the Vice President.  Then we're off to partake in a Happy Hour tonight with friends before turning in for the evening. 

And so you should all feel sorry for those of us that are now cool when the temps drop below 75 degrees, as we're enjoying the tropical breezes of retirement in Panama......along the gringo trail.