Altos Del Maria, Panama

Hi All Blog followers!

We rented a car in Panama City and drove here. That was nerve-racking (hard rain, roads washed out, little or no signs to let you know where you are going and many, many potholes, etc),  but we made it safely with nothing damaged but our nerves. The internet saved us as I had found a great blog by a Canadian kid who had the directions we needed all written out along with a  3videos of the way. I watched it twice the night before! I am always amazed at the what the internet produces and how helpful it is to travelers.

We are at about 3,500 ft. in the pine trees/jungle of beautiful Altos Del Maria! It's breathtaking. The roads are steep, steep and steeper, but paved. Thank goodness. The internet is slow, so no uploading pictures today. All is fine. We met a woman today and will probably go hiking with her and her husband this week. She said that we must bring a stick to ward off the vipers. Oh!

Yesterday we ate at a fabulous restaurant. Our spit-fired roasted chicken was $4.00 ---- half a chicken each! It was delicious along with steamed veggies. We did our grocery shopping on a full tummy. The new grocery store in the Coronado Beach area even had Johnson brats from Wisconsin. There is a large expat community here so they cater to them with lots of American products. I stuck with tortillas and beans, eggs, etc. We have been eating a healthy diet and have actually lost weight. We probably need to lose more before we get on that cruise ship for 22 days!
Merry Christmas.
Bob and Mary