The Lost Paradise of Panamá

My daughter Andrea was in PC today when she was caught in a fierce downpour and climbed onboard a diablo rojo. But as the bus moved on, the traffic became thicker. There was incessant honking, police sirens, and barking drug dogs were shaking in their cages in the street. Crowds of people lined Transismica…then came men waving Panamanian flags on motorcycles…then policia…then…the Olympic gold medalist Saladino himself, sitting on top of a jeep waving two flags! Everyone was taking photos and clapping and screaming.

Later she went with her Aunt Eneida from Rio Abajo to the hospital in Colon to see her Abuelo Bilo. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Colon myself, and Andrea said it was pretty bad. Her grandfather is not doing well at all, and it was quite a shock for her to see him the way that he is. He can’t walk anymore, and is in a lot of pain. She said he has open sores on his legs that they were trying to drain. She read Bilo a letter I had given her, and I’m glad he liked it. But not many people visit him, out of all of the family members. At about $2.50 a bus ticket, there’s really no excuse. It’s something that I think I’ll remember the next time they ask for a favor. But, as bad as it is, they say he may get out soon and can go back to Cef’s place in Buena Vista. Right now he’s just so very sad, and lonely.

For one Panamanian, there was a well-deserved hero’s welcome. Long jumper Irving Saladino brought home Panama’s first gold medal ever. For another Panamanian on the otherside of the Isthmus, a different story, as Bilo fights heroically to survive.

I can only hope for the very best. Now and always.

I didn’t even remember taking the picture. I stared at it for a few minutes, wondering if I had made a mistake. I wasn’t sure, but then it came to me. I wanted a picture of the shoes I had worn in the States on my way back to Panama, and finally pulling them off and exchanging them for some comfortable sandals. I didn’t miss those shoes for a long time. There’s also an illustration on an Isla Taboga site that shows a cow and a dolphin leaping over turquoise water. Both the shoes for sandals and cows for dolphins are reminders of where I’m from in the Midwest.    

I’ve been having some issues with WP 2.6. I just can’t get it to work right with pictures, and this has delayed me in further postings. From what I can tell, I’m not the only one. I did finally add a couple of pics to my previous post in July, even though I can’t get the text to left or right justify alongside the photos. My daughter and I added the language translator, and we did a different one for my main website. Check it out. Adding the Panamanian flag icon was my daughter’s idea.