A new house and new friends

     We moved into our new house a week ago, so I'm going to use that as my excuse for not writing sooner. 
    A couple of days ago we went into the City to shop at Albrook Mall.  We were looking for a birthday present for our friend, Harry, and his wife, Ursula, was with us to do some shopping and to give us a few hints.  We wanted to find Harry a new jersey for bike riding, but were not successful...more about that later.  While we were at the mall, we went to our favorite place to eat.  It's called "Crepes and Waffles" and it was great.  Sandy had Beef Stroganoff crepes, and I had something called a "Sensational".  It's made of Dutch cheese, smoked ham, a fried egg and chopped tomatos and onions all wrapped in a crepe.  For dessert I had a "Baby Doll", a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, with a crepe folded over it.  Then they lay bananas on four sides and top it off with walnuts, hot fudge, and whipped cream...Yum! 
     When we were stumped for a gift for Harry, Ursula suggested cheese...Harry loves cheese!  So we stopped on the road home at a little shop that sells nothing but cheese, and we bought some of everything they had.  Harry lit up light a kid at Christmas when he saw what we brought for his Cumpleanos!!!
     Saturday morning my friend and I went to a new surf spot, called Rocky Point.  It's a rock bottom point break at a river mouth and we each got a few good rights...but the real highlight of the morning came later.  When we were drying off and getting ready to leave. another friend pointed out that the local fishermen could use a hand getting their boats hauled up above the high tide mark.  The boats are called Pongas and are about twenty feet long.  They're made of wood and are pretty heavy, and the beach is quite steep.  Since we park right next to the huts where they live, I figured it would be a good idea to help and they would be helpful with watching the truck whenever we were in the water.  The fishermen are extremely poor, living in tin shacks without running water or electricity, but are proud to be their own boss and to be making a living from the sea.  So we talked it over and worked out a plan of action.  I backed the truck up to the place the chose, and, after they tied a big rope to the frame of the truck under the bed, I put it in four wheel drive and up we went.  This went so well that we did it again with a second boat, and again with a third.  The third one was more difficult because of the angle and because I had very little room to move.  So it was back up and tie and pull, then back up and tie and pull, and after the third pull we had it up...all the while being careful not to drive the truck right through someone's house!  They were all smiles and thank you's when we were done, and I think I was the one who got the most out of the experience. 

     We are blessed to have made many new friends here in Panama...There's Harry and Ursula.  He's from Colombia and grew up in a jungle village and she's from Switzerland and worked in an investment bank!  And there's Manfred the German Sea Captain, and John and Stephanie from Maine, and Ty and Michelle from Canada, and Nancy from Nova Scotia, and Neil from Hawaii...all part of Mike and Sandy's Excellent Adventures in Panama.