A View From My Perch

[Cap'n Jib]

And We’ll Leave the Light On For You

David, the thriving metropolis of 40,000 can now boast of successful testing and use of it’s first and ONLY traffic light. After three months of continuous use all is well. Any more of these new fangled gizmos and my little third world paradise and it will go to second, then first and ultimately zero world. Don’t know about progress!


A Bridge to Somewhere

The old Panamondi bridge in Boquete was replaced with a ‘modern’ concrete structure. Going to miss the wood beams covered with a bit of tar intermixed with concrete. Oh yes almost forgot the tin (made a nice tinkling sound as you drove over it). One of the more interesting aspects of these type of projects is planning for today…..today!

You see instead of a two lane bridge (better traffic flow) they stuck with the single lane bridge. I agree with them on this though. Sure the town is growing and there are more cars than before but there are no two lane bridges with in 25 kilometers. No need taking a risk with one of those cutting edge two lane jobbies.


Keeping Me in Suspense…

After a rousing success of the first bridge (still standing after three weeks), they decided to try to rehab the suspension bridge in town. Seems like tempting fate, if you asked me. For some reason the bridge was build with a bit an angle across the river so one of the suspension cables bocks traffic on two streets (Thursdays, I watch to see if this bridge project made it to the Discovery Channels’ Modern Marvels).

When I travelled over the “prayer bridge”, my little name for the suspension bridge, I ALWAYS felt a bit closer to God. Teak planks set upon 8 inch steel girders and sprinkled over with tar and concrete was a sight to behold. If a plank deteriorates and breaks, just throw down a new plank…except the brace used to hold the old plank is now missing…..probably wasn’t necessary in the first place.

I think it is time to mention “cotter pins”….actually the lack there of. Those are the cute little metal things you slide though the hole in a steel pin that holds the bridge together. I have to admit I could not understand WHY there were so many missing. An AH HA moment of enlighten came this morning. While they were taking out sections of the old bridge, the work went much faster without those pesky cotter pins to remove first.
I gotta hand it these guys….I wouldn’t have thought ahead like that.


Gringo Go Home!

This afternoon a Boquete Gringo was making an alcohol run from his house and was involved in an accident with a taxi. First our Gringo went through two sets of stop signs, smashed into a taxi and rolled his SUV over. This is quite an accomplishment as how all this happened on a side street one block from a school and one block from the main street in Boquete. Second, he reportedly ran away from the scene….well that wasn’t accurate….he actually tried to stagger away. Apparently got confused as to where he was and staggered back towards the scene of the accident AFTER the police had arrived and were taking statements from witnesses……and promptly passed out.

I am sorry to report that I actually understood the comments made by witnesses and bystanders concerning the Drunk Gringo. One hour earlier and the school kids would have been out and walking home. As there are NO sidewalks (as we would understand them), the kids would have been walking in the street as they always do.

Now apparently neighbors had reported this drunken fool to the police twice before. However, he was back in his house, after purchasing more alcohol, and the police could not really do anything at that time except to talk to the drunk.

Now I have never met this jerk but I went around apologizing to Panamian bystanders. My feeble attempt to let the locals know that we are not ALL jerks.

[LastLion]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Jib

Now apparently neighbors had reported this drunken fool to the police twice before. However, he was back in his house, after purchasing more alcohol, and the police could not really do anything at that time except to talk to the drunk.

Now I have never met this jerk but I went around apologizing to Panamian bystanders. My feeble attempt to let the locals know that we are not ALL jerks.

Doesn't it suck that so many loooooossers are going to the same places we are???

[HonkyTonk]

Jib, I just want to know when you're going to write that book. Put me down for the 1st copy