What a View! -- Near Tonosi, Panama

Friday, November 18, 2005

I spent most of the day today looking at smaller parcels of land, not far from Tonosi. The owner, an expat American, is subdividing 1,100 acres of his land, providing rudimentary road access to each lot, and water and hydro to the lot line. I picked a one Hectare sized plot on a mountainside, and it will be graded to provide a flat ‘pad‘ to build on. I won’t mention the price, but it was reasonable.

At the bottom of the mountain, is the Pacific Ocean. The view is spectacular and the ocean breezes cool down the otherwise hot and muggy atmosphere. I don’t know if I will personally ever build on the plot, I’m not yet ready to get off the treadmill and maybe never will be. We’ll see.

On our way to look at the land, the owner stopped in at the local police station to report that someone had stolen two barrels of diesel fuel from a remote part of his land, value about $250.00. Two policemen came with us to the site, investigated the crime scene, followed some footprints and the marks where the barrels had been rolled down a hill to the ocean, took notes about a fishing boat that was in the area and got all muddy in the process. Total time expenditure on their part, about four hours. The owner of the property bought us all lunch in a little fishing village nearby on the way back to the police station.

Now, try to imagine that sort of attention from the police in your area.

I am staying again in the same hotel as yesterday. Tomorrow, as soon as I can, will be heading first to David and then to Boquete. That means probably eight or so hours on the road.