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Tipping Point

Source: Tracy Olson, Flickr

Tips, Hotels and Good service – Panama

One aspect of visiting Panama that may come as a surprise to North American travelers is tipping –  not expected in most of Panama.  Think about it, a strange custom to much of the working world, where you tell someone the price of a service….which you proudly offer, and they pay you more!

Unlike in the US, tips are not factored as part of anyone’s pay in Panama.

when to tip?

It is a little more complex than this, here are a few rules of thumb I go by, the first two are hard won truths:

– There are some actions which are just part of being human. Don’t expect less from other people because you may make more money than them.    A sincere and specific thank you  is appreciated by most people.

-If people ask for a tip, they don’t deserve it.

-The exception is for people looking out for your car while leaving it in any area where you take a ferry (colon, bocas). If you’re not leaving it in a lot-you should, and you better tip a $1, because that car is going to be there as is the person after you’re gone.

-Tips for taxis are never expected. They will charge you more anyway than they should (sigh…).

– If you are eating in any restaurant, and plates under $8, a simple tip of $1 after a meal for excellent service would be a nice gesture, but it would not be expected.  .

-If you are eating in a location where the plates are over $10, tip 10%.

-I always have this vision that people are expecting tips, that’s why they are showing me to my room and helping with luggage.  This is the truth.  People don’t expect a tip and don’t think less of you for not tipping.  Tipping bellboys, maids, barbers, the people who put gas in your car, etc.. not necessary.  If the person is going beyond their duties, yes, a small tip or probably more appropriate, a thank you is appreciated.

-As in the US, a tip to the owner of a small business is never expected.

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I am number one! You are number 2!

Narices River, Santa Fe Nationa Park, Veraguas, Panama
Narices River, Santa Fe National Park, Veraguas, Panama

Rio Narices, Santa Fe National Park – Stories from Cele

Rio Narices is an amazingly clear river that flows down the Pacific side of Santa Fe National Park, joining the Santa Maria River about 2 miles to the north east of Santa Fe, one of the 10 largest rivers in Panama. There is clear, still water, some neat geologic formations, forested slopes, and about 3 miles in, a little palm rancho that ANAM built.

Cele’s hiking recommendations

We wore rubber knee high boots when hiking up the river.  There were some places where we had to cross from bank to bank to continue walking, and in places the water was pretty deep.  Bring food if you want to hike up, I didn’t and was hitting on empty when we got back. The going is slow.  We walked in maybe 3 miles to the ANAM rancho.  The term rancho makes it sound bigger than it is.

Philosophical question for this hike

Rancho Narices, Santa Fe National Park
Rancho (ANAM), Santa Fe National Park

Indigenous groups have lived in Veraguas for centuries if not millenium, living in small communities.  Santa Fe National Park was finally formed in 2001, and encompasses some  villages.  Up Rio Narices, and over the cordillera central, and going down the river on the other side of the continental divide, there are three communities: numero uno (number one), numero 2 (number 2) and Guazaro, accessible by foot, a total of 12 hours hiking one way.

So, think about it.  You’re living in an isolated community, not much entertainment, except the communities down the way.  I’m sure they get together for festivals, make life interesting.  Do you think the villagers debate which town is number one and which is number 2?  Ah, we are number one because we are closer to the ocean, your town is number two.  No no no, we are number one since we’re closer to Santa Fe, you live in number 2.  How about your psyche.  Would you grow up feeling inferior if you grew up in number 2?

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Got motorhome? No problem.

Hotel Coffee Mountain Inn, Santa Fe, Veraguas, Panama, ROOFOver the past couple weeks, we (er…my husband) finished putting on the roof and are working on repellando or stuccoing the walls on the hotel in Santa Fe.  I think it looks great so far!  Red it was.

In the foreground you can see evidence of what I term as my husband’s new hobby – renting heavy equipment. Now, if you know Cele, you know that he’s very neat.  We’ll go out for a day on a muddy backroad, and I’ll think – cool- we had a great time the mud on the car- wow, it’s over the rear view mirror -it’s a badge of honor.  He’ll think, great, we had a great time, now it’s time to clean the car…and worse, somehow he manages to talk you into helping out.  Sigh.

He discovered that you can rent time from owners of the road construction equipment.  In front of the hotel, there used to be a green area, but it had little indentations and hills, the free spirit in me thinking- how nice a little character.  But man, those hills didn’t stand a chance once Cele learned about the cuchillo that was in the area.  The upside, we have a nice area for parking…. got motorhome? No problem.

His friend Eliecer is an outreach technician for the coffee cooperatives in the area and helped us (er Cele again) plant 50 different coffee bushes around the inn of different classes, they’re planted around the perimeter, currently about 10 inches high.   Eliecer says that one of the kinds only takes 1-3 years to start producing coffee – how great would that be!

 

 

 

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Cerro Tute – can I be a rebel too?

Cerro Tute overlooking Santa Fe Valley in Veraguas, Panama
Cele at Cerro Tute

 Santa Fe, Panama – Cerro Tute Exploring

I have watched youtube videos of places to go and things to do, and have been impressed by those of hikers going up Cerro Tute.  Young hikers  out of breath, hiking for hours to see the panaromic views from the Cerro which hovers protectingly at 1061m over Santa Fe, Veraguas with its sister hill Cerro Mariposa, known for its birding.  Unlike Cerro Mariposa, Cerro Tute is   deforested and known for —well rebels like you and me.

Not quite.

But it is known for rebel hideouts, first indian caciques lanced some of their resistance against the Spaniards from the cerro, and more recently in the 1950s a group of Fidel Castro inspired Panamanian university student rebels hid from the pursuing governmental forces in Cerro Tute.  The government eventually lured them down with rumors of gun shipments, or so I hear.  Many were killed, others escaped.

Today the Cerro hugs the edge of Santa Fe National Park.  Country folk live in its hill sides. And, it has great views.

How we got there

Cele and I decided to check it out, but in our 4X4 rather than walking, to see how far we could get.  They’ve been working on the road, and we saw our tax dollars at work with the new tourism authority signs for the cerro.  So we followed them.  We took the red route on the map below – starting point – the inn of course!  We followed the signs south of town to the Cerro.   20 minute drive-up hill with some great views of town.  We didn’t go all the way to the top I don’t even think we  used the 4×4.

Recommendation?

How was it, well it was nice. (6.5/10).  The problem with Santa Fe is that there are so many places with sweeping views.  Was it fun, yeah.  Were there great views,  yup- looking out towards Santiago  But it wasn’t forested, no fantastic rivers, and the drive wasn’t as interesting say as going to Alto Gonzales to the north, or the road to Guabal.  There is an alternate route (blue), which is supposedly rougher.

Recommendation: Go up with a car for a picnic lunch or to watch the sun rise/sun set.

Cerro Tute Routes - by Car
Exploring the Cerro

 

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May, the month of the mango

Mango
Source: Purdue Horticulture Dept

The mangoes you may buy in supermarkets in the states are poor imitations of the sweetness, tanginess, juiciness of mangoes harvested locally.  If you go to eat a mango, smell it, if you can’t smell it, it’s not worth eating.

When I first live in Panama, over a decade ago, I arrived in the month of May, the month when many fruits like mangoes and avocados start ripening. Children wander around with “mango mouth” the tell-tale rash around the mouth that come from eating mangoes too early or too much, or just having a reaction to urushiol, the poison oak compound found in the leaves of the mango.

Try some different kinds of mangoes.  In any small town, you will find several types of mango trees…mango redondo, mango pelado, mango aguacate…it would not be uncommon to have over 20 classes of mangoes in one small town.