Internet, Wind, Carnavales

It’s been one of those weeks with something going on every day. We took the cars for maintenance and minor repairs. Since he’s in San Pablo we may as well stop at Pricesmart on the way (our version of Costco). We’ve tried other mechanics but this guy treats us better than anyone, we’ve known him for 10+ years, so we’re staying with him.

Our internet (with Tigo, formerly CableOnda) started going out intermittently. Our internet has been quite reliable so we were starting to wonder if there were problems somewhere, but nobody in the neighborhood chat was saying anything about similar problems. Wednesday we had no internet whatsoever. I contacted them by WhatsApp on Thursday morning and they sent someone out that very afternoon. He said our signal was good, the modem was good, so it had to be the router. It’s really old so we figured he was right and we bought a new one. Good move. The internet was back on and much faster than before. But, that night it went out again. Back to WhatsApp in the morning, and they sent another guy out in the afternoon. Of course, right before he came the internet came back on but I still wanted things checked out. He determined that the problem was in the line coming into the house, so they scheduled someone to come out Saturday morning between 8 and 12. 8:00 on the dot my phone rang. They were in the neighborhood and needed directions to the house. They replaced all the cable from the pole to the modem, and we’ve had no problems ever since, except for a few minutes ago. Now the power is out.

But, we’ve been really happy to have the internet back. You don’t think about how much you use it until it’s not there. And, even more frustrating, my devices will connect with my phone but not do anything, so I was stuck doing everything on my little iPhone. I’m very thankful I decided to get a data plan on my phone though so I could use it when I’m out and about, and at least I had some connection through all these problems. And I was very thankful that Tigo was very pleasant to work with, and very fast sending someone out to help us get back online. We’ve been with them for 10+ years and this is the first time we’ve needed help, so I would say they have done very well by us.

About the wind… it’s summer here so we expect to get blown around by the trade winds but yesterday and today they have been crazy! People in the area are reporting 40, and even 50+ mph winds. Trees are down, and our remaining banana tree is definitely leaning. People who have been here for years are saying these are the strongest winds they have experienced.

And, it’s Carnavales time, a huge country wide celebration of parades, street parties, floats, colorful costumes, water trucks hosing down the crowds, and general mayhem and festivities. Most businesses are closed until Thursday, and travel around the country could be complicated. If you want to know more check this link https://cosmopoliclan.com/travel-with-kids/inspiration/panama-carnival/#:~:text=The%202022%20carnival%20celebrations%20in%20Panama%20will%20take,queen%20followed%20by%20outdoor%20dancing%20%28evening%20and%20night%29. We’re old folks so we don’t plan to participate but it’s fun to know what’s going on. Panamanians definitely love to celebrate and have good times. And, this is the first one since COVID so it’s really special and important! The most we’ve experienced so far is the loud music from the bar across the river. We heard it last night, and it started again about 9 this morning. We can hear it clearly but it’s far enough away that it doesn’t bother us. There aren’t Carnavales celebrations in Boquete so we’re not sure what to expect when we go up there to play this evening. Will it be quiet, or full of people avoiding the celebrations? Either way we’ll play the music and hope we don’t get blown into the street. ha!

The power can back on fairly quickly so it’s back inside to run through the rest of the songs for tonight. Hasta lluego.