Reporting from Panama

Its 6am as I write this from Portobelo, Panama and I am sitting out by the water behind the house. It’s an amazing site and it’s so peaceful and quiet. Portobelo has become a part of me now and I am truly going to miss this place. It has been my home for the past 2 weeks and I have created a space here in which I have lived, breathed, and thoroughly enjoyed. As I type to you, tears are rolling down my face for the memories of this place make my soul happy and I feel like a new person. There is a young man here Angelo, his father left his mom when he was 6 months old, when interviewing him, Angelo said to me, “Marcus, when was the last time you saw you dad?” I responded, “It’s been a very long time.” He said, “Well Marcus, I hope he realizes how special you are.” I responded, “Thanks, and I hope your dad realizes he is missing on a great life because you’re an Angel.” Now just two days ago I had to beat his butt for not listening, but this kid reminds me of myself when I was his age. We made a vow to write one another as much as possible and I would like to visit him and have him visit the states.Portobelo reminds me of my home, Halifax, NC, where the people may not have TV, or cars to drive, or running water (I grew up without this for a great portion of my life), but here there is a sense of community, a sense of belonging and greatness. God is present here. You can’t walk just walk to the store and come right back, it takes an hour because you are going to stop and talk to everyone along the way.

The cooks/housestaff here are Dianasessey and Soledad, they are a woman and her daugher-in-law, they are two beautiful spirits. The other morning they taught me how to make this purple salad that has purple cabbage and pineapples in it. Its soooooo good (and I am not a huge salad person). We went into Colon and did some shopping and bought them some gold earrings because neither of them has ever owned a pair of their own and the gold here is cheap. I can’t wait to see their faces when they open the gifts.

On Sunday, I was given a Congo name (which is a tradition here in Portobelo) and my name is Sagano, which means bumblebee. They gave me this name because the people here say I will be on the move from here on out. I am kind of excited. (You will see me with the Congo dancers)

The other artists here are all amazing, Rachel is a sculpture who has lived all around the world and has done some amazing work with the spaces here in Portobelo. Geraldine is a professor of art and she is doing some amazing work with the maps of this town, making them into works of art that are so compelling. Kemi is a poet/chef who is here working in a book of her work. Renee Alexander (who is also a UNC Alum I found out) is writing a novel, she has spent a lot of time here, as a Fulbright scholar and her dissertation is on the people here. Queen Meccasia (that’s her real name) is an African dancer who I am doing some work with about fatherhood. We are performing our piece today to be recorded for a travel station. Howard is a playwright who is writing a play about a black comic superhero. And Oronike is writing a novel as well.

Well, I am going to stop writing now, because I have a few more days to enjoy Panama and then I am back to the states and life there. For now, I want to sit by the water, gather my thoughts, do some writing and begin to say good-bye to the beautiful people of Portobelo.

Beautiful and Budget Friendly Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina is a gorgeous city, but it is also perfect for folks on a budget. An unfortunate economic climate has put in the country in what seems like an endless cycle of recessions. This is bad for Argentina, but great for tourists. When I visited Buenos Aires, 1 U.S. dollar was equivalent to 3.40 Argentine Pesos, now 1USD=3.70ARS.
If your budget is preventing you from hopping the pond to Europe, I would suggest coming to Buenos Aires. It has a very European feel to it, but without the high price tag. The lifestyle and architecture are markedly more European than any other city in South America. Most Porteños, or residents of Buenos Aires, are of European descent. Argentina actually has the largest number of Italian descendents outside of Italy. To this point, it seems that there is a Pizzeria and or gelato shop on every corner. Also, Argentine men seem to have inherited the art of flirting and flattery from their Italian forefathers. Don’t believe the hype about the general preference for blondes. Argentine men LOVE the ladies. Trust me!

As part of your trip to Buenos Aires, I would recommend spending a day or afternoon in the historical neighborhood of Recoleta. This is a beautiful neighborhood filled with breathtaking parks and dotted with Parisian-style architecture. Most sights in the neighborhood are free or very low cost. This also happens to be the domain of the ladies who lunch. Most restaurants we came across in this trendy and upscale neighborhood offer great lunch and dinner specials. We had a lovely prix-fixed lunch at a great cafe including an appetizer, entree, dessert, and glass of wine for 70 pesos or roughly $20. Argentina’s claim to culinary fame is their mouthwatering steak, and at these prices you would be foolish not to try it.

Walking down the fashionable streets of the Palermo neighborhood, I saw more boutiques in one place than I have ever seen before in my life…and they all had sale signs in the windows! Buenos Aires is really putting out great designers and you can get fantastic deals at their shops. I highly recommend visiting the Carla Danelli boutique. She is a designer focused on shoes, handbags, and other leather accessories. Her designs are unique, modern, and only use the softest leather. I was able to purchase a beautiful fuchsia colored leather handbag for 50% off the original price. It was a great deal!

www.carladanelli.com
Buenos Aires is relatively spread out, but it easy to get around on the subway or subte. Taxis are everywhere and cheap. Most taxi rides cost us between $3 to $5.
If you are looking to travel internationally, but do not think you can afford it in this economy, Buenos Aires is one of the places I would highly recommend to visit. Not only is it a beautiful and friendly city, but you can experience all it has to offer on a small budget.