The AirBnB condo we are staying at is having some issues. On Monday, we were awakened by loud hammering and power tools in a unit above us. We contacted our host and she called the business office. She confirmed that the construction was 2 floors above and would take a month. However, the demolition should be done within a couple of days and the work would be quieter.
On Tuesday we left the unit when the demolition started and stayed away until 5:00 PM. We visited a store called PriceSmart that is like Costco in the US. After signing up and paying $35 for our membership, we took a look around, purchased a few groceries and an InstantPot. We were surprised that Kirkland brands were at the PriceSmart. We decided to try out the food at the restaurant before leaving. Everything you would expect from a Costco and very low cost. We went back to the condo where the noisy demolition was ending and settled in for dinner and TV.
On Wednesday, Craig stepped into the kitchen for his morning brew onto a floor full of water! Apparently, the hose on the refrigerator had broken and water leaked all over the floor. After getting as much water up as we could, we called the host and AirBnB. A technician was dispatched and replaced the water hose. With the construction noise and now the water issue, we decided that we wanted to move to a quieter and dryer location. The water was the final straw for us.
Craig worked with our host and AirBnB on a refund for the final week and we quickly found a new AirBnB by 4:30 PM. We cleaned the apartment, packed our things and moved into Villa del Mar at 8:00 PM. The new unit is quiet and located in the center of town right on Balboa Avenue. The Cinta Costera, which is a lively park stretches for miles on the coastline is right across the street. We thought our last location was great only to find this location is PRIMO! We have included pictures of the new place below.
Craig also spent Wednesday morning contacting the US Embassy regarding notarial services needed for our Panama drivers licenses. They reassured us that we would be contacted within 24 – 48 hours. With this “reassurance”, we decided to escalate to Sherrod Brown’s office, Ohio Senator. Craig left a message asking for their assistance with our Embassy request. Hoping to hear something tomorrow… To our surprise we received an email from the Embassy around 5:30 PM and were able to schedule our notarial appointments for Monday morning! After multiple months of trying, success!!!
What started out as a bad day ended well after all.
Saturday a day full of getting stuff done:
- Picked up $$$ we went to ourselves at Western Union
- Did some banking
- Picked up blood type test results
- Made copies of documents needed for Drivers License
- Had lunch – rice, lentils, salad, chicken and cola for $5:50 each – so much food!
We moved to —> Villa del Mar
