Curiosities, Quirky Tidbits, Useful Notes

Each month, we bring you recommendations, odd notes, and useful tools to help you better navigate an interesting world.

Live in a “Floating Home” on Panama’s Caribbean Coast

Panama is a country known for innovation… You just have to look at the engineering feat that is the Panama Canal.

Today another groundbreaking project under construction: the Ocean Builder’s seapod project on Panama’s Caribbean Coast.

Imagine being able to live in a floating home that doesn’t require a boating license. A modern, Jetsons-style home that’s anchored to the sea, permanently surrounded by turquoise waters. An engineering marvel that incorporates sustainable technology to help regrow coral reefs. It sounds too good to be true, right? But it has become a reality.

I first wrote about this project in the April 2021 issue of International Living magazine. And recently, I got to tour a fully outfitted pod. There was an upscale kitchen and bathroom, a bedroom, and a rooftop… all with incredible views of the Linton Bay Marina.

You can watch my video tour of the seapod here: 

But about four hours after my tour, the unthinkable happened. The seapod lost its balance and listed to the right. It was discovered that a bilge pump had failed to do its job, causing one spar to take on water. An embarrassing and costly occurrence, perhaps, but the engineers quickly righted the issue with massive airbags.

My takeaway from all this: the greatest innovators try, and fail, and try again. And thanks to their tenacity, they succeed.

Before the Big Tilt, the team at Ocean Builders had told me how much they’d learned from the mistakes they’d made along the way. And they’re already sending me information on their next version—a seapod 2.0, if you will—called the SeaPod Eco.

These residences are the first of their kind—nowhere else on the planet can you find anything like this—and they’re in Panama’s untapped Portobelo region (one of my favorite weekend spots).

Want one of your own? Starting price today is approximately $395,000. For more information, see the Ocean Builders website.—Jessica Ramesch.

The Best Place for Mole Tasting in Mexico

The stunning Mexican city of Puebla is famous for its Baroque cathedrals and Talavera tiles.

But the city is most known for its moles (sauces made with chilis, tomatoes, spices, and sometimes chocolate), and other regional specialty dishes.

On a recent visit to Puebla, my husband Mike and I decided to treat ourselves a mole tasting dinner at the famous Mural de los Poblanos restaurant, known for the finest moles in Puebla.

We ordered the De Gustacion de Five Moles, which has a meat (chicken, turkey breast, pork, or duck breast) and five different moles—poblano, green pipian, red pipian, manchamantele, and adobo.

The famous poblano mole originated in Puebla. It’s dark, rich, and smooth, made up of a complex blend of dried chiles, spices, chocolate, nuts, and seeds. Mole poblano is on many menus all over Mexico, but the version offered in Mural is nuanced and sophisticated.

The green pipian mole is made from ground pumpkin seeds and green salsa, and the red pipian mole includes ground peanuts, tomatoes, and spices.

The machamantele mole is sweeter than the others. It has dried guajillo and ancho chiles, spices, seeds, and fruits, and is especially tasty with duck or pork.

Last of all is the adobo mole, made from dried chiles and spices. There’s no sweetness to the adobo, and the sauce is spicy, but well balanced.

The five small mole dishes were presented in order of the suggested tasting. Each dish included a layer of meat covered with the mole. Side dishes of black beans, Mexican rice, tortillas, and three salsas accompanied the tasting.

Be sure to come hungry… This meal is filling and great value at just $15.

Mural de los Poblanos gets busy, so if you plan on visiting, be sure to make a reservation, you can book your table on the website. —Ann Kuffner

Now is the Time to Diversify Your Life

As International Living’s new Chief Global Diversification Expert, my job is to help people move to the next level of international living. It’s great to have a second home or a rental property overseas. By doing that, you’ve diversified yourself and your assets globally.

But it’s possible to diversify in other ways—expand your investment options, protect your freedom of movement, lower your taxes, preserve your wealth.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Your situation, preferences, and goals are unique. My aim is to help you understand all your options—a second passport for greater privacy and mobility, finding ways to protect your assets against inflation, reducing your taxes, and simply arranging your life so you’re protected against political, social, and economic uncertainties at home. I’ve been researching and writing about these topics for a decade. I’ll help you understand the pluses and minuses that come with different strategies.

I’m convinced that right now we’re moving into a new world—one of heightened instability and threats to home and hearth. I, myself, am a longtime expat. I fell in love with South Africa and became a naturalized citizen there. Having the freedom to choose where I want to live… invest my money… and protect my privacy helps me sleep well at night. My mission is to help you enjoy that too.—Ted Baumann

Spain’s Vermouth Renaissance

There’s been a remarkable resurgence—if not resurrection—of Spanish vermouth in recent years.

Long considered an old-fashioned drink—an aperitif you might remember your parents drinking, it’s been making a comeback.

Vermouth (vermú or vermut) is a fortified wine blended with aromatic herbs (usually clocking a hefty 15% alcohol content). It starts out white, but mellows into its more commonly-known vermilion (red)—where “vermouth” gets its name—thanks to an infusion of caramel, spices, and herbs, including wormwood. (Wormwood is also a key ingredient in absinthe.)

Vermouth is usually served chilled and neat over ice, garnished with a citrus wedge and an olive, although some prefer a splash of sifón, or soda (spritzed at the table upon serving) to diffuse its aromatic flavors.

Vermouth comes in its signature red, but also white and rosé, (Spain produces over 150 artisan varieties) and many bars in Spain now serve it on tap (de grifo).

Vermuterías (bars and restaurants where vermouth is the main drink of choice) can be found countrywide, but my favorite is Antigua Casa de Guardia, Málaga’s oldest bodega. First opened in 1840 by Don Jose de Guardia, all subsequent owners have kept the name and maintained the tradition of Don Jose’s original vision.

Despite its fame, it’s still a neighborhood bar where you order your vermú, sherry, or wine from one of the barrels lining the walls (all of which are produced by local vineyards). Tasty tapas of mussels, prawns, charcuterie, and Iberian ham accompany all drinks and the waiters still mark your tab on the counter with chalk. —Carolyn A. Thériault