Random Photos and Videos from the Chiriqui Mountains

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

These are some miscellaneous photos from our time at the Boquete Tree Trek in the mountains above Boquete, Panama. There were so many opportunities for photographs so I have quite a lot of them!

A guy comes in for a landing on the zip line.
On this clear day it is easy to see the communication towers on the top of Volcan Baru.
There a zip line platform up in the tree. An employee told us that a lot of the construction on the zip line was done at night after they had finished their day duties. He also said everything is checked and the cables are changed on a regular basis to be sure everything is totally safe.
This photo was taken at 12:30 PM. It never got much warmer than this, and the wind was blowing hard all the time were there. When we go back to the US I’m going to shop for some cold weather outdoor clothes. (Don’t laugh. For us this is pretty chilly!)
We thought being cold was a perfect excuse for hot chocolate!
The clouds were rolling in, so while we drank the hot chocolate I took some photos of the misty mountains in the distance.
Trees, bromiliads, and misty mountains.
Afternoon zip line instruction. (We chose the coffee tour instead – more on that later)
The weather cleared and Volcan Baru looked spectacular.
That was our cabin on the right. On the left is the main lodge with the restaurant, bar, and office. They were putting a roof above the front deck while we were there.
I love the mountains in the clouds.
They have their own hydroelectric generator on site. You can see the water pipe coming into the back of the building, and the water flowing out to rejoin the river nearby.
It is unusual to see a jet contrail over Volcan Baru (at least I hadn’t seen one before. There are very few planes that fly over this part of Panama)
The afternoon sky was really beautiful.
The trees looked interesting in the late afternoon light.
This is a huge ash tree, about 300 years old. There is a zip line platform way up there.
What a pretty scene.

I also have a couple videos. This is a two minute one from our hike up the mountain. I thought the clouds rushing by were very interesting!

This is more clouds rushing by in front of Volcan Baru with a sunset in the background.

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More Flowers in the Chiriqui Mountains

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

At Boquete Tree Trek, they have put a lot of effort into making the grounds beautiful. Not far from our cabin was a little stream where flowers had been planted and there were walkways that made it easy to wander and enjoy the scenery.

The heliconias were really beautiful.
Another beautiful heliconia.
I’ve seen quite a few of these tall, white flowers around Boquete.
There were many beautiful waterfalls in the stream
An interesting large tree covered with vines.
A bromiliad in bloom.
More waterfalls.
I always love photographing water. This was taken with a slower shutter speed to give a softer effect to the water, but it was so windy the plants also blurred, an unplanned but interesting effect.
As the sun started to set I like the way the light catches these bromiliads in the tree.
Some polar bears (tourists in shorts) venture out for a hike.
Another tree covered with bromiliads, with the zip line cables visible in the background.
We were told that the rocks get red because there is so much iron in the water.
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Wildflowers in the Mountains

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

It’s summer in Panama and there seem to be more flowers than usual at this time of year. We saw a lot of interesting flowers and plants when we went hiking up the mountain, so here are some photos from that morning.

This interesting flower was found emerging in one of the umbrella plants.
I was surprised to see this passion flower vine, and it was so tiny! The center of the flower was barely bigger than my finger and the fruits looked like large peas.
Of course I had to include at least one insect.
Mora berries
This tree trunk was covered with lots of interesting things.
A leaf bud emerges from an umbrella plant.
Some of the many bromiliads and other interesting plants growing on a rock.
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Hiking in the Mountains

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We spent some time at the Boquete Tree Trek in the mountains of Chiriqui Province. Of course I took lots of photos! I’m going through them now and I’ll be posting the ones I want to share as I get organized.

We arrived late in the afternoon in time to see a really beautiful sunset. The next morning we decided to go hiking. There was a road that went up from the resort, with the emphasis on UP! We climbed and climbed, thankful for all the biking that has made our legs stronger. It was interesting and beautiful though, and I was glad to be there.

There were many coffee plants on the hills above the resort.
This beautiful and interesting plant has edible fruit that is used in juice. We bought one home to try it.
There were some magnificent trees. Look at the huge trunk of this one!
These plants were everywhere. We were told later that they are called umbrella plants, and the tough and scratchy leaves are also good for washing dishes.
It’s really beautiful and we had a nice, clear, sunny day.
The views got more and more beautiful.
The trees have an amazing amount of other plant life growing on them.
More huge trees. I don’t think it’s possible to show the size and height in a photograph.
We’re really getting up there! We could see the road we came up way down below.
A beautiful view of Volcan Baru
We wandered down a side path
When we were coming down a couple Indians passed us on their way up to pick coffee.
To the east the clouds are rolling over the tops of the mountains.

There were a lot of wildflowers and interesting plants, so I’ll post some photos of them next.

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The Mountains Above Boquete

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We’re at the Boquete Tree Trek in the mountains above Boquete at about 5500 feet. When we bought this Oferta Simple (like a Groupon) I didn’t exactly know where we were going to end up. We drove to Boquete, and then farther up the road, and farther up, and up, and up until we found our destination. We got out of the car and looked back, and were amazed.

This is the view from our cabin!
I knew we kept climbing as we drove here but didn’t realize how high until I looked out over the valley, That is Volcan Baru in the distance, the highest point in Panama – 11,398 feet.
I think that might be a zip line. The power is generated by hydroelectric on site so there shouldn’t be power lines up here.
The sunset colors the clouds behind and the low clouds roll through in front of Volcan Baru.
A zoomed in look at the top of Volcan Baru with the communication towers on top, and the sunset colors behind.
Looking down into the valleys through the clouds looks almost unreal.
The sunset fades, the wind continues to blow, and more and more clouds roll through.

It’s hard to believe we were just in David where these summer season days are around 90 degrees. It’s a different world up here. Right now it’s very chilly (it was in the low 50’s before sunset), the wind is howling around the cabin, and a light rain/mist is falling.

Tomorrow I will definitely be out there with my camera! We also have a tour of a coffee farm planned in the afternoon which should be interesting.

I’ll end for now with this short video of the clouds rolling through.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

Posted on January 22, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

THIS WEEK, IN A POST CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO SHOWING FAMILY.  

Growing up disconnected from my roots, I have learned to make my own family wherever I go. These photos are not new on the blog but they are the people who, to me, feel like my family at this moment in my life. How lucky am I to have all these people in my extended family!

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These are only a few members of my family of fellow bloggers – Holly (left) of Let The Adventure Begin, and Connie (center) of Our Third Life – Pedasi, Panama. The photo was taken on a visit to Boquete.

Part of the family of Yaira, my Spanish teacher, who have made me feel welcomed into their family. This photo was taken on Christmas day.

Some of the members of Cedo’s family, my friend and neighbor who also welcomed me into her family. This photo was taken on Christmas Eve.

My good friend Hydeé and her family with Joel who, of course, is the most important and most permanent member of my family. This photo was also taken on Christmas Eve. 

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I couldn’t write about family without including my grandson who is family in the more traditional sense because we also share the same blood line, along with his mother and my other daughter. I am so fortunate that my relationships with the people who are family because of birth are also so full of love and happiness. This photo was taken by his mother, my daughter.

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Produce in Chiriqui Province, Panama

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

People ask me about fruits and vegetables here. We’re very lucky to live in Chiriqui Province where most of the produce is grown. We have fresh fruits and vegetables available every day, and it’s very inexpensive if you buy it from one of the produce markets or a street vendor. We are lucky to have a market just down the street, and we enjoy visiting our friends who work there.

I went Saturday and this is what I brought back

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A head of broccoli, two small heads of cauliflower, 4 cucumbers, 8 bananas, small bag of carrots, good size bag of roma tomatoes, a head of cabbage, a papaya, a watermelon, a green pepper, a bunch of celery, 4 chayote (a delicious squash like vegetable) and 2 pineapples – $19.00.

Food here is grown for taste, not looks or shelf life so it tastes really good. I feel better here and I really believe the fresh produce at every meal is a big part of that. One day we realized we had no idea what happened to our can opener or how long it had been missing because we use it so rarely.

So, short answer, yes, we have great produce in this area.

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Gigantic Lemons!

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

There’s always something new around here. When we went to the new spot on the river, we passed a tree that was dropping big yellow citrus fruits on the ground.  They were bigger than grapefruit. I thought maybe they were pomelos, but they didn’t quite look like that either. But, we figured we take one home, open it, and see what was inside.

The tree is in someone’s yard but a good part of it hangs over the wall and the fruit is falling on the ground unused.
I’ve been going by every day to pick up the fresh yellow fruits for myself or to give away.
Yes, they are big!

The neighbors, seeing what we had, informed us that they were lemons, a variety with a sweet skin that you can also eat. I took the fruit home, cut it open, and was greeted with a beautiful lemon smell. When given lemons what do you do? Lemonade, of course! These made a wonderfully refreshing and slightly tart lemonade that I really love. The skin is also quite edible. I wouldn’t call it sweet but there is none of the bitterness usually found in citrus skin.

The bigger one is about 5 1/2 inches across.
I put my cell phone in the photo for some perspective.
Fresh lemonade, a great drink for a warm afternoon.

I have saved some seeds so maybe I can get some to grow. I really like these lemons and wouldn’t mind a tree of my own. The closest thing I can find on line is the Ponderosa lemon, though of course if it is the same variety it has a different Spanish name here. Nothing I found about the ponderosa though said the skin is edible, and it doesn’t look quite the same. It would be nice if it is though because they supposedly fruit all year.

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Boquete Flower and Coffee Fair

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

I’ve been too busy doing things to write about them! Thursday we went up to the Flower and Coffee Fair in Boquete, or Feria de las Flores y el Café.  I think the flower and coffee theme was just a good excuse to put on a fair with all kinds of fun and interesting things, but the flowers sure were beautiful too.

Cedo came with us, the neighbor who invited us for dinner on Christmas Eve night with all her family. Our friend Holly of the Let The Adventure Begin blog met us there. We also saw Cindy of the Chapter 3 – Retirement in Panama blog (check out her post about the fair).

I’m glad we went. It was a fun day and the weather was perfect. I enjoyed seeing everything and sharing a nice time with good people.

The flowers were gorgeous!
Cedo stopped on the bridge to snap some photos of the flowers and fair grounds below.
The view of the river and mountains beyond from the bridge is really pretty.
Outside the fair were some animals for rides and photos.
Joel, Holly, and Cedo walk through the flowers.
The building had many vendors selling lots of pretty things.
There were many places along the path with food and merchandise for sale.
There were also a lot of beautiful flowers for sale. I had a hard time resisting them! (but bringing home new plants in the dry season probably isn’t the best idea)
Joel even had his own snack bar!
There were many areas of full of beautiful flowers.
A mom was taking photos of her little girl in traditional dress while some boys, also in traditional dress, look on.
There was a large food area, and beyond that were the stages for music and dancing which goes on well into the night.
We saw an amusement park for kids in the distance.
More vendors and places to visit along the walkway.
People were getting photos taken in front of this interesting sculpture.
So many flowers!

Boquete is a small town so it gets very congested during big events like this. But, we went on a weekday afternoon and didn’t have any trouble parking or making our way through town. I’d definitely go back again another year.

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An Interesting Spider

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

More crawly things, I know, but there are just too many interesting bugs and spiders around here.

I picked my first crop of guandu, and when I brought the bucket to the table to shell them this crawled out.
When it was uneasy, it hunkered down like this all stretched out like a little twig.
After a while it crawled down from the bucket and hung out under the power cord of my computer.
Later it decided to crawl up the side of the plastic bottle I had on the table for my iced tea.
Then, it went up the plant which is actually only a couple fat green sticks. It was rescued from the trash but my friend says it is going to grow into something good.
It hunkered down on the underside of the plant. By now I was thinking this might be a sort of spider.
Time passed, it got dark, it spun a few threads on the plant which happens to be next to the lamp. This was good luck for the spider who quickly caught a bug.
When I left at the end of the evening the spider was hanging out on the underside of this brown tendril. This morning it was nowhere to be seen so it apparently moved on during the night.
While we are on the subject of spiders, this pretty one spun a web in the potted plants.

One morning I noticed this really cool, and quite large bug on leaf outside the window.

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OK, I think I am done with the bugs for the moment, but I’m sure there will be more later.

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