The Panama Adventure

Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica – Beaches

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I am very impressed with the beaches here! Yesterday we went bike riding to a beach area southeast of town, about a 30 minute ride (maybe less, or it went quickly because it was such a beautiful ride). There were a couple resorts in the area but little activity. We saw one couple under a shelter at one beach, but otherwise there was nobody, no one at all. It’s like your own private paradise around here. The surf was very strong though and we didn’t dare go in past our knees. The waves felt like they could easily overpower you and drag you out. But, the water temperature was warm and perfect.

By the time we got back we were warm and in the mood for a swim, so we went to the beach right in town. It is also very beautiful and there were quite a few people from town enjoying themselves there.

Joel enjoying the water under some fantastic clouds.

This is an almond tree at the edge of the water. There seem to be many of them around here.

You can see a couple green almonds in the tree.

There were vines big enough to swing on.

Leaf cutter ants at work.

These are just a few photos from yesterday. We were out and about again today so there are a lot more. I think many of them are better but they will have to wait a bit until I can sort through them.

We are really happy with this town though, and we definitely want to come back again. It is just so easy going. Kids of all ages play in the streets without a care. People are calm, friendly, and happy. It feels like the ultimate in low stress life, and then add in the beauty and wildlife around here, and it’s really something.

We’re heading home tomorrow though, and then on to a new adventure this Friday at the Rambala Jungle Lodge. After that, maybe I’ll stay put for a day or two 😀

Posted in Costa Rica, travel | Tagged beach, Costa Rica, photography, Puerto Jimenez | 10 Comments

A Wonderful Day in Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Today was our first full day here. I was tired from the busy week so we relaxed and took it easy this morning – breakfast, a walk to town where we found the produce market, walked around, came back for a snack, and then headed out on bicycles to find a nearby beach.

This country is so beautiful! I love Panama and I’m glad we live there, but this may be even more beautiful. One of the locals told us that they aren’t allowed to cut down trees without getting a government permit. Everything looks so natural, untouched, unspoiled, and wild.

I have a bunch of photos, of course, but I’ve been too busy doing things to spend much time writing about them and sorting photos and dealing with this unfamiliar computer. But, here are a few of what we saw on our bike ride from Puerta Jimenez to a beach about a 30 minute ride away.

We head down the road on the bikes through this gorgeous countryside.

Joel rides with the bulls! (actually, we ride past some very mellow young cows being moved to another area down the road)

Everything is lush and green.

We passed a few cows in a field.

We crossed a little river.

When we looked on the other side of the river, we decided this was not a good place to swim. If you look closely maybe you can see the brown form of a second crocodile in the water.

Now that I have seen this crocodile, it has become quite obvious to me that they are different than the Florida alligators. For one thing, they are HUGE. The shape and color are also different.

The trees are amazing.

We passed this interesting swampy area.

I should have put Joel in front of these bamboo to give a better sense of how huge they are.

This is such a nice place to hang out and spend some time. We are really enjoying the hostel and fellow travellers here. This town feels good. It’s so laid back and comfortable, and the people are very friendly. There seems to be enough going on to keep it interesting, but it’s small enough that everyone seems to know each other. And, the beaches nearby… wow. Photos are coming!

Posted in Costa Rica, travel | Tagged Costa Rica, Crocodiles, Osa Peninsula, Puerta Jimenez | 4 Comments

My Friends are Land Owners

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

My friends Holly and Scott have been looking at land, found a piece they liked, and have successfully become the owners of it. We just spend a couple wonderful days with them in Boquete, so of course we were curious to see the location of their new home to be. Naturally, I have photos.

We go as far as the four wheel drive can make it, which is almost to the site of the casita which will be built to live in while the main house is being built.

This is the view from the casita site. Nice eh?

We proceed up the path that Scott made towards the main site.

The land is pretty much overgrown with beautiful plants.

Eventually we get high enough to look down on the roof of the car.

As usual for Panama, trees tend to be covered with other plants.

These are some of the plants on the property, like these beautiful taro plants.

It is encouraging to see the banana leaves that aren’t shredded like in other areas that get stronger winds. Maybe the wind will be calmer here.

More interesting plants.

The drive to the land was also gorgeous along winding mountain roads. When we got to the land I also saw lots of wildflowers.

The site for the main house is on the higher part of the land.

Men with machetes 😀

Looking through the trees.

Men discuss the plans.

I see the clouds clear to reveal a peek at Volcan Baru.

Men continue discussing plans.

The fabulous view from what will be the far end of the house continues to change and become more beautiful!

My friends are living in a nearby spot that is also very beautiful!

The rain and clouds started to clear to reveal more of the distant mountains.

It is an ever changing view of mountains and clouds and beauty.

Sun turns the distant mountains green!

Here it has been very windy and the banana leaves look quite shredded.

The view is so beautiful!

The avocado eating dog.

The last photo is of a neighborhood dog who hangs out at Scott and Holly’s house most of the time. Every day she goes somewhere and comes back with an avocado which she licks until she has eaten out all the fruit inside. My friends don’t know where she finds them and haven’t figured out how to get her to bring an extra or two for them.

Posted in Exploring the Area, Miscellaneous, Panama | Tagged Boquete, Chiriqui, home construction, land, Panama, real estate | 4 Comments

Back in Puerta Jimenez, Costa Rica

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We liked Puerta Jimenez (eastern Costa Rica, Pacific side, not very far from the Panama Border) so much, we wanted to come back and spend some more time here.

The border crossing went very smoothly and the lines were short and quick. We were stamped out of Panama without a luggage inspection. The money changers were on hand and gave me an even exchange of 30,000 colones for $60. We filled out the wrong form for Costa Rica, were given the correct one, asked how long we were staying, and were stamped into CR. Done! (I know, it’s the getting back into Panama that’s the interesting part)

We got off the ferry in Puerta Jimenez and enjoyed the scenery while we walked to our hostel. These kids are jumping off the railing into the water while some guy naps on the bench. Families are playing on the beach. People are biking and walking and hanging out. It feels nice here. We have a couple days to explore and I have some past things to catch up on, so there will be more posts as I get to them.

Posted in travel | Tagged Border Crossing, Costa Rica, Puerta Jimenez, travel | Comments Off

Our First Panama Thanksgiving…

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Let The Adventure "Continue"!

Dia de Gracias! Many people from home have asked if we cooked a turkey for our first Panama Thanksgiving and the answer is, nope, but our friends did… and boy was it delicious! We had a great meal, great food, wonderful company and went home feeling quite full and satisfied. And the weekend has just been non stop fun because our friends Kris & Joel, who live in David (about 40 minutes away), are spending a couple nights with us so that they can also enjoy all the festivities that are going on in town. They were originally planning to take the bus up to Boquete for the day because the traffic getting up here for this Panamanian holiday is supposed to be just terrible. When Kris told me about their plans I suggested they just stay with us for a couple nights and join us for Thanksgiving , then…

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Houses for Sale (David, Panama)

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We have stopped at a couple houses for sale, so if you’re curious or looking at real estate, this might be interesting.

This is a very nice house in our neighborhood, actually the same floor plan as our house except the back bedroom has been made much bigger with a walk in closet and bathroom. The house has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, and also a handy storage room that we don’t have. There is nice tile throughout and solid ceilings, not the drop ceilings we have, so it might be quieter in the rain. The owner has papers from the bank saying it’s worth $111,000 but she says she would take less (probably mid 90’s). The neighborhood is quiet and safe, and has mostly professional people – teachers, doctors, business owners, lawyers, and working people.

This house is in a very desirable neighborhood with the biggest and nicest houses in town. The owner’s kids are grown so he doesn’t need anything this big. It needs a bit of TLC but I really like it. There is a very large living and dining room, 5 bedrooms, good size kitchen, and huge yard in the back. There is also a workshop area in the back. I’m not sure how many bathrooms there are. He is asking $425,ooo but with the huge lot size it’s $75/sq meter, well below the usual rate for the neighborhood.

This is what made me really love this house! There is an inner courtyard, and all the bedrooms and kitchen are around this courtyard. There are plants and a space that goes up two stories, built for air flow. The owner says it can be so cool that he gets cold at night sometimes, and when the moon is out it’s a beautiful place to relax and enjoy the moonlight.

Joel thinks this place would be a perfect bed and breakfast and he’s right. There is plenty of parking out front, and if anyone wanted to expand out back there is enough room to build more, put in a pool, and/or an outdoor living space.

This is another house in our neighborhood, but I don’t know the price. It’s a two story house with nothing behind or beside, and the other side has a vacant lot with a gorgeous stand of huge bamboo at the back. Maybe I can chat with the owner and find out a bit more one of these days.

So, these are just a few properties for sale that we have seen on our morning bike rides. There are also lots for sale for anyone wanting to build, and some houses for rent. It’s been interesting talking with the two owners we met, both very nice and friendly people.

I’m also happy because at the moment we are in Boquete (more on that later!) and I am using Joel’s new Mac. I have learned to do all the basics I need, including manage photos and write blog posts 😀

Posted in Miscellaneous, moving, Panama | Tagged Chiriqui, David, house for sale, Moving, Panama, real estate | 8 Comments

Paisanas!

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We put a bird feeder in the back yard and it has become a popular spot for many birds. It seems like everything here eats fruit. We bought bird seed and it was totally ignored. We bought peanuts for the squirrels and they walked right over them. But fruit? Everything likes fruit and papayas seem to be a favorite.

We have seen these large birds as they glide silently from one spot to another. We have heard them occasionally when they get wound up with their loud, sharp calls. Most of the time though they are silent and hidden in the trees. You can imagine our surprise when a whole flock of them showed up in our backyard. As long as we sat quietly at the table they didn’t seem to mind that we were talking and photographing them.

People here call them paisanas, and I believe in English they are called chachalacas. They seem to prefer walking along branches to flying, and aren’t especially graceful when landing. I was surprised to hear them peeping (much like baby chickens). It is so quiet you wouldn’t hear them unless you were quite close. My neighbor told me that they are often captured and sold as pets. When I looked for information on line I did find a number of ads for these birds.

Two of the group consider the possibilities.

I want to get some of that too!

Can three fit on there?

Lets fling papaya skins everywhere!

We do see you over there with your camera.

They also spent a lot of time on the ground picking up dropped fruit, chasing others, or just walking around.

These are fairly large birds so the feeder was cleaned out in a short time. I’ve been photographing some of our other visitors too so there will be more photos coming. It’s pretty darn nice to sit on the patio in my outdoor office and watch all the wildlife!

Posted in bird watching, Panama | Tagged Birdwatching, chachalaca, Chiriqui, David, paisana, Panama | 6 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected

So, your photo challenge this week is to capture something unexpected. You can also interpret the theme in other ways: a street scene or landscape that just doesn’t look quite right, an impromptu portrait of a loved one, or any other image that reveals a sense of surprise.

I was riding my bike this morning and came across a big pile of flowering ginger that had been tossed out in a vacant lot. This happens a lot, that people toss their yard waste in vacant spots and let nature take its course. Today though, it was my lucky day. I’m happy to have these plants for my yard and I appreciate this unexpected find.

It was a lot of large plants and they took up the whole car. I’m sure we were an unexpected sight as we drove home, barely visible under all those green leaves.

Posted in Photo Challenge, photography | Tagged photography, postaday | 8 Comments

Machetes, Birds, and Silver Linings

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Give a Panamanian man a machete, and I don’t think there is anything he can’t do! Our neighbor hired a man to cut three of her big trees in the back yard.

This is the man standing up in the tree with his machete. This is no small tree as you can see, and he did all the cutting with only his machete!

At first we thought the loss of shade in both her yard and ours wasn’t good, but we soon realized we could see trees farther away that we hadn’t been able to see before. We have seen a lot of interesting birds in a bare tree beyond her yard, but one of my favorites is the crested oropendola. There is a male who has been there fairly often and putting on his very interesting display.

These are beautiful birds and so far, I only spotted them occasionally and have hardly been able to photograph them at all. They don’t tend to sit still very long. I have heard their calls also but never was able to see the display so that was exciting. Now, I need to find out where they are nesting if I can. They make really interesting hanging nests which I saw once elsewhere, but never in this area.

Life in Panama continues to be interesting every day!

PS I’m not sure why the video is embedded sometimes, and other times it’s only a link. The video is a bit of the bird doing his display if your interested in seeing it.

Posted in bird watching, Panama | Tagged Birdwatching, Chiriqui, crested oropendola, David, oropendola, Panama | 1 Comment

Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers

Layers. Layers can reveal, conceal, and make something more complex. They can vary in size, texture, color, or functionality. Each layer can have its own story, meaning, or purpose. They can overlap, blend, or be distinctly separate. A layer doesn’t have to be a part of a single object but can even be a slice of a multifaceted image or scene. In a new post specifically for this challenge, share a photo which means LAYERS to you!

This may not be exactly what this challenge is supposed to mean but for me, it has grabbed my interest more than any other “layer” idea I can think of. I’ve been watching the construction of an overpass over the Pan-American Highway. Over the last weeks and months, layer upon layer of rebar and concrete and blocks and other parts have been added, and it’s growing into something quite impressive.

First we saw this big digger appear and start making big holes in the ground.

Then, we saw cylinders of rebar emerging from the ground.

The huge machine continued to work, and large columns of cement started to emerge where the rebar cylinders had been.

The columns of cement grew and grew, and then they started to build horizontal walls on top of some of the columns.

As the columns were finished, the layers of block were added above and more walls took shape.

Soon, some of the walls were starting to look like some serious supporting structures.

Walls were also built on the ground level at either end of the construction site.

I happened to come by a few days ago and found something really exciting going on. They were installing these huge long concrete beams on the supporting walls. They are so long that you can barely see the truck at either end.

The beam is now being raised by a crane as the truck drives away. There is a truck at either end, and I don’t know how they manage to drive down the highway like that. The two drivers must really know what they are doing and communicate with each other to keep the perfect distance apart. One of them has to do all this while driving backwards! There are men along the route to help and manage traffic, and a lot of guys at the construction site helping to guide the drivers while they move the beam into place. Then two cranes take over at either end of the beam to lift it into place.

The beam slowly moves through the air as the two cranes work together to put it into place.

The men guide the beam into place, making sure it is exactly where it is supposed to be.

The next day they had all the beams on the north end of the site in place, and they were working on the next set between those and the highway.

Another beam is slowly raised while workmen help direct and guide it into place.

This is what I saw at the site today, looking south where they have also placed a section of beams on the south end of the site. It looks like they are working on the supporting wall next to the highway in preparation for the next set of beams.

This construction site is an easy bicycle ride from our neighborhood, so I’ve been stopping by most days to see what they are doing. It’s just fascinating to watch the expertise and teamwork of this crew, especially as they put the beams into place. Those things are huge! There is an even longer span crossing the highway so I hope I get to see them work on that part.

Third world country. Pfffftttt. These people are as capable and competent as any crew anywhere, one more example that Panama has it together more than many people probably think.