The Panama Adventure

Gringo Meeting

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

On a good note (after my previous rant 😀 )

First, the water is back on. It’s really muddy so they must have been fixing something, but it should clear in a while. As much as it’s been raining it can’t be a water shortage!

Second, we went to a gringo meeting this afternoon. The Gringos in David group has a monthly meeting and today it was at the Bambu Hostel. This place is special for us because it was the first place we stayed in David, and we continue to be friends with the owner and Jose, who was the manager at that time. I think they need to post new photos on their website because the gardens look even more lush and beautiful every time we stop by.

I also knew a couple fellow bloggers were going – Richard and Robert so I thought it would be fun to see them. It was, and I also talked with a lot of other people and generally had a fun time. This one of the good on line forums to join if you want to know more about living in Panama, or if you are here and have questions or things you want to talk about. It’s listed on the Useful Links page of this blog. If you are in the area and want to socialize with some other expats, here you go.

It was an afternoon meeting so there is always a chance of rain, but we got lucky and it didn’t start until we were just leaving.

They have continued to paint and decorate the hostel since we were there, and it’s really interesting and beautiful! Check their website for more photos and some of the great murals.

The pool and gardens out back are great!

We all hung out at the picnic tables at the backyard bar.

Tomorrow we’re going to Volcan and Cerro Punta. It should be a fun day and I’m taking the cameras.

Posted in expat, expatriate, Panama | Tagged Chiriqui Province, David, expat, expatriate, Gringo, Hostels, Panama | 6 Comments

The Price of Living in Panama

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

My friends are writing a lot of posts that interest me lately! Today was The Price of Living in Boquete. My friend who lives in Boquete has seen two relocation tours come through town, and overheard what the people were being told in one restaurant. All of us bloggers in Panama have talked about this before – the sales hype, the half truths, the people who fall for the spiels.

Come live in paradise! This is not paradise. This is not eternal vacation at the resort. This is real life with floors to mop and electric bills to pay. We are happy here and think the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages but that’s us. That doesn’t mean others will feel the same.

We all know the sites and the lines. Live well on $1200/month. OK yes, this is possible for us. But, not everyone would agree that we are living well. Maybe you don’t want to live in David, or eat like a Panamanian, or find your main entertainment is photographing bugs in the yard. (kidding here, a bit, but we are easier to entertain than many) Even with our relatively inexpensive lifestyle by expat standards, we are barely keeping under $1200/mo. If you think you are living in Panama City for that, forget it.

Panama is a good place to do business. The most unhappy expats I know tried to do business here. It’s hard enough in the US but here the customs, the laws, the requirements, the mentality, and the language are all different. I’m not so sure real estate is the great investment they say it is either, especially the preconstruction high rise gringo traps they often sell. You have to buy smart (again – laws, language, customs, etc) and wait and hope the prices go up like real estate anywhere. A lot of people have been badly burned with real estate.

Fund your life overseas by travel writing, photography, whatever. Uh huh, easy. Just sell your stuff, work part time, and the money will roll in enough to cover your expenses. How many people actually DO this, and how much expertise and time have they put into building their careers?

Anyway, the reality, where I meant to go with this before I got on that soap box again. The reality here is we do have hot water in the shower and the kitchen sink (I said HOT, not warm, and it’s so tricky to adjust it to warm I don’t bother and just use the cold water) But, no matter because we have had no water all day. This is not an uncommon thing, even in the rainy season. No one knows for sure what is going on. Maybe they are working on something? Maybe something broke? We’re better off than many who have had serious water problems and no water for days on end.

Here in David people do NOT speak English. You will find someone here and there, and others who know a few words but you can’t count on it. If you don’t speak some Spanish you are going to have a hard time. I studied very hard and I’ve been here almost a year, and I’m just now starting to feel like I can function more often than not in this new language. It’s easier in Boquete and I think Panama City without any Spanish but still, this is a Spanish speaking country.

I could go on, yes even more than I have already gone on. I’ve posted similar rants in the past and I’m not sure if I should even post this. But it’s my blog, so what the heck. Maybe someone will see it and think twice and start doing some proper homework before they decide to move here.

Just for fun….. compliments of Zemanta 😀

Posted in cost of living, expat, expatriate, Panama | Tagged Chiriqui Province, expat, expatriate, Moving, Panama | 24 Comments

Cuidado de las mascotas

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Check the comments! Emma posted a link to a groupon page where you can donate to help these people continue their work.

In Da Campo

Caring for the pets in the burg. This weekend Pedasi hosted some veterinarians and staff from FUNDACION SAN FRANCISCO DE ASIS for the annual pet spay and neuter campaign. This event has been run for five years by two local women, and this year a few of us helped out. One of my amgia’s really took on the challenge, arranging for free food and lodging for the vet and talking to her vecinos about the clinic.

The Fundacion has a brand new mobile clinic constructed from a converted bus. Inside, there are two operating tables where a staff of three or four can work on the animals. I was fortunate enough to go inside the first day to see the staff at work. The animals are prepared for surgery on a table just inside the door and then they are moved to one of the two operating tables. When I was on the bus two cats were being worked…

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Back in the Neighborhood

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

It’s hard to believe we’ve been back for almost two weeks now. We’ve come back to our quiet life so there isn’t much to report since our return. We’ve been resting up, working in the yard, doing daily things, spending time with friends and neighbors, riding the bikes, and generally kicking back and enjoying life.

I have taken a few photos of critters in the neighborhood, some large and some small (bug and spider warning here 😀 ) You never know who is going to have what in their yard so it keeps life interesting. It’s rainy season here so we’ve been getting a lot of afternoon rains, some light and some heavy with a lot of noisy thunder. Mornings and early afternoons are usually sunny though, so we try to get stuff done in the morning and save afternoons for relaxing at home.

Our neighbor Roberts has a new calf. If I understood him correctly (always an IF) he is 2 weeks old and will be at the house for 9 weeks. Then he’ll go to the farm.

This is a very friendly and tame calf. He hangs out near Roberto’s house though he is free to roam as he pleases.

This very nice house had a beautiful horse in the side yard the other day.

Another very nice house had chickens in the front yard. Chickens in the yard are very common, even in some very upscale looking houses.

This tiny caterpillar was on our wall.

This gorgeous big guy was on a banana plant!

These were also on the banana plant not far from the spider. I don’t know if there is any relation.

We see quite a few of these lizards, but this one was just a baby. At first I thought it was an anole, a little garden lizard we were so used to in Florida.

This hawk was making a lot of noise up in the tree.

I was trimming the bushes and found this beautiful little bug.

Check out the gold eyes on this bug. Like most bugs here, it was very mellow and happy to sit on Joel’s fingers.

OK, enough goofing off and playing with photos. Time for Spanish study. I am going to get all those verb tenses straight, not today, but someday!

Posted in expat, Panama, photography | Tagged Chiriqui Province, David, expat, Panama, photography | 12 Comments

Yes there are Crocodiles in Panama

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Today we found a free sample of a newspaper Panamá América outside our gate. Inside was this insert:

We hadn’t heard much about crocodiles here. In Florida it is well known that they are everywhere and you don’t swim in fresh water. Here in Panama people swim in the rivers all the time, and no one has mentioned any dangers beyond the boys jumping out of trees into the water. But, someone did mention a crocodile attack in Pedrigal where the boats are docked, so this would agree with the information that crocodiles are often found in areas where the fresh water meets the sea, at mouths of rivers and in the mangroves. Oh, and we can’t forget the crocodile in da Campo watering hole

I was also happy to see the effort to protect the wildlife here, even including something as dangerous as the crocodiles.

So, in the interest of useful information and improving my Spanish, I figured I’d decipher this flyer. Watch your toes when you go swimming in Panama 😀 And, excuse the nasty teeth photo in the header. I couldn’t resist.

Largarto Aguja – (Lizard needle ? ) crocodylus acutus

Conoce y protege especies en peligro de extincion	Meet and protect species in danger of extinction
Riesgos/Amenazas	Risks / Threats
Principalmente esta especie es cazada por su piel y por temor a ataques; y también por la destrucción de su hábitat.	Mainly this species is hunted for their skin and for fear of attacks; and also by the destruction of their habitat.
Morfología y Tamaño	Morphology and Size
Es un animal de cuerpo alargado y robusto. Las patas son cortas y fuertes y están provistas de garras. La cabeza es triangular y el hocico alargado. En la espalda tiene un par de quillas que no se unen en la cola, la cual es musculosa y comprimida, y le permite nadar muy bien. La piel es muy dura y tiene un color gris verdoso, olivo o gris chocolatoso en la parte dorsal, y blanco cremoso en el área ventral.Es una de las especies de cocodrilo más grandes y puede llegar a medir seis metros, y alcanzar un peso de 400 kg.	It is an animal with a body elongated and robust. The legs are short and strong, and are provided with claws. The head is triangular and snout elongated. On the back is a pair of fins that do not join at the tail, which is muscular and compressed, and allows it to swim very well. The skin is very hard and has greenish gray, olive, or chocolate gray on the dorsal part, and creamy white on the belly area.It is one of the largest species of crocodile and can grow up to six meters (~9 feet), and reach a weight of 400 kg. (~880 lbs)
Distribución a nivel mundial	Worldwide distribution
Se localiza desde el sur de Estados Unidos hasta Venezuela y el norte de Perú.	They are located from the southern United States to the north of Venezuela and Peru.
Distribución en Panamá	Distribution in Panama
Se encuentra en todo el país, especialmente en los cursos bajos y las bocas de los ríos, especialmente los más grandes, y en manglares.	They are found throughout the country, especially en the lower reaches and the mouths of the rivers, especially the larges ones, and in mangroves.
Hábitat	Habitat
Permanece la mayor parte del tiempo en el agua y es más activo en la noche. Puede viajar grandes distancias por tierra. Es solitario y caza acechando a las presas. Pasa mucho tiempo en manglares y puede adentrarse bastante en el mar para cazar o viajar de un territorio a otro.	They stay most of the time in water and are more active at night. They can travel great distances by land. They are solitary and hunt by stalking prey. They spend a lot of time in the mangroves and can venture enough in the sea to hunt or travel from one territory to another.
Alimentación	Feeding
Se alimenta de peces, tortugas, y cualquier otro animal que pueda capturar.	They feed on fish, turtles, and any other animal that they can capture.
Reproducción	Reproduction
La temporada de anidamiento ocurre entre enero y febrero. Construye su nido excavando un heuco en las riberas de ríos o lagunas, que rellena con hojas y material orgánico en descomposición. Pone de 12 a 80 huevos de color blanco. La incubación puede durar de 60 a 90 días dependiendo de la temperatura que alcance el nido. Cuando los jóvenes salen del huevo emiten un llamado que atrae a la madre, quien los transporta al agua y los cuida por un tiempo.	The time of nesting occurs between January and February. They build a nest by digging a hole on the banks of rivers or lakes, which is filled with leaves and decaying organic material. It puts in 12 to 80 white eggs. The incubation can last from 60 to 90 days depending on the termperature that reaches the nest. When the young hatch they emit a call that attracts the mother, who carries them to the water and cares for them for a while.

I wonder if the neighbor’s dog hates crocodiles? He had taken their sample newspaper and shredded it into little pieces! I’m sure he just thought it was nice of someone to bring him a new toy to destroy.

Posted in Panama | 16 Comments

Return to Panama – post #300

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Somehow it seems fitting that a milestone post is about returning to Panama. We had a wonderful time but we’re glad to be back. It confirmed our feelings that this is a good place for us and we are happy here.

We arrived at the airport in Seattle as the sun was rising, and this full moon shone over the airport.

We flew over Mount Rainier, which is so high that it looked very close to the plane!

Then, we flew over beautiful deserts and rivers and fields and hills and more scenery than I can mention.

Many land formations look really interesting from the air.

Of course I’m going to love beautiful clouds from this new vantage point!

The daylight fades as we approach Panama City

This hotel room was our favorite so far!

We had a great view of the city from our room.

Thursday morning, we leave from Allbrook bus terminal.

The diablo rojos (red devils – former US school buses, now dangerous rolling works of art in the city) are still in town. They are replacing them with modern nice buses, but we saw a lot of them still on the road as we left Panama City.

We went over the Bridge of the Americas and the Canal

The Panama Canal – the Miliflores Locks are in the distance.

Then we head down the highway and through the beautiful green Panama countryside.

It was nice to be back in Panama with the warm, moist, balmy air. We’ve been staying at the Costa Inn in Panama City. It’s an older building but it’s clean and comfortable, and the price is right. When we landed in PC I went to the information desk and asked about the complimentary van to the hotel. The lady immediately knew what I was asking about, made some phone calls, and got me connected with the right man. There was a man in the airport with a sign looking for passengers, and when the van arrived he came and got us and made sure we got on the correct van.

We had a room at the end of the hall this time, and the big windows looked out over the city and the water in the distance. In the morning we could see the ships waiting for their turns in the canal. The room was large with a big desk/table, and two bathrooms with what looked like a small kitchen sink in between. One bathroom had a shower, sink, and toilet and the other had a Jacuzzi bathtub! We learned that it is a good idea to get to breakfast early though because by 8:30 they were running out of things. But, they had a complimentary van going to Allbrook shopping mall and since we were going to the bus terminal across the street, they let us ride along.

So, for about $60 we got a free ride from the airport, breakfast, a free ride to Allbrook, and a comfortable room for the night with free WiFi. Not bad, eh?

We had a good bus ride with seats in the very front of the upper level where we could see everything! We relaxed, read, watched the movies, and enjoyed the countryside. We found our house in one piece, everything fine, not even much of a musty smell. Our neighbors had opened the windows to air out the place, closed them because it rained a lot, opened them again, and said they would have cleaned it but they thought we were coming back a couple days later than we did.

It’s nice to be back. It’s nice to reconnect with our friends and neighbors here. It’s nice to be back with the birds, the woods, the plants, the warm moist air, the roosters, dogs, locusts, and everything else that makes noise and makes this place feel so full of life. And, I am very happy to report that in spite of speaking English for a month I don’t seem to have forgotten what Spanish I know.

Posted in Panama, travel | Tagged Central America, Panama, Panama City, Travel and Tourism | 6 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea

The instructions are: Sea. What kind of emotions does the sea or ocean make you feel? Do you remember the first time you went in the water? Had a wave crash on you? Felt the sand burn your feet? Do you feel more peaceful around water? Do you hate the beach? What’s the most interesting thing about the sea for you? Lots of questions, lots of interpretations. Show me the different sides of Sea with your contribution! In a new post specifically for this challenge, share a photo which means SEA to you!

What a photo challenge for me, since I have just returned from a week on the sea! It will be a challenge not to post a hundred photos.

I love the sea. I remember going to the beach as a kid and hating to leave. One of the things that attracted me to Florida was being so close to the water. Even a short visit to the beach feels like a whole vacation. There is something about the sea that just says life, renewal, beauty, and reconnection. Here in Panama we aren’t close to the water but we can get there fairly quickly, and I do have the river behind the house which I love.

I went back through some of my favorite photos for a few of places where I have enjoyed the sea.

Florida – Siesta Key Beach at sunset.

Siesta Key Beach again, as the colors deepen.

We used to take weekend getaways to Key Largo, Florida and we loved the amazing sunsets.

Another sunset at Key Largo, Florida

Alaska on a calm and amazing morning.

A humpback whale breaks the glassy surface in Alaska

Las Lajas Beach in Panama. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen!

Posted in Panama, photography | Tagged beach, Florida, Panama, photography, postaday, Sea, sunset photo | 13 Comments

Wrapping it up – leaving Alaska

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I have a few more things from our trip to the US, but I’ve been neglecting the computer and doing other things for the last few days. So, since it’s raining and I’m inside, I figured I’d get back with it.

The cruise was great but like all things, it had to come to an end. Our last stop was supposed to be Victoria BC, but when we got to the area we were told that there was too much wind for this large ship to safely enter the harbor. Joel had spent the day resting and fighting his cold. We were not sure we wanted to go ashore anyway, so we were happy to stay on the ship and enjoy the beautiful evening and sunset.

Victoria – our destination

It was a beautiful evening

I loved watching the colors change

Sunset is coming

It was a beautiful sunset!

We spent the evening relaxing, and the crew spent it working. We saw them raising and lowering the lifeboats – drills, tests, and maintenance I’m sure. Others were repairing and caulking the boxes that held fire extinguishers on the decks. And, of course there is always cleaning in progress. We finally left the Victoria area after dark, and since it’s not far from Seattle we weren’t surprised to wake up to find we had arrived at port.

We have breakfast and enjoy the view of Seattle while we wait to be called to get off the ship.

This huge yacht was at the dock, and that’s a fishing boat in the foreground.

The yacht in the photo is “Serene”, one of the biggest privately owned yachts in the word, rumored to be owned by a Russian vodka tycoon. Read about it HERE, and I found this article about its visit to British Columbia. I took the photo because I thought it was a heck of yacht but I didn’t know how unique it was until I came home and did some research. It has a saltwater pool, two helicopter pads, a submarine, and more toys and amenities too numerous to mention!

So, our cruise ended in Seattle eating breakfast and looking at one of the most amazing yachts in the world. From there, we back to my daughter’s apartment where she kindly let us stay for another night before we made our way back to Panama.

Posted in photography, travel | Tagged Alaska, photography, Seattle, sunset photo, Travel and Tourism, Victoria, Victoria British Columbia | 1 Comment

Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus

The instructions are: For this challenge, get out there and take a picture demonstrating the concept of focus. Depending on your skill level or type of camera, tinker with the manual settings, use the auto focus feature, or play around with an app. Some ideas:

Snap a photo of something or someone in focus, against a blurred background.
Share a panorama or landscape in sharp focus, in which you can see details far away.
Use a camera app to force focus (or blur) in an experimental way.
Take multiple photos of the same scene or subject using different aperture settings and publishing the results.

IN A NEW POST CREATED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS CHALLENGE, SHARE A PHOTO DEMONSTRATING THE CONCEPT OF FOCUS.

F stop 4.8 – background out of focus

F stop 10 – background somewhat in focus

F stop 20 – background sharper

I prefer the background fairly blurred because the seed head stands out well. I was fairly close, so I think I would have had to step back to get the background totally sharp and in focus.

F stop 4.8

F stop 10

F stop 20

I kind of like the middle one the best. The background is more interesting but still blurred enough that the lily stands out clearly.

This has been an interesting challenge. I enjoy taking this sort of picture with a sharp subject against a blurred background. It’s good for me to study this more so I”m clear on how to get the effect I want. I remember it by – bigger number on the F stop = more stuff in focus.

I’m also glad to be back in Panama. I went for a walk in our woods planning to photograph the heliconias, and found these other things I liked even better. Apologies for the banner photo to anyone who isn’t into spiders. When I disturbed the web of this one it landed on a leaf, and it was too interesting and beautiful to pass up!

Posted in Panama, photography | Tagged Chiriqui, David, Depth of field, Panama, Photograph, photography, postaday | 8 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Carefree

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Carefree

The instructions are: Whether a good memory was made in years past, yesterday, or only moments ago, I love letting the nostalgia wrap me up — like a borrowed sweater on a cold summer night. Even more, I love making new memories: a carefree summer at the lake, a stroll through the park, dancing in the rain… then all I need to do is remember, and the same carefree feeling washes over me.

In a new post specifically for this challenge, share a photo that means CAREFREE to you!

I am behind on this photo challenge but I have a good excuse. I was being… CAREFREE! I was on a cruise.

Rain and all, it still is a beautiful sight!

We went on a cruise to Alaska. They take you to beautiful places. They make all your meals for you. They take care of your room every morning, and turn down the bed and leave you a cute surprise every evening.

Our room steward delighted us every night with a new towel animal!

They work hard to come up with many forms of entertainment every day. They have a huge staff who does whatever they can to take care of you and keep you happy. That’s pretty carefree, in my opinion, and we had a wonderful time!

If you want to see more of my Alaska cruise, check my recent posts. We saw whales, mountains, eagles, glaciers, salmon, bears, beavers, rode an old train, went out on boat trips, and had an amazing time. If you ever get a chance to go to Alaska, I would highly recommend it!