Pouring in Panama!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We need rain. This last dry season has been usually hot, dry, and windy, and the rains have been slow to return. There is a serious shortage of electricity because there isn’t enough water in the rivers to run the hydroelectric generators. So, it’s hard to complain when we get rain. It has been pouring most of the afternoon, often with lightning and very loud thunder. There is a little wind, especially considering how much thunder and rain there is. Back in Florida a storm like this would have debris blown all over the place!

Raining in Panama

It’s good to have the rain. The air is cool and comfortable. We already went out on our bikes this morning and we have no where else we have to be. The electricity seems to be hanging in there, so what does one do on a rainy afternoon. Update the website!

I’ve had the website for quite a while but haven’t done a whole lot with it yet. I’m sure it will always be a work in progress, but I have made a bit more progress today. Hopefully it will be a useful place to visit for some of the many people who are interested in learning more about this part of the world.

  • I did a lot of work on the information page. It has links to all kinds of things we have written about. 
  • There has also been a little work on the links page. If you have a site or know of a site that would be good to include, please let me know.
  • I have installed a program that alerts me when there is email from the contact us page.  I thought I had it set up to foward to my regular email account but it didn’t work out that way, so when I went to look at the mailbox I discovered it has some really old mail in there (how embarassing, and thankfully these folks also contacted me here). Now I have something that pops up a window on my computer and won’t go away until I attend to it.
  • I have added some new banner pictures to mix it up a bit.

Raining in Panama

Zemanta brought up some news articles (which are all pretty much the same article). It’s interesting though to see how our water problems in Panama have made the news in so many US newspapers. I’m curious about the canal – two ships in a lock at once? Those ships are SO big! I’ll have to watch the webcam and see what is going on. I also like the Live Marine Traffic page to identify the ships. Right now I see a cargo ship from Denmark entering the Miliflores Locks, and another from Libera in Miliflores Lake.

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Raquel’s Ark- Animal Rescue in Volcan

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

This was our other adventure on our trip to Volcan. I’d never seen these animals before, let alone held them!

joeltc1's avatarFindingMySelfinPanama

Kris and I had always wanted to visit “Raquel’s Ark”  in Volcan. I first found Raquel’s posts on Gringos in David where she has often mentioned that people are welcome to visit and see the various animals. Raquel says “I have an organization called Raquel’s Ark that was set up to help injured or abused wildlife of Panama.  I am located in the mountains of Panama near the Costa Rica border.  I hope to expand to help as many animals that I can.  Presently I have owls, tucans, ferrots, kinkajous, raccoon, coatimundi, neque and two-toed sloths.  To support my project I have to find work.”

Raquel bought the land 10 years ago and little by little she added many areas designed to house the animals. The Ark is a work in progress that Raquel self-finances from her Oracle consulting outside of Panama. Volunteers take care of the animals while she…

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Volcan | Sitio Barriles | the Barrels Archaeological Site

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

This is a very interesting site located about six kilometers outside of the town of Volcan. It has artifacts from A.D. 300-900, and is named for the barrel shaped object which was the first artifact found here. Archaeologists from around the world have been studying it since the 1940’s. Some of the artifacts have been taken to the National Museum in Panama City, but many can also be seen here.

For more information see the articles on Wikipedia, yourpanama.com, La Prensa (in Spanish), and Portal of Tourism of Volcan,

The site is on a private family farm, and the owners are the custodians of the site and the artifacts.  You can see stone carvings, ceramic artifacts, and excavation areas. Many of the stones are unusual because there is little to see until they are wet, and then the designs become visible. The boy who greeted us on arrival requested $3 per car to walk around on your own, or $3 per person for a guided tour. The owner was busy with another tour so we decided to walk around on our own.

Our friend Ryan has also visited this site and made a video of his trip. The link is HERE if you want to check it out. He took the tour so in his video you will see the owner explaining everything, and there is a lot of very interesting information.

This is the house when you first drive up.
There is an area to the right explaining some of the work that had gone on at this site.
This very interesting sculpture greets you at the end of the driveway.
To the left, the first thing you see is these stone carvings. Behind them is the roof over the excavation site.
In the excavation site you see pieces of pottery in the ground.
More pottery in the ground
I believe this is a map of some sort.
Carvings on a rock.
What an interesting carving.
More interesting carvings on a rock.
This one is especially beautiful.

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I expected to see artifacts, but I did not expect to see so much other beauty. It is a spectacular area full of flowers, trees, and many birds. There are paths for walking, and I really enjoy exploring this area.

The flowers and foliage were spectacular!
There were many heliconias
I saw some of these plants with huge, fuzzy, purplish leaves but this one also had a fruit.
I can’t remember the name of these pretty pink flowers – photo by Joel.
Another beautiful flower! Heliconia? Ginger?
A bud of the previous flower – photo by Joel
Interesting yellow flower in a tree!
We walked down this beautiful path which I believe is a stream in wet weather. If it is what I think it is, this is where the water flows uphill that Ryan mentioned in his video.
The path or dry stream bed led into this crack in the earth.
The outdoor kitchen behind the house. I want one of these!
There were many of these pink bananas.
One of the most spectacular of the many bromeliads in the trees.
Very interesting flowers poking up out of the ground.
More spectacular heliconias.
The heliconias were amazing! These were blooming everywhere with dozens and dozens of blooms.

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This was only one of our stops on this trip to Volcan. We visited Raquel’s Ark, and I will repost Joel’s blog post about that visit. On our way home we stopped by a Janson’s Coffee Farm. We were tired and didn’t have enough time to really explore this, so we will return on another day. It’s a beautiful spot with a lot of things to do, and looks like it is well worth a return visit.

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Cows in the Neighborhood | Water and Electricity Problems

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Cows are everywhere! Our neighbor Roberto even had a couple calves in his yard for a while. They have gone to his farm now, but there are plenty of others in the area. When I see cows I think of my blogging friend Karen and her stories of the vacas (cows) in her neighborhood looking longingly at her green garden while they eat brown grass (pray for rain in her neighborhood!)

We came across this playful calf near our house a couple weeks ago.

Panama Cows Playing in the Field  Panama calf kicking up his heels in the field

Today, we spotted Roberto feeding a bit of corn to the cows in the field next to his house.

Roberto and Joel with the cows Panamanian cows  A beautiful Panamanian cow

Roberto told me that he was giving the cows a treat because they are having a hard time getting by on grass after such a hot, dry summer. Here, cows fend for themselves with minimal human intervention.  Things are looking much more green now but we need a lot more rain to catch up after months of hot, dry, windy weather.

School has been canceled for the rest of the week too. There is not enough water in the mountains and the rivers are dry. The dry rivers can’t run the hydroelectric generators so the government is trying to decrease electricity usage, saying the problem has reached critical levels. All schools and universities are closed.  Businesses and government offices are allowed only very limited hours of air conditioning.  Nightclubs, bars, casinos and supermarkets are to close at 10PM. (we have 24 hr supermarkets)

Roberto explained that some of the problem is the harvesting of trees in the mountains. Without the trees, the earth is bare and water just runs off it. Trees help the water soak into the ground. This water runs into the streams slowly over a longer time, and the rivers are much less likely to run dry in dry weather. The rivers are dry now though, and this is also a huge problem for the Indians who rely on the rivers for fish, and the water for farming and drinking.

A while back I read something about a big meeting with government officials, the people who want to protect the environment, and people who want to harvest lumber.  The officials became convinced that harvesting lumber is a bad idea because of these water concerns, and will not allow the harvesting of trees to continue.  I hope this is true. This area is growing rapidly and adequate water is going to be more and more important. Many also say that part of the problem is climate change, and this has caused this last summer to be usually hot, dry, and windy.

Roberto explained his thoughts about the loss of trees in his normal speaking pace, in Spanish, and I am really happy to say that I understood pretty much everything he told me! Lately I have been feeling like my Spanish is getting better. I’m sure there will be another day when I can’t seem to understand a thing and that will knock me down a peg or two, but today I think I’ve got it going on 😀

I am also thankful that our water seems to be doing well here, and it’s been quite a while since we have had a water shutdown in the neighborhood. Hopefully the electricity will hang in there too. For me, no electricity means no internet and no communication with the US. For the country, no electricity means a multitude of problems.

Ahh, I see Zemanta has found a news article on this subject

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Phones, Internet, and Communication from Panama

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

One of our requirements is internet. This is how we keep in touch with everybody. Communication was never as important as yesterday when my grandson was born!

This makes me think about people in the past who set out for unknown new worlds, leaving behind people they would probably never see again. I don’t know if I could have done that. How would it feel to watch your children leave, and not know if they even survived?

But now, things are different. Panama has internet. It even has free internet in many public places. It isn’t always reliable or fast, but if you have to get in touch with the world you can go to the city park, the airport, or the hospital parking lot,  hookup to http://internetparatodos.gob.pa/ and get connected.

We have internet at the house through Cable Onda. In the seven months I have been here it has not gone down once. We have a mid range plan (Internet and TV) for about $52/month.

I have a cheap Panamanian cell phone for calls in Panama. For the US I have a Skype plan for about $6/month. I have unlimited calls to anyone in the US, and I have a US phone number so I can also receive calls. If I’m not at my desk it will let you leave a voice message, and an email will alert me to go pick it up. I can also video chat with other Skype users which is wonderful. It’s about as close as you can get to being there.

There are other options like Magic Jack that people have used successfully, and I’ve also used Google chat with video which works fine. Many many people here also have smart phones so you can have all this in your pocket.

For me though, this works. It has been an adjustment to not have a smart phone with me at all times. When I was working I needed it and used it constantly. Now it’s different, and giving up my smart phone was almost symbolic of my changed life. I’m not attached 24/7 to my phone, or my work, or my old life anymore.

I will not give up communication though! Yesterday I was able to talk and text message with my daughter throughout the day, talk with my other daughter when there was news, talk with the other grandmother when we needed to support and congratulate each other, and hear the most wonderful news from my son in law when he told me that the baby was here and all was well with both him and my daughter. Today I was able to video chat with my daughter and see both her and the baby (they both look wonderful!)  To me, this is more important than anything, to be able to keep in touch with my family. We are so lucky to be living in this age where this is possible, and I’m glad to be in Panama where the technology is available.

Another thing we can do is share pictures, so I had to share just one more. Thank you all for the congratulations, good wishes, and happy messages. The arrival of this new little person in our family is a wonderful event indeed!

baby2a

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A grandson!

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

On a personal note, if you will excuse a very excited new grandma….

baby

My daughter’s son, my first grandchild, born this afternoon. Mom and dad and baby are all doing fine!  We’ve known for months of course, but it’s still almost unreal. Wow

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Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: From Above

From Above. Change your perspective on something. Share a photo of a subject which you shot from directly above. 

A new banana leaf unfurls
I wish you could smell this plumeria!
Anise flavored basil
What you can’t see in the previous picture is that for some reason, little black bees have taken a real interest in my anise flavored basil. It isn’t flowering so I’m not sure why.
A purple basil
A beautiful black butterfly visited our yard today
The limon tree has been flowering, and today I noticed these tiny baby fruits.
I don’t think I’ve seen one of these beautiful orange butterflies in our yard before.
When I downloaded this photo, I realized that there was a black bee on the other flower.

 

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Vivero en Dolega!

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I had heard about this plant nursery in Dolega, another town up the road towards Boquete. So, yesterday, we set out to find it (which is course, for us, always involves getting lost and going places we didn’t expect to see!) But, we were persistent and eventually successful, and it was very worth the trip. This place was huge, with areas of plants behind other areas, and still more and more areas! One could come home with a truck load of plants from here!

But, I was good and only bought a few things. We are renting, and how much money do we want to put into someone else’s property?

vivero1

I also bought a gift for my friend and neighbor, who is good friends with the owner of this house. She is going to ask them if they would ever consider selling it 😀  It’s just a question, but you never know what might come out of a simple question 😉

vivero2

Meanwhile I have a few plants to put in, – a colorful heliconia, a gorgeous big pink hibiscus, some crazy lacy vine type of plant with pretty little deep pink flowers, some pretty yellow flowers, and a bit of mani (perennial peanut). Yesterday I also planted some guandu seeds, a gift from my friend’s husband.

vivero3

There was this cute little bat on a support post.

Plants in 10 inch pots were $5, larger pots $12. My mani in little dixie cups were $.25 each, and the yellow flowers in small pots were $1 each. I know how much work goes into propagating and tending all those plants, so I thought these prices were good. All the plants look very healthy and should do well.

If you want to visit, I made the MAP  so maybe you won’t  have to tour more of the town than you wish to! The nursery is in a residential neighborhood and looks like it is also their home. It is very close to a school, and there is a sign out front which will help you spot it.

 

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Gringos at Gringos

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Thursday we went to a gringos meeting at the new Gringos Restaurant, and had a lot of fun. We heard about the meeting from the yahoo group, Gringos in David Panama. We went to the Gringos Restaurant when we were in Bocas del Toro and had a very good dinner, so we figured (rightly) that the food would also be very good here since it’s the same owner. If you want to take a drive maybe 20-25 minutes west of David, I would recommend this place.

The meeting was very well attended. We had been to another not long after we arrived, but this one had twice as many people. We also heard comments from others about the big turnout. We had the good luck to sit at a table of fun people, a fellow blogger friend, a guy we had met in the tennis group and his wife (who we learned live quite near us), and a couple other new and interesting people. We didn’t talk with anyone else since everyone pretty much stayed at their own tables but that’s OK. I didn’t need to talk with some “negative nellies” I’d met at the earlier get together.

Look for this sign on the highway.
Lots of gringos!
We were all in this very nice outside area.
You can also see this large water wheel from the road.
The grounds behind the restaurant are beautiful. Notice all the plants growing on the roof of the gazebo.
As I left I took this photo and noticed it also says hotel. When we go back I’ll have to ask them about this.

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The food is Mexican style, made with as many local, fresh, organic ingredients as possible. The menu was in English but the staff spoke only Spanish. The owner,  Edward Satterblom, is American though, married to a Panamanian lady. We had guacamole and chips first, then I had enchiladas, Joel had a tostada, beer for us both, and I had a yummy mango and ice cream dessert. Our total was about $32. If I remember correctly meals are around $8-10 a plate.

Apologies for the photos. My Nikon is so big I didn’t want to take it, our beloved little Panasonic quit working, so I got my old Canon Powershot out of retirement. The Canon may not be much by today’s standards, but it was with this camera that I first started to love photography. So I have kept it and it’s twin (Joel’s camera) all this time.

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Number 200

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

I written 200 posts already?! Apparently I tend to be a bit talkative 😀 It doesn’t seem like that much, and it also doesn’t seem like I’ve been here almost seven months. Time flies when you are having fun!

I am having fun. The blog has grown and evolved. I’ve met fellow bloggers from everywhere, and I’m honored that so many people visit my blog. I’m also contacted frequently by other people interested in moving to Panama. I remember how excited I was to hear about the experiences of others who came before me, and now I am one of the ones who are here.

Now that it’s just the two of us (since my husband’s mother moved back to the US), we plan to explore more places and do more things. I will have new experiences to photograph and write about. I also want to work on the website, fill in the parts that have nothing and upgrade the pages that are there. If I get really ambitious I can start learning about search engine optimization and other techy things. I think as more baby boomers reach retirement age, there will be more and more people looking for options and information.

There are also huge things going on in my family. My younger daughter has earned a PhD in physics, so we will be celebrating her graduation in a couple weeks in Texas. Then she and her husband are moving to Seattle, her to work for Microsoft and he to work for Redfin, the exciting on line (and on the ground) real estate business. In the same week (do you believe this?) in California, my older daughter is having her first child, my first grandchild. I’m thankful that her husband’s mother will be with her for that time while I will be glued to my computer here and on my way to Texas. We will be there with her after the graduation.

I have some other goals and ideas, nothing really new – study more Spanish, garden projects, learn some more technical aspects of photography, try and learn that relaxing is not wasting time. The last one may never happen but I do have a hammock and enjoy sitting in it now and then.

Overall, when I think of the time that has passed since my first blog post, life is good. The move is a definite success. We are really happy here. The time I have spent blogging has also been well worth it. It has allowed me to connect with so many people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Through their eyes I’ve seen new parts of the world and learned new things, and I’ve also been able to share my experiences with others. The internet, and life in general is interesting. You just never know where it will take you!

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