Summer Flowers in Panama

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

It’s summer now. I know, it sounds backwards to me too, but it’s definitely a different season here. We’re getting very little rain and a lot more wind.  It’s a bit warmer in the daytime but still comfortable with the breezes and lower humidity, and it’s a bit cooler at night. Everything seems to be blooming! Everywhere you look – trees, shrubs, gardens, the woods, everywhere there are new flowers.

The last couple days, I have been taking pictures of some of the flowers I’ve seen on my bicycle rides. It’s been really windy and I know it’s crazy to try and take photos of flowers in the wind, but I see so much around here I couldn’t stop myself. I don’t know what many of these are, so if you recognize anything feel free to fill in the blanks!

Click on any picture to take you to the gallery where you can click through the photos.

 

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Daily Prompt: Apply Yourself

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Daily Prompt: Apply Yourself
Describe your last attempt to learn something that did not come easily to you.

I don’t usually do the daily prompt but this one caught my eye.
I have the math / science sort of brain, and language, history, literature types of study are more difficult for me.
I have never been good at sports. Remember choosing teams at school? I was always the last one chosen.

I am studying two things now…..

Spanish, and Tennis!

Go figure 😀

But, I am having a good time with both. I’m pretty mediocre at tennis but I have a lot of fun. I plan to keep at it for fun and exercise with no expectations. I’m not great with Spanish either, but it means so much to me to be able to communicate with my new friends and neighbors.  I want to continue until I am fluent and until I can understand everything! I believe this is possible if I keep working on it.

And, maybe it will help with Alzheimers (CBS news article)

Who else is doing the daily prompt?

Related articles

Wow, I should do this more often! Doing something you don’t usually do takes you to blogs you don’t usually run into. These were very interesting!

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Lets go to the River!

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

There is no water in the neighborhood today. It happens, so we have water stored for such days. But, I wanted to wash my hair and freshen up after bike riding and we hadn’t been to the river for a while. So I packed a bit of shampoo, a towel, and the camera (of course!) and we headed out.

I’m amazed at the beauty every time we go to the river, so I had to share some of it!  Click on a picture and it will come up in a slide show, and then you can click through all of them.

 

Posted in Exploring the Area, Panama, photography, the River | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Beyond  062c

This challenge turned out to be more challenging than most for me. I had some ideas but had trouble turning them into reality. Then I had this opportunity, my husband sitting beside the river. Hopefully the viewer is drawn to him first, and then the beauty of the river beyond also beckons   This photo was more difficult for me also because he was sitting in the shadows, and the sunlight on the river bank was so bright and intense. But, I really like this photo of him so I’m keeping it!

Here’s some other photos from this challenge, courtesy of Zemanta. These challenges always bring out great photos but some of these are especially outstanding, so be sure and take a look.

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It’s nice to have great neighbors!

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

We have really nice neighbors here. Everyone knows everyone, and they are all very friendly. I felt like family within a week of getting here. Today though, I really got to see how things work here.

The “stuff” arrived today, the boxes and household items from the US. We were expecting them about 4-5 PM so we thought nothing of going off for our noon tennis game. On the way home, the phone rang. “We are at your house!”

They had to wait about 10 minutes for us to arrive. The guy in charge told me that while they were waiting, every neighbor on the street came out to see what was going on and to ask him what he was doing there!  We may be the gringos and the newbies on the street, but we seem to be very much a part of the neighborhood. It feels very nice.  041

Now we have a bunch of stuff to unpack. Not much of it is mine, but I will be glad to have a few more clothes to add to the few I brought in my suitcase, and I’m looking forward to finding the tripod for the camera.

I’m cracking up seeing what Zemanta suggests I include with this post!

Neighbours from Hell

Neighbours from Hell (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

GOD - Game of Death

GOD – Game of Death (Photo credit: gavjof)

But What Will the Neighbors Think

But What Will the Neighbors Think (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Birds Make Good Neighbors

Birds Make Good Neighbors (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

[iPhone/iPod touch] "Chocolate Tycoon Gam...

[iPhone/iPod touch] “Chocolate Tycoon Game Trailer”-The game will melt in your mouth, and HANDS! (Photo credit: com2us)

Related articles – these are even more strange! They are all very interesting links on a variety of subjects, but none of them  seem to have anything to do with my post so I don’t know how Zemanta came up with them.
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Bloggers for Peace

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Bloggers for Peace <– click the link to learn more. It’s a blogging movement to promote peace in the world. Everyone is welcome to get involved.

Internal peace is an essential first step to achieving peace in the world. How do you cultivate it? It’s very simple. In the first place by realizing clearly that all mankind is one, that human beings in every country are members of one and the same family.   The Dalai Lama

This quote speaks to me for two reasons, especially now where I am in my life.

I think writing and reading blogs promotes peace, understanding and connections between people.

I started a blog to keep my friends and family updated on the progress of our move to Panama. I’ve kept it because of the people I have met here, people who have been kind enough to visit my blog and start conversations with me, and because of the people who I can visit and start conversations with them. It’s an opportunity to visit people from everywhere and see the world through their eyes.

I think travel and interacting with people from other places promotes peace, understanding, and connections between people.

International travel opened my eyes and possibilities of living in another country. International living has taken me further. This is a different country,  culture, and  language. But, it is also the same. People here go to work, go home, take care of the families, cook dinner, and live their lives. They are like everyone the world over. They want what they need to survive. They also want to be heard, to be understood, and to feel valued and appreciated by others.

So, as travelers we are promoting peace, whether we travel in person or travel by internet. The more we get to know different people, the more we realize they are also members of our human family.

I looked specifically for a quote from the Dalai Lama because he changed my life. His teaching started me down a Buddhist path that gave me the tools to be a happier, more peaceful person. This is the first step towards more peaceful relationships, and more peace in the world.
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* “…be thankful you have somewhere to go that welcomes you.” *

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

via * “…be thankful you have somewhere to go that welcomes you.” *.

This is an interesting post about statistics and news of Panama. How healthy is this country, and what are the trends? Who is coming here? What economic factors and business interests are growing here? There is a lot of positive news and a lot of healthy growth in Panama!

This is based on an article from Retirement Wave.  It’s a membership site (free) so if you want to read the original article go to the “members” section, and after you get registered and signed in look on the lower right for the article “Report from Panama – January 2012”  The article also comes in PDF format which is easy to read. If you are interested in learning more about Panama, this whole website is well worth a visit for all the excellent information there.

Posted in culture, expatriate, Panama | 1 Comment

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

I was in the front yard yesterday enjoying the sunlight on the bougainvillea flowers and thought, what’s a more interesting illumination than the sun?! So, I grabbed my camera and my macro lens, and these are a few results. 050b

~ 055a1

~ 056a1

Here’s a few other blog posts from this challenge, courtesy of Zemanta. It’s interesting to see others responded to this challenge, and the beautiful photos they have posted.

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America is Taking Over Panama!

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Yes this is a “foreign” country, but not as foreign as you would think. If you feel better seeing familiar businesses here, if you are happy to get your favorite fast food, you will be just fine in Panama. Is this a good thing? I don’t know, but whatever it is, it is going on.

This is by no means a total list, just what we were able to photograph on a quick Sunday drive around our side of town. I’m sure there are more.

We have Pizza Hut down the street.
Blockbuster is next to it. Every Friday, rent 4 for $9.99
KFC is a big landmark, and unbelievably busy in the evenings.
If you don’t want to go to KFC, one of these guys will bring it to you.
We also have Domino’s, more than one in fact!
They will also send a guy on a motorcycle to bring you your pizza.
Cars? Yep, we have that covered too. Here’s Hyundai
Ford is nearby
Volkswagon is down the street
Even our neighborhood gas station has Mobil products
and Honda is across from Toyota
The large Toyota dealership
Don’t forget Mitsubishii and Suzuki
Hertz rental cars
Glidden paint
Texaco – this was actually in Volcán, but they are in David as well
058 Conway is modeled after Target down to the logo. It is a very large and upscale store.
TGI Fridays, also in our neighborhood
Nissan, in front of the golden arches
Of course one must have McDonalds, so here is the second McD’s on the main highway

I’m not sure how I feel about so many America companies having a very large and visible presence here. I don’t think fast food is the healthiest. I’m not a big supporter of American consumerism. I also haven’t felt the need for the comforting familiar American business and food here. But, I didn’t eat at these places in the US either, and I’m not overly stuck on any brand of products. I can see though for someone looking at Panama, it feels much less like you will be doing without if you know all these businesses are easily available to you if you want them. I just hope we don’t negatively affect Panamanian behavior, health, or waistlines.

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A Trip to Volcan

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Kris Cunningham

Yesterday, we went to Volcán, about a hour’s drive from our home in David. Volcán Barú is the highest point in the area (and the country). Boquete  is on the eastern side of Volcán Barú, and Volcán is in the western side. I had heard it’s lovely so I was happy to visit. It is true! It is a so beautiful and I took tons of photos.

Volcán feels a bit different from Boquete. There are more open spaces, more flat areas, and though we saw a number of expats it seems less touched by the expat community. This is the dry season but everything was so green!

I have divided up my photos into a few galleries…  The first one is views of the countryside from the road heading to Volcán.

Heading up the road, mountains up ahead. Excuse the reflections and altered color from the photos I took through the car windshield.
Everything in the area looks so lush and green.
I don’t know if cattle grazing keep the grass under control or if it just grows to this height. The countryside almost looked manicured.
There seemed to be a lot of dairy cattle in the area. Here are some next to pink periwinkles that seem to grow wild in a lot of the ditches
Masses of periwinkles beside the road!
There were also a lot of angle trumpets in bloom, really beautiful.
I kept this photo because of the indians in their colorful dresses
More green, lush hillsides
There are a lot of colorful flowers in the area. This house had an especially beautiful display of flowers.
The hill here looked terraced. I’m not sure if it grew that way naturally or if they did that to grow something.
More lush green fields
A very pretty river
Another view of the river with the mountains in the background
More beautiful flowers along the road
More green fields with a bit of the terraced look, mountains in the distance

 

These are a few photos of the town.

We arrive in Volcán
It’s not a big town but seems to have the essentials covered.
of course, everywhere you look are mountains
Open spaces like this are common within a block or two of the main road
there are lots of beautiful flowers
a man on his horse
main street, with a gorgeous view of the mountains in the background
kids playing soccer, mountains in the background
mountains everywhere you look!
what beautiful views

On our way home we found the road blocked by a fallen tree. Some guys had been cutting down a huge rainbow eucalyptus tree, and it fell in the wrong direction right across the road. Thank goodness it didn’t land on anyone, but we knew it was going to take a while to clear so we went back to town to get some lunch.

Some rainbow eucalyptus trees with their interesting and beautiful bark
these trees are very tall!
There were a lot of rainbow eucalyptus trees in the area
Ut oh!
Joel went to investigate. Nothing was happening, so we went back to Volcán for lunch

Of course, you know I took a lot of photos of the beautiful mountains! I managed to get this collection down to 15 of my favorites.  Most of them were taken from town as you can tell from the occasional utility line or building, but that is where I got out of the car to see the sights. So, in no particular order, here are my mountain photos.

One last thing – I saw this link on the bottom of the Wikipedia page on Vulcán Barú, and want to post it here so you can check it out. It’s a beautiful 360 degree panorama from the top of of the volcano. One of these days I’m going to make it up there! http://www.seeit360.com/still-photos/volcan-baru-virtual-tour

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