The Panama Adventure

Why would anyone want to live in Panama??? Because we want to live with the happy people!

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

When we were preparing to move we got this question quite a bit. It’s a third world country after all, and look at everything we would be giving up. Our lives would certainly be much more difficult.

It has not turned out to be so. I have written a number of times about how it feels different here, how the people are so lovely, how they are kind and gentle and happy. It’s hard to put into words but you can sure feel it when you are here.

Then, today, I saw THIS ARTICLE from CBS news about a Gallup poll that was done to determine who are the happiest people in the world. Who was at the top of the list? Yep, that’s right, PANAMA! Panama and Paraguay (in central South America between Brazil and Argentina).

Wealth, prosperity, all the usual things we are taught to strive for actually had little to do with the happiness level. In fact, some of the most developed and prosperous countries were low on the list. The happy people have a culture of focusing on the positive, strong families, good friends, and a lot of community involvement.

The US was #33. I don’t feel like we are giving up anything, and we are gaining a lot.

Posted in culture, Panama | Tagged Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, International Living, Panama | 1 Comment

Una Fiesta!

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

Do not go anywhere without a camera, ever. You will regret it! I will just have to paint a picture with words today.

If you get an invitation to a party in Panama, you must GO! The tennis club had a party last night at the leader’s house and we had such fun.

The party started with social time, drinks, and appetizers. I chose the sangria, and what a good choice that was. It was the best sangria I ever had! It was popular so another batch had to be made and I was lucky enough to observe and find out their secret – two bottles of red wine, a quart of pineapple juice, 1/2 – 1 quart orange juice (not sure on amount), some grenadine, and some chopped apples and grapes. Serve with ice.
Later, there was dinner – lasagna, salad, and garlic bread, very yummy.

Then, to our surprise, a mariachi band arrived! It was five guys dressed in the traditional outfits complete with big ornate sombreros, three guitars and two trumpets. A trumpet at close range is loud! This is probably a good thing because the party folks were just as loud. Everyone knew all the songs and sang along in full voice, often while dancing and/or clapping also. Imagine an outdoor back patio on a perfect warm evening, furniture shoved out of the way, happy people, fun music, dancing, singing, clapping, laughing and having a wonderful time. What an experience!

By the time the band wrapped up it was midnight, and they were being served dinner. We figured it was about time to call it a night.

What a great bunch of people! I think there were 30-40 people there, and such an interesting group. There were a variety of professions, experiences, some locals, some international people, many who spoke excellent English, so it was very easy to mingle and have a great time.

Who would have thought – I stopped by a sporting goods store to ask if they knew of any tennis courts. They sent us to Fertica, an agricultural business who happens to have a tennis court on the property. The Fertica secretary gave us the contact information for the group leader and as they say, the rest is history. Now we have a place to play, an excellent tennis coach, a wonderful group of people, and a bunch of new friends.

I do not know why my “featured image” won’t work today, so I just stuck it at the top of the post. Here’s another for good measure.

Wherever you go, take a camera!!

Fiesta!

Posted in culture, Panama | Tagged Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, Fiesta, International Living, Panama, party, sangria | 2 Comments

Super Sweet!

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

Thank you my friend at Playamart – Zeebra Designs for the Super Sweet Blogger award! Before you do anything else, go check out her great blog for pictures, stories, art, discussions, and all sorts of interesting happenings.

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. The nominees have to thank the person that nominated them.

2.Nominate a bakers dozen of other Super Sweet Bloggers and let them know. (see below)

3. Answer these easy questions:
Cookies or cake: Cookies
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
What is your favourite sweet treat? Ice Cream
When do you crave sweet things the most? after dinner
If you had a sweet nickname what would it be? Kris is my nickname! (short for Kristin)

Thanks, and have fun passing this along!

So, here is a list of my nominees

http://indacampo.wordpress.com/ because she’s my Panamanian neighbor, I love her blog, and she always makes me smile.

http://randomizer144.wordpress.com/ because he’s a wonderful photographer, and I get to see a lot of Moscow through his eyes.

http://rarasaur.wordpress.com/ because there is always something interesting there. It could be anything, but it will be worth the visit.

http://windagainstcurrent.com/ because a guy who kayaks around New York City and posts wonderful photos, that’s an interesting and gutsy guy

http://hellboy2503.wordpress.com/ because he takes photos of birds and animals that are amazing. You really must visit and take a look!

http://travel-monkey.me/ because I like the monkey. But, this is no ordinary monkey. He goes everywhere and posts great pictures of his adventures.

http://adogwithfleas.wordpress.com/ The blog name first caught my attention, but the content has kept me coming back. She’s a fellow human navigating this bumpy road of life and telling us stories we can all relate to and enjoy.

http://clotildajamcracker.wordpress.com/ because she is crazy and funny, but often about serious things that are well worth thinking about.

http://johnandmarylivingitupinecuador.wordpress.com/ expat neighbors on a similar path with a great blog full of fun stories. They take really good pictures of bugs (among other things)

http://nanlevin.wordpress.com/ other expats neighbors sharing their interesting life and experiences, and you’ve got to love someone with a pink bike!

http://retirenicaragua.wordpress.com/ more interesting expat stories about living in this part of the world, and a lady who wants to share her love for books with everyone.

http://keiththegreen.wordpress.com/ a fellow Buddhist who’s blog I enjoy a lot

http://retireediary.wordpress.com/ a talented guy from Hong Kong who has learned English very well, who has become a good writer, and who takes really beautiful photos.

I would be happy to nominate everyone on my list of blogs. I follow each one because I enjoy them and find them well worth the time to visit. But, the rules say a bakers dozen so here they are. Go visit these interesting people and see what they see through their cameras, see what they create, and hear what they think about.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, International Living, Panama, photography, Super Sweet | 11 Comments

this is only a test about pingbacks

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

Nothing to see here…. I’m just trying to understand a function.

I don’t totally understand the pingbacks. What happens if I put a link here to another post, and then don’t approve the pingback? Does the link still work? does it still exist? Does anything happen? Inquiring minds want to know, so I’m fiddling around with this.

How about a LINK to another post about lizards. I will approve this one.

Then, we will make a LINK to another post – this one about Panamanian lawn mowers. I will not approve this one.

Results – apparently it only affects the comments. Both links still work even though I spam/trashed one. But, below the lizard post there is a comment/notice about the pingback, and below the lawn mowers post there is not.

It hardly seems worth the bother to moderate pingbacks because it doesn’t stop anyone from linking to your post. It only stops the pingback notice from showing up below your own post in the comments.

Sometimes people object to pingbacks because it looks like the blogger who included the link has a long list of links just to make all of those bloggers come to their blog and run up their numbers, a spam type activity. It seems approving or not approving pingbacks will have no effect on this whatsoever.

Myself, I don’t mind links out there. I know blogging is a public activity, so if more of the public visits my blog that is kind of the point, right? I cannot control how people find their way here, only what I post on my blog.

Posted in Miscellaneous | 12 Comments

Chayote Sauerkraut

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

Someone suggested this on a yahoo group GardeningInPanama I tried it and it turned out surprisingly good!

A chayote is a sort of squash from the same family as cucumbers and melons. It costs a lot in the US but around here it’s everywhere, and cheap (usually $0.20 each, or less by the bag full) Check the Wikipedia article if you want to learn more about this veggie. I love chayote! It’s a mild and gentle flavor, firm enough not to turn to mush when you cook it, and useful in probably any vegetable soup or other dish with veggies that you want to make. Chayote has become probably our most frequently eaten vegetable here. The closest thing that tastes like it that I can think of in the US is patty pan squash.

Chayote – photo from Wikipedia

For my saurkraut, I took two of them, peeled off any skin that looked too thick (optional), removed the seed in the middle, and grated them. I also grated a smallish carrot, and added some finely chopped ginger and garlic. According to the guy who posted the recipe, you can add whatever veggies and flavorings you like.

Then, I got out my plastic bowl (don’t do this in a metal bowl), put in a layer of veggies, sprinkled them with salt, another layer of veggies, more salt, etc. until I had used all the veggies. I didn’t know how much salt to use so there is probably a couple teaspoons altogether for about 4 layers.

Then, put a dish on top to weight everything down (or whatever you have on had that will do the job). The idea is that liquid comes from the veggies because of the salt, and the veggies needs to be weighted down enough to keep them under this liquid. Then, the suggestion was to wait about a week or until you like the way it tastes.

So, I waited about a week (though I thought it was starting to taste pretty good even the next day)

In this batch I had maybe a 3/4 inch cube worth of ginger, if that much. I don’t remember how much garlic I put in, maybe 3-4 cloves? It is definitely garlicky, much like a great garlicky kosher dill pickle so I like it a lot. Of course you can use less garlic or adjust the flavorings however you like.

I will definitely make this again! It wasn’t that hard to make, and other than having an extra bowl sitting around for a while and taking a moment every day to check it, it wasn’t any trouble. However, I would recommend covering the bowl with a plastic bag or something just to keep any insects or dust or whatever from falling in.

The picture at the top of the post is a chayote vine we saw growing in Boquete a couple weeks ago.

Posted in food, Panama | Tagged Central America, chayote, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, International Living, Panama, recipies, sauerkraut | 4 Comments

Mold, a new challenge

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

We discovered some mold on an unused bit of luggage in the corner, put it out in the sun and didn’t think much more about it until yesterday. Yesterday, we discovered mold spots on some of the clothes in the closet area.

It’s warm and humid here and we don’t have air conditioning. I have heard that mold can be a problem in climates like this. Apparently this is very true! So, after a bit of research, we have a plan. Mold likes moisture and darkness, so the battle fronts are moisture control, air circulation, and light.

We already squeegee the shower down after we use it, and take the wet towels to the outside laundry room to dry. We are comfortable with no AC but we don’t want to add extra humidity to the house. This is also part of the mold control plan now.

The closet area will be outfitted with a light below the clothes for extra light and heat/dryness. We are considering a fan also but will see how the light and heat works first. (Joel is off to the Do-It Center as we speak to make a final decision on equipment) Clothes will not be overcrowded in the closet, and anything the least bit damp or already worn will not be returned to the closet until it is washed and totally dry.

I am happy to see that the affected clothes came out clean with no spots, and they are now drying in the sun. Hopefully this will be the last of the mold problems so we can get back to tromping around the woods, taking pictures of bugs, and whatever else sounds fun.

Posted in Getting Things Done, Panama | Tagged Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, humidity, International Living, jungle, mold, Panama | 8 Comments

Panamanian Lawn Mowers

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

People tend to make use of what they have so if your yard needs a trim, what is the easiest way to accomplish this?

Seen in the southern part of the city, goats trimming alongside the road in a residential neighborhood.

A frequent sight in more rural areas, cows by the road.

What?! I’m doing my work, so why are you stopping to look at me?

Another common sight, horses by the side of the road. When you aren’t using them for transportation, let them trim the grass. These weren’t even tied.

This calf lives down the road from us. When he’s not working on the soccer field, he’s working along side the road.

This is a very common sight, man with machete. When the grass gets very high, this is how it is cut down. There is a vacant lot two doors down from us, and this guy was trimming it this morning.

this is our yard man’s equipment. He works with a weed eater and a rake, and carries them and his helper with his motorcycle. Weed eaters seem to be the most common yard maintenance tool. I ‘ve only seen a USA style lawn mower once here. I certainly don’t miss the sound of the big lawn mowers and leaf blowers that were so common in Florida.

Posted in culture, Exploring the Area, Panama | Tagged Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, International Living, nature, Panama, photography | 6 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Delicate

I have some photos of delicate things, but they also remind us of how delicate their existence is, and how important it is for us humans to be aware of our impact on them.

A little praying mantis on the wall

Praying mantis are useful insects for any gardener, so we were happy to see they live in this area.

Just a beautiful little butterfly in the plants.

a bit of a spider’s web with dew, taken in the early morning light with my macro lens.

A butterfly so delicate it has a torn wing

the underside of a very tiny spider, so small it’s hard to see the detail with the naked eye. This was taken with my macro lens.

A spider’s web covered with dew in the woods, caught in the first rays of the morning sunlight

I think this is the tiniest bee I’ve ever seen. It was on an equally tiny, delicate twig of grass. This was taken with my macro lens. I think the bee was less than 1/8 inch long.

Our relationship with insects is delicate. We often do not realize the damage we do when we use chemicals or alter their living environment. Bees are especially critical because without their pollination, we would be without the vast majority of our fruits and vegetables. Here on our house we have a hive of very tiny black bees. Some of my neighbors are afraid of them and don’t understand why I don’t get rid of them, but they are not aggressive and haven’t been a problem. I spotted some of them working on this squash blossom nearby.

Tiny black bees in a squash blossom. These bees are not much more than 1/4 inch long.

Posted in Flowers, insects, Panama, Photo Challenge, photography, wildlife | Tagged bees, Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, insects, International Living, jungle, nature, Panama, photography, postaday | 12 Comments

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Reds and Greens

Posted on December 15, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Reds and Greens

These two photos were actually taken by Joel, my husband. Our neighbor’s flowers next to our fence caught his eye in the afternoon sun.

A very pretty ginger

A red bougainvillea against the afternoon sun

The photos have not been edited in any way, but are just as he took them. Thanks Joel for some really nice photos!

Posted in Flowers, Panama, Photo Challenge, photography | Tagged Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Central America, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Province, David, flowers, International Living, Panama, photography, sunset photos | 4 Comments

Another Lizard Encounter

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Kris Cunningham

We came home from the store about noon to find this lizard in the driveway. He walked off into the grass when he saw us but was nice enough to stick around so I could get a few photos.

He’s probably about a foot long, and able to run and jump easily. He was calm enough to stay in the grass for a while even though there were a couple humans near him. I think he might be a Central American Whiptail lizard. That is the closest match I could find by searching on Google, so if anyone knows more please let me know.