Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Yellow  With this week’s challenge, show us what yellow means to you.

Yellow?? This is a country of green. There isn’t much yellow that comes to mind, but after days of thought here are a few photos.

There are the yellow walls of the new overpass, easy to see in the day or night.
There were a lot of these green and yellow butterflies at the river one day.
I have some yellow flowers growing along my front fence.
The yellow stems of this coconut are really pretty. This was a gift from my good friend Hydeé so it means a lot to me.
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Feliz Año Nuevo – Happy New Year

Posted on January 2, 2015 by Kris Cunningham

Celebrations in Panama are always fun and interesting, and New Year’s Eve is no exception. There are the expected midnight parties and lots of fireworks, of course, and something else I find especially interesting – the muñecos.

A muñeco is an effegy, often of a political figure, but it can be of absolutely anything the person wants. It can represent good things and wishes for the coming year, but it often represents frustrations and bad things from the past year which are set on fire at midnight and go up in smoke. I can think of a few bad years in my past that I would have loved to watch go up in smoke!

I think the interior provinces of Panama participate in this practice more, but I did see quite a few muñecos in our area, including one in our neighborhood that was great fun.

This was in town on a side street.
There was one in front of this upscale home with some huge Christmas decorations.
Seen at a construction site on the way to Boquete
There is a back street north of town where some indians live in a very simple house by a creek. This was out in front of their place.
I’m not sure why many of them have beer and liquor bottles.
This one was in our neighborhood. “What if I tell you that I got rich with the people’s money”
Close to midnight, the muñeco was put in a pickup and slowly paraded around the neighborhood with a caravan of vehicles. Someone was behind the muñenco making it wave its arms, and there was much honking of horns and hollering.
As I snapped this photo there was another caravan going down another street, apparently from a nearby neighborhood.
After the driving around, the muñenco is taken out of the truck and everyone gets their picture taken with it.
Even the neighborhood stray dog gets in on the action (sorry, took me a bit to get my flash in action)
I was there, so I was encouraged to get in on the photo action.
Joel also gets a photo
At midnight, the muñenco is set on fire. This looks a bit creepy so remember it is only straw, old clothes, and firecrackers.
The flames intensify
and rounds of fireworks crackle and pop!
As the evening went on, there were really beautiful fireworks going off in many directions.
People here can have the big fireworks that are only allowed for professionals in the US. I appreciate everyone who set off fireworks because there were so many really beautiful ones to see!
Something new I hadn’t seen before were these balloons. We saw some floating above the neighborhood, and then the neighbors down the street set a few off into the night sky. It was so beautiful to watch these balls of light and fire gently drifting overhead through the dark sky.

There is an interesting article HERE about the muñencos in Panama. I’m sure a Google search will bring up more if you are interesting in learning more.

Once again, it was a great neighborhood party. We were greeted, kissed on the cheek, and wishes Feliz Año Nuevo by so many people, and I had a great conversation with a new family down the street that I didn’t know before. If you want to have a good time here you only need to walk out your front door. That’s one of the many things I love about the Panamanian people.

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Crocodiles in Panama

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

This interesting photo has been making the rounds lately on the internet and Facebook.

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Word is that this crocodile was caught in the Panama Canal near Colon at the north end of the canal. I do not know if it is true or not, but it is known that there are large crocodiles in that area. The picture is a bit tricky because you don’t see it right away, but the crocodile is actually on a flat bed truck so the people behind it look deceptively small. Truck or no though, it definitely is a large crocodile and I would not want to encounter it.

This particular bit of news has been interesting to me and my blog because it caused a huge spike in my blog traffic and surprised the heck out of me. People have been searching for information about crocodiles in Panama on Google and other search engines, and an old blog post about crocodiles kept popping up.

We have not seen any crocodiles in this area. The closest is a small caiman in the river and the neighbors said even that is very unusual. But, after living around alligators in Florida we are very used to being careful in fresh water. It is said that the crocodiles here are most likely to be found at the mouths of rivers where the fresh water flows into the sea which happens not too far south of us in Pedrigal.

I saw headlines on the PanamaGuide.com that the crocodile has been released. Unfortunately you have to pay if you want to read more than the first couple lines of the article, and I cannot find any other information to substantiate this news. I do hope though that if this crocodile was indeed captured that it has been released. Of course I don’t want any loss of life from wildlife but hopefully with precautions and education, we can all manage to live peacefully with the diverse wildlife that is found in this part of the world. This is one of the things that makes Panama so fascinating.

Here’s another picture of the crocodile I found on line. Don’t go swimming in the Panama Canal!

crocodile1

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Christmas in Panama

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Another holiday season is flying by! But, it has been another excellent Christmas. It is interesting to see how it is celebrated here, both the differences and similarities.

One big similarity which I’m not sure is a good thing, is the commercialism of the holiday. Decorations and promotions started to appear in stores two months beforehand since there isn’t that Thanksgiving date to mark (though Black Friday was observed for the first time, complete with crowds and overflowing parking lots). As it got closer to Christmas the crowds and traffic increased daily. The last week downtown was closed to traffic, stores were crowded, and it was almost impossible to drive around town except in the mornings. Yes, the Panamanians did some serious shopping!

But, Christmas is also a traditional family event and a time of celebration. Unlike the US though, Christmas Eve is the height of the celebration. Families and friends get together, often making the rounds to a number of homes of of family and friends, and many celebrate with fireworks. In every neighborhood the fireworks increased throughout the evening with the climax at midnight to usher in the day of Christmas. Then, at midnight, everyone is wished a Merry Christmas (in person or by phone or whatever means of communication is possible), dinner is served, and presents are opened

There continues to be celebrations on Christmas day as well. Families and friends who couldn’t get together on Christmas Eve see each other on Christmas day, and I saw many homes in our neighborhood had gatherings. I was also surprised to see how many people were working on Christmas Day. I talked to a car mechanic, a small engine repairman, and even the trash men were making their Thursday rounds. Supermarkets were open, and of course there were policemen on duty.

Here with us and our friends it was a relaxed and quiet holiday. Many kids were elsewhere celebrating with other family members, so we made the traditional holidays foods for dinner but enjoyed the evening at our own pace and appreciated the neighborhood fireworks that made the night so festive.

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Here is the majority of our Christmas food. At the top of the table are the tamales, next to the green beans. Below them is chicken with traditional Panamanian flavorings, and next to that is arroz con guandu (rice and pigeon peas). This and the tamales are pretty much requirements for festive dinners, and especially for Christmas. Guandu comes in green, spotted, or black. These are mine from last year preserved in the freezer, and they are black which is why the rice looks so dark. The dish sure tasted good though!

Moving on, next on the right is a fruit cocktail of apples, pears, grapes, and oranges. Sangria is in the cup made with cranberry juice and fresh squeezed orange juice. I never made it with orange juice before but it is really good. We also had iced tea for anyone who wanted something non-alcoholic. The pink dish is potato salad made with beets. It is made like most potato salads but with the addition of beats which give it this festive color. Because of that it is popular at many holiday dinners. Not pictured – the very illegal (diet wise) but wonderful cheesecake, thanks to Pricesmart. I wanted a tres leche cake but they didn’t have one, and I couldn’t come home empty handed after all.

Like the US, food is an important part of the holiday and every family has their favorite dishes and recipes. Food and treats are on hand for any guests, and it is especially nice if they are home made. And, also like the US, often there is the head woman of the kitchen who knows all the family favorites and how to make them.

Cedo, la jefe (the one in charge) of her kitchen.

Cedo, la jefe (the one in charge) of her kitchen.

Next comes New Years so we aren’t finished with celebrating yet. TIP = This Is Panama though, so we are never finished with celebrating! That’s OK though because it’s nice living in a country of endless celebrations.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Twinkle

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Twinkle This week, share with us your photos of twinkling light. You will need to find a light source and a reflective surface in order to capture a twinkle, but those are the only limitations.

The obvious subject is Christmas lights, but I felt like doing something different. I passed this stream in the woods and loved the sunlight sparkling off the water.

And, this spider web shimmering in the sunlight caught my eye.

 

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Gone, but not Forgotten

Posted on December 27, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Gone, but not Forgotten  In today’s challenge, show us what “gone, but not forgotten” means to you.

I am woefully behind on photo challenges. I got really stuck on this one, then I got busy with holiday activities and the days flew by. That’s my excuse. I usually use current photos for photo challenges, and how do you photograph something that is gone? I finally realized that of course, I will have to dig back through old photos. I decided to choose my former Florida life which is gone, but not forgotten even though the memories of those years are fading in the face of my new and different life here.

I had a couple water lily ponds on our Florida back yard. I loved them for the beautiful flowers and plants, and all the wildlife they attracted. I never got tired of photographing the water lilies!
I love the water lilies with their delicate petals and soft colors.
Bees loved the waterlilies but we didn’t see these pretty green bees very often.
We did see a lot of honey bees though, and a swarm actually moved into the siding of our house. This was the beginning of my experiences with beekeeping. I’m not sure what I was doing here. I think I had put out a box after collecting the honey so the bees could clean it up. I see a box in the background with a bottle of sugar water so that must have been a new colony I just put in and didn’t have it’s own honey supply yet.
We also had tons of frogs, toads, and tadpoles in the pond and they could make quite a racket. These tree frogs liked to live behind the house shutters. They weren’t very happy when we renovated the house for sale and removed the shutters in the process.
One day we got a heck of a surprise. An alligator snapping turtle had moved into the pond and was eating the water lilies! We could not figure out how he got into our fenced, Jack Russell proof yard. We carefully removed enough plants to track him down, scooped him up with a big net, tossed him in a trash can and promptly took him the river and set him loose. One could lose a toe to that beast while working in the pond!
Florida also had some amazing sunsets. It looks like we climbed up on the roof one evening to capture this sight. Since Joel was the most likely to be on the roof, I will give him credit for this photo.

xxx

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Residency!

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Yesterday we made a huge step towards residency – our temporary residency cards. They will serve as the real thing while everything is getting processed, which should take 2-6 months.

I am so happy. I love this country so I am glad to be a resident and no longer a tourist. We also have a multitude of benefits and discounts because we now have jubalado (retired) status.

It has been a process but everything went smoothly. I am so thankful to have our lawyer, Marcos Kraemer. He has been really professional, thorough, and competent as well as being a nice guy to work with. If you need a lawyer here I would highly recommend him, and you can check out his website HERE. We have heard so many stories about people who weren’t given all the information they needed, or things weren’t done right, or a multitude of other problems that caused delays and anxiety and additional expense. I was apprehensive even though we seemed to be in good hands. Now I can say that yes indeed, it went very well.

So, what all did we have to do to get to this point?

The first thing was to wait quite a while. The income requirement for a couple is $1250/month guaranteed income for life (social security, retirement, annuity, etc) For us, we didn’t qualify until last August when my social security payments finally started.

Then it was time to gather all the necessary documents. We got statements from social security and had them apostilled (like an notary but for international business). This involved sending the documents to the state department in Washington, specifying which country they were going to (apparently apostile agreements between different countries can vary), paying the fees, and waiting for them to be processed and sent back.

Then, we needed our marriage certificate which also had to be apostilled, and this went to the Kansas Secretary of State because we were married in KS and it is a state document, not a federal thing. It is so easy to get tripped up on details like this. Also, keep in mind that these documents have expiration dates (usually 6 months) so once they are done things must move forward in a timely manner.

Since there isn’t convenient mail service in Panama they were all sent to my daughter’s CA house, our US address, and when they had all arrived she sent them on to our mailing service here in Panama.

The rest was all done in Panama.

Background check – we were very lucky on this one! Most people have this done in their country of origin. In the US this means you have to have fingerprints done (either there or here) and sent to the FBI. If they are clear enough to be processed (which doesn’t always happen) the FBI will check them against their database and return a report on your status. Then, this must be apostilled. Once this is done and gets to Panama you cannot leave the country or it is null and void (who knows what you were up to when you were traveling about). Since your drivers licence is only good for 90 days on a tourist visa in Panama, before it expires you have to leave the country and return to get a new stamp on your passport and reset it for another 90 days. You can see where people can run into problems with this.

But, since we had been in Panama for over two years, and we hadn’t left Panama for more than 30 days at a time, we qualified to have the background check done here. We went to the office for Report Policia (police report), handed them our passports and copies of our passports, signed our names, wrote the names of our parents, and were told to sit down. In about 10 minutes our reports were ready, free of charge. It couldn’t have been easier.

We also had to get a certificate of good health, so off to the doctor we went for a checkup and those documents.

Then we had some other things to gather – our rental agreement, a utility bill, 5 passport size photos, an application for residency to fill out with piles of questions, a form giving our lawyer authority to work on our behalf, and copies of every single page of our passports including the outside covers. whew!

Marcos looked everything over, got any documents in English translated by a certified translator, got anything notarized that needed it, double checked that we had everything in order, triple checked everything and told us to show up at the Department of Immigration at 8AM on Tuesday so we could be the first in line.

We actually arrived before many of the employees, and there was another couple from the US also going through the process. Marcos explained that there were four stages. The first was entering all the information into the computer. He talked with people, left to make copies, talked more, brought us some things to sign, answered some questions, copied more things, and told us things were moving into the second stage. That, if I remember, is when they check all the information to be sure there aren’t any problems with anything. He talked with the employees, left to make more copies, talked more, we hung out and  enjoying talking with the other couple. He left to make copies, brought us things to sign, and then it was time for pictures, the third stage (they also took our pictures even though we had also brought all the pictures with our applications). More copies were made, we signed multiple copies, more copies (it seemed like every time we turned around he was heading out to the copy place!)  And, at 11:30 he put our passports back into our hands along with our new cards!!

He said that was the fastest application he had done. We were prepared to spend the day, and he said it is often an hour or two more than this. But, if we had done it in Panama City it would have been three days because one must go to three different offices to get it all done.

Next, we wait. Our applications will be sent to Panama City and assigned to a case worker. When everything is ready Marcos will be notified. We could go to Panama City at that time, but he recommends that he takes our passports and goes by himself to be sure everything is actually ready, that nothing is lost, or they don’t have a problem with anything, or there aren’t any other snags that will cause us a wasted trip. Once he sees for himself that everything is in order we will go to the city, get more pictures taken and I’m sure sign more things, and we will be finished. He says this part is a very quick and easy process.

What next?

A drivers licence. Now we have 30 days to get a drivers licence, which involves going to one office in Panama City to verify our US drivers licence, and then another office to verify the verification. Once we have these documents we can return to David and request our Panamanian licenses. If you don’t get your licence in time, you had better keep your residency card in your pocket and show the police your passport and US licence like you are a tourist, in case you get stopped.

Also, another good thing to know – you have to have a multi entry visa in your passport while your application is pending. If you do not have this and you leave the country, you will be charged a $2000 fine! I have heard of people getting this nasty surprise. Thankfully Marcos says he does this for everyone because you just don’t know if there might be an emergency or something that causes you to leave.

Once we get our permanent residency cards, we will apply for a cedula which is a Panamanian permanent ID card. Right now our identity is tied to our passport numbers. When we have to renew our passports the number will change, and will then need to be updated everywhere. The cedula number is permanent so we won’t ever have to worry about it changing. That though, will be a discussion for another day.

Right now, I have a card! We have waited for this for a long time, so it’s almost hard to believe it is actually done. It is too close to Christmas for a party, but when the permanent one comes in we are definitely having a celebration!

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A Chance Encounter with some Fantastic Bikers!

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

I was biking home Monday morning after a good ride, and I met three bikers at an intersection. They had baggage on their bikes and were obviously travelers. I greeted them, and they asked if I knew of a bike shop in town. This began a most interesting day!

We went to the bike shop, stopped by Colombia to check out their shoe sale, and then went to the supermarket, chatting along the way and getting to know each other. Then, we said goodbye so they could be on their way. But, it wasn’t long before the skies opened up and we had a major downpour, and I received an email. Could they come back to David and stay for a night?

What stories, so inspiring! I was really glad to have more time with them, and for Joel to get to meet them as well.

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Mike is on the left. He is from Mississippi, USA. He has taken numerous bike trips, and on this one he has ridden from Mississippi down through Mexico and Central America. He is headed to Ecuador where, if I remember correctly, he has a job working on a sustainable agriculture project and writing articles about that and health related subjects. He will earn enough money to enable him to return and finish his degree in geology.

Elif is in the middle. She is from Turkey. She flew to Orlando FL, and then proceeded to bike west around the southern US and down into Mexico. She spent a year in Mexico recovering from a fall and a broken shoulder, and enjoying a relationship with someone she met there. From there she has headed down into Central America and plans to continue into South America. She has been on her bike for 7 months since leaving Mexico.

Alain is on the right. He is from France. He biked east into Eastern Europe and Turkey. He wasn’t allowed into Iran and Afghanistan so he flew over them, and then proceeded through India and then Asia – Thailand, Singapore, China, then flying to Japan, and then to Los Angeles, USA. He intended to bike north but by the time he got to San Francisco winter was coming and it was too cold, so he reversed direction and went south making his way through Mexico and Central America. He also is heading to South America, and he has been on his bike for 2 1/2 years!

Mike is 38, Elif 40, and Alain 41 though they all seem much younger. They met on the road at one point, then went in separate directions, and met back up again about 3 weeks ago. They all said they worked hard and saved money to fund these travels.

Before dinner though, they admired our area and eagerly accepted an offer of a walk in the woods which turned into a visit to the river as well.

The woods and the huge banana trees were really beautiful.
Joel hangs out with our new friends by the river.
Elif and Alain take photos. After the downpours the river was active and muddy.
Then, Elif noticed this beautiful rainbow overhead.

It’s a good day when there is a rainbow. And, it’s a good day when you get to spend time with very interesting people. We all had a good time putting a meal together, some Italian chicken by us, a rice and veggie stir fry by them, and a squash and plantain stir fry as well (Elif and Alain are vegetarians). Dessert was banana and jam sandwiches (which sounded interesting but I was good and didn’t indulge) We all sat on the terrace and ate and talked and told stories until bedtime. Then, they unrolled their sleeping mats on the living room floor and it was lights out, because the next day was an early morning (post to follow on another great day!)

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Here they are in the morning heading out again towards Panama City, where they plan to either take the new ferry or find other transportation over water to South America. I am glad we are Facebook friends now so I can follow their future adventures. How great that a chance encounter turned into such an interesting experience.

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Recipe Night – La Lengua de Res

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

La Lengua de Res = Beef Tongue. Cedo and I were in Pricesmart wandering through the meat department where we saw the beef tongues. “Oh, esa es muy rica, muy muy rica!” (very very delicious). Hmmm OK, I’ll try anything once and if I don’t like it, she will be getting a gift. On the ride home I was given the instructions, twice, just to be sure I understood correctly.

The tongue, about 2 pounds - $4/pound.

The tongue, about 2 pounds – $4/pound.

There were other things that I don’t usually buy either like sliced cow stomach, sliced feet (also muy rico para la sopa, pero mucha grasa – very delicious for soup, but a lot of fat). But, today it is about the tongue.

First, it must be boiled for 5-10 minutes, and then the skin removed. That is quite a bit more difficult than one would think! (I was told if the skin isn’t removed it becomes impossibly hard and tough when cooked more) Then, make a salsa like the one for the Lomo Relleno – celery, onion, green pepper, Maggi bullion cube, garlic, and any other seasonings you like whirled in the blender. Pour this over the meat and it is ready to cook.

Boil in water for 5-10 minutes. I think this is to make the skin firmer so it is easier to remove.
Remove the skin. This was no easy task!
In the sauce ready for cooking

I was told it takes maybe 30 minutes cooking time without the pressure cooker. I used the pressure cooker and checked it after 30 minutes and it still seemed fairly tough, so I ended up cooking it for a hour. Again, our ideas of soft are different than the Panamanians who are used to a much tougher type of beef. After an hour though I thought the meat was soft and tender.

Finally, soft enough to shred a bit with a fork, and it smells really good!
The meat, sliced thin.
Pour the salsa over the meat. I forgot to photograph that part until we were putting the leftovers away.

After the meat is cooked take it out of the pot, cook down the juice to thicken and decrease the liquid, slice the meat, pour the juice over it, and it’s ready to serve.

It tasted like beef! (but of course). Seriously it did not have a strange taste at all, but tasted like other cuts of beef that I am familiar with. The main difference was the slightly softer texture. I thought it was quite acceptable. Joel, however decided to pass. Either he saw it in the fridge so he knew what it was, or he didn’t like the softer texture, or both.

I don’t think I will buy this one again. It’s more expensive per pound and a fair amount of work getting the skin off. Of course also, if Joel doesn’t care for it there is no point in keeping this on our list. I’m glad I tried it though. Now I know, and just because something isn’t a common food where I’m from doesn’t mean it isn’t good to eat. I gave the rest to Cedo who pronounced it well cooked and “muy rica”.

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Recipe Night – Lomo Relleno

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Thank you Cedo for another recipe. Tonight is a beef dish stuffed with vegetables and topped with garnishes and a delicious sauce.

First, buy a Lomo Redondo. The cuts of meat here are all different so I don’t know what this would be in the US. Tenderloin, maybe? You can probably get about 10 servings. I figure this piece is 3.32 pounds so this comes out to about $3/pound and there are no bones or waste.

The package label (which I forgot to photograph until after i had cut it)
The meat looks like this.

Cook the carrot and potato until soft but not mushy. It needs to be firm enough to stuff into the meat. Cedo peels them after cooking, but I peeled before out of habit.  You can use anything you like for stuffing – hard boiled eggs, olives, other veggies, etc. I also used some raw celery sticks and slices of green pepper than I had on hand.

You will also need to make a sauce. Peel and smash 3 garlic cloves with your kitchen stone (or mash them however you wish), some salt, some Maggi and water (chicken bullion cubes), red sauce, and any other flavorings you like. She also used Mrs. Dash garlic and herb but I don’t have that on hand. Set the sauce on the stove to cook a bit.

While things are cooking, cut a pocket in the meat. Start at one end and carefully make a pocket as large as you can from one end to the other (without cutting through at the other end). This isn’t as easy as it sounds so it helps if you have a good knife with enough length to reach in there.

Then, rub the sauce on the meat inside and out, put the stuffing in the meat (also a bit challenging if your hands are big, so find a utensil to help), sew the end closed with needle and strong thread, and brown the meat in a bit of oil. By now other people in the house will be asking you what smells SO good!

Carrots and potatoes cooking
The kitchen stone and Cedo’s favorite sauce. It seems every cook has to have a stone for various tasks, one that fits the cook’s hands well.
Sauce getting ready for rubbing on the meat
Browning the meat

Now, you will need flavored water to cook the meat in. Put a couple stalks of celery, half a green pepper, half an onion in the blender with enough water to blend easily. The instructions are to strain the juice so you will have a clear juice which will look nice for your end product. I didn’t do this though, which is why my sauce at the end looks more like gravy and hides the garnishes. Either way, put the blended liquid in the cooking pot with salt, red sauce, a bit of soy sauce, and any other flavorings you like.

Cedo cooks hers in a regular pot until the meat is nice and soft, maybe an hour. I think Panamanian soft and US soft are different since they are used to beef that is quite a bit tougher. I cooked mine in the pressure cooker for a hour and thought it was just right.

To finish up, take the meat out of the pot. Cook the juices to decrease the liquid and thicken the sauce. Saute some sliced green pepper, onion, and tomato in a bit of oil for garnish. Check the sauce for flavor and adjust seasonings as needed.

Then, slice the meat, top with garnish and sauce, and it’s ready to eat!

This is after an hour in the pressure cooker. I had also tossed in the the veggies that I was unable to fit in the meat.
Cooking down the sauce.
Meat sliced, showing the pretty stuffing in the center.
Saute the garnish
Top with the sauce. It might have looked prettier if I had strained the sauce, but it sure tasted good!

INGREDIENTS:

  • one lomo redondo
  • 1 potato
  • 1 carrot
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green pepper (or more if they are small)
  • 1 tomato, or 2-3 Italian tomatoes
  • Maggi bouillon cubes
  • red sauce
  • any other flavorings or stuffings you prefer
  • enough oil for browning
  • needle and strong thread for closing the top

Portions can be frozen for later. We took some of ours out of the freezer tonight and it was just as good as the day I made it, maybe even better.

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