The Panama Adventure

The House and the Man in Charge

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

I have had requests for a look at the house and puppy, so here you go. We are really suffering here, as you will see 😀

update – this is not our home. We are house sitting for friends on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. We live in David, Panama.

Cappy keeps an eye out, AKA El Capitan by the locals who stop by.

The house is nestled among a lot of huge trees

A bit of the side yard and the casita. The mango trees are huge!

All the trees keep it so cool and comfortable even in the afternoons.

The back yard garden with flowers and many food producing plants

The kitchen. If you saw my house in FL with similar colors you know we would get along! We love the open and spacious feel of this house.

My favorite part though is this huge wrap around patio outside.

I am sitting at that table down at the end as we speak enjoying the breezes and neighborhood sounds.

Cappy has his own special yard out back.

Plastic bottle? Me?? But it is SO much fun and makes so much noise!

Posted in Panama | 9 Comments

Tuesday in Nicaragua

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

I was moving right along catching up on blog posts and photos, and the internet went out. I have been working off line so when things are fixed everything is probably going to get posted all at once. We have been having a great time and doing all sorts of things, and if it wasn’t for some afternoon rains I probably wouldn’t be in the hammock long enough to write about them.

So, Tuesday, what did we do Tuesday? The first order of business was to walk to town and find a couple bikes to rent. Not only do I miss riding, and there are many places to explore here, it’s also easier to get some shopping and errands done when you don’t have to always track down our taxi driver (nice as he is, we are too used to coming and going as we please)

We decided to give the beach path a try. We heard that there is a good path that goes right to the ferry dock in town and indeed there is, and with some good photo ops along the way.

These ladies had roofs over their washing platforms

Horses by the water always make a pretty picture

As we came into town we came across this old abandoned building

Too bad we disturbed the bats too much and they wouldn’t settle down for photos. It looks like they cooked with wood here because the wall and ceiling were really black.

This is the other end of the building. It is long with small rooms along the length. A hotel, maybe?

We found some very decent bikes to rent, $42 for both for two weeks. It felt great to be riding rather than walking, and I even have a basket on mine to carry stuff. Next stop was the supermarket and a produce market for a few things, and then we headed home.

Joel wanted to go back to the beach to hunt for old pottery pieces but that isn’t exactly a bike riding area so I left to ride around a bit while he did his thing.

The side road along the airport also has beautiful views of the volcano

Of course I passed cows on the move in the road

This very interesting calf was lagging behind, and the guy had to ride back and get it to catch up with the group.

As I turned back towards the house I passed these cows who were going everywhere but where the guys wanted them to go.

Puesta del Sol is a business that arranges for tourists to stay in the homes of locals. Many houses nearby have the signs. It not only gives the tourist a unique experience, it gives the locals some much needed extra income.

As I approached the intersection towards the house I came across this scene that totally cracked me up. this definitely is “happy as a pig in mud”.

As I passed the house next door I saw these chicks in the doorway making a cute photo.

The volcano has a cap of clouds

This is the very top of the volcano as well as I could get it with the zoom on my camera.

When we got home, Joel investigated the water tank. There is a tank here for those times when the city water may not be flowing, so the house always has water. Something is dripping though so he went to investigate.

The tank is full of water so that is good, but still not sure what to do about the intermittent leak. The flowers below are very happy though.

So, running around done we settled in to relax at the house for the rest of the day. It was hardly any time though when Joel hollered that I needed to grab the camera because the setting sun was turning the water into gold. We soon found out that we were in for a real treat.

The lake was turning golden

A ferry makes it’s way through the pink haze

Where the sun hit the water it was really gold

What pretty colors

This girl paddle boarding was a beautiful sight in the fading light

These guys had been making their way along the beach since Joel was st the beach earlier. They were splashing water into a net, inspecting it for I assume whatever they were catching, and then they would move a little ways down the beach to repeat the procedure.

The sunset changes by the minute, now showing more colors higher in the sky

A couple other kids try the paddle board

Wow, what colors

I am not sure what they were doing, but they were laughing and hollering and having a great time

What a beautiful evening

Thus ends another day in this beautiful spot. We are liking it more every day.

Posted in travel | Tagged Nicaragua, Ometepe island | 6 Comments

Monday and a new biking experience

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Our experience continues on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. I met someone who is also visiting here and loves to bike, so no surprise that we made plans to go out together! She likes off road biking though, of which I have minimal experience. This is an ideal place for this since the majority of the roads aren’t paved, so there are tons of places to go without ever hitting pavement.

I set out for the school, the closest landmark we could think of for a taxi to pick me up. This horse is “parked” on our street.

I wait in front of the school while the kids are arriving among more cows on the move.

We are off! The volcano is covered with clouds this morning and there are some really green fields.

We come across people picking tobacco in this field.

We stop to wash off some dust in this picturesque scene of cows by the water.

The cows also have a pretty relaxed life here.

We pass some amazing trees

How is this for a crazy, amazing tree!

Tobacco is drying here, and people are unloading the ox drawn cart that is bringing more in.

There is no end of amazing trees

Airport photo of the day of the volcano as I return from our biking excursion.

Pigs and chickens in the road – all is normal 😀

We went to town and got caught in a downpour. The girls across the street had ducked into a storefront and were playing with the boy on this side of the street

More girls in the rain. Everyone just waited in front of the supermarket where we were until the rain slowed down and then they went on their way. Since the rain is warm here people don’t get too concerned about getting a little wet.

The internet went out for a couple days, but it is repaired now and we are back on line. Yeah! More posts and photos are coming.

Posted in travel | Tagged biking, Nicaragua, Ometepe island | 7 Comments

it is Wednesday already?!

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Every day here is new and different, but still the time seems to fly by. I guess we must be having a good time! I want to go every minute and not miss anything but sometimes you just need to slow down for a bit. We decided to chill this morning, do some computer stuff and generally relax at home. That was great until *poof!* The internet died. I have plenty to keep me busy but there was no more emailing, blogging, or any of the usual things that need internet.

But, I find it impossible to chill for very long especially when there are interesting things to do. We had our eye on the kayak, but decided to avoid the intense early afternoon sun since there is no shade on the water. We went out about 4pm and headed to Joel’s favorite beach spot where the bits of old pottery can be found. It is much easier on water, no trudging through sand and scratchy plants.

This photo does not do it justice

We paddled along until we are out a little ways, and I looked over my shoulder and almost gasped at the sight! I knew you could see the volcano from out there, but I didn’t think about how spectacular it would look. It is huge and looms over everything!

The lake was very calm and tranquil, and I was surprised at how warm the water is. It must be mid eighty degrees, about relaxing warm bath temperature. It is also quite shallow even a ways from shore so if I tipped out of the kayak I could walk in! Thankfully though our friends have a great kayak that is very stable and easy to manage, so tipping over was not a concern.

A mellow time on a beautiful lake

The sky in the other direction was beautiful too

The clouds look like they are spilling over the top

I let Joel off on the beach where the horses don’t seem the least bit concerned to see him

It is getting later in the afternoon and hints of sunset colors are starting to emerge

It seems to look different every time I look at it. Now it has a “cap”

A few minutes later it looks different again, and the sunset colors are starting to show

Joel gets back in the boat and we head for the house

I spotted this pretty bird when it flew in and was lucky enough to get a shot of it

We also paddled by some of the washing stations in the lake. At one a guy was out with his mirror and soap shaving his face. With that beautifully warm water, I can see why it would be appealing to go out in the lake as much as possible.

This kind of says it all – a lake, a boat, Joel exploring, and a volcano

We paddled the rest of the way home in this gorgeous sunset!

We had a wonderful time out on the lake and will definitely be out there again!

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Posted in travel | Tagged kayak, Nicaragua, Ometepe island | 10 Comments

Sunday

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Life on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua is certainly chill and laid back, but we seem to be keeping busy exploring and doing whatever we do, so I am still a few days behind on blogging and computer stuff.

Today Ron and Deb left so we are now in charge of keeping the household in one piece until they get back, including the very cute but energetic 4 month old dog. He’s a very sweet dog though so as long as we don’t leave our shoes on the floor we will be fine.

Sunday, of course, I kept my camera in hand, as always. Besides things in the neighborhood, we went exploring along the beach where we were told one can find a lot of pottery shards and occasionally whole pieces from times past.

Every day we see many cows being moved from one place to another.

They seem to know where they are going so I figure they do this a lot.

This lady apparently used her horse to bring the laundry down to the washing station

Joel hunts for interesting things at the water’s edge

Of course I have to find an interesting bug

One of the pottery pieces that Joel spotted laying right out in the open.

We also spotted a few egrets

Pretty butterfly

I thought the wood in this old fallen tree looked interesting

Pumps in the lake. Someone told met they are used for farming irrigation

These vines on the ground had very pretty flowers

The cormorants were all sitting on the water pipe but flew off as soon as they saw you so I was happy for the zoom feature on the camera.

Today’s photo of the volcano

A bird meeting on a washing platform

At the end of the afternoon, cows were still on the move.

At dinner this beautiful little moth landed on my paper towel.

Posted in travel | Tagged Nicaragua, Ometepe island, Travel and Tourism | 14 Comments

Saturday on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

After some rest and getting acquainted with our immediate surroundings, Saturday was for going to town. We had a great breakfast and met a new friend who loves to go biking, so it didn’t take us any time to make plans to go riding together. Then, we walked around town a little so I know where to find anything I need.

We woke up to the beautiful scene of horses on the beach

These horses seem to just wander freely around the area.

Taking the calf for a walk?

Another interesting tree

A pig in the street. It may have been the first I saw, but it certainly wasn’t the last!

Ladies doing their washing on one of the platforms out in the lake, with their little boy swimming nearby.

The pretty road to town

Another lady doing the washing

The fishermen got washed out in a flood so they rebuilt here. At first they were shacks of salvaged materials but now they are starting to build more sturdy structures with block.

Government assisted housing for those unable to afford anyplace to live

Just a photo of the mountains in the distance

A very basic shack at the edge of the fishermen’s area. There are construction materials for the nearby road in front.

They are paving one of the roads to town.

It is interesting that everyone just walks through the construction area, dodging the workmen, tools, and any wet cement

Deb and Ron know someone who rents this house for $30/month

Another little house on the way to town

More local houses

We passed this church on our way into town

This is a motorcycle taxi. Very fun! We have the number for a driver if we need someone

Everyone in the truck!

Taking lunch around in a cart

This guy is preparing bags of mango slices

Colorful steps at the end of the main street

Another of the busier streets in town

We will have to try one of these watermelons

A peek into one of the many little shops downtown. I need to find this one again and look at those bottles of sauces on the bottom shelf

The new supermarket

Horses are also used as basic transportation

Every day I seem to come back with a lot of pictures. There is always something new, interesting, beautiful, or all of the above. Maybe a time will come when I have “seen it all” but I don’t see that happening while we are here, so there will be more photos coming!

Posted in travel | Tagged Moyogalpa, Nicaragua, Ometepe island | 14 Comments

Friday, first full day on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We spent Friday relaxing a bit, walking around the area, meeting some of the neighbors, and getting a feel for the house and area where we were to spend the next three weeks.

The house is fantastic, open and spacious and just the kind of house I would make. The dog, though he is still a puppy and was overcome with excitement, is a very good dog. I see some instruction and lots of walks to burn off excess energy and we will have a lot of fun. The area and the people – there will be much more to say in the days ahead! Today though, we will start with a few photos.

Meet Princessa who lives next door. She is a much appreciated cow for the milk she gives, and is friendly enough to touch when she decides that you are OK. She has a deep and resonate MOO though that will wake you up in the morning.

I am learning that it is a very commonplace thing here for someone to be taking his cows from place to place. These were on the road in front of the house.

It’s pretty at the edge of the water

Islands and mountains in the distance

Pigs enjoying themselves at the edge of the water

There are lots of amazing trees here

The Friday vegetable vendor, service at your door.

There are many of these large birds here, and they are quite noisy.

One of the baby chickens next door

Birds on a washing platform (more about this later)

Today’s view of the volcano

Walking down one of the roads

A neighborhood house

What a tree!

Joel looks for interesting pieces of antiquities – and he found some too

The ferry makes it’s way across the lake

Beautiful trees in the woods

We found a couple of these huge mushrooms under a tree

A really huge and beautiful tree

Interesting roots

Just a pretty flower

Whew! I’m not sure where today has gone. Tomorrow is another day, so when I am more rested I will post more photos and updates.

Posted in travel | Tagged Nicaragua, Ometepe island | 14 Comments

Arriving in Nicaragua

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We are traveling so posts will not be about Panama for a while, because we are in Nicaragua! I wanted to travel this month anyway so when we learned that a fellow blogger friend needed a house sitter it was just perfect. We made our way though Costa Rica, staying in San Jose and the Liberia. On Thursday we crossed the border into Nicaragua and the took the ferry to Ometepe Island, our destination.

At the border a guy in protective gear sprayed the bus with something.

There were so many people at the border selling things, mostly phone cards and changing money.

A guy fumigating one of the buses

The border area. The building in the distance was full of vendors

I fell for these cashews and they were SO good! They had been roasted over a fire and tasted like it, much better than the usual cashews in a jar.

We are in Nicaragua!

Before long I spot water and a volcano in the distance and realize that must be Ometepe Island.

There were many windmills along the way too.

Rivas! I hope we can look around the town a bit on our way back. There sure are a lot of these bicycle carts to take people around.

We decided to go for it and took the bike cart. These guys must have some seriously strong legs!

An amazing tree we passed.

We arrive at the ferry port. That is ours on the left.

On the ferry. Again there are many people selling things, mostly snacks. I bought a bigger bag so cashews and some sweets, home made patties of something- milk and sugar and I thought she said corn flour but it didn’t taste like it.

We are going over there!

It’s hard to realize how many windmills there are until you look back on them like this.

The volcano is incredibly beautiful!

The other volcano is also beautiful with the clouds touching the top.

As we get close to the island I saw these horses at the edge of the water.

We come in to the dock where one of the other ferries waits.

There were vehicles on the ferry too, and bags of animal feed, and a truck full of plants, a truck packed to the rafters, and stuff In every possible corner of the car area.

We made it!! The bloggers meet in person for the first time. We had even more fun in person and didn’t stop talking the whole time we have been together.

In Moyogalpa, heading down the street.

We arrive at the house not long before sunset, and an absolutely beautiful scene!

And for good measure, one more photo of the volcano.

We were without internet most of yesterday for some sort of maintenance, but I have a bunch of photos to put up so I am playing catchup today. I know I am going to have a lot more to say about this area, this experience, and the great people we are meeting!

Posted in travel | Tagged Moyogalpa, Nicaragua, Ometepe island, Rivas | 14 Comments

Traveling through Costa Rica

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

We are on a new adventure in Ometepe Island, Nicaragua which will involve numerous photos and blog posts because not only is this a very interesting new experience, itis a really beautiful area. We came here on the bus.

On our first day (Tuesday) we travelled to San Jose, Costa Rica. It rained most of the time and then got dark so we couldn’t see much on the ride up. We were only in San Jose for a night but loved what we saw in our limited time. Unfortunately I poked the wrong thing on my new camera and lost those photos, but hopefully we can spend more time there and get to know the city a bit better.

My first impressions of San Jose were of a more established city with older buildings and more history going back decades (unlike Panama who’s considerable growth has been quite recent). There were many people on foot in the street, a large variety of people of many colors and some with piercings, tattoos, interesting hair colors, and other modes of self expression not usually seen in Panama. There also seemed to be every sort of familiar fast food, more so than in Panama. It felt good there, relaxed, interesting, happy, and a place where I would like to spend more time.

Wednesday we got back n the bus and traveled to Liberia, Costa Rica. It was a beautiful sunny day and this time I did not lose the photos.

As we left the city, vendors were taking advantage of slow traffic areas. This one was spellings toys and balls

We passed the San Jose Airport (I believe this is the main airport judging by the number of full size planes there)

There was a lot of fruit for sale by the side of the road, especially these mammon chinos. This guy was selling them out of the back of the car.

Pollo al Carbon? This chicken was roasting over a charcoal fire, and it probably tasted great.

Hmmmm

We saw lots of beautiful scenery!

We also saw a lot of coffee!

Some higher areas were misty in the clouds

One of many fruit stands along the road

The bus stopped so we could have a break and a bit to eat. I was very impressed with the woodwork we saw there.

This rest stop had very interesting tables

I loved this woodwork

Another very interesting table

This horse looks mournful in the corner

After driving through mountains and stopping for a break, we started getting into more flat land that reminded me of our area in Panama.

This is starting to look like Panama, even including the living fences

One area had tons of pineapples

We also saw beautiful green fields of rice

They were working hard on some of the roads

We landed in Liberia, easily found the hotel recommended by our friends (Hotel Bramadero) and the gal there sent us off for bus tickets for the next day. This took us to the Central Park and main part of town which I was happy to see.

The church on the town square in Liberia

The Central Park in Liberia

This tree had very interesting roots

I can’t remember if this is the judicial center or town hall.

Levant cola = raise your tail.

There was this huge rubber tree at the entrance to our hotel

Jocote fruit was being sold on the street. I don’t care for the starchy tasting green ones, but the riper red ones are sweet and flavorful. There is a large pit in the center though, so not a lot of fruit.

Our hotel was lovely

There was a guy out in traffic selling sunglasses

Waiting for the bus, looking down the street from our hotel

Burger King, Papa John, and a chicken restaurant across from the hotel

The hotel restaurant where we had a great dinner and breakfast. The bus stopped right in front too.

We spent the night in Libera, and the next day we crossed the border into Nicaragua. Of course there are more photos!

Posted in travel | Tagged Costa Rica, Liberia, San Jose, Travel and Tourism | 19 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Adventure

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Adventure. This week, share a photo that says “adventure.” It could be an image of someone setting off on an epic journey, a photo you took on an adventure of your own, or something more metaphoric that represents a personal or psychological adventure.

This is an easy one for me since I have just arrived in Nicaragua. It is definitely an adventure to meet a fellow blogger, visit her country, and her home on Ometepe Island! Also check out her entry for this photo challenge HERE.