Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring – For this week’s challenge, share a photo which describes what spring means to you.

Panama has two seasons, dry and rainy, so we don’t have spring. But we are currently coming out of the dry season and the rains are beginning again, so there is a new season to talk about.

With the return of the rains come new bugs. Right now it seems like “bug of the day” time. After the first good rain we had tons of little flying bugs. If they got inside they’d would land on the countertop or floor and just die. I visited one of the neighbors the next day and she had dead bugs all over her patio floor. After that night we didn’t see them again.

Then, a few days ago, we had black flying bugs. One of them was nice enough to land in my glass of Costa Rican money.

This bug was in the money glass where I could catch a photo.

 

The next evening we were visited by these other interesting bugs. My friend said they bite very hard. Thankfully I have no first hand knowledge of this. But again, everyone seemed to have been visited by these on the same night and dead ones were on everyone’s terraces the next day.

Another of the many brown bugs found outside the next morning.
A brown bug encounter outside the front door the next morning.

The next night it was thee invasion of the June bugs.

This June bug seems to like our kitchen sponge.
The smallest grasshopper I’ve ever seen sits on top of the soap dish.

But, if this a post about the rainy season, there must also be photos of rain!

The clouds start gathering in the afternoon.
The sky turns darker, thunder rumbles, and it won’t be long before the rain will start
Rain water is soon pouring off the roof.
As darkness falls the last of the light reflects in the rain puddles.

This is the first post written on my new iPad (thank you Joel!) it is so light and easy to travel with, and I’m learning my way around and liking it more every day. But there may be a few things I haven’t quite figured out so ignore any quirks.

Posted in insects, Panama, Photo Challenge, photography | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Ignore the Strange Password Protected Post

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

I just posted a password protected post not thinking it would go public. Why would it be public everyone knows it is there but can’t see it? I have learned something new today about the “visibility” feature on WordPress.

Someone wanted some photos of the land that is for sale, the one that had the sign that I used for the Letters Photo Challenge. If you want to see the photos, the password is “forsale”

And you thought it was something exciting… 😀

 

Posted in Panama | 2 Comments

Protected: Land For Sale

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

This content is password-protected. To view it, please enter the password below.

Posted in Panama | Enter your password to view comments.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Weekly Photo Challenge: Letters   For this week’s challenge, share a photo with letters — no matter the alphabet. You can capture a neon sign, a sentence scribbled in an old phone booth, a random letter that’s seemingly out of place, or anything else. As you look through your lens, think about how your image might convey something bigger: a snapshot of how we communicate with one another, even if we don’t speak the same language.

Letters? I came up blank all week. Inspiration wouldn’t come. Then I came home and saw this sign leaning against our shrubs. It has letters and a history.

We seriously considered buying this lot in our neighborhood. The owner lives in Florida but has a Panamanian wife and extended family here. Through talking about the lot, he and Joel became friends and also met in person when Tony was here.

But, the sign fell down. Wood rot, termites, and possibly a weed whacker led to the demise of the bottom of the stakes. So, Tony called Joel who brought the sign to our house, and one of the family members will pick it up later.

We decided that financially, tempting as it is, this isn’t the best time for us to buy and build. The owner loves Panama. Maybe the lot is meant for him and his future home? It’s interesting though how a friendship can develop from a casual walk up the street, and a sign on a nice lot.

5114Letters

If any of you want a lot in a lovely neighborhood, woods beside and behind, the river a block away, quiet, tons of birds, five minutes from a major shopping area and the Pan-American highway, turn your computer sideways and write down the contact information. There’s even a couple other gringos living down the street 😀

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Posted in Panama, Photo Challenge, photography | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Rejected

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Recently I posted about International Living, and their request for reciprocal links between my blog and their social media sites. After much thought, I decided to try it out and I put their link on my sidebar. But, my photos never showed up on their sites and my stats never showed any traffic from them, so I emailed to ask about this.

I received a reply this morning. It seems they have retracted their request. I can certainly understand this. I had a lot of hesitation about including them on my blog as well. If they don’t want someone with my views and lifestyle though, I’m not sure why they asked me in the first place.

It’s nice being in my position. I don’t need to make money and I don’t need traffic. I blog for my own enjoyment, and it’s a bonus that I’ve made some great friends and helped others on their journeys. My blog is always going to say what I think and feel though. I try to be kind and polite, but I will speak the truth as I see it.

So, this is why I had a link to International Living one week and none the next. It’s for the best. Opposites aren’t always meant to attract.

 

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged | 30 Comments

Sunday is Election Day in Panama

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Sunday seems like a good day for elections, a day when many don’t have to work. Panama has compulsory voting for everyone over 18 but I don’t think it is strictly enforced. I know one of my neighbors doesn’t plan to vote “I don’t like any of them. They are all the same.” That sounds like a lot of people I know if the US.

It’s very interesting to watch the election process here in Panama. Candidates are out and about and making themselves as visible as possible. There are signs and banners and flags all over town. (One of my local friends told me that the candidates have to put up the money to take down all their stuff before they are even allowed to put it up, which sounds like a very good idea.)  People drive around with flags and signs on their cars, there are ads on TV, trucks drive around with loudspeakers, and there are rallies  small and large. There was a huge one in town last weekend with thousands of people, free lunch, t-shirts, hats, speeches, performances, and enough traffic to jam up the Pan-American highway.

This notice is also out from the Tribunal Electoral, the folks who manage the voting process.

diaSeco

Notice – Dry Law

The Tribunal Electoral makes public knowledge that from noon on Saturday the 3rd until noon on Monday the 5th of May, 2014, will close all the bars, saloons, centers of night fun (nightclubs), dance halls, and other places that sell alcoholic beverages and it is prohibited to sell, gift, transfer, use or consume.

The measure has the objective of granting a climate of peace and tranquility for the general elections of May 4th which is a civic holiday, and once again will be evidence of the political maturity of the Panamanians.

Excepted from this prohibition of consumption are foreigners in hotels where they are guests.

This was a surprise. We don’t do this in the US. Apparently if you are found drunk or drinking around town, you will be taken to the police station. This is probably a good weekend to be very well behaved, even for those of us who can’t vote.

There are three major contenders for president and candidates for many other offices as well. It will be interesting to see how this all comes out! I have some friends who aren’t very involved, and others who are totally passionate about their chosen candidates. I hope no one is too badly disappointed, and whoever wins will continue to lead Panama in its very positive direction.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Panama | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Another Successful Border Hop

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

It was time to get the passports stamped, so we headed off for a visit to Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica. We have enough travel plans these days and didn’t want to do anything major, so an overnight visit to this pretty, laid back town was just the thing.

Going to Costa Rica is no problem. We got stamped out of Panama and walked to the Costa Rica checkpoint. There, the official was on his cell phone and didn’t even ask us anything, just stamped our passports and we were on our way.

Coming back, this was our first experience with the new tax to get out of Costa Rica ($7.00). If you are facing the windows at the checkpoint, on your left is a hallway behind these offices. There, in the middle of the hallway on the left was another office. Thankfully there was an official there to help us through the process of scanning our passports into a machine, putting our credit cards in, and then taking out the receipt. It wasn’t difficult and reminded me of a check in process at the airport. The machine was just a bit picky about how the passport was passed through the scanner, and there were a few things to touch on the touch screen. When we were done, off we went with our customs paper, tax receipt, and passports to get stamped out of Costa Rica which was fast and easy.

Of course, the most challenging part is getting back into Panama and I was ready. Big, noisy trucks were going by and I couldn’t hear a thing the official was saying so I handed over my passport. When she looked up at me I handed her the print out of our airline reservations back to the US in July. When she looked up again I handed her the printouts of our bank statements for 3 months. She looked at everything, handed it back, stamped the passports, and we were done! Whew! Even when you think you know what you are doing, there is always that niggling little worry that something will happen so it’s a relief when the whole process is done.

We took buses on this trip and I’m always appreciative of the Panamanian buses. The assistant helped me out of my backpack and stored it for me. He helps everyone with their packages, keeps track of all the various points where people get on and off, and collects the various amounts of money. He gets out at some points to recruit riders and communicates with the driver at stops and starts. He calls out the upcoming stops along the way, and does all these activities with a smile. The Costa Rican buses are fine too but there isn’t the assistant so you are more on your own to manage your stuff and get yourself off at your destination.

Of course, if I go anywhere I will have a camera with me.

Sitting in the ferry, watching the rain sprinkle, enjoying the scenery.
Puerto Jimenez, we left the rain behind.
Pretty scene with all the clouds
More rain in the distance. It caught up with us after we made it to the hostel, and stopped about the time we decided to go out for dinner.
We got really lucky with the weather, only getting rain when we were in a bus or under cover, not when we had to be out.
Walking back from the supermarket, we passed this guy on his horse.
Cool iguana
This is one of the few paved roads and the main road along the water. This pretty much sums up the pace of the town, this dog sleeping in the road. People just drove or biked around him.
Sunday morning, heading back to the ferry and the clouds were gorgeous.
Sitting in the ferry waiting to go back to Golfito, and watching the guys fish. They had line wound around spools or even plastic bottles with hooks on the end and maybe a small silver fish, and they were casting this into the water. We were there well over half out and didn’t see anyone catch anything, but they were having fun.

If you need more information about doing this border crossing see my previous posts
https://blog.thepanamaadventure.com/2013/01/25/the-border-hop-or-the-passport-shuffle/
https://blog.thepanamaadventure.com/2013/11/17/crossing-the-panama-costa-rica-border/
https://blog.thepanamaadventure.com/2013/12/04/crossing-the-border-back-into-panama/

We have been to Puerto Jimenez before too. If you want to see previous posts on that, just type “puerto jimenez” in that search box in the sidebar on the right and you’ll find them.

It was a nice little getaway, but it’s always nice to be home!

 

Posted in Costa Rica, Getting Things Done, Panama, travel | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Dengue Fever

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

A flyer fell out of a package of trash bags so I picked it up. I know that there is dengue fever in Panama, and that the authorities are working hard to prevent it and educate people on mosquito control. I have heard that they are even going house to house in some areas to check for standing water and to be sure people understand what they need to do.

dengue1HIT BACK HARD at DENGUE

What is dengue? A viral illness which can be serious or not. Transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

Dengue can start with:

  • fever
  • pain en the muscles, bones, and joints
  • headache and pain behind the eyes
  • vomiting and diarrhea
  • rough and/or red skin
  • malaise

Dengue with warning signs

  • abdominal pain
  • persistent vomiting
  • difficulty breathing
  • bleeding gums and/or feces
  • drowsiness and/or irritability

If you have any of these symptoms, get help quickly at the nearest health facility. Do not self medicate.

Prevention:

Eliminate the hatcheries of the mosquito Aedes aegypti:

  • Eliminate containers where water can accumulate like: bottles, cans, cups, bowls, plastics, saucers, vases, tires
  • Empty, clean and brush the water tanks and drinks of pets daily
  • Cover the water storage tanks (plastic or metal) so they are airtight. Before filling them with water, brush to remove possible eggs of mosquitoes.
  • Clean the channels (canals?) periodically
  • It is recommended to use nets, mesh in doors and windows

dengue2ELIMINATE THE BREEDING SITES,
WASHING AND CLEANING

Beverage packaging, cartons, and cans.

Tires

Pet drinks

Dishes of planters

Scrap

Dish rack

For your Health: No breeding areas, Eliminate them to avoid the dengue

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seem to be on a dangerous bug thing this week. This is important though. I don’t believe there is much dengue in our area, but I know it is a concern in most tropical areas worldwide. I have also heard that if you get it a second time, it can be much more serious. It is even recommended that if an expat gets it, they return to the US or wherever they are from to avoid a second exposure. For me, I think this would be even worse than getting sick.

800px-Aedes_aegypti

This is a Wikipedia photo of the aedes aegypti, the mosquito that can carry dengue (and also some other diseases). They are easy to spot because of the white bands on their legs. We see very few mosquitoes here, thankfully, but I have seen these occasionally.

May we all stay healthy!

We are headed to Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica for the weekend. I promise, no more bugs! Well, not unless I see something really interesting and pretty 😀

Posted in health care, insects, Miscellaneous, Panama | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

My New Shower Buddy

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Joel and I were taking a shower the other day. I had my hair all lathered up and my eyes closed to keep the soap out of them, and he tells me “don’t move” in a very serious but quiet voice. “OK, you can dry your eyes and open them, but don’t touch the shower curtain.” So, I dry my eyes and look at the shower curtain, and this is what I see.

414scorpion1

It’s not the greatest picture, but Joel had dashed out for the camera and a bucket while I kept an eye on our friend (who seemed as stunned as we were and remained immobile). I quickly snapped a couple photos before retreating to the other side of the curtain so Joel could knock him into the bucket.

We don’t see scorpions very often but we have had a few in the house. Hopefully, with normal precautions, we won’t find out what a sting feels like.

We actually have very few problems with bugs and critters here. In a year and a half, I have been stung by one little wasp who must have been on a lemon I was picking. I get bitten by ants but that’s my own fault for getting in their way when I’m working in the yard. I have had a few somethings that I believe are chiggers, and I’m trying to think if I have had any mosquito bites.  The bugs here seem very mellow and non aggressive, quite different than Florida or anywhere else I’ve lived in the US. I remember being driven indoors by mosquitoes as soon as the sun got low in the sky, but that doesn’t happen here.

Still though, it pays to be aware of the wildlife. Don’t poke your hands into places you can’t see. Use a tool instead, and wear gloves. Shake out clothes and shoes before you put them on, and don’t let your bedding drag on the floor. Wildlife doesn’t want to see you any more than you want to see it, but anything will defend itself if it can’t flee.

I love bugs and critters. I try to be cautious and sensible but I’m not afraid of them. The scorpions look so strange and exotic though, and they have always been portrayed as something to be feared. I’m still not quite sure how I feel about them. In a way I’m excited to see such an interesting creature, but I’d also be OK if they didn’t visit us in the house.

But, since they are here, maybe the next time I’ll be calmer so I can slow down and get some decent photos. It would also help if I wasn’t wet and soapy.

P.S. This scorpion was tossed over the fence into the woods where hopefully he will finish his days free of human encounters and more time in a bucket.

Posted in insects, Panama, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 30 Comments

International Living?

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Kris Cunningham

Why do I have a link to International Living on my sidebar?

Many who know me know that I’m not enthusiastic about a business who’s main purpose is to make money by selling expensive conferences, books, magazines, and other merchandise to potential expats. I don’t think it’s realistic for most of us to “fund our life overseas” using one of their amazingly easy money making ideas. A property recommended as an investment opportunity may not be the right option for you. Panama may not be the inexpensive paradise many are lead to believe, and people could make financially and emotionally costly mistakes.

International Living has many readers. I think most of us started there or at least checked it out at some point. Perhaps if some of these readers find their way to my blog, they will get other perspectives that may help balance their view. When I was first approached by International Living my knee jerk reaction was to decline. But, after much thought and discussion with my husband, I changed my mind and decided to try this for a while. Perhaps the exposure will be good for me and helpful to others.

So, that is why there is a link to International Living on my blog.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged | 19 Comments