Final day tomorrow...

Today, yes... shopping
Best taxi driver ever!
Blanca and I were so impressed we have booked him to take us to the airport on Wednesday.
Tomorrow I've booked myself a tour to Tobago Island, something different.  I won't be taking my tablet so while I will have lots of pictures on my camera there won't be any to share until I create my webpage many months from now.
Then Wednesday flying home, arrival early morning Thursday.

In the meantime here is another photo from Blanca's village - some coffee plants one of her brothers planted....

Not sure what I'll do today...

Maybe shopping (probably shopping).

In the meantime here is a picture fromthe fair.  I didn't takeit because I didn't take my tablet but Blanca took this one on her data phone.

Beautiful girls in beautiful traditional costumes performing at the fair.

Safely in our hotel in Panama City...

We are safely here at our hotel.  Just before we were set to head out Alvi phoned.  We arranged we would meet him just over the Bridge of the Americas and we would follow him to our hotel.

Well we missed the exit to the Bridge of the Americas and went over- was it the Centennial Bridge???- instead.

However we pulled into a mall/MacDonald's and Alvi found us and we followed him.

Not absolutely sure what the next few days (probably shopping) will bring but I am ready to be home... 4 weeks is too long.  It will be good to be home.

Here is the backyard of one of Blanca's relatives in her village.

Saturday catch up post

In the backyard of one of Blanca's village cousins there was a coconut tree with fallen coconuts underneath.

Blanca's cousin had her drink the small amount of milk and then chopped it in half for us to eat.

This brought back memories of my childhood when my father, as an exotic treat, brought home a coconut.

This thick, hardened coconut was exactly the type we would have then.

I don't think I've eaten a coconut this way since I was 9 or 10.

Memories, sometimes bittersweet.

Tomorrow hopefully we will be safely back in Panama City.  We had hoped Alvi, Blanca's brother could meet us on the outskirts ofthe city and navigate through its chaos for us but Blanca hasn't been able to reach him.

Sarigua National Park

Today Blanca conducted (and maybe even concluded) some more of her multitude of business concerns.  However at 2 PM we headed out with Corina to visit a nearby National Park - Sarigua.

This is a very cool area since at one time had become much like a desert.  They are slowly getting more natural vegetation back although some areas are still desert.

One of the park attendants kindly took us onto the desert area in his big truck.

Evidently Enrique Iglesias (SP???) son of Julio (again sp????) filmed a music video here.

Catch up post Friday

I am back in Chiltre and we went back to the fair last night.  No pictures since I did not take my tablet.  So here are some random pictures from in and around Blanca's village.

Blanca and her niece Chila

Backyard of one of Blanca's cousins.

Lounging in another hammock

These were some of Blanca's relatives standing near an open window... looks like a painting.  Blanca took that picture

Thursday catch up post Sugar Cane production

While in Blanca's village we stopped for about half an hour at one of her cousin's place.  He has lots of land and enterprises but as a sideline he and his cousin will harvest the sugar cane they have.

It is first cut.  The top bits are used as feed for the animals.

Then individual stalks are put through a press, extracting the syrup.  Their horse operates the press but they demonstrated it for us today.  They said tomorrow the horse will work.

Then the syrup is boiled down and sold for further manufacturing.

This was very interesting to see.

Misadventure #4...

Today at the hotel the power went out at 10 am and wasn't restored until just now, over 5 hours.  Evidently men trimming trees cut the line and the whole region was down.

This was actually quite disconcerting, not to say upsetting.  I was quite anxious about tonight had it not been fixed.... alone in a place where I know nobody, in a country where I don't speak the language with the possibility of no air conditioning and no lights.  I felt very vulnerable.

It would have been a nice day had I not had the underlying anxiety and I did do what I had intended... sit on the veranda writing up some of my travel memories in preparation for creating my album and webpage upon my return, read my novel and watch the odd hummingbird flit by or see a pelican land in the ocean.

I had also been intending to catch up on some email and posts but with no electricity there was no WiFi, adding to my sense of vulnerability.

Oh well, it's back now.

My catch of the day (meaning the fish, not the fellow).

If you muttered "as if", you would be correct.

Wednesday's catch up post

A few pictures from Blanca's village and surroundings.

It was Blanca's birthday on Monday and she decided to throw herself a party.  Why not?

She bought all the food but her women relatives did all the cooking.  Not sure who killed and dressed the chickens (is that the right word for plucking and cleaning a dead bird?)

I didn't think she should have to buy her own birthday cake so that was my present to her.

Spot the guavas, an odd fruit. You crack it open and inside is a row of them, much like how peas are when you open the pod.  It's this very mild tasting, slimy pulp around a big black, shiny seed.

A view from one of the village roads.  While walking along the ditch I got bitten by something (some insect I think) on my big toe.  It hurt! 

I've not been lucky with feet and bites... in the Vulcan area I just went out to get something from the car and teeny tiny ants swarmed my feet biting me.  Man did they hurt when they bit and then mildly stung for a bit.

Here's a picture of a glorious tree in bloom.  It only lasts for 3 days then they fall off.

Still a bit too hot for a walk...

It is still a bit too hot for a walk but am enjoying hearing the sound of the surf pounding the beach.

See my little blue hotel.  The black window is the open window of a small strip of a veranda just outside my bedroom.

Keep posted as over the next two evenings I will play a bit of catch up with my posts.

Going solo for a couple of nights...

I am at a beach hotel.  Originally Blanca had said we'd go to the beach for a couple of nights but then thought she'd rather stay and visit with her relatives none of whom speaks English.

We talked over a few options (a day trip, one night away etc.) but instead we decided I would stay in a beach hotel for 2 nights.

A solution!

It isn't a resort and the beach isn't good for swdimming but all I want is to walk along the ocean's edge in the surf.

It caters to fishermen and doesn't have food facilities but I am well stocked up with all I need.

I can walk along the ocean.  I can sit in the veranda and read my book listening to the surf, a sound that thrills this prairie girl.  Or I can do as I am right now swaying in the hammock with views of the ocean only metres away in a lovely breeze.

It has internet, air conditioning and is $44 per night.

No WiFi in village for the next 3 days

So I won't be able to post for a while.

Hello from Panama..

Last night we went to the fair, an equivalent of our exhibition.  No pictures to post since neither of us wanted to be encumbered with our tablets.  I took lots of pictures with my camera though, so stay tuned to more posts when I'm home.

I had a marvelous time - it's just like our exhibition with public performances, venders, a midway, agricultural animals, etc. But it has an entirely different feel and flavour.

We'll be returning again one evening ( too hot to go during the day).

In the meantime a few random pictures ( if I can do it today... internet is acting up this morning).

Our chicks - they are getting big although sadly one died.

Spot Mila's iguana in the tree!

A gourmet cup of organic coffee from the Vulcan area

Blanca just got back from going for a couple of errands.  She asked for a replacement chicken for the one that died.  They said nobody has ever asked for a replacement before.  Blanca said the chick was sick and now we only had 7 when we needed 8.  They got a big kick out of it and gave her the replacement.

Just a quick post with a variety of pictures...

Just a few pictures

from a few days. They include sections of Mila's yard and her rooster.

Here is a picture of an indigenous mom and her son.  Blanca engaged them in conversation and discovered they hadn't eaten.  She bought them their lunch.

I was driving in steep, twisty Panamanian mountain roads.  We came across some workers picking oranges.  Blanca asked if we could take their picture and they laughed and said, 'Si!'

Then Blanca asked for 2 oranges and they tossed us a couple.  (The light was in the wrong direction.)

A day of (mis)adventure...

What a day!  Instead of travel adventures it was a day of travel misadventures.

Misadventure #1 - Costa Rica
Prospero thought it would be a good idea to take a look at one of the Costa Rican towns just over the border.  So that's what we did.  We shouldn't have bothered since there was virtually nothing to see except the town square.  That wouldn't have made it a misadventure except it was almost intolerably hot.

Misadventure #2
I can no longer claim I have never bribed an officer of the law.

Misadventure #3
After travelling home to Chiltre for 3 1/2 hours we discovered we were locked out!  Mila and her daughter Magita had just left for an evening out and didn't get home for another 4 hours!  ( We hadn't let them know when we were returning.)

Thank goodness for the hospitality of Corina while we waited!!

One bright spot was a short detour off the freeway to have a photo opportunity of a spectacular beach.  Must return one day to experience it.

Boquete area

Blanca's friend Prosperous spent the day with us and showed us around.  Pictures include his property, views of the vołcano Baru, a mountain waterfall, a coffee tree in bloom, some general scenery and a spot in town where in January there was a flower festival.

More pictures will be posted once I can steal them from Blanca since she got many on her

tablet that I didn't capture.