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.