We took a drive to Punta Chame to see the mud
flats and look for birds. (the area where Justin Beiber went to get away with
all his negative press) There is a kite boarding school there and surfing
training. We did see a new hawk and tons of pelicans (seemed like hundreds)
in the mud flats. We also saw a tree that had several parakeets in it enjoying
the flowers. They must be tasty because they were chowing down! At the beach
there were tons of sand dollars trying to stay covered in the mud as the tide
went out. It was a nice day drive. We had hoped to have lunch at a restaurant
there on the water, but it was not open. So, we drove back to Coronado area and
went to Carlito’s for a pepperoni and garlic pizza! Yum!
tons of pelicans
Great Black-Hawk
Brown-throated Parakeet
mud flats
covered tables on beach
walk to beach
low tide - boats in the sand
Kite Surfer
A couple of weekends ago there was a yacht
anchored in the Coronado Bay. We watched a fishing boat approach it and I
imagine they bought some fresh fish and their smaller boat came to shore where
people were waiting with bags of groceries. There is a property that recently
had a house torn down and they are preparing to build another one. They seemed
to be here to keep an eye on the work. They also have a yellow helicopter that
comes to check things out from time to time. They have even landed on
the beach. (yes, life is "exciting" here....)
On one of our morning walks around the
neighborhood we saw a rare Pearl Kite. They weren’t indigenous here, but the
sources say it has started to stay here.
Pearl Kite
CASA organized a Chili cook off that we
attended. There were a hundred people there and tasting the 9 different chilies
was fun. Everyone brought what they wanted to drink and a dessert to share. It
was hard to choose a favorite, we each had it narrowed down to 3. Our top one
did not win, but we found out later the lady who made it is one of our Picasso
friends. She was very pleased to hear we voted for hers. (the chili chefs were
kept secret)
There was supposed to be a Play that was like
the newlywed game, but it was canceled as Claire who owns Picassos had been
ill. Not sure if they will do it at a later date. Claire hadn’t been present at
the restaurant for a month. She was back last week!
We finally started “one on one” Spanish
lessons with Jasmine, a young lady who came highly recommended by quite a few
people here. We have done lots of other methods, (Rosetta Stone, various othe
CD methods, Mind Snacks and various online sites) but really thought we would
benefit from learning some of the Panamanian words and phrases that aren’t
common with other Latin American countries. My problem is that I understand a lot
and know quite a bit, but calling up the words quickly in conversation, I just
go blank. We have gone 3 times so far. Man, I feel so “stupid”. My memory is
terrible and I just don’t retain very much. I’m hoping in time I will get
better. Greg knows a lot more than I do, but she seamlessly goes back and forth
between us. She uses several different methods during our hour with her. She
first wanted to get a feel for what we already knew and asked us a lot of
questions and based on what level she determined we were at she started her
lesson. She asks us questions in Spanish and we need to answer in Spanish. She
does a portion of vocabulary and we learn new forms of verbs and adjectives.
Then she says things in Spanish and we repeat back in English what she says.
She used to come to your house and then you drove her to her next appointment,
but she is so busy that instead of wasting time driving between houses, she has
us meet her above the Super 99 center in the food court area. That way she can
fit in more lessons. We often are her last appointment of the day and we drive
her home.
We have been watching quite a bit of the
Olympics. On USTVNOW we could get 2 of the stations, but not the one that
carries the hockey. ARGH! To watch it online through NBC they require you to
have a local cable provider. So, we found a way around that! (Thanks Dad!) Go
USA! (OK, we now know the women won silver and the men will find out tomorrow
if they get bronze) Kudos to the Women’s Canadian team for an exciting last 3
minutes of the game!
For Valentine’s day we went to La Teca who did
a special dinner. We found another restaurant
fairly close to here that had a really yummy sounding menu. We’ll keep
them in mind for the next “occasion”. Greg even managed to find flowers here
and made an arrangement for me.
We still have not been able to see the condo
at Bahia in Gorgona. We were supposed to see it yesterday, but the renters
decided to stay 2 more weeks. The landlord is checking to see if they mind it
being shown while they are there. It’s between staying here or taking that one.
Next week we are going to El Valle for a
couple of nights at Hotel Los Mandarinos. We have a guided hiking tour planned and
a couple of dinner reservations. Then we are hunkering down for Carnival.
March Holidays in Panama:
|
1 Mar
|
Carnival
|
|
2 Mar
|
Carnival
|
|
3 Mar
|
Carnival
|
|
4 Mar
|
Carnival/Shrove
Tuesday
|
|
5 Mar
|
Carnival/Ash
Wednesday
|
“Every year on the four
days leading up to Ash Wednesday, Panama’s carnival takes place. Though
sometimes the party starts a little earlier on Friday it always ends on
Tuesday. Panamanians refer to carnival as “los carnavales”, and the entire
country partakes in the party. Although it is not an official holiday, the
country basically shuts down and whole communities join in the celebration.
Carnival has been
celebrated in Panama since the early 1900s. While the Panamanian roots of the
festive celebration lie in Panama City, the fun-filled holiday has spread to
all corners of the country. Panamanians put their inhibitions aside and
let the party spirit take them over.
While small quiet
countryside towns lay dormant throughout most of the year, carnival awakens the
inner party spirit and most towns join in the celebration. Many towns create a
competition between the “upper street” and the “lower street”, each which host
their own party. Basically the town is geographically divided down the middle
to form the two competing sides. Each side chooses their own carnival queen and
competes to out match each other with amazing floats, extravagant costumes and
group dances.
The Panamanian carnival
also attracts national and international musical talent. It is common that
towns will set up multiple concert stages throughout the designated carnival
area.
A unique facet about
Panama’s carnival are the “Cuelcos”, which are large water trucks that blast
music and get surrounded by people dancing in the street while being sprayed
with water. Be prepared to get wet as many people arm themselves with
water balloons and buckets and are ready for an all-out water fight. It
is all done in good fun, and the majority of people welcome getting drenched in
the hot tropical sun.”
I have added some photos
to my web albums. "Punta Chame & more"
cashew nut
Yellow-green Vireo
Pale-vented Doves
Pale-vented Dove
We don’t have any major
trips planned for this year, but we have decided on our trips for 2015. We are
close to booking an Amazon River Cruise on the M/Y Tocano for next
January/February and we are in the major planning stages for Africa in
August/September 2015. The Amazon trip won’t require much planning as tours are
all included and pre/post stays in Manaus, Brazil are included as well as a
city tour. So, we really just need to worry about booking our airfare which
COPA does from here nonstop. Yeah! We do need to get tourist visas for Brazil, but hopefully that can be done from here)
After we get the Amazon booked (still price
comparing) I’ll post more about it. Africa requires a lot of planning. Deciding
where to go (which National Parks), types of lodging, how long to go and
choosing the operator. We are doing Kenya and Tanzania and either Uganda or
Rwanda for gorilla treking. Hoping to see the Great Migration at that time of
year. We’d like to do South Africa too, but will do that at another time.
Perhaps during the season with lots of babies. It’s an easier destination to do
on a cruise as well. So, those who know me well know I’m in “hog heaven” and
knee deep in researching!
Until next time…..
