BOTANY CLASS

I think I may have too much time on my hands, because I find myself thinking of how some of the foods we commonly eat in Canada grow. I honestly have never asked or thought about how pineapples grow. I would just buy one, at the Superstore for $4.99, if they smelt and looked good. The other day, after a quick swim in a near by river, we met a pineapple farmer. Taking every opportunity to incorporate learning, I asked if we could see his pineapple fields. He lead the way. Below are some shots of the stages of pineapple growth.

The pineapple starts out as this beautiful flower

It can take months for the fruit to grow. Note how the strong pineapple leaves need to be to hold this heavy fruit up.

Almost ripe. See the new flower below starting to bloom.

Here I pay 79 cents for a huge pineapple. I guess delivery is what is so costly in Canada. I'm still wondering where the pineapples we eat in Canada come from? Can someone let me know?

Anyhow, class dismissed!

Linda

FELIZ NAVIDAD FROM PANAMA

Our annual Christmas pose.

Yes the kids have grown, but we are also bending down to fit into the frame!!

Christmas is just a few days away. Can you believe it? It is amazing to see everyone here in Panama get into the Christmas spirit. Christmas is HUGE here. Lots of front doors are covered in gold and red wrapping paper, many have Christmas trees outside on their porch, and most of homes have lights strung inside and out. In Boquete’s village square there are wooden cut outs of penguins skating and building snowmen. It’s more than interesting since most of the locals have never even seen snow.

One thing we’ve learned is that Panamanians know how to celebrate and enjoy finding any reason to party. People save all year to celebrate Christmas. The stores are decorated beautifully and are loaded with aisles and aisles of decorations and toys. It would be easy to spend lots of cash. One of the things that is so great about living here is that they wrap your Christmas purchases in the store, and for free. It’s actually expected. Now that is a great way to do Christmas shopping! Parked in the shopping centre parking lots are 4x4 trucks blaring "Boom Boom" music out the back with huge speakers. The music is so loud it sets off car alarms. Some stores will even serve you drinks to help you"get in the mood".

We have a beautiful tree in our living room, well the kids and I think it is beautiful. Paul would have preferred more lights. The other day Josh made on off handed comment. He looked under the tree and said, “You know, we really have enough presents under the tree this year.” (We had 4 at that time) If that is the only reason we came to Panama than it was worth it!! I hope my children never forget how blessed we are and how grateful we should be for all we have.

Paul and Josh debating how a tree should be decorated. Josh prefers "freestyle", Paul prefers "planned and symetrical". Josh won out!

Syd and Josh dancing while decorating our tree

Not having cold weather is a bit odd, and reminds me of our Christmas’ in Pasadena, California. But we will do some traditional things like attending our church’s service on Christmas Eve, open our gifts on Christmas Eve so the parents can sleep in, and read the Christmas story together.

I’ve got to tell you this story, a funny thing happened last Sunday when the Pastor of the church we attend was looking right at us, talking in Spanish, smiling and nodding. I guess I must have returned a nod. Little did I know that by nodding I was unknowingly agreeing to something. I only found out a few days later when I got stopped in a shop and was asked by the church music director whether we were singing in English, French or Dutch. “I beg your pardon?” I politely asked. Quickly, I cleared that up, “NO, we will be attending, not participating.” I guess we had agreed to sing as a family. I have got to get more familiar with Spanish! We plan to spend Christmas Eve with a group of families for potluck. On Christmas Day, I think we will head to the ocean for a picnic just like Paul and I did when we lived in California.

So, I send you all my love during this Christmas Season. I hope you all have a great time freezing your buns off and shoveling mounds of snow…no, really, have an incredible time with your family and friends. Know you will be in our thoughts.

Our family sending you our love this Christmas. This shot was taken in Starfish Beach on the island of Bocas Del Toro. Syd has a starfish and Josh has a coconut which he carried around with him all day. I think he thought he was on survivor!

Love Linda, Paul, Syd and Josh

LATINO TOOTH FAIRY

Rest assured children of the world, the tooth fairy deals in all currencies and countries. Syd lost her molar the other day and we wondered if we would get Canadian or American money, if she found us. Low and behold, the Canadian Company must have contacted their Latino counter parts. As well, the Tooth Fairy must have an excellent GPS sytem because she found us on our mountain in the middle of Panama. Amazing!!!

Linda

LICE AFTERNOON FOR A VISIT

I had to put this on our blog. I got a text message on my cell phone from my friend Jenni. Quote “Ellie has lice, she is covered!” Immediately I started to itch and went around and checked everyones head for the little creatures. We headed over to Jenni’s place and did a complete lice check, house clean, linen bleach of their house. Brave Ellie sat for 1 ½ hours as her dedicated Mother removed all the lice and eggs. It is amazing that I have never gotten lice with all my traveling to Africa and exposure at the Children's. Maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon. I should go, just thinking about it is making me itch!

Alayna, Jenni and Linda. A bunch of monkeys!

BLISSFULLY HAPPY

We have mentioned a few times about the Bliss Family. This family has become friends to me and my family. Besides having the coolest yard complete with a rope swing, dirt bike track, a great climbing tree and a trampoline, they have become very dear to us all. Have you ever met someone that you connected to immediately? I have been fortunate to have that happen a few times in my life. This has happened both to Paul and I with Steve and Jenni. Today, as morning coffee became lunch, (as often is the case at the Bliss house) the kids were having a blast on the trampoline with water and we think laundry soap. They came in soaking wet and smelling and looking ultra clean, not what normally occurs in their yard, clean that is.

From (L) to (R)

Josh (8), Alanya (11), Zion (6), Jayden (9) Ellie (4), and Syd (10)

Seeing my kids adapt to so many new things and finding friends here who they adore has been a gift to me as a mother.

As well, some of you have been asking about the bugs. Below is a cool picture of a bug Steve caught and took a picture of. The bug was deep orange, chocolate brown and beige. I could decorate a room around the colors of this bug!

Beautiful in a creepy sort of way!

Until I blog again, which may be sooner than later. I have been feeling creative today and Paul has bought me a new camera. Yeah! Thanks Honey! Your the best!

Until I blog again.

Linda

PRINCESS ON A MOUNTAIN

I haven’t blogged for a while. Two reasons for that, one, I dropped and broke our beautiful camera (boo hoo) and can’t get the images downloaded to our computer. What is a blog without pictures? A little boring if I have to say so myself. Secondly, life has settled down to a quiet routine here. The most excitement we have had was receiving some Christmas packages in the mail the other day. That was very exciting for us. We walked into our post office, showed them our name, "Dias?” No “Day” We have this conversation with Marisol, our postal lady, every time we go. I have our names written out in sharpie on a piece of paper now to ease along this process. Low and behold, not just 1 package of love, but 3 and a postcard from my parents. WOW!! We all hooted and high fived each other. It was just what we needed after a day of getting a flat tire fixed. Yesterday morning I woke up to a very flat tire on our car. Well, as you know, I am quite isolated on my mountain. Paul was away in Panama City for a few days, and I was alone. I have never changed a flat, yes I know, I am a bit of a princess. I usually call CAA or drive to my local Fountain Tire. Not the case in Boquete. I had a few options. One, stay on my mountain until Paul got home. Yes,I had enough food and water, but I don’t think so. I haven’t mellowed that much!! Two, call our friend Bruce who is very handy or three, call my landlord, Jerry. The third option was the winner. Jerry was kind enough to give me the 101 on tire changing. “You really should know how to do this Linda.” He said in his firmest voice. The guy is very soft spoken and sweet. I honestly don’t think I could have loosened the bolts myself. They are on extremely tight. Well, spare tire on, kids loaded into the car and down the hill I drive, slowly, avoiding every pothole. I am having images of the tire flying off over the huge cliff and me bumping my way down, sparks flying. I get to the garage and show them my nail in my tire. In my beautiful frespanglish (French, English and Spanish) I somehow get the point across that it needs to be repaired. 1 hour is all they need. The kids and I do our daily run; bakery, grocery store, school supplies, ice cream cone and the post office. By then I am sweaty, my hair looks like a lion, even worse then when in Africa, and I am covered with grease. Quite a looker! So receiving those parcels was just what we needed. We then rented Shriek 3 and headed over to the Bliss’ house for movie and supper.

Know I think of Calgary and all my friends often as seen below in a creative moment during "school" .

Can you find your name?

Well, just got a call, Paul is back from Panama City. Got to go and pick up my beloved.

Until I blog again.

Linda

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A...DAY

Last week I had one of the coolest experiences to date. Linda, Syd, Josh and I were hanging out with the Bliss family at their place. Steve asked me if I was up for a "guys" trip to the Ruiz coffee factory to meet up with Maria Ruiz to check out some experiments being done on the "3-Rock" stoves the native Indians use. I got the nod from Linda and said, "sure".

For hundreds of years their stoves have consisted of 3 large rocks, maybe 10-12 inches high, positioned in a basic triangle formation to be able to hold a cooking pot with a small fire in the middle. It works, but is quite inefficient (poor heat distribution) and quite unhealthy (excessive smoke inhalation). We met Maria at Cafe Ruiz (my favorite spot to load up on Java in Boquete) and then headed off to the coffee factory where many Indians have already left their homes in the mountains, as coffee picking season has begun, and are living in the modest campus barracks. January and February are the big coffee picking months. Most of the workers will make their entire annual income in these few months. A "good" family of pickers can earn up to $20 a day. This is considered quite a good day's income.

After we visited the community kitchen and new stove concepts, we were invited to a surprise tour of the operations. What an education! From the fields to roasting is an incredible 5 month process (Oct 31-Mar 30). Then they shut everything down for 7 months (Apr 1-Oct 30), and have a new crew take over who take every machine apart from top to bottom, make repairs, clean everything, then paint it all. And if they are fortunate, after working around the clock for 7 months, they are ready to go again when the coffee picking season arrives at the end of October. I had no idea all that goes into preparing my favorite drink. Paying $.50 a cup seems criminal.

Then on the way home, Maria asked if it was OK if we dropped in to visit an 86 year old missionary from Germany. I knew in my gut that it would be more than a quick visit. Steve and I both quickly said, "yes".

Charlotte Luebner arrived in Panama off a freighter just over 45 years ago to serve as a bible translator. She lived with the local Indians in the area and, after nearly 40 years, completed the only bible in the local Indian dialect. I was so humbled by her dedication and commitment to her calling. As a 42 yr old wondering what's next, I found myself at the feet of a woman who had devoted 40 years to learning a foreign language that has never been translated into written form and then translate the entire bible. Wow! Her gentle yet unwavering spirit moved me deeply. It was amazing sitting with such a saint in the faith. After hearing about some of her experiences, I asked her, after devoting her entire adult life to the scriptures, what did the scriptures mean to her now. She paused only briefly, and with her bible held closely by both arms, said, "it is a weapon for me". She has been experiencing some terrible pain in her ailing knees in the last couple months which is making it difficult to sleep at night and has limited her mobility. She said she is in a "waiting period" to hear what God has next for her (talk about putting my journey in perspective), and her health condition gets her down. So she has been reading Isa 53 to strengthen her spirit. As our time came to a close, I asked if I could have the honor of praying for her. I left so thankful I for the gift of being with her.

It was a great day.

Paul

GETTING CAUGHT UP

Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. We’ve had a few challenges with our internet connection at our place. It appears as though the issues have been resolved for the most part. And…let’s be honest…OK, let me be honest…I’ve been a little lazy with the blog. Its not you, its me. I promise I'll try harder. Forgive me. So finally, here’s a quick update on some of what’s been happening over the last couple weeks. Pics will follow.

WE'RE IN...STILL
Well, the fact that we re still in Panama means that we successfully acquired our visa extensions. Here’s how it works here. You enter the country, pay $5 per person for 30 day tourist cards/visas, then prior to the 30 day mark you apply for an extension of up to 60 days (which we did), and at the end of the 60 extension period, you’re required to leave the country for 72 hours and then rinse and repeat, and so on and so on.

So at this point, we’re planning our “required” 3 night-4 day trip to Costa Rica on Jan 4-7 as our 60 visa cards expire on Jan 9. Then it’s off to the Immigration Office again to apply for another 60 day extension, probably on or around Feb 1 and then we’ll be off to Bocas Del Toro, Panama on Feb 2 for 32 days.

THE GIFT OF NEW FRIENDS
We’ve been so excited to make some great connections over the last month. How they’ve come about is actually kind of cool as well. One morning, about 3 weeks ago, I drove down to our favorite coffee shop, Café Ruiz, to get a $.50 coffee before I went out hunting for a local travel agent to help us plan our “required” trip to Costa Rica. At the coffee shop I met a retired pastor and his wife from Arizona. I had actually emailed them about a week earlier in my hunt to find a church to attend. It took a few minutes before we realized who each other were. Long story short (LSS), they told me about the English church they are part of and two new families who just started attending and how they thought it might be a place to make some good connections for ourselves and the kids. We finished our coffees and conversation and I headed to a business area in Boquete looking for a travel agent. I parked my car, and with no idea where I was going I started walking, right past the front of an open office where I overheard a woman and older gentleman asking for directions to the airport in David. I could see there was a little confusion about how to get there, so I jumped in and drew them a map. LLS, the young woman, Sharon, was the wife/mother of one of the young families the retired pastor told me about. What are the odds? Boquete is small, but not that small. She was with her father-in-law, who was also a semi-retired pastor from the States. What are the odds of meeting two pastors back to back? We talked about our families, our kids, a bit about our journeys to Panama, and thought it would be great to get together. We exchanged telephone numbers and I continued my hunt to find a travel agent. LSS, a few days later we found ourselves at a potluck with four or five families, including Sharon (and her husband, Bruce), at the house of some new great friends, Steve and Jenni (the other family the retired pastor told me about). It was so great to connect with some fantastic people. They’ve all been a God-send for us. Since then we’ve been hanging out every once in a while. The kids all get along really well. And…it turns out a few of the guys are actually musician-songwriters and have been talking about putting some music together, and maybe a band, and they need a bass player. Uhhm, again, what are the odds?

SPANISH CHOIR
The Spanish church we’ve been attending has a Spanish children’s choir. Syd and Josh were invited to participate. So a couple weeks ago they just jumped in and did great. You should have seen Josh, arms at his side, chest out, shoulders back, chin up, mouth in the proper oval singing position with cheeks puckered, pounding out doh-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-doh and holding the final “doh” with authority and conviction. It was priceless.

HOME SCHOOLING “OLD SCHOOL”
The home schooling is going well, mostly due to my incredible wife, Linda. The kids usually take their time getting up and getting breakfast, then it’s into the school work for the day. Linda has the school day laid out, with a task list, assignments to be completed, etc. And we both help them along (I know what you’re thinking, let’s be honest, its mostly Linda isn’t it? OK, it’s mostly Linda. Like I said, she’s amazing). We decided to add a little literature component into the curriculum, the Bible. So I’ve been introducing them to the Bible. 66 books, Old and New Testaments….I began introducing them to the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible). So we talked about Moses, who is credited by most with being the author of the Torah. In the second session I introduced and explained the 10 commandments. Then we did a quick review. They recalled the first seven commandments, then I asked, “And the 8th commandment is (pause)? Do not…” And without missing a beat, Josh says, “go in there” (a classic Ace Ventura line). I was on the floor.

WORKING OUT THE KINKS
A couple weeks ago, after nearly 6 weeks of little to no working out, I decided to go in search of a gym here in Boquete. I found two. First, imagine an oversized garage, in modest “garage” state, free weight equipment that was probably made in the late 60's, including some of the classic light green powder filled plastic cylinders, and three cardio machines that look like “McDonald’s hamburgers” (e.g. a combination of leftovers from at least 100 other machines). The second, a modest but well kept renovated house with Bowflex machines (no free weights), with 5 or 6 decent cardio machines, a nice stretching area with mats and workout balls. LSS, I’m now a member there at a grand total price of $35 per month. They provide me with a certified trainer who prepares my workout schedules, prepares every machine before I use it, and wipes the machines down after I sweat all over it. Not bad for $35, eh?

THE CREEPS
So you may be wondering, are there any interesting critters in Panama? The short answer, yes. The longer answer, we’ve seen some, and heard about lots of others. Like the other night, Linda and I were in bed and felt like we we’re being watched. We turn on the light and Linda immediately said, “kill that thing”. It was a black spider, probably 4.5 inches from toe to toe, locked in the “freeze” position (like it was trying to trick us and subtly blend into the off white walls) about 18 inches above Linda’s pillow. I said a quick prayer and quickly ushered it into spider heaven. We’re still looking for the scorpions, tarantulas (some as big as a 8-12 inches wide), coral snakes, and little monkeys that we are told are on our property, all of which we “definitely will see” in January and February along with the occasional earthquake. Fun! We’ll keep you posted and hopefully get a few good pics for you to view.

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT
We just returned from five days at the Playa Blanca Resort on the Pacific coast with our good friends, the Schmulands. They’re heading to Canada for a white Christmas in a couple weeks, so we thought we’d get together with them to have an early Christmas, Panama style. It was great. We spent hours talking, eating, swimming, eating, sunbathing, eating, more talking, and of course more eating, playing in the rain, and well, more eating. Josh was in his glory at meal time. He would pace himself through his 3 and 4 courses each meal. It was awesome to behold. To mix things up a bit, we rented quads on a couple days and some sea-doos another day. We all had a blast. Well, actually, everyone else had a blast quading and seadooing while I stood and watched doing the “wise thing” by not aggravating my back any more than it was already. I know, boohoo. But it was fun watching Linda and Trent wipe out on the seadoo, and very cool witnessing Josh find a new love, quads.

Josh loving quading on his own, he only flipped twice!

Linda, Jody, Syd, Eatson and Emma waiting their turn to sea-doo on the Pacific

The Schmulands and the Days at Playa Blanca- Good times.

Sydney at Playa Blanca with a resident Tucan-so beautiful

THE POWER OF LAUNDRY
So after a couple months, how are things going? Good question. Things have changed a fair bit for us. When we left Canada in search of rest, we hoped for a slower pace and fewer things to worry about. I think we’ve found it. In fact, there are times when it probably gets a little too slow and laid back for our liking. This was crystallized for us the other day when we had to admit to ourselves that the linchpin of our schedule is….laundry. Yes, laundry. Each day finds its order only after we ask that critical question, is today a laundry day? First we ask, do we have enough laundry in the basket to do laundry? Second, is it sunny and windy enough to dry the clothes if we wash them (as there is no clothes dryer here at the house)? Third, do we have any other plans already in place? Actually that’s kind of a throw away question. We just felt we needed at least three questions to feel good about the decision making process. So after careful consideration of these questions, which we don’t even pretend to approach until after we’ve enjoyed our morning coffee, we pray, ask God for guidance (and the occasional fleece), then make a decision and hope we’ve chosen correctly. Yah, laundry, uhmm. Who would have thought laundry would play such a pivotal role in our lives?

Well, its getting late. Talk to you soon.

Paul

OHHHH, I LOVE TURTLES!!

November 22 2007

What do you do on a cool, rainy Wednesday evening in Panama? Glad you asked! You release endangered baby turtles into the Pacific Ocean. Cool or what????

There is a program here that takes vulnerable turtle eggs and keeps them safe until they hatch and are ready to be released. Unfortunately, the turtle population is dwindling. And humans are the main reason for this, second to dogs. Tortoise shell glasses, purses, shoes, some soaps and human consumption have caused environmentalists to take action. Naturally, only 8% of the turtles make it back to the ocean. Either the eggs are eaten or the turtles just don’t live after they are hatched. This hatch and release program allows for up to 99% of the turtles to return to the ocean. After that, their on their own. I think the other 1 % don't make it to the Ocean because the turtles blend into the sand and are tough to see. “Crunch” and “oops” are words that come to mind. Don’t worry, I don’t think that happened on this release.

My family along with 3 other families crammed into our vehicles and made our bumpy way south of Boquete and David to Los Olas beach where the release occurred. We arrived to find that a large crowd had already gathered. After a brief education on the plight of these creatures, and a request for a donation, we were asked to line up on the beach, facing the ocean, and wait for our baby turtle. We all received a little baby turtle and together we released them to make their way into the ocean. They seemed quite helpless hobbling towards the loud, dark Pacific. Many of them needed a little help as they were going in the wrong direction. Amazing to think these little creatures can grow to be as big as 900 lbs!

Syd and little "Crush"

After they all made it safe into the big blue, we had a picnic and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. It was an incredible experience, and such great fun shared with a group of terrific people. Jenni, thanks for the invite. Alayna, thanks for the story of Zion’s birth. You had me in stitches the entire drive!!!

Josh and "Little Jerry"

Linda

MACHETE MAMMA

November 16, 2007

Well, life here in Panama has settled into a nice little routine. I’ve received a few emails saying how adventurous we are. At times we have little “adrenaline rushes” and “unique” moments, but overall its pretty quiet, and even a little boring at times. Then there are those times when you get to do/experience/see something really unique, like the other day.

We have many fruit trees in our yard, including banana trees. I have learned that when there is no longer a purple flower on a banana tree, the tree must be cut down. Banana trees take around 9 months to grow and produce fruit. We were told when this fruit is ready, take the fruit and cut down the tree. We did that the other day. The kids watched as Mama took a machete and chopped down a tree. We were all surprised to get splattered with a thick, sticky, milky fluid that oozed and sprayed out of the tree trunk. I got the fliud all over my favorite white tee. Needless to say, my favorite white tee is now wrecked. We also were very surprised to see the different layers in the trunk of the tree. Every three layers down there was a mesh-like cloth that goes around the circumference.

FYI: We have 3 types of bananas here. There are the ones we eat in Calgary. There are plantains which are large thick bananas that people fry in oil and dip in k-up, just like round French fries. And there are very small and sweet bananas that are so very good. Plantains and mini bananas down, like a bowl, while regular bananas hang up.

No messing with Mama.

Sucessful tree cutting complete!!!

After our successful “surgery”, we hung the green bananas in our kitchen window. After a few days, they turn yellow and are ready to be blended with our freshly squeezed orange juice and ice for our morning vitamin boost. Syd and Josh love eating off the land.

Syd making our morning vitamin boost drink

We had a beautiful day, today. Summer is on its way. The sign is gale force winds and beautiful morning sunshine. Its great for drying our clothes on the clothes line. The unique thing about summer in Boquete is that we get these light rains, more like a mist known here as “bajareque”. One thing about where our house is located (on the crest of hill between two valleys), is that we can have rain on one side of the house, and sun on the other. Or rain on one side, and none on the other. This allows for many opportunities for rainbows to develop. They are pretty spectacular. We saw two today, one on top of the other. I have never quite seen a rainbow that bright in my whole life. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it gives you a little idea of the beauty we see daily.

A view from our living room, little piece if heaven

I send my love to you all. Thanks for the e mails. Thanks to all who have emailed Josh and Syd. It helps them to hear from family and friends. Until I blog again.

by Linda

FRIENDLY CHURCH IN BOQUETE

We just returned from attending a great little Baptist church here in Boquete. The pastor is a Korean missionary pastor who speaks great Korean and Spanish, and a little English. The service was in Spanish, but the pastor was so kind to ask that someone translate for each us. Syd and Josh were both got invited, separately, to sit with kids their age who spoke English. They loved it. They each had their own translators. It was so cute to Syd and Josh sitting on their own listening to their new friends translate the sermon. The congregation of about 60 was very warm and welcoming of us. We made some great connections with several families. It will be a great place for us to learn Spanish. It seems we may have found our church home in Boquete.

SNAIL MAIL ADDRESS

After a few choppy conversations with some gracious locals, we finally figured out what our snail mail address is. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, the absence of street names and house numbers in and around Boquete has made the process of finding any address a bit challenging. You usually are given instruction in reference to land marks (e.g. big rock, broken red fence, etc). Given we live up in the hills above Boquete (Jaramillo Centro) along a "country road" we were wondering how in the world we'd actually get mail. (We are so urbanized, aka ignorant)

Turns out the street name and house number don't really matter because snail mail doesn't actually get dropped of at your house. It goes to the nearest post office where you have to visit every couple days to check and see if anything new has arrived. Duh! That makes absolute sense.

Since there is only one post office in all of Boquete (identified by the code, 0413), we actually have a pretty simple mailing address:

Paul, Linda, Sydney, Joshua Day
Boquete 0413
Chiriqui
Panama Republica Panama

BTW, Sydney and Josh love getting emails. If you get a second, drop them a line.

sydney.t.day@gmail.com
josh.d.day@gmail.com

HOME SWEET HOME

By Linda.

It’s Nov 6th, and we’re finally in our “home”. Yesterday we packed up our suitcases and headed to our home in the hills of Boquete (Jamarillo Centro). Joy and Jerry (Dutch couple), the home owners were there waiting for us. Inside, freshly cut flowers and a basket of treats were waiting for us and every bed had a chocolate treat on the pillow. What a wonderful welcome!

The house is a fully furnished 2 bedroom (plus loft bedroom) home. Sydney has claimed the upstairs loft as her “apartment”. It is so nice to hang up and put away all our clothes. Josh and Syd are enjoying having their own space and lots of space to run around outside. There’s also a tire swing and trampoline for the kids to play on. We have goats keep the lawn manicured. We have fun feeding our compost to them.

Our home in the hills of Boquete

Syd’s “apartment”

Josh enjoying “alone” time in his room

The views are incredible. We are literally on a hill with a valley on either side. We have lime, orange, bananas and lemon trees right in our yard.

Even simple things can take a while here. I had quite a time figuring out how to work the washing machine. Everything is in Spanish, so this morning Paul and I were outside, where the washer is, looking up every word. Talk about cross cultural laundry!! I was also wielding a very long knife to cut the lawn. Right near the clothes line are lots of bushes, and we are in the jungle, so I thought I better chop them down. I don't want to see a snake first thing in the morning! Mmmm snake soup!

Cross cultural laundry!!!!

Thanks to everyone who is e mailing and commenting on the blog. Makes us feel connected. Until I blog again.

Linda

BOCAS DEL TORO- SYDNEY'S JOURNAL

Nov 7th 2007

We just got back from Bocas Del Toro (northeastern part of Panama on the Caribbean Sea) where we were for 3 sleeps and 4 days. On our second day, we went for a boat tour and saw dolphins, fish, coral, a sting ray, sea urchins, trees, water of all shades of blue and green, red frogs, crabs and mud. We started our tour at Dolphin Bay where we saw a baby dolphin swimming with a mother dolphin. And one of the dolphins that we saw had a partly bitten off fin. One of the other dolphins would slap its tail on the water. We aren’t sure why it was doing this, but he did it over and over again. We noticed that the dolphins would do 3 shallow dives, and then, put their tail way up in the air and deep dive.

We then went to Crawls Cay and went snorkeling. Josh said that he saw characters from “Sponge Bob” like Patrick, Sponge Bob, Mr. Crabbs and Plankton. The coral was cool. The water was salty and warm. Mom and I saw a big neon turquoise and purple fish. It was beautiful. I saw a large crab, but I was the only one that saw it. We saw green-neon, purple, orange, blue, black and gray coral.

Family snorkeling in Bocas Del Toro

After snorkeling, we went for lunch at a restaurant in the middle of Crawl Cay. At the restaurant, we saw a shark in captivity. The waiter threw our leftover lunch food off the dock and gave it to the fish. There were hundreds of fish fighting for some carbonara, spaghetti and chicken. Josh tried to catch a minnow with his hands to feed to the shark. But no such luck.

After lunch, we went to Red Frog Beach. We had to 5 minute walk from the dock on a secret path through some jungle to get to the beach. Tarzan could have lived here! The beach was amazing. At the beach we rented boogie boards. The waves were perfect for boogie boarding. When I was boogie boarding a wave caught me by surprise and I flipped over. Mom said she saw my legs go flying. I got salt water in my eyes. It sure hurt. I also swallowed some salt water and didn’t feel very good for a while. Don’t worry, I didn’t blow chunks! That flip made me a little afraid of going back in so I played in the sand for a bit by myself. The sand was velvety soft. Every time a wave would come, the sand under my feet would get sucked away back into the sea.

Sydney and Josh at Red Frog Beach

Then we went to Hospital Point where mom and dad did some more snorkeling while Josh and I played on the beach.

We had quite a day. We celebrated Dad’s birthday that night by eating a lobster dinner. Yummy!

The next day we went to see some friends of ours, Emma, Easton, and Everett and their parents, Jody and Trent, that were staying across the bay from our hotel. Together we went to Starfish Beach for the day. We got to see and hold starfish of all shapes and sizes. We saw a starfish eating a slimy jellyfish. It was gross. Emma and I found around 100 sea shells on the beach. On the walk back from Starfish beach, Emma and I tried to catch a crab, but he was too fast for us! At the end of the day, we all went back to the Schmuland’s hotel for a swim in the pool. And all the kids played “Survivor” in a little lagoon tucked away behind a palm tree. We also had a sand ball fight. No one won, but boy we got dirty and gritty. We also played on the hammocks and tried to catch frogs. Josh is the only one that caught one.

Syd, Josh and Emma swimming

Hanging out at Dragoon Beach- Bocas Del Toro

Starfish Beach

Taxi ride, Bocas style

Survivor

We then had a great dinner in a cabana on the water at the end of the dock. I ate pasta, veggies, coleslaw, chicken, toast and spaghetti. I was hungry from all that playing.

The next morning, we took a water taxi back to the mainland and headed back to Boquete. Of course, when we returned, it was raining, again. We were able to go to one of the gardens in Boquete. It was surprisingly huge and beautiful. There were little paths to take everywhere. There were little bridges, fish ponds, water falls, streams, lots of people from all over the world, flowers, plants, pools, flower tunnels, playgrounds, houses, hotels and a look out.

Sydney and Josh at the Boquete garden -Oma you would love this place!

After the garden, we went to a coffee shop. I got an iced cappuccino. It was caffeine good!! My family thought I would go crazy, but I didn’t until that night, during a Dutch Blitz competition. Then I crashed hard.

“Oh, can I can feel the buzz!!”

And that was our little 4 day vacation.

A LITTLE BIRTHDAY MIRACLE

We talked about it as a family, and we all agreed that we'd had enough of the rain in Boquete. So we decided yesterday afternoon to take off for Bocas Del Toro for my birthday.

I must tell you. This morning I received the coolest video gift from my kids. It tried to upload it this morning before we left, but after 40 minutes it wasn´t even close to being uploaded. Things are a little slower in Panama. When we get back to Boquete in a couple days I´ll post it.

Anyways, we piled in the car this morning and headed out on our adventure to Bocas Del Toro. We left Boquete around 9:15am and arrived in Almirante at 12:45pm. The 160 km trip took us 3.5 hours. It was an incredible visual journey through the jungle. There were breathtaking vistas, awe inspiring follage, tornado funnels of thousands of birds swirling above us, hairpin turns, mudslides that wiped out parts of the roadway requiring a delicate touch at the wheel, dozens of heart-wrenching Indian villages in the middle of no where. Linda and I were reminded of the many sights and sounds of Africa embedded in our memories as we kept our eyes peeled to the IMAX movie right outside our front windshield. When we arrived in Almirante we were graciously flagged down by a gentleman who rode up beside us on a bicycle. He could tell we were first timers. He directed us to the water taxi and secure parking for our vehicle. At 1:15pm we were on our first water taxi of the day. It was a 30 minute bumpy boat ride to the town of Bocas Del Toro. The kids loved it. They were laughing and screaming and were entertainment for the locals. We eventually found our way to Hotel Angela, where we´ll be staying for a couple nights. (You can google it to check it out). After settling into our room, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant. After we were seated, the waitress quickly returned with her young son who she was proud to show us and inform us that he was having his first birthday today, and that it was also her brother´s birthday, and that their family and the restaurant staff would be celebrating with a cake in a few minutes. She wanted to give us a heads up, since we were the only other ones in the restaurant. I said, Its my birthday too. She said, oh please join us so we can celebrate your birthday as well.

I couldn´t believe it. What are the odds that I would end up in a restaurant in Bocas Del Toro, Panama (on a family whim), with two others who would have the same birthday, right at the time they were going to celebrate with a cake. Linda looked at me and said, I was wondering how I was going to get a cake for your birthday. Isn´t God amazing!

I think we're in good hands.

Paul

DRIVING SENOR DAY

So how do you spend your time in David, Panama when you’ve got lots of it to blow? You wander around, eat a bit, hit the internet café…and see if you can find the comedy in life. And then, because you’ve got the time, you write a blog entry so everyone else can laugh along with you. So here’s a bit about how my day went today (Oct 29, 2007).

I woke up and rolled over to see my wife’s stunning “morning face”. We started to greet each other with a morning kiss, but both quickly decided (about 8 inches away, and within olfactory range) not to. I turned back a little (so as to not stun Linda any further) and asked what time it was. It was at 8:10. I thought it would be a good morning to let the kids sleep in and take our new used vehicle back to the dealership in David (about 30 minutes) to pick up the security plate which covers the gas tank cap (which they took off to match paint color for the little touch-up job I negotiated when I bought the vehicle). So I got up and quietly showered, got dressed and exited the front door.

As I pulled out the driveway, I turned on the radio and hit the “auto scan” button. It’s actually quite entertaining to get 5 second sound bites in Spanish, one after the other, first thing in the morning. I have no idea what anyone was saying. But I tried to practice my Spanish by lip syncing each exciting morning radio personality. I tried a few minutes flipping through the FM stations, and then switched over to the AM stations.

After the 30 minute ride into town, I visited a new friend of mine, who has helped us out enormously, to drop off a gift and then made my way over to the dealership. I asked the manager if someone could re-install the security plate (assuming they had by now acquired the paint needed for the touch-up job), and he said they could actually complete the paint job today. So I elected to leave the car for the day. This was a change to the original plan, and thus the reason for all the time I had to waste. When I turned the keys over I felt a mild sense of nerves as this was my first auto repair experience in Panama. And I’ve probably read too many online forums telling tales of repair disasters. Anyways, I managed to communicate enough to get a used vehicle to drive around for the day so I wasn’t stuck at the dealership.

They provided me with the smallest car on the lot. The chalk on the front windshield indicated that it was a KIA 2002 car. I have no idea what model the car was. When I first saw it, I thought, you’ve got to be kidding me. But grateful for anything, I attempted to open the door of the compact-super-mini-micro orb car and get on with my day.

To cut to the chase, the car was a pile of crap. After cranking on the key to unlock the door, I managed to open the door, accompanied by a strange squeaky sound. After a quick scan of the task ahead, I wedged myself in the front seat, reaching feverously for the seat adjuster. After a good 10 seconds reaching back and forth under the seat, I finally released the seat allowing the blood to re-enter my legs. When I lifted my head up, my head hit the sun visor which was hanging down blocking most of my view. It was broken and barely hanging on for dear life. I tried to release it from the “front position” and move it to the “side position” and up against the ceiling and out of my view, but I quickly discovered that it simply hung on a 45 degree completely blocking my side window. So I put it back in the original “front position” and crouched down so I could see out the front windshield. I had also noticed that when I sat up straight, that my head was pressed uncomfortably against the unpadded ceiling of the car. So I twisted myself around a bit and fished around for the recline lever and eventually put myself in an almost completely horizontal position, but still able to just see over the dashboard. Now, comfortably reclined, I pushed in the clutch and turned over the engine. Well, it actually it took two attempts. But it turned over.

So now, I had to back up the car and navigate a maze of cars and exit the property. To my surprise the clutch was extremely sensitive. There was what seemed to be about a half millimetre gap between not moving and just revving the engine into a scream, and popping the clutch and going airborne. So, as nonchalantly as I could, in my extremely reclined position, I revved the engine into a scream, looked in the rear view mirror, and that is when I realized that the back window had some kind of plastic film that was bubbled up blurring my vision. So I eased off the gas for a second, and then after adjusting my eyes, I made a second attempt. I finally managed to exit the property, jerking around as I was trying to figure out the sensitivity of the clutch and headed down the road to a nearby coffee shop.

I was laughing out loud as I drove down the road wondering what people must be thinking watching this car jerk all over the place, with the engine clicking, and me reclined in an almost horizontal position. I just went with it and starting singing a beat to the clicking sound. After a few minutes of that I decided to turn on the radio to drown out all the other “not-suppose-to-be-happening” sounds and that was when I discovered there was no on-off button, just a volume control that had two settings. One was quiet (almost like a tease) against the others sounds in the car, and the other setting was a distorted blast. I thought, what the heck. What else can happen with this car? So I hit the automatic scan button and let the thing blare as I drove toward the coffee shop.

As I came up to my first intersection and checked my side mirrors, I realized that the mirrors were pointing down and at the doors. And driving in Panama you need to have working side view mirrors, so I pulled over to adjust them. That was when I discovered that the joystick like mirror controls were busted. Held only by fragile wires, they simply fell off when I grabbed them. So I tried put the little joysticks back in the slots that were creating the illusion they actually were suppose to be there, and tried to adjust the mirrors manually. But they wouldn’t move. So I got back into my reclined position, checked my rear view mirror looking through my blurry bubbled back windshield, and pulled out into traffic whispering a prayer for my safety.

I finally arrived at the coffee shop and went to exit my car door, but it was locked. That was strange as I didn’t remember locking my door. I thought no big deal. So I tried to pull up on the door lock, but it wouldn’t open. After a couple attempts, it finally budged a bit, but still didn’t open. I was starting to feel a slight sense of panic. Was this car alive and trying to kill me? After one last yank, it released and I was able to open the door.

Gracias, Dios. I finally arrived at the bakery/coffee shop and ordered a coffee and pineapple pastry (for .55) and smiled as I recalled my ride in my compact-super-mini-micro orb KIA courtesy car.

That's a moment in my life I won't soon forget.

Paul

JOSHUA'S OPINION- Oct 29

I’m having an OK time so far. I hope it gets better. The rooster (Chicken Joe) is very loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We found a frog and a lizard.






Me and Syd made a sand castle. It was cool.




By Joshua David Day!!!!
Oct 29 2007

A SUNDAY MORNING WALK by Sydney Day

Today we (Mom and me) went for a walk down a beautiful canyon. We saw fast running lizards, lots of buzzing flies and green trees, big and small rocks, roaring white water, brown wet mud, colorful wild flowers, long tall grass, an old creaky bridge, and bright colored leaves and moss. We heard excited birds, loud and quiet water, little rocks tumbling, the wind and lots of insects talking. We smelt little flowers, sweet water, some herbs and, in some spots, horse poo. It was very hot and humid at the bottom of the canyon. We tried to take a picture of some lizards, but they were too fast. We tried to figure out the smell of the plants we saw. Then I remembered that it was similar to a smell from Oma’s garden that she used in her meat ball soup. One time, when she came to Calgary, I asked her to make it. But it just did not taste the same. She said, “I came all this way and I made you meat ball soup and you don’t like it”? It just wasn't the same. I guess it only tastes the same in Montreal.

We continued our walk and we saw a really old looking bridge off in the distance. When we climbed up the wooden ladder, we notice that it was too slippery to go across. Mom wanted a third person to be watching just in case someone got hurt and we needed help. So we didn’t go across. So we walked back up the canyon and went back to the house.

By Sydney

Su Sido Un Rato (It has been a while)

Oct 25th 2007

We arrived in Panama 15 days ago, feels like a lifetime ago. Lots has happened, lots hasn’t. After having a great time in Panama City, we flew to David (pronounced DaBid), a 45 minute flight heading north west. After a few days of walking, talking and reading all the community bulletin boards, we realized David probably wasn’t the place for us to live for the next few months. Not only is there very little to rent furnished, but the low last night was 25. And we haven’t hit summer yet. The city of David is below sea level and is known as the hottest spot in Panama. Temperatures can reach 40+ in the summer (that doesn’t include the humidex factor). We headed for the hills, a place called Boquete. It is located about 45 minute drive north of David. Lots of English people living there year round, not something we were looking for, but the climate is way better. I imagine a village in Switzerland looking somewhat like this place.

Bouquete hillside, with extinct volcano in background

I was really hoping to be around more locals which would force me to learn the language and culture much quicker. I will have to be intentional about getting into the local villages. I hear there is an orphanage nearby and that 52 indigenous children have recently died from malnutrition and a virus. I have only heard a few tid bits of info here and there. I have no idea over what period of time and the location. This type of information is very interesting considering every where I look there are orange and banana trees. Yes, there goes the missionary/nurse/investigator/mother in me. (Maybe I could win some money for you Tim Warman!)

No one has A/C in Boquete because of the cool evening winds. It is usually 10-15 degrees cooler in the mountains with a great breeze. The land is very fertile due to the rich volcanic soil. Yes, I said volcanic. There is an extinct volcano that lies to the west of Boquete. And there are coffee plantations all over. The coffee here is so fantastic. I hope to take the kids on a plantation tour to study how coffee is made adn the process of harvesting from the plantation to our table. I also want to find out about the economics of these plantations. I have heard many of the workers are unable to afford to buy the coffee they pick! Incredible!

I had visions of me riding my bike or a Vespa around the village to get my daily groceries. Not as great an idea as I had imagined. The roads are very narrow and steep, quite bumpy at times and the drivers are pretty aggressive. I have decided to choose life!

Load of fresh fruit being dellivered to a nearby village.

Paul bought a Mitzubushi Montero Sport yesterday. We needed a large sturdy all-terrain vehicle for getting around here in Panama. This was a bit more than we had budgeted for, but hopefully we can sell it again before we leave. We decided on a Mitsubishi, because there are lots of them on the road and lots of parts locally in case of repairs. Some of the Mitzubishi's driven here look really old, a good sign of how well they stand up to the conditions here.

My "Incredible" family with our new car and temporary housing in background


We have rented a house. It has 3 bedrooms, is fully furnished, and is atop a hill with valleys on both sides of the property. We actually overlook the village of Boquete and a clear view of the volcano. The views are spectacular. There is a second floor (a bit unusally around here) which includes the 3 bedroom and an area that will serve as a class room/writing room. I will upload pictures once we have them.

We are unable to be in the rental home until Nov 5th. Today we moved from the Gran National Hotel in David (our home for the last 10 days) and have settled into a bed and breakfast just outside of Boquete until Nov 5th. (google "momentum panama").

Overall, its only been 15 days since we have left Calgary and we have almost created a life here for ourselves. The kids are doing really well. But there have been some stellar "Day Family" moments. For example, Josh vomited all over the restaurant floor at the Gran Nacional Hotel this morning right after breakfast. Not sure what's up with him. He seems to be feeling better now that he deposited his "lunch" in the restaurant.

Despite a few challenges our family feels stronger and more connected. It has been great being together as we navigate through a new culture, language and life.

Here are a few snaps of us. I haven't uploaded lots of photos because each one takes 7 minutes to upload. That is what you get when you live in the mountains!

Syd and Josh playing at the Pacific. The sand was volcanic black, and the waves were huge and dangerous, so no swimmng was allowed.

Living in a hotel for 10 days left us going a little "loco". The bananas are sooooo good.

Our temporary home has a few friendly ants. A delicious bedtime snack!

I look back on our journey so far, and think how priviledged I am to be here with my family. I have experienced so much already. I look forward to what the next few months has in store

Until I blog again.

Linda

A QUICK UPDATE

Hi everyone. You've probably been wondering what's going on with the Day's. Well...the short answer is that we've busy trying to get our life set up here in Panama. As we've heard, things take time. And our story is no exception. But here's the Coles Notes update.

PANAMA CITY: We arrived in Panama on Oct 10th and bunked with the Schmulands in Panama City until the 15th. We did some touring, saw the Panama Canal, did some bass fishing, saw a movie (without the kids) and had a fantastic evening out with Trent and Jody at BenniHanna's.

DAVID: Then we flew to David (45 minute flight) on the 15th and have been staying in the Gran Nacional Hotel. We've been scouting houses and apartments in both David and Boquete, and trying to find a good used vehicle to buy.

ACCOMMODATION: As of 2:00pm this afternoon, we secured a 3 bedroom house in Boquete. We can't take occupancy until November 5. That sucks. But its just so good to know that we've got a place. So the hotel living will continue, but probably not at our current location. We're going to look for something a little cheaper. We'll send pictures of the house once we get set up in a couple weeks. I've been accessing the internet though internet cafes (50 cents an hour) and the upload speed is a bit slow, so I'll wait until we're set up. Don't worry, we've got lots.

TRANSPORTATION: Our last big hurdle is finding a vehicle. Given the state of the roads (massive potholes, and some unpaved roads), expecially out of the city centres, one needs to have a vehicle that is big and rides high. (I'll explain Panama driving in another email. Suffice it to say, its an advantage to be in a larger vehicle). So SUV's are the most common form of transportation (note: for those who can afford them). I have a couple of options I'm pursuing now. I hope to seal a deal in the next day or so. We could use your prayers on this matter.

So that's the big picture.

CULTURE: I've learned lots trying to get a house and find a vehicle. I've learned a bit about some of the differences in our cultures, our ways of doing things, and of course, this whole adventure has thrust me into a crash course of the Spanish language. Its coming slowly. I must say that the people are extremely gracious and kind and most are very willing to help us learn as we stumble our way through conversations (not sure we can actually call what I do being part of a conversation). There are actually quite a few people who speak English which is a blessing.

THE KIDS: Sydney and Josh seem to be doing OK. Unfortunately they've had to spend quite a bit of time in the car as we've gone house and vehicle hunting. The Nintendo DS and portable DVD player are getting phenomenal use. Everyone once in a while they talk about missing their friends and wishing they could go home to Calgary where their friends are. They seem to be picking up bits of the language. Josh actually came into a office I was at, and without asking for my help, he asked a security guard where the restroom was in Spanish (el bano, por favor). I was impressed and very proud of him.

MOST AMAZING WOMAN IN THE WORLD: (Hows that for sucking up). Linda is her usual amazing self. I don't know I'd want to jump off the deep end as we have with anyone else.

Anyways, my hour is about up. So I'll get back to you all soon.

Adios,

Paul

WE'VE DONE SO MUCH

Oct 14th 2007

Written by Linda

Its Sunday, and we've already done so much here in Panama.

On Friday we had a casual morning with a visit of course to the local bagel and coffee shop. Syd, Emma and Jody and I went to go and buy some sandals for Syd. She picked out a fancy red pair for $1.60. We really shouldn't have brought any clothes because they are so cheap here, and no tax!

Later we then went to the Panama Canal. Its an amazing vision these people had for the Canal. The ships are huge. And it is incredible to think that the stuff I buy in Wal-Mart in Calgary passes through these canals.

The Canals were first thought of in the 1500's, but they didn’t have the machinery to dig out the canal. The French tried to construct the Canal in the 1800's, but they ran out of money and many of the workers died from tropical diseases. The Americans took over and dropped 40 million dollars into it. It was completed in 1913 or 1914 at a cost of about $400 million dollars! There are a series of 3 hydraulic locks that change the water levels drastically and quickly. The Canal allows for the Caribbean Sea to be connected with the Pacific Ocean. The largest fare paid to get thought was yesterday $360 000 USD. It gets paid 2 days in advance. The smallest amount ever paid was 36 cents by a man who swam through the canal in the early 1900's. It took him 2 days. Glad that he was not eaten by crocodiles!! They are going to build another canal that is scheduled to be completed by Oct 08. The Americans gave over control of the canal on Dec 31 1999. The Panamanians now run it. It appears that the Americans are not loved by all here.

We drove to the tallest peak in Panama and saw the homes where the US Generals use to live. The homes are all raised high up off the ground, apparently out of a fear of snakes. It is definitely jungle living . I've found it interesting that the vegetation looks very similar to Zambia and South Africa. There is a rumor that there is a bunker carved out of the mountain in this former US base. Who knows? Maybe we could rent it as our home while we are here!

A view of the Canal from the highest mountain in Panama City.

At the Panama Canal- Huge cargo ship passing throught the Canal behind us.

After visiting the Canal, we then traveled over the Causeway, a man-made road made from all the dirt that was removed while digging the Canal. The Causeway that takes you to an island with restaurants and other marine businesses. We had supper there, with yachts as the backdrop. The kids were playing soccer near the marina, and the inevitable happened. Josh lost his ball in the water, water overrun by jellyfish. Yes, the ones that sting! Jody was able to flag down a local marina worker and he rescued Josh’s ball. Thank goodness because that was the one Brody gave to him, his one and only tie to friends in Canada, and he was pretty upset before the great rescue!

Jody bravely trying to get Josh's ball. Note I'm holding onto her backside!

A brave local saves Josh's ball

After the great ball rescue, the waitress brought crackers for the kids to feed the fish. There were so many fish that 5 packages of crackers got devoured quickly.

Having 2 families, 9 people in one 3 bedroom apartment for the last few days has been loud and quite pleasant. Emma, Easton, Everett, Syd and Josh have really adjusted and shown lots of love and patience for each other, with an occasional yell and slap. Emma has given up her room for us, thanks Emma. It has been so incredible to be hosted like this in a country where most people only speak Spanish. Josh has been so funny running around saying “mucho gusto” then laughing and saying “I have no idea what I just said” (It means, "pleased to meet you"). Having Jody and Trent host our family has been such a gift to us.

The kids hanging together, guess who feels left out?

On Saturday we woke up at 6:30 and headed out of town with everyone but Emma, Everett and Jody for a day of fishing on a platoon boat on Gatun Lake. We probably caught about 140 Peacock Bass. At one point, Syd caught 18 in a row, standing in the same place. It was crazy. She just kept throwing her rod in and getting more. Easton had a riot picking out the eyeballs of the minnows we were using as bait. And Josh loved letting the minnows flop around on deck. I got very good at catching ensalada (i.e. seaweed). At the end of the day, Armando (our guide) gutted and filleted about 25 fish to take home. It got so hot around 12:00 noon, but we couldn’t jump in the lake because there are crocodiles present!! Didn’t see any, but I took the word of our local guide.

The Platoon Boat we used for fishing

Syd’s big catch of the day. Nice face baby!!

Easton and Josh work together.

I asked why we were the only ones fishing on a Saturday morning. I guess boats are really tough to get here in Panama without a steep cost. Such a shame. The fish are abundant and a great food source for the locals. On the way home we saw lots of pineapple groves. I never knew they grew on the ground. For some reason, I thought they grew in trees. I am learning so much!!

By the end of the day we were all exhausted. Josh had a nap in the hammock by the lake, Paul and Trent had a nap at home. What a life...already!

Josh enjoying a siesta

That night, Jody arranged for Patricia (their babysitter) to come and babysit the kids. The adults went out to Bennihana for an incredible meal, great entertainment (food preparation), a great time, and a tour of the city at night.

A little adult time. Michele and Jeff, where are you?

The kids played “Bread and Cheese” which I think it is “Red light Green light”. Not too sure yet.

Today, Sunday, we plan to go and buy a few more suitcases. We found out our flight to David only allows 25 lb suitcases. Oops. Paul has arranged for a hotel and car rental. We leave Panama City tomorrow and head out on our own. Its time to give the Schumu's some space and let them have their apartment back. It should be fun trying to get along with the little Spanlish we know! Hey, all part of this adventure! "Leaf on a river", right?

A few interesting facts:
Average weekly income @ $300 USD
A jar of peanut butter: @ $2.50

Costco is Price Smart
Summer vacation months are Jan, Feb and ½ of March
Tap water drinkable.
Official currency is the Balboa, but no one uses it. US currency used.
The Panamanian school are considering teaching Mandarin here, since the Chinese own 2 large portions of the Canal.