Gringos in Panama

The day was off to a cool-ish, overcast start which may have allowed for the morning spectacle that we enjoyed this day. While having morning coffee on the veranda, we were first joined by one silent toucan briefly landing in the tree overhead before continuing on to the forest in the Northwest.  Next, two giant black, red-headed (I’ll just say it - very ugly) vultures rested in the same tree while about 6 hummingbirds zipped and zoomed around the garden.  Sometimes two of them would dance or wrestle - I’m not sure which - in a kind of free fall, separating moments before reaching the ground. I finally gave up trying to catch them in a photo and just enjoyed their antics while thinking of my friend Carrie, who LOVES hummingbirds.  Over the next hour or so, birds of all colors and sizes flittered by. Tiny, bright yellow finches the size of a walnut (smaller than the hummingbirds) clicked their wings, sounding like a human snapping their fingers.  Large, brown birds whose tail feathers s

The first thing on this day’s agenda was to dispose of yesterday’s unexpected ending. We were all excited to BBQ some burgers and taters on the downstairs patio when we learned one of the basics when shopping in Panama; be careful where you purchase meat. After discovering the hamburger for said BBQ was nasty, the question was what do do with it. It’s really not a good idea to leave something outside our house that would attract a multitude of jungle animals we want to avoid. Therefore, putting it in the garbage was not an option. The solution agreed upon was to refreeze the nasty meat and toss it in the river the next day. Pictured above are the brave souls who embarked on this adventure. :-) Brandon offered to carry the cargo and we trooped off into the jungle to complete our mission. Looking back on it, this was not our most thoughtful moment. The jungle can be overwhelming at first. There are SO many great hiding places for SO many creatures you hope NOT to encounter.  Therefore, a

It’s really hard to tell who enjoyed those bananas more, the capuchin monkeys eating them or the men sharing them!  Gerardo gave us a break from fishing, docked by an island and the following ensued: Word got out and the mono titís joined the party! It amazes me how gentle they were as they helped themselves to bits of bananas. Monkeys like these skitter through the trees outside our house almost every morning! How lucky are we?? Not to be left out, here came a howler monkey. It’s hard to believe the amount of racket these fellows make. They sound like huge gorillas!  This one quietly snacked without complaint. He makes me think a tail might come in handy.   “This   place is WILD!” said one person to another. “I hear they taste like chicken,” said the caimen of the people at the end of the trail. “Hey, Ed’s boots look like cousin Vinnie!!” 😳 “Holy Cats!” said the people of the  caimen at the end of the trail. “You look thirsty. Have a beer!” said the neighbors. So we did!