One Beautiful Day in Panama

Photographer: Alan Hawkins Victoria Where? Like so many nations, Panama’s country folk love their fairs. One of the most popular is the Azuero Fair (Feria de Azuero) held in Villa de Los Santos in Los Santos province of central Panama. Azuero is the name given to the “hump” of central Panama that sticks out into the Pacific. Along with all the standard country fair events, there are plenty of vendors selling crafts. Here’s one kind of craft that is well appreciated by all of us!

Photographer: Sieg Pedde Where? Chiriqui province in the far west of Panama is our equivalent of America’s Texas. It’s in the west, local folks are extremely proud of their province, and there are plenty of cattle. This fellow is very typical. Most Panamanian cattle are hybrids, but you can see the influence of the Brahma family in this gentleman.

Photographer: Charlene Where? It’s not the Olympics in China. It’s the island of Cameros in the province of Bocas del Toro in northwest Panama, but the enthusiasm is just as great, even if they come up short on “style points”. Charlene said she took a whole series of photos because “their delight in this activity was incredibly contagious”.

Photographer: John Moses M. Where? You might be surprised to know that salmon is a popular fish in Panama. Of course, our native varieties, especially corvina, are the most common, but salmon has its place in the market too. We even have a local producer of a variety of smoked salmon specialties whose products are also exported. Where do the salmon come from? From fish farms like the one above in Cocle province in central Panama.

Photographer: Beth Where? We have modern supermarkets that provide a wide variety of foods, including imported premium ice cream, soy milk, and a whole variety of goodies. But it’s gentlemen like the one above who help us save money and enjoy truly fresh food. In this case, locally-grown onions are being bagged in Paso Ancho, a few miles from Volcan in western Panama’s Chiriqui province, to take into the local market, the kind of market where many of us prefer to shop.

Photographer: Jaime Toro Where? There is something very soothing about the ocean. Just being near it is calming and relaxing. Indeed, this can be true even when there is plenty of activity, as with these fishing boats off the coast of Contadora Island in the Pearl Islands, not far by air and sea from Panama City. But unlike the city, “traffic” here actually adds to the relaxing environment.

Photographer: Sieg Pedde Where? Panama’s volcanic activity in centuries past, particularly in the western region, left behind a gift: rocks that serve perfectly as fences and don’t require any mortar. In this photo taken at Roca Milagro in Chiriqui province of western Panama, Sieg caught this image of multiple rock walls using his zoom lens to good effect.

Photographer: Pat Shevlin Where? It’s not just our birds that are beautifully colored, our butterflies (mariposas in Spanish) are every bit as beautiful. Extraordinarily delicate, they bring joy to our hearts every time they are seen…and they are seen continuously, everywhere in Panama.

Who? Allan Hawkins Where? Panama City was founded on the 15th of August in 1519. In eleven years, it celebrates its 500th birthday. It is the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas and precedes the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent European settlement in the US, by almost a century. Most of the original city was destroyed during a pirate raid in 1671, but the ruins above and others like them remain today, along with an excellent museum. Definitely a good place to visit when you come down.

Photographer: Jim Battin Where? You can see part of Panama City’s skyline in the background. The city and the surrounding suburban area are home to well over a million people and nearly all have one thing in common…they eat seafood! This is one of the seafood markets near the city where fishing ships head with their catch. The main seafood market in Panama City is very well-run. It’s a project sponsored by the Japanese government as a gift to all of us who live here. Now, that is a thoughtful gift!