One Beautiful Day in Panama

Who?  Bob  Where?  In many nations, Pedro is at that age when he is starting retirement and wondering what happened to his waistline!  But Pedro has better things to do, in this case prepping horses for a couple crazy gringos out to see the farm on Lake Bayano in eastern Panama.

Who? Athena Where? A young and timid Embera girl hides in the shadows while in the background construction for their community center is in process. It is said that indigenous groups live a simple life but not without tons of hard work.

Who?  Jeff Lane  Where?  Who needs expensive toys when you are young and there is plenty of sand around?  Kids up north may burrow through snow drifts, but kids in Panama can do the same without wearing heavy winter clothes!  These young men are enjoying the sand of the beaches of Isla Taboga (Taboga Island), also called the “Island of Flowers”, just a few miles off the coast near Panama City.

Who?  Jeff Lane  Where?  In Panama City, the pace of construction is continuous and rapid.  The skyline has changed dramatically in the last five years, stunningly in the last ten, and all but unbelievably to folks returning after fifteen years.  Someone has to do the work and here we see them hard at it.  They are the backbone of our city.

Who?  Allan Hawkins  Where?  Every country seems to think it has the most beautiful women in the world and we think ours are pretty special too!  Here, a dancer taking part in a festival in Casco Viejo, the old section of Panama City, displays her natural beauty along with that of the traditional headdress.

Who?  Jaime Toro  Where?  While Panama City has some truly wonderful and very modern restaurants to satisfy the most discriminating palate, many of us especially appreciate the small restaurants that are so common in the rural areas.   They offer simple but good food for very little money.  The restaurant above is found just outside the town of Cañita near the shores of Lake Bayano in eastern Panama and is a good example of a rural restaurant where good food, low prices, and friendly people make eating a pleasure.

Who?  Mike Manifold  Where?   You may not be far from Panama City, seen in the background wfith ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal, but it can seem as if you are somewhere far, far away from the urban sprawl.  This is an area west of the city, across the Canal, as relaxed as the city is busy.

Who?  Terry Phipps  Where?  No matter where you are in the world, fun looks the same.  In this case, a fund-raiser is being held for the SOS Children’s Village near Penonomé, the capital of Coclé province in central Panama.  We do not know who won this race, but the odds are that everyone did!

Who? Jeff Lane  Where?  In Bocas del Toro in the far northwest corner of Panama, an RW member makes friends with one of Panama’s most popular residents.  Although not all of Panama’s wildlife is quite so tame as this new friend, they are a joy to meet, even if only as an “acquaintance” from a distance.

Photographer: Terry Phipps  Where?  Dance competitions are a big hit in Panama and the style usually is based on our nation’s Spanish heritage.  The competitions start at an early age and here we see two eager young participants at a competition in Llano Grande in the province of Coclé in central Panama.