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?  Bob  What?  A dollar’s worth of sweet red peppers (minus a couple eaten on the way home) and tomatoes purchased at a produce stand along the road outside Chepo, a city in eastern Panama about an hour from Panama City.  Country produce is not only cheaper, it’s tastier and these peppers did not last for long!

Who?  “Bill’s friend”   Where?  Nearly everyone interested in Panama has seen photos of the huge ships that cross our nation on the Panama Canal every day.  But let us not forget that they are greatly outnumbered by boats of far more modest size.  The one above is resting ashore just off the Rio Bayano (Bayano River) near the town of Chepo in eastern Panama.  The Rio Bayano is a major route to the ocean for fishermen and women and this is how they get there.  These boats may be utilitarian, but like so many things in Panama, they add their “color” to please the eye.

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?  Antonio Mojica  Where? For generations, many Panamanians have raised cattle, both for meat and for milk.  This mother and child, the very picture of contentment, live on a dairy farm in eastern Panama province on the shores of Lake Bayano.

Who?  Bob  Where?  To the east of Panama City going toward Lake Bayano, an old dirt road is being rehabilitated and improved that will take people across the mountains to the Caribbean coast.  Called the El Llano-Carti road for the towns at both ends, this will open not only the Caribbean, but much of eastern Panama to tourists.  The new road is still under construction, but the progress is impressive.  Stopping along the way, this photo is taken directly west toward Costa Rica hundreds of miles away.  It demonstrates that Panama, small as it is, is far from being crowded.  We have room for many more people, including you!

Who?  Antonio Mojica  Where?  It is not exactly a tunnel.  It is from inside a cave, one of the Maje Caves on Bayano Lake in eastern Panama province.  These ancient caves are deep in an area called home by our Native Americans, the Embara and Kuna in this case.  Although ignored in the past, there are now tour guides who can take people out to the caves and they are slowly being added to the lost list of “places to visit in Panama”.

Photographer: Sharon Where? There’s something about mountains and palm trees that is especially appealing. They shouldn’t fit together, but they do. Perhaps it’s because the mountains are older and gentler now, having survived centuries of wind and rain. Let us hope we do as well!

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: 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.