Just got back from the book and cookie sale at the library and a trip around town to scoop up a few more plants for the yard and patio. Dennis planted two coconut palms earlier in the week, and we just can't stop. We did find a lot of books we couldn't live without, so my library is beginning to grow again. It was very hard to say good good-bye to my books when we moved, so it's nice to start up a new collection.
We decided to check out the Christmas boutique down at the BCP, but didn't find anything that struck my fancy. Was hoping to find some Christmas hoo hahs to decorate the casita, but all I brought home with me was a string of red beads I found at a patio sale down the road. This will be a work in progress, and I may have to invest a bit more effort in my search.
We had planned to celebrate my birthday in Costa Rica and had booked a beautiful spot in San Vito called Cascata del Bosco. This happened to coincide with a change in regulations at the border on the Costa Rica side which called for an exit tax, which we gladly would have paid (a whopping $5.00) but the infrastructure to collect the tax was not set up. After reading a post on Boquete.ning, I allowed myself to get a bit paranoid about leaving and not being able to get back into Panama so I cancelled our reservations. My bad! Turned out there was no problem and we could have gone. Big lesson here. The internet is not gospel, don't freak out over the small stuff, and go with the flow. Dennis was nice enough to not give me the "I told you so" look. Looks like we'll be rescheduling our trip very soon though.
We decided to stay in town and had a nice dinner at Mike's International Grill, my go to place for pad thai and falafal. While we were there, we met a couple from Boise. I think I've lost count of how many Idahoans and Washingtonians I have met here. We followed up with another dinner the next evening with the Newcomer's group at the Oasis. How I missed this little gem I do not know in all the time we've been here. It was an absolutely gorgeous setting, with delicious food, great service and the comradery of about 30 people. Each time we meet someone new and have a never ending circle of interesting people with which to enjoy a meal. I've posted a pic of new friend Audrey (from Venezuela) and Jere, our neighbor and hiking coordinator.
Dennis and I are really enjoying our Monday hikes with the hiking group. Last Monday, we celebrated hikers Bill and Dennis ( a different Dennis) with a birthday lunch at La Jungla. They have wonderful wall art there as well a small rescue and rehab center. A few escaped their enclosure, but I was lucky enough to get a picture of them under the rehab sign.
I may have mentioned the mercado in a previous blog. Can't remember that far back, but due to the new building going up, people have scattered and moved about town finding empty lots and places to set up their vegetable stands. My personal favorites are Edgar and Marivel, with the freshest selection (in my opinion) As there were lots of out-of-towners for the big Independence celebrations and parades a week ago, there were lots of interesting sights to take in. Behold the photo of the python. The owner generously offered to let me pose with him for $3.00, which I passed on and took a quick photo as I was gathering up my veggies.
I have been a bit of a wuss letting Dennis drive me everywhere and finally got up the courage to drive into David with my friend Lesia. We had a wonderful day shopping and exploring a few of the stores deep in the center of town. I have to be truthful here. I parked on the outskirts in front of Do-it Center and taxied into 'the interior'. My heart wouldn't take it. Dennis thrives in driving conditions like that, but me...not so much. Took a photo of a blind man who had built himself a kind of one man percussion band. Downtown is bustling with policemen on bicycles, commuters on scooters, a gazillion cars and trucks, school children running through the park, food vendors, florists, and vegetable stands (cheaper than Boquete) on every corner, shoppers, and if you're lucky, a performance artist or two. We checked out Picadilly, Poderosa, Jackie, and Daisy stores. There really isn't anything you can't find here...if you are willing to jump in and hunt for it.
***Little side story regarding the banana bunch photo from my last blog entry. Seems like banana bunches are great little habitats for spiders. We found about 100 hatchlings of little baby red and black spiders on the wall outside of the house and figured out they most likely came from the bananas. We promptly decided to offer the bananas to the local bird population and moved them over the fence into a field. A win win for all. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the spiders. Too busy freaking out.
MONDAY IS PANAMANIAN MOTHER'S DAY, SO TO ALL MY FRIENDS THAT ARE MOTHERS, GRANDMOTHERS, AND GREAT GRANDMOTHERS, I SEND YOU WARM WISHES.
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