Year 2, 2019, Pedasi, our little town


This little town of Pedasi has around 4000 people. We are fortunate enough to live within walking distance for most of our needs.

This little restaurant is max 5 minutes walk and is owned by a couple that lived in Toronto for many years. Such a small world, one of their daughters is now living in North Battleford, Daryl’s home town.                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                    
When you want something good, inexpensive and quick this is the place to go.                              
They sell sandals too, apparently they are locally made and hand painted.  I had to buy them tight and wear to stretch. Amazingly ‘squeaky’, but getting better since wearing in salt water.

After two weeks the sandals are no longer tight and the nail polish is gone!

Recycling is definitely a big thing here. This is outside the school, and below is outside the cultural centre.

Just past Asados, there is a strip mall. It has a clothing store and the car dealership where we rented a car.
Then next to that is a fairly good size grocery store. 
The grocery stores here carry absolutely everything, or so it seems.
A sample of meat choices. Have to admit we haven’t tried neither the pigs head nor feet. 
The chicken and smoked chops are really good.
There is a market on Friday mornings, but we haven’t been in town on a Friday yet to check it out.

On Independence Day there was a street celebration and parade. Not sure if you can see but there is water from a fire hose being poured over the dancers from above…. keeps you cool!

Electricity has been consistent so far, it frequently goes out for a few minutes.
Only once has it gone out for 10 hours straight.
But we came prepared.
And it really helps to have a gas BBQ.
Anyway, we eat all our meals outside; we were really thankful for the Costco lamp that we brought in our carry on luggage.

And then I took some pictures around town.

A church, I also saw a Baptist church, but didn’t get a picture and can’t remember where it was.

The airport, unfortunately, no longer has commercial flights to Panama City. It sure would be handy. Someone told us it was about $500 for a return trip…. not sure if that is per person or for a couple.

Unlike last year when we had to take our garbage a five minute walk to a “casa de basura”….garbage house….here the truck comes by every Tuesday.

Looks like somebody is hand painting garden steps.


What would a public toilet be without it very own chicken!

There is yoga at the cultural centre three times a week….for $10

And for the day you decide town water is a definite no-no, thank goodness there is a pharmacy.

Without seeing a doctor I was able to purchase a weeks supply of Nexium (first time in my life, I might add). Along with probiotics and no more tap water I should be good to go.

We are enjoying having wheels, although our only long trips has been to Panama City twice. There will be more to come for sure.

And it is lovely to have a place to relax after a hard days work:)

Cheers
Ruth







Year 2, Alicia came to visit

Alicia came for a visit, we spent a couple of days in Panama City and did a few touristy things. The walk along the malacon is always fun.

It sure wasn’t a sunny day, but as Daryl says, “no shiver factor”.
This walk is always good….so close to the hotel we stayed in.
And of course we went to Casco Viejo, the old part of the city, as it is wonderful to browse around.
There just happened to be a Picasso display at the Spanish Cultural Centre…quite a treat, sure was not expecting that. Then we did a bit of bargaining in the market….forgot to take a picture.
On the way home we stopped at the fish market.
Food was great.
And you have to keep those chickens under control when they are wandering around the restaurants.
What you can’t see in this picture is Daryl’s prescription Maui Jim sunglasses go flying.
Well a couple of days later they went flying for good as a rogue wave took our belongings. we retrieved everything except two pairs sunglasses and my lovely hat!!
We went to the bio museum, it is really well done. The big white creatures are sloths….guess they have shrunk considerably over the years. And neither Daryl nor I will see those sunglasses ever again!!
Then we went back to Pedasi and visited a few beaches.
This is what you do when you forget your cap.
It was windy, but we did go to one calm beach and thoroughly enjoyed the water.
We got to see a few critters at Playita. 
Daryl fed a monkey, the banana brought a whole bunch of monkeys hoping for more food.
There were also several macaws flying around.
Pretty soon it was time to take Alicia back to Panama City.
The cost to park for 20 minutes in the airport parking lot was pretty darn good…. 55 cents.
We had planned to spend a night in Coronado on our way back, but due to torrential rain not being conducive to sight seeing we drove all the way back….well Daryl did all the driving. Yes, the road was totally covered with rushing water.
A late lunch at a fancy restaurant was sweet, by the time we left it was raining again!!
Cheers!
Ruth

Year 2, our Pedasi house

We moved into our house just about a week ago, and it was immaculate! And comfortable. Beautiful both inside and out.

Our backyard living space is used as much as the inside, maybe more. We would probably use it for sleeping if it wasn’t for the bugs.

Our house is literally three minutes walk from the Main Street. Even though we can hear music and traffic, it feels like we are living in the country.

It is a duplex, from the front really doesn’t look like much but oh so sweet. Soon we will have a car to park in the car port.

The back of the house….oh joy, we have a real BBQ. The door to the right is a laundry room/storage shed. My guess why the laundry room is not in the house….sounds like a Mac truck when it is running, ok maybe a sight exaggeration.
The inside meets our needs perfectly too.

The vegetable/fruit truck has come by twice so far. Love going out the front door and getting fresh produce off the back of a truck.

Yeah…we have already done some reorganizing. I am sure there will be more.
But it is the outside bohio…. I would call it a palapa….that is fantistico…. we have already added to and reorganized the furniture. And we haven’t yet tried the stove to see if it works. Soon we will move the BBQ to here…cause it is at least 20 steps away:)

We have a bunch of banana trees in our back yard. Not sure how long they take to ripen, however Daryl googled and it seem they were ready for cutting. There are lots, we sure would like to be able to eat them.

Yep!! same bed. A real sleepy head.

The perfect place for an early morning cup of coffee and a good book.

This post was a bugger to format, hopefully it will get easier.

Cheers
Ruth

Year 2, First to Panama City

               Hard to believe this is the 6th day since we left Calgary to come to Panama.

On October 29 Heather and Mike (just love the warm house coat) gave us a ride to the airport at 3:30 AM. So early in the year to be so cold, -14C. Once we arrived in Panama City, even while walking through the “tunnel” it was hot and muggy…..felt wonderful.

The lounge at the Calgary airport was open at 04:30, so we were able to get  full hot breakfast, the one in Houston was okay too…..seeing we had a delay with a 6 hour lay over….. and the wine was good!

Yep, we had a seat at the back of the bus on both the flights.

The first thing we noticed when we pulled up to the hotel was the addition of bike lanes. A couple of years ago this was a four lane street.

This is a really pretty city. After breakfast, well really it was lunch as we were too late to get breakfast, Daryl and I went for a walk. The malecon (boardwalk) along the waterfront was about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Thankfully it was an overcast day as it was too hot for me when the sun came peeking through.


We stopped at the fish market for a snack. The fish was very fresh as the boats had just come in. We saw many, many crates of fish passing our table.

We made it to Casco Viejo, the old city. There is an incredible amount of rejuvenation and restoration going on. 

We looked at churches. For such a small area there are lots of churches. From the wall plaques they mostly seem to have been built in the 1600’s.


One of the churches had the most incredible display of Bethlehem.

And then it was time for a cool beverage…. the papaya smoothie was delicious and refreshing. Daryl still prefers beer on a hot day.


The above photo was taken on our way from the hotel to Cosca Viejo late morning. Then on our way back, several hours later, the tide had come in. Virtually the same spot….
This is where the fishing boats come in.


The malecon goes forever. The park all along the way is very well maintained.

Might not be able to read the dog sign, but the red X is self explanatory.

This Sunday is Independence Day, the gal dressed in a traditional costume is stunning.

An interesting day, but my poor feet. Walked 18,000 steps!!

The next morning (another one of those bright and early starts) we left Panama City, and six hours later we arrived in Pedasi.
The shuttle dropped us off at a hostel.

A short taxi ride later ($1.25) and we were at our home for the next three months.

Time to get out of those travel clothes, shower, relax and have a cold beverage.

Cheers!

Ruth

Vacation with the kids Roatan April 2019

The two weeks with Cheryl, Adam and the kids went by quickly. Cheryl was able to do her open water certification and then go diving with the guys.



While they were diving I got to play with Hannah and Davis. A visit to the chocolate factory is always fun!

The kids really wanted to hold a sloth, however we picked a Sunday to go see them not knowing the park was closed. A really good alternative was feeding the iguanas.
Not much to see at French Key!
A couple of lions in a small cage;.
We stopped at Palmetto Bay for lunch, the kids got to play in the pool.

Evening entertainment!

Not many rainy days…big waves and still warm.

Calilou’s…. the best place for baleadas.

The breakfast of champions!!

My favourite spot, at the gelato shop.


Pretty ladies.

A must do for a little girl.


Dinner the last night was at The Lillypond. Chess anyone?

Two tired little puppies.

Sure didn’t need a blanket.


And then it was over….. but such good memories.

Adam, Cheryl and the grandkids

Water babies

This post is a little late coming, seeing that we have been home for two weeks already.
We had a wonderful vacation with Adam, Cheryl, Hannah and Davis. Immediately on arrival we hit the beach.

We were able to enjoy pizza all winter as there is a really good place, even gluten free!!

Next day we got up bright and early….. somewhere around 9 AM…. and went to Punta Gorda. It was a long hot walk on the beach.
On our way home we stopped at another beach and the kids were able to fulfill part of their wish list.
Hannah and Cheryl went horseback riding in the ocean and Davis and Adam went seadooing…. those guys sure like speed.

Our neighbour gave the kids coconuts and cacao. Not only did they have the coconut water and flesh, Daryl also made chocolate.

Also have to try climbing a 100 year old mango tree!

And what vacation would be complete if a wild cat didn’t give birth to two baby kittens outside the upstairs neighbours front door.

My favourite beach…. might have something to do with the gelato shop!

Hannah wanted to go on a hike while in Roatan…. we did but it was along the beach to West End. 
Sometimes you just have to take a big bottle of water!!
Always something interesting to do …or see.
Adam can go upside down too!

We made it to “the wall”, the kids got to do some pretty good snorkelling.

And then we took a water taxi home.

Cheers!

Copan Hot Springs

 

The hot springs were an hours drive outside Copan, the distance was not great, just that it was a mountainous, switch-back dirt road. 
There were houses along most of the way, some rather nice, some not so much. We were told the new housing starts may be the result of money sent home from family members working outside the country.
There was a swigging bridge and then a tunnel to get to the very private hot springs.
Unfortunately I deleted all the pictures from my camera, so we only have a couple on my phone and mostly video’s on Daryls camera.
The pools followed a stream and were up, then down. There must have been a thousand steps and at least twenty pools… and all very private. Lots of people there but we didn’t see them. 
This one is a mud bath.
The pools ranged from cool to scalding hot…..had to stick a toe in first to check the temperature.
Daryl really liked the hot hot pools.
This pool was hot on one side and cool on the other…..
This was a shower, super forceful and very hot. 
After we were dressed, Daryl and I walked back across the swinging bridge for one more picture… that water sure knows how to wreck a hair-do:)
Not sure those three short videos will work…. two 10 second and one 4 seconds….. but giving it  a shot. 
Cheers
Ruth

Myan ruins at Copan

The ruins at Copan are probably the best, and largest, I have seen. This site was about a kilometre from town and the only one we had time to see.
It was well maintained, and so clean… take a look at the broom this guy is using.
Several trees at the entrance to the park had metal around the bottoms and big “drums” at the top. This is protected nests for macaws. 
As we were leaving the park, there were squawking macaws all over the place. As you can see the nests are being used. Pretty birds, but man, are they noisy.
This is just going to be a bunch of pictures of the ruins in no particular order…. so much history, so many stories, but just pictures today. Our guide was very knowledgeable and by the time we left the park my brain was overflowing.
It is hard to describe the size of this site. Our tour lasted about 3 hours and we barely stopped walking the entire time.
So much detail.
I
Most definitely a memorable day! We could easily have spent a couple more days as there were underground excavations. Also there were sites in different locations around town that our tour guide would have taken us to see. 
Cheers
Ruth





Going to Copan


This is our third year coming to The Bay Island of Roatan,  and we had never been to the mainland. Our first trip off the island to rio Cangrejal was a wonderful experience…. this time we decided to go a little further afield….to Copan Ruinas

Our flight left Roatan at 6:30 AM. (we might have been the only people at the airport) and 45 minutes later we were in San Pedro Sula, the closest airport to Copan. Then a four hour bus ride.
There is a bus terminal at the airport, however as Daryl and I were the only people waiting, we were sent by taxi to the main terminal, about a half hour away.
The bus did not leave until noonish….
It was a big greyhound style bus. We purchased first class tickets (a reclining seat), but the bus over sold so we got to sit in a regular seat which was just fine.
Finally at 4:30 PM we arrived in Copan.

Tri-moto is the taxi of choice and those little vehicles can sure whip around.

The bed and breakfast was lovely.

The ground were so well maintained, this bunch of bananas were outside our door.

There were flowers of every description everywhere. 

We took a bunch of pictures around town. it was hilly with cobblestone streets.

The sidewalks were built for one.
And we picked up a friend along the way. This pup walked around town with us and came all the way back to our hotel.

The restaurants were certainly high end,,,, and really good food.

The locally made cheese was so good… we might have eaten too much.

There was lots of construction/upgrades on the road coming into town.

I would have to say, even if we had not been able to go to the hot springs or the ruins, this town would have been worthwhile visiting all on its own.

Cheers
Ruth

Going to the East End of the island

Camp Bay Beach

Well, let me say first of all that I deleted this original post in error…. so here’s to re-creation.

Daryl and I had never made it to the far end of the island. As our time on Roatan is whipping by, it was time to go exploring again.

We got in the car and drove to the end of the road….almost. …the last eight miles or so were a dirt road, and then it became a track.

The scenery was absolutely spectacular.

We turned around and went back to Camp Bay Lodge.


The lodge was rustic for sure.
The food was good!
There were a few other people there but not many.

The lady who owns it…. I think…. is from Canada. She said they spend six months in Canada and six at the lodge.
They have two small children. The young lad goes to a local school. Mom is French, dad is German, they speak English at home and the school is Spanish. Quite the variety.

We didn’t swim as it started to rain, besides the water dropped off quickly and way out of my comfort zone.

Daryl making me laugh.

We were trying to find the public beach. There are no road signs so we ended up on someone’s private property, and drove through lovely mangroves. 

Thanks to Daryl’s eagle eyes we found the beach.
It literally went on forever…. we tried but did not make it to either end.
There were lots of families picnicking in the trees, and lots of kids in the water.


Next stop was Paya Bay, an upscale condominium that was in the middle of nowhere.
Busy lunch crowd though.

It had spectacular views.

There were lots of rules at Paya Bay…. although it has the only nude beach on the island.

Oak Ridge, It seems the east side of the island has more rugged terrain, and more fishing villages.

Mariposa is another new development that will have spectacular views.
Sadly there are areas of the infrastructure that remains a work. in progress.
All in all another enjoyable day.
Cheers
Ruth