When you have a couple of acres of virgin land that will be used as a camp site, there are a few things that have to be done to make the experience totally enjoyable. Actually it is a ton of work! Two summers ago we built the outhouse, a storage shed, and a wood shed.
Then last summer it was time to clear a spot for the trailer.
Amongst other tasks, we built a small deck for the front of the trailer, a water storage shed and a good sized picnic table.
As convenient as the outhouse was, once we started sleeping in the trailer it became pretty obvious that we needed to be able to use the facilities. So our next major project was to put in a holding tank.
Getting someone to come dig the hole out in the bush took a while, and the tank actually arrived in Calgary before the hole was dug. Thankfully it fit onto the truck and we were able to bring it to el parque and tuck it away in the woods.
Once the hole was dug then the work really started. That big, thankfully light weight tank, had to go in the hole and be buried. Just Daryl and I and two shovels. Okay, I did some!
Getting the tank into the hole was a bit of a challenge. I probably did not make the best assistant but we did it! Trust me, the base was perfectly level.
Then we shovel, and shovel some more.
By now it was mid October and we were leaving the country in a couple of weeks. The holding tank was going to have to stay half buried for the winter.
Spring arrived and so did we. After a relaxing winter of good food and beaches we went back to work. We finally got the tank buried. Then Daryl started laying the drainage pipe. He started at the tank and worked backwards to the trailer. Many many feet of trench was dug with a shovel and pick axe.
After a few thousand shovelfuls of dirt, most likely a few million, and a similar number of hours of hard labor, the tank was buried and everything worked. Time to attach the manhole which is a foot or two above ground. We also finished filling in and tidying up.
Not that I have tried it of course, but I have heard it is really handy having the cap quite close to the trailer!
And….it’s finished.
We either have a hitching post for any of the wild horses that come by or protection for the manhole from any vehicles that might back into it.
We also have a herd of cattle that regularly drop by. They leave big foot prints and lots of nasty stuff!
Another task completed. I didn’t do much of the work but sure enjoy the benefits. At some point we will get well water and showers won’t be ‘a spray off’. Now time to go home for a real shower.
On our last day in Panama our flight did not leave until the afternoon, which gave us a morning to do touristy stuff. During all our trips to Panama City we had never gone to the old city, Panama Viejo.
Panama Viejo is a World Heritage Site and is the remains of the original Panama City which was destroyed by pirates in 1671.
Most of the ruins are at the far end of the site. You can take a shuttle and work your way back.
We did the opposite, walked to the end and took the shuttle part way back to the entrance as there was just so much to see right from the get go!
We were at the site shortly after it opened at 8:30 AM. We had to be back at the hotel in three hours. That was enough time to see most everything, and the site is not far from downtown.
We did a self guided tour. There was plenty of information available, both in Spanish and English.
Throughout our walk towards the museum and main structures, there were multiple grass covered mounds. Apparently those mounds are ruins to be uncovered in the future.
The evacuation is a work in progress. The cistern is being worked on.
Inside the cistern
Looks like some of the old walls need ‘shoring up’.
Inside the church.
We got to climb to the top of this building.
We made it to the top.
There was a new staircase, although there were lots of old uneven steps too.
Great views from the top.
City view from the top.
The museum was big and well appointed. We could easily have spent a couple of hours there.
A fascinating morning that well worth the trip. It was a good thing it was cloudy as it was hot!
Yesterday we left Pedasi to start the trip home. For the first time ever we were able to take an airplane from Pedasi to Panama City. When you consider it took 40 minutes instead of 6 hours sitting in a vehicle, it was pretty good deal.
We had a day and a half in the city, which gave us time to do touristy stuff. Directly across from our hotel there was a City Sight Seeing office. After breakfast we went to check out what was available, on short notice on a Monday morning. Amazingly lots of attractions are closed on Monday.
A tour to Monkey Island was available….now. Seriously, before we had paid for the trip, the bus was already waiting outside. After about a 45 minute bus ride to Gamboa we arrived at our departure dock.
Monkey Island tour was a boat ride around several islands in the Panama Canal. Our guide was quite informative, she also spoke English and Spanish.
According to our tour guide, this is ‘Herman the German’, a heavy duty crane that is used for lock maintenance. It went to the US, from Germany, after WWII, and in 1996 was sold to Panama for $1.
There were lots of big ship and containers with tug boats attached, on their way through the canal. We looked so tiny going past.
The canal is maintained at a depth of 17 meters, and is constantly being dredged. The material that is collected flows through the pipes below and is used to make new islands, or anywhere else silt is needed.
After a short 10 or 15 minute ride, we arrived at the monkeys island. The capuchin monkeys were the first we saw and are as cute as a button. They are not at all shy to come into the boats for fruit. We also saw howler monkeys from a distance as they stayed way up in he trees. There was also a whole stack of tamarin monkeys but I did not get a picture as they were too busy moving about.
Those little critters are some kind of bat, they are all lined up having a nap to get ready for evening hunting. Apparently they go back to the same tree every morning.
This lizard has the distinction of being called a Jesus Christ Lizard as it can walk on water.
The crocodile was very large and quickly slithered into the water.
This is our first year being in Pedasi during the month of March. While there are always lots of colourful shrubs and trees here, it seemed, come March there was an explosion of colour.
I have no idea what any of those shrubs are called. They sure are pretty and eye popping.
Some of the trees have looked dead for months. Then you could be driving on a road and seemingly from one day to the next it would pop with big colourful pompoms or flowers. The most common colours were pink/purple, yellow and white. A couple of days later the colours are gone and the trees start leafing out.
Too bad the colour did not show up properly in this picture, but the red and white blooms sure looked pretty on the beach.
Blooms even on the beach
Even the dead looking tree in a corner of the property bloomed…kind of. Although it still has scant leaves.
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, for me the colourful blossoms are beautiful.
During our visit here, in 2022, Daryl decided to ‘bite the bullet’ and become a Panamanian land owner.
The deal was finalized while we were in Canada during summer 2022.
On our first visit to check out this piece of land in early November, the weeds were a good three feet tall.
Then it took about a month to find someone to go out and give the property a haircut.
It took three guys with machetes and a whipper snipper a full day!
Now we can see our neighbours.
Across the front road there is a thick line of trees that makes a great privacy barrier…. it’s so busy sometimes we even have two cars at a time go by 🙂 The trees are called limoncello (I think), it has tons of fruit that is totally inedible. It also has more spines than any barb wire fence.
The limoncello hedge came with friends. Apparently if you leave them alone they don’t bite and are good for pollination.
We also had a couple of good size termite houses. Daryl saw to their demise.
A machete works, although I am sure flip flops are not the most appropriate footwear.
The yard had trees across the front and barb wire across another side, leaving only two sides to be fenced. It took a while before Daryl found somebody to do the job. As the plan is to plant a privacy bush all around the yard, we only needed a barb wire fence. It was very interesting listening to Daryl organize this with a guy who does not speak one word of English. Apparently the small sticks are alive and will develop roots to keep the fence sturdy.
“The guy” left an opening for the gate. then Daryl and I built it. We found four sticks in the bush and attached it to the barb wire to create the gate. It was 30+C, fortunately this property aways seems to have a lovely breeze. This time of the year it is north – south. It is also only about a kilometre from the ocean so hopefully we will also get east – west breeze when the wind changes.
Last summer we transplanted so many trees, I seriously thought we would never do that again. Not so, we found a uvilla tree and transplanted it. Oh the spines! Now we just have to see if it grows.
Sunset, best time to workAnd another no name transplant
We have gone most every day for the last month with 20 litres of water for ‘the garden’.
Everything is growing like crazy.
The ‘barely there’ pot has cactus plants. The other is a loofah plant, we tried sprouting several seeds, only one took, and now it is growing like a weed!
Now we wait to see what everything looks like next November,
Our goal was to get the plants in the soil for a good month before we left to give roots a chance to get established.
The challenge, there will be no rain for the next month or two. Good chance everything will die.
This has been a different winter for us, feeling less like a tourist and more ‘normal’ living.
The first house that we stayed in had some lovely shrubs and bushes. I particularly liked the red ginger plant. There was also a pretty pink variegated hibiscus, plus a bunch more. We thought as we were going to be in Pedasi for five months there would be plenty of time to experiment. And according to YouTube it should not be that difficult.
After four months we planted the ‘fruits of our labour”. Don’t believe everything you read/watch.
It’s a flower bed….really!
We started with soil, pots and Daryl digging up three small ginger plants,
Anybody who knows me, knows that I have a perfect brown thumb.
We were still getting rain in November, everything looked so lush.
Four months later the ginger is planted in our garden…it’s a small one. The three original plants have now morphed into 10 or 12.
Most of the tall parts died, but new shoots came up through the soil. The ginger was our most prolific grower, think it might easily take over.
Below is the momma plant, what we hope ours will look like in the future. Of course there is the small item of not being around to water for about six months. Thankfully, here it will be wet season for a part of that time.
We dug up and planted a bird of paradise (I think) and a few days later this pretty little leaf showed up. In a short while it dried up and disappeared. A few weeks later one tiny little green shoot came up and it has just kept on growing.
Who would have known hibiscus would have been the most difficult to grow. We watched so many different videos and tried two different methods. Truthfully, if we want them in the future, it will be a whole lot easier to go buy them.
What we want.
We planted shaved hibiscus sticks in soil and put branches in water. Either way, we read, in two weeks the plants should be established. That was a pipe dream! Thankfully a couple survived
We started out with dark pink hibiscus cuttings, tried rooting in water and planting the ‘sticks’ in soil. Nada
Then we tried yellow hibiscus and watched them whither and die.
Next we went for red, apparently that colour is supposed to be the easiest to root and grow.
Well, we have something in our little plot, I guess we just have to wait and see what we have actually ended up with.
Pineapples are cheap, juicy and sweet. Daryl found a YouTube video on how to root. So he cleaned two tops and stuck them in water. Eventually they did root and were planted.
It has taken a long time, one is doing well, the other not so much. We were at friends house a couple of nights ago and they have a pineapple patch in their garden. Apparently, all you really need to do is stick the cut off top in the dirt and it will grow. Although it will take about two years to get fruit.
The avacados we have been eating here are long neck, they taste and look different from the hass we generally get at home. Daryl put a pit in water to root, it did, but took a very long time, probably 6 weeks to 2 months. But once it was put in a pot you could practically watch it grow. it has now been transplanted in our newly created flower bed.
On the left is a cutting from a maracuyá, or passion fruit, vine. This house has a vine growing along a fence that produces quite well. We have taken several cuttings and tried to root in water (that’s what YouTube said to do) and they have all died. This time we took a cutting and planted it. A week later and it still looks healthy. On the right is the loofah plant that we were able to root. We tried a dozen or more seeds and only one sprouted. That too is a vine that grows along a fence.
Bird of ParadiseElephant EarNo idea, we found it in the yard and replanted. It’s growing g.
We have closed in all four sides to shelter our little plants from the intense sun and the wind. Two more weeks of watering and they are on their own for a long time!
Planting Time4 Months Later
It will be interesting to see what our little flower bed looks like in November.
A couple of days ago, we left our house early in the morning to go to Spanish class. Our road was being paved but we were able to get out of the area. A couple of hours later we wanted to go home but impossible. Every access point blocked and was going to be for hours. So what do you do but go on a road trip.
We had driven by the sign for Oria Arriba many times, once we had even started the drive, but it was getting dark and we had absolutely no idea where we were going, so we turned around. Maps was not helpful, looked like we were going across country even though we were on a newly paved road.
It was an interesting drive, with the road going straight up and then straight down….over and over. At one point we took a side road that was not paved, just to see where it went! Well, it was straight up with loose gravel. Once the tires started spinning and going nowhere, Daryl had to back up. After my millionth time of saying, “don’t go over the edge”, it was suggested I could get out and walk 🙂
I can’t quite decide if the ‘tree’ fence posts with barbwire are to keep cattle inside or to keep cars from going over the edge 🙂
Eventually we were able to see a little town, with a lake or a very still river, in the distance.
As we got closer to the water the arid landscape changed and we passed a nice field of sugarcane.
The river is so pretty.
We were standing under this lovely big tree and all we could hear was plop, plop. We could see the dried opened seeds?? all over the ground and watch them, literally falling like rain. Sure would not want to be hit by one as they were coming down with quite a force. Imagine that spike going into your scalp.
Well, I was taking a picture of the orange tree, but look at that cow hide!
Some of the trees are absolutely massive.
Even though it was unplanned, it was another successful road trip. It takes a bit of looking, but there is so much variety in the landscape around here.
Carnival is a blow out party lasting for the full four days before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. This is the first carnival held in Pedasi since pre Covid, and our first ever. There were parades showcasing the carnival queens held daily at noon…ish and after dark (any time up to midnight or later). Lots of music and food. And people. And fireworks. And water.
This sleepy little town was anything but sleepy! I have seen the town square quite busy a couple of times, but nothing like this.
To decide on queens, the town is divided into two sections with the main street running through town the dividing line. Calle Arriba (Upper Street) and Calle Abajo (Lower Street). A queen is chosen from each area on Friday evening, then the queen and her attendants parade through a route twice each day. Amazingly enough the floats are changed for every parade, both for morning and night, with a different theme.
The costumes are incredibly detailed. A local lady told us both Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo have a board, parents present their daughters to the boards and somehow the boards decide who will be the queens.
Behind each queens float there is a band, mostly trumpets and drums, and a large crowd of people, the queens court.
Daryl and I are living just a few minutes walk to where Calle Arriba floats were organized. On day 2 we thought we would walk over to see the start of the parade. We saw a lot of people hard at work dismantling yesterdays float and putting together new ones!
New floats and new costumes for day 2. It was impossible for me to capture the floats adequately as all four sides are fabulously decorated and there was people everywhere.
This little girl was standing on the side of one of the floats. I did not see her until she was practically on top of me, I was way to close to get a good picture.
More little beauties! Look at those costumes.
It was incredible hot and there were hundreds of people milling about on paved streets. The heat radiates. One sure way to stay cool was to be sprayed with water. If you went to the square you could expect to get wet. There were several tanker trucks located around the square and they were constantly spraying water over the heads of people. The first time the water hit me it was a bit of a shock, but felt so good. A lot of the little kids, and not so little, had water guns. You could expect to be sprayed.
Day 3 was just as spectacular as previous days. Daryl and I watched most of the parade from Main Street. Just as many people and no water.
Be difficult to get any closer than this 🙂
The queens and entourage are incredibly beautiful, but for some it is just a hard days night!
Once a float is finished for that round, the costumed ladies are readily available to have their pictures taken. And look at those shoes! After standing on the float for an hour or more, it amazes me that they are still able to walk.
Day 4. The last parade is starting. It is just as spectacular as the first.
There is just as much detail and decoration on the back of the parade as on the sides and front.
I would not even hazard a guess as to how many people were in the square and surrounding area during the four days of carnival. The ambulance was close to the square, ready in case needed. I never saw it move. There were police everywhere, we saw one minor altercation when someone threw a pop can that struck another person. The police were right there. With all the heat, there were four water tankers in the square that were constantly spraying. Sure kept people cool.
The other thing I found quite interesting was the number of cans thrown on the ground during the parades. Go back as soon as the crowd had cleared up, and not a can to be found.
The last evening of carnival there was no parade with floats, and queens with entourage. Instead, at dusk, or there about, the townsfolk did a parade around the square and beyond. The ladies were dressed in traditional dresses, called polleras, With the men wearing white shirts and dark pants. Everyone either wore a hat or really fancy beaded hairpieces, called tembleques. Everyone was included, fancy dresses and less fancy, older to very young.
Sometimes you need a hand to get the pose just right. Hold the dress out and point your toe.
When you can see shoes peeking out under the dresses, almost everyone has shoes that match something on their dress.
With each circle around the designated area, the crowd grew, and danced the entire time. Daryl and I watched for quite a while, then went for dinner. Well, afterwards there were even more people dancing as they circled the square.
We were taking pictures of this lovely family and they invited us to be in the picture. How could we refuse! The statue behind us is of a previous President, who is from Pedasi
Someone realized that I did not have a hat. So a hat was ever so nicely placed on my head (plunked) and we had to pose for another picture.
It has been four full days. We did not go to any of the night time parades. We have heard those started at midnight, or later. maybe another year, but I don’t know.
The festivities started Friday with the crowning of both queens, Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo. The festivities ended Wednesday morning (we heard the fireworks at 0530 hr) with a ‘dance off’. In my book, they are all winners.
So, seven parades and seven different floats for the queens and their entourages. Then a parade of the town folks wearing traditional costume and dancing for hours. It was incredibly beautiful and an experience not to be missed.
We have most certainly had an interesting week. A couple of days ago we met our neighbours to be, and they had a wealth of local knowledge to share. Where to begin!
This is a loofah vine. It is growing along our neighbours fence and is a gourd.
Once the fruit is dried, the skin is just like paper. If you squeeze it, the skin cracks open and inside is an amazing loofah.
Give it a little tap and the seeds come out easily.
Apparently, if you leave them on the vine too long the inside will get discoloured. I know because I picked some. When washed most of the darker colour came out.
We have been using one in the shower for several days now, and it is the real deal. I read they should be good for a month and can be used to clean anything that needs a mild abrasive.
I saved some seed for next year.
Another amazing tidbit our neighbours shared is that we have Uvilla (pronounced oo-vee-lya) trees. Well, we don’t actually have any yet, but there is one just outside the fence that will be moved inside next year.
Hopefully when the tree gets pruned and watered regularly it will look healthier. Pruning is going to be a challenge as there are spines that are killers.
Who would have known this is a fruit bearing tree? Thankfully our neighbours did. And it is edible.
Our Spanish teacher said the fruit is also used to make wine.
YouTube came in handy again with a video on how to prepare juice. Boiled, smashed and drained is all it took. The juice is kind of sweet and sour and tasted good too.
I saved some of the juice to flavour my next batch of kombucha. That’s another thing, here kombucha is ready to be bottled in a week. Daryl is a recent convert.
Just to keep life interesting:
A couple of days ago somebody posted this picture of Playa El Arenal on one of the local news feeds.
Squid, calamari, were beaching by the thousands. We did not actually see the beach like this.
Fortunately our neighbour got calamar and we were able to get a couple that were already cleaned.
They were big!! One was sufficient for a meal for the two of us.
And very tender.
We recently went back to Playa El Arenal after not having been for a while. Well…. the squid are still hanging around, just not as many. When we first started our walk, we passed a couple carrying two big dripping bags, Daryl said they probably have squid. I said no, more like wet towels. Boy was I wrong.
This guy was making a travois to carry his load. It was very interesting to watch him use dried palm branches and twigs, then grass to tie it together. Finally he weaved more sticks in through the grass to make the platform. I didn’t get a picture but he demonstrated pulling his load.
Each squid was taken to the ocean and sand rinsed before going into the cooler.
This couple very generously offered to share their catch with us. We didn’t accept but the generosity of people is wonderful to see.
We walked almost 2 km down the beach and passed many people looking for calamar. It was getting darkish as we got back to the parking lot. There were dozens of people standing in the water and more arriving. Wonderful free food!
When we go out exploring the area around Pedasi, we usually find a road that leads to the ocean.
This time we went in the opposite direction. Eco Lodge is just past the main town of Venao and we had heard it had a hike which included a waterfall. As soon as you turn into the parking lot there is a reception area where you pay the fee ($4 per person, goes towards forest restoration) and get a map.
Just a short walk, up a little hill, and you come to the lodge. We were headed towards the Cascada Trail.
We are so not good at following directions, somehow we missed the turn off to stay on the orange trail and continued on the brown trail. At some point we had to turn around and retrace our steps.
Along the path there were several markers, with the back of our map providing the explanations. Our first marker was the Jagua tree, we missed the blossoms as it blooms between May and October, but the fruit remains on the tree for most of the year. The fruit juice is used by some indigenous people for temporary tattoos as it turns the skin blue. And yes the fruit is edible. Our Spanish teacher remembers eating it as a child.
Next was the Barrigon tree. It is nicknamed ‘big belly’ because of its ability to store water during the dry season. Our map suggested hugging the tree, putting your ear against it and have someone beat it like a drum. We did and it sounded hollow.
We made it to the falls. Currently not very big as we are well into the dry season. However, the path was steep going up and down so I imagine it could be quite slippery during the wet season.
Even though most of the hike was in shade, it was so hot. Felt good to put my feet in the water and splash my face. In hindsight we should have just got in the water. We certainly had lots of privacy.
Our hike didn’t go quite as planned. Less than a km in, one of Daryl’s flip flops blew out. Then in a short while the other one broke!
Neither one of us had proper footwear, but mine were pretty good, Ecco sandals with good soles and support. I had just happened to wear socks….to keep twigs and such out of my toes.
Well, the socks got to be Daryl’s footwear for the remainder of the hike.
Look at those poor feet, thankfully not too many small stones.
The hike was beautiful. We did not go to the top, apparently there is a spectacular panoramic view. Next time, with better footwear 🙂
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