We recently entertained cousins from Pittsburgh. They were our most adventurous guests to date and we will share a bit of our adventure while they visited. Some of you who follow us on Facebook already know that my personal zipline experience was a disaster. I eluded to the possibility of my sharing that video on the blog. I am sharing my experience and that of Jen (yes she did it), Robert and Bill. I was overwhelmed with pride when Jen came zipping out of the jungle canopy even after witnessing my disastrous attempt. Robert followed Jen, then Bill. I must state right up front that none of us are physically fit teenagers, and probably should not even have attempted this adventure. The line was about a 30 second zip, none of it too far off the floor of the jungle. I will let the 4 videos speak for themselves. Our hosts barely spoke any English which complicated the experience, but overall we thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. They served us a great Panamanian lunch and gave us a nice hike through the jungle which comprised their modest property. Please enjoy the videos. If anyone would like the contact information for Kontraste Adventure, just a few kilometers outside La Chorrera send us a message.
You can safely assume that none of us took a 2nd turn on the zip-line.
We couldn’t resist taking our guests to the Ron Abuelo Rum Distillery and the Bio-diversity Museum, both of which we have explored with previous guests. Please check our archives to find out more about those wonderful tourist experiences. We also took them to the Miraflores Locks and visitor center which was a first experience for us. They have a great museum and an I-Max movie which are a must see for Panama Canal visitors.
A trip to El Valle is another must see for all our guests. We were able to take them to a couple of places that we have not shared before. We also repeated some favorites. We took them to the rim of the volcano for a look down into the valley. We also explored El Macho Falls, which was a treat for all our senses. The sights and sounds of the walk through the jungle were amazing. The waterfall was spectacular and the excitement of the people zip-lining the face of the falls was awesome. Our hike ended at the bottom of the falls where Jen, Bill and Robert swam in the pool formed by the waterfalls. It is ice cold; and I had no part of it.
We had a busy week while Bill and Robert visited. Both are foodies, and were always wanting to explore the foods of Panama. We went for the Lobster, Corvina, Pipa Fria, and even stopped along the highway for Ceviche. They particularly seemed to enjoy the Fonda experiences. No trip to Panama would be complete without a visit to the beach and pool time.
We had a great visit and thoroughly enjoyed sharing our home with these crazy guys. Before they left, I am certain they needed a vacation from their vacation. We went full blast the entire duration of their visit. Shortly after they left Jen and I went on adventure of our own to Jamaica. We have vacationed there in the past and it was a pleasure to meet and enjoy some time with friends from the States. From Panama it is an easy 90 minute flight to Jamaica. We are often asked what inspired our decision to relocate to Panama. One of our best reasons is that Panama is a great location to explore from. We will always have great things here to share with our guests, however, once we get completely settled we will explore more of the Caribbean, Central and South America. There are hundreds of great destinations within a couple of hours by flight or car.
We never seem to have a shortage of things to occupy our free time. Church keeps us busy and we are finding volunteer opportunities that pique our interests. We have a friend at our church here, Chuck Holton, who is an independent correspondent. His reports are frequently carried by the 700 club and other Christian media outlets. He has spent a lot of time recently on the border of Venezuela where people are starving due to the collapse of the Socialist economy there. His reports are also rooted in mission work and he is always trying to help the native people. A very good friend of ours travelled with Chuck this week through the jungle South-east of here to the border of Columbia. There they set up clinics to provide medical help in five refugee camps. Missions such as these are on our radar, but for now we will be staying right here in our own community where there is no shortage of need. This week the local Rotary Club in association with Rotary Clubs in the States and our church here provided free dental care for many in the community. It was such a humbling experience to volunteer and see the people being helped by this awesome mission.
From time to time we are contacted by other expats who are interested in coming to our area. These contacts have always turned into friendships. If you are interested in becoming part of the expat community here in Coronado, make contact with us. We look forward to showing folks around and sharing our experiences. As always, if you found something entertaining or helpful, like and share our blog.
Buenos,
Jen and Greg
