Merry Christmas Ya'll!

'Tis the season to be jolly. December has been a relatively busy and fun month for us. This post was supposed to be written a week ago, but time really just got the best of me. Now is a good time to start slowing down, with Christmas around the corner, and New Years following close behind.

Our Christmas will be spent here. Robert's parents came down for a few weeks; they left before the actual holiday. I don't blame them since Panama can be a bit overwhelming this time of year, since it turns into a giant party with festivities.

Robert's mom helped decorate our Christmas tree. She and I also went shopping at a mall 40 minutes away. Going was kind of a mistake since it was packed with holiday shoppers. We celebrated early with them and had a totally untraditional dinner consisting of steak (for the non vegetarians), potatoes, roasted veggies and pie. Yum!

I am not sure what Robert and I are doing on Christmas day, but it will likely be very relaxing. We'll probably open up presents we got for each other, watch movies, and go for a walk on the beach. One of the perks of living here is that the weather is usually around 80-87 Degrees Farenheit (26-29 Degrees Celsius) year round. Although I do admit, a nice cup of hot chocolate, a cute pair of boots and cool weather don't sound too awful right now either...

What are your plans for Christmas? May you have a safe and Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to anyone reading this. Unlike the US, today is another typical day for most people in Panama-unless of course, you're an expat with friends from the United States! This time is always a fun year for people from different countries to share different traditions.

Ironically enough, stores here do participate in Black Friday/Black Weekend sales. It seemed like most stores participated after the Canadian Thanksgiving, celebrated in October. I haven't paid that much attention to see whether there are additional sales for the US version of the holiday.

We have so much to be grateful for. Remember the 365 days of gratitude practice I did a while back? While I haven't made a physical list, that has become something I still practice. Don't worry, I won't bore you on everything. But life really has been good to us.

This year we are having a pot luck Thanksgiving, hosted by some of our friends. Robert is making pies, while I am making the dressing. We'll see what other yummy goodies we get to try when we get there. Who knows, maybe we can sneak some turkey for the dogs? Haha!

From Panama, happy Thanksgiving!

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Where is Panama exactly?

I have a lot of friends that seem to be interested in our lives in Panama. You name the topic and I've probably been asked. One of the most common things I hear is "well, that's great you live in Panama, but I don't know where it is. You guys have a canal, I think. Where is Panama exactly?"

Panama is an s-shaped country country in Central America. It literally connects North and South America. There are two bordering countries, Colombia and Costa Rica. By longitude, Panama is south of Florida in the United States, with Cuba and a few other islands in between. Panama is on the same time zone as Florida for half the year. Panama does not observe day light savings time. The eastern United States is an hour ahead during the summer

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One more perspective of Panama's shape. Source

Due shape of the country, most of our driving is done east to west. This may not seem significant, but it is a little mind boggling when you think that we generally have to go north to get to the Caribbean Sea and south for the Pacific Ocean.


We are above the equator, so technically we have summer and winter at the same time as the United States. However, this can be tricky. Climates here in Panama vary...a lot! This includes the average rainfall (93-200 inches throughout the country), the temperature (although it rarely drops below 50 degrees Farenheit), and whether there is a "fall" season.  We generally refer to the seasons as wet and dry. It is dry season from November-May. Wet season is the rest of the year. Some Panamanians refer to wet season as summer, while others call it winter. I've even heard debates among Panamanians whether dry season is also summer.

Some other quick facts:

• Panama's capitol is Panama City.
• The population of Panama is roughly the same as the population of Los Angeles, California.
• Spanish is the official language of Panama.
• Panama's flag colors are red, white, and blue.
• A presidential term is 5 years. A president cannot run two consecutive years.
• The official Panamanian currency is the Balboa. It is a 1:1 exchange rate with US dollars and is used interchangeably. 
• Panama is home to the Panama Canal, which runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Panama's flag. Source

Was there anything else I missed? I will try to think of other commonly asked questions as well. Let me know on your thoughts and I'll answer them either in the comments, or do a post about it!

A Golden Streak Broken

A solid streak of blogging every other week went south, big time! While I've thought about the blog, life and priorities happened.  We've been on some pretty cool adventures, in spite of some crazy things happening.

Robert and I went scuba diving in July. We went to Santa Catalina, about four hours west of where we are, and optimized the Discover Scuba option. We learned a few basic skills and had to stay within view of our dive instructor.

We did three dives and had a blast! The two most memorable things was being able to see sea turtles and being in the middle of a school of fish. We also got to see white tip sharks, eels, and octopus. Scuba diving was pretty surreal for both of us and unlike anything we had experienced.

We did not get any pictures of us diving. It was one of those things for us that we both just wanted to be present for, and at least in my case, I wanted to focus in on honing in on basic skills. Getting certified is on both of our bucket lists!

We have been busy moving as well. The owners of our condo did not want to renew the lease, in hopes of selling the unit. Luckily for us, the owners for the condo directly above us were looking for long term renters. Pick us! Pick us!

Words cannot express how excited I was for this move! Okay, moving from an unfurnished to a furnished unit is a bit of a hassle. But all of that is manageable. Why, you ask? Because hand washing laundry will no longer be a thing.

To make a long story short, our clothes washer broke and was beyond repair about two weeks before we went to Oregon. The owners did not want to purchase a new one. Although we had friends offer their washer and dryer, doing laundry as often as we do would probably be over-extending the invitation. While our clothes washing situation is no picnic, it is also a great reminder of how lucky we are. Seriously, how did our grandparents do it with such large families?

Exposing our dirty laundry...sorry Mom!

Now that we are moved, it is time to get settled and organized. Some people find organizing relaxing-that isn't us. In fact, organizing is more of a chore. Despite this, we are on our way of making the condo feel like ours. The layout is identical to our previous condo which makes our life a little easier.

Aside from moving, we've continued our adventures in living an active lifestyle. I recently did a 10k run/walk with a group of friends. We both go to the gym regularly. No surfing lately, but we did go paddle boarding in Gatun Lake, which is the lake that helps feed water to the Panama Canal.

Ornamental banana flower  

I am not sure what our next big "thing" will be. The near future looks pretty uneventful. However, I will try to post something in two weeks. Obviously we know how great I am to sticking with those goals. Life is good and we hope yours is too!

A Surprise Trip to Oregon

We are back in Panama! A few months ago Robert and I planned on going to visit the latest member of our family; my brother's son was born in June. The great part about the trip was that while my brother knew about it, not many other people did, including my own parents. It was hard to keep something like this from them, but it made the trip that much more fun!

Trips are always busy and fun at the same time. We stayed with my brother for several days. We got to see our niece and her little brother.  Our niece is about to turn 5 and had fun playing tag with Robert and me.

When we weren't at the park playing tag, we were playing games, including "strike a yoga pose." Which is basically where we take turns showing each other various yoga poses. The most inventive her Reverse Warrior III pose. Maybe reverse is the wrong term, since it was not what one would traditionally think of as a Reverse Warrior III. Instead, the traditional Warrior III pose required you to lean back instead of forward. This was super fun and good timing considering I finished my 30 days of yoga. It was a fun way to remind myself that yoga shouldn't be serious. Thanks for the reminder!

Warrior III pose. Source

We are not at all biased, but why do all of our nieces and nephews have to be so darn cute? Our newest nephew is no exception. His brown eyes, curious seeming nature (even as a newborn), and relatively calm demeanor are just some of the things that make him wonderfully him. For privacy's sake, no pictures are going to be posted of him. You'll just have to take my word on the fact that the world is a little cuter now.

My parents came over to my brother's house. We surprised them and then informed them that we would be staying with them for a few days. Luckily they didn't seem to mind. While they seemed super happy and shocked to see us, the nephew became the center of attention not long after their arrival. They are proud grandparents, for sure!

We also made a trip to Roseburg. Going there is always a treat. Kruse Farms makes the best pies. If you are ever in the area, check them out. You won't regret it. The day we went also happened to be the first day of their U-Pick farms. Robert loaded up on the cherries while I loaded up on the blueberries. Neither fruit lasted long. Neither did the pie.

Picking cherries

This trip was full of eating things we cannot find easily in Panama. Robert got to eat good beef, while I made a trip to Cafe Yumm. We both loaded up on Round Table pizza. There were other spots too, including Denny's, Arby's, and Del Taco. As you can tell, we weren't craving anything super fancy or healthy. The food isn't anything to brag about (but evidently it's blog worthy). But there is no denying that Arby's jalapeño poppers with or without Bronco Sauce are awesome.

A 10 day trip in Oregon went by fast. The trip was a lot of fun and it felt great to be near family and friends. I'll admit, that is one thing I truly miss about living near the West Coast (or even the US). However, it was great to be home. Robert and I are now in the process of detoxing all of the sugary and fried goodness we consumed on our trip. We both missed the dogs and our own bed.

A morning in Panama

I know I've said this before, but we really aren't planning any more international excursions this year. Now that we're settled, we are back to working, exercising, and enjoying life on the beach. We are both happy and both consider ourselves fortunate to live the life we do. Life is good!

Hiking Los Cajones

We were off hiking again this week at a spot called Los Cajones (drawers in English). This hike was one of my favorite hikes we've done since we've been in Panama. The fact that water was close by definitely is a plus! Los Cajones has been on my to do list ever since I found out about it, some months ago. The flat rocks followed by the cliffs leading into a gentle swimming river immediately called my name. Luckily, we've been on a hiking streak, so what better place to pick for our next hike?

Robert and I weren't exactly sure where the hike was or what to expect. Although I talked to some friends about it and the drive, it still wasn't super clear on where we'd be driving and what kind of a hike we might encounter. I imagined that the area couldn't be too strenuous since it is also a popular place to go swimming.

Los Cajones was surprisingly easy to find.  Almost immediately we found ourselves in a picturesque environment, surrounded by green foliage on top of a plateau, below us the calm tranquil sound of a gentle river. Pictures do no justice here, but I included some anyways.

After further exploring we saw small rapids and waterfalls too!

This was a peaceful way to start the morning. The rest of the week ended up being busy with the normal hustles and bustles with day to day life. Outside of the hike, nothing else is new this week. Everyone is happy, healthy, and living life as usual. Life is good!

Hacienda San Isidro and Rum

It doesn't matter where you live, there is always something to explore. That is exactly what we chose to do.  We got a group of friends together and took a three hour drive to Hacienda San Isidro, which is also known as the Abuelo Rum and Seco Herrerano distillery.

What is Seco Herrerano? Like rum, both come from sugar cane. The sugar cane is harvested and processed. The processing basically results in two liquids: sugar cane juice and molasses. The sugar cane juice gets distilled into Seco Herrerano while the molasses gets distilled into rum. Seco Herrano is often used as a replacement for rum or vodka. We did not get to see the Seco Serrerano being distilled, however, we did get to see the process for rum.

On the tour we got to ride a cart being pulled by oxen. The oxen carts were the original way that the sugar can would be transferred from the fields to the first start of the processing plant.

The fermentation process begins once liquid is extracted and separated from the sugar cane.

You can see the molasses in the picture. 

After the rum is distilled it gets put into barrels for aging. This process can take anywhere from 4 to 30 years. Did you know that at the start of the aging process the rum is clear liquid? The rum gets the color from the tannins (coloring) of the barrels barrels. The longer the rum stays in the barrel, the darker the color of the rum.

The tour included several opportunities to try rum and Seco Herrerano. We got to try their version of a Cuba Libre, which was refreshing after touring some very warm buildings. We then got to taste the different aged rum that Abuelo offers. They offer rum that has been aged 4 years, 7 years, 12 years, and 30 years. Anyone want to make bets on which rums everyone liked the best? Hint: it wasn't the 4 year rum. It also turns out that the 12 year rum (my favorite) has won awards for being the best rum for under $100. Cool stuff!

It was a fun tour over all. Not only did we get to learn about distilling rum, we also got to taste it. It was a full day. Anyone visiting and wanting to go on the tour should either be visiting for more than a
a few days and/or be into rum. For those of you who may be intrigued and in the mood to taste some of this awesome rum, it is available in the US. This nifty product finder can help you locate where to purchase either Seco Herrano or Ron Abuelo. Just be sure to specify the brand you're looking for. Cheers!