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March 25th, 2018

3/25/2018

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When my Mom and Dad found out that we were coming to Panama they decided to come and visit us.  They've been here for about 5 weeks now.  We've been having fun together with all sorts of adventures.  They've gone off and had their own adventures too - some pretty major ones!  The ones we're having together are much tamer.  We've rented a vehicle for the time that they are here so that we can get around easier.  We tried the bus all together and it was a very cultural experience - try sardines Panama style!
On another trip to Cerro Punta  we stopped at a Swiss style hotel called 'Hotel Bambito'.  You can wander the gardens and look at the ponds.  We stopped at 'The Wandering Sloth' for dinner on the way home.  We'll definitely visit there again.  So good!
Grandpa helped the kids get set up for getting their ducks.
My Mom and I visited Finca Dracula which is an orchid farm up in the town of Cerro Punta.  It's over 6,500 ft. and they grow some amazing orchids.  I went to take pics and Mom got to learn a bunch about orchids - it was a win/win.
One weekend we went down to David to their international fair.  It felt a lot like the Calgary Stampede.  We enjoyed wandering there.  From there we went on to Las Lajas to spend the weekend at the beach.  I'll do blog posts on those separately.  We were sad to see them go but we enjoyed our time together and will be excited to see them when we land in Canada again in July.
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Coffee

3/14/2018

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Panama has great coffee. I was expecting the fruity/sour coffee that I've had from Costa Rica, however so far this coffee is really good. Some quite dark and a bit bitter, but a few local farms have very good, smooth, not bitter or fruity coffee. The Black Mountain Coffee is up there with the best I've had from Rwanda or Kenya.
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SPIDERS!

3/14/2018

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We don't have bugs here, but we do have spiders. Quite a few of them, and they are large. Not as big as the ones we had in Kenya, but still large. The seem to come out in the evening, after we close up the doors and windows, and turn the lights on. We usually do a walk around the house in the evening to get rid of the big ones in the bedrooms.

​We have seen a few other bugs around, a couple of beetles, some tiny ants, fireflies, various moths, a few cockroaches, some caterpillars, a centipede or two (one stung Caedon), Tiggie found some tiny jumping worms, stick bugs, locusts, grasshoppers, praying mantis, spiders, a single mosquito, dive bomb beetles, tuner moths, large moths,... Hmm, so maybe we do have bugs here?

But mostly, just spiders. Not sure what type they are, or if they are poisonous - one looks like a wolf spider, but not really sure. If you can identify any of these, let us know! I tried making a lemon oil and water spray, it was supposed to make the spiders move along to somewhere else. I think instead they liked it, and invted their friends over.
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All in a Panama day...

3/9/2018

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The other day we woke up to no water.  The water from the city wasn't running into the property for some reason.  Thankfully, there's a holding tank, but there's only so much in there.  We had to be careful with water usage so washing the dishes went right out the window!  No one minded - but it did get a little messy.
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  We've found that bread is expensive here.  It isn't unusual to spend $1.75 for regular bread more for some of the better loaves.  Flour isn't expensive though so I decided that we should make bread whenever we can.  Bailey tried her hand at making it and was very successful.   Making bread on a no water day adds to the mess but, hey, why not?!!  We're finding that it goes crumbly really quickly.  After trying a few different recipes I haven't found one that doesn't.  If you have a good recipe and want to try it I'd love to try it!
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That afternoon, after Bailey and Keiran were done history class at the neighbour's house, a new friend we met arrived with her 3 horses for the kids to ride.  There were around 20 kids here playing frisbee, on the playground and riding horses through the mix.  It was great!  According to Addy it was 'Awesome' and she 'never wanted to get down, ever'.  Loved the smiles on our girls' faces as they got to love on and ride the horses.
By late afternoon the water came back on and we were able to do that huge stack of dishes.  Most of the loaves of bread were gone - can't seem to get ahead on that one! They eat them as fast as I can make them.  It's amazing what you can fit into a day here.  We're loving the pace of life!  Everything is slowed down and we have time to play and work together a little more.
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Week 3

3/9/2018

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By Keiran McNeal.
we got 2 ducks today to keep for eggs. Bailey and I built a cage out of some old pallets that we found, bamboo, and wire with the help of our grandpa. The ducks (Merlin and Eggsy) are still getting used to everything, but they're showing very good progress and aren't as scared as at first.
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Week Two

3/9/2018

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By Keiran McNeal.
 So far this month has been much cooler than February, most likely because of how close we're getting to rainy season. Going to Cerro Punta made for some really great opportunities for photos, here's what I came up with:

 
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Eggs!

3/9/2018

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As of today, Friday, March 9th, we have had the ducks for five days. They're slowly starting to get used to us, and we're learning what they like and don't. They eat a bunch of the kitchen scraps and watermelon really seems to be a hit with them. One of their favorite things to do is splash around in their water, so we've supplied them with a little pan that they can go dunking in when they want. We're currently working on getting them into the creek so that they can really enjoy themselves. 
The first morning we had them, we were surprised to wake up and find eggs! 

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I'd heard that ducks eggs are huge, but these things were crazy compared to the chicken eggs we have. They weigh probably twice what the chicken eggs do and look to be at least that much bigger.
Since then, we've got two more, making a grand total of four. I haven't tried baking with them yet, but I have fried one up, and holy it was good. Definitely recommend it if you ever get the chance.

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Quackers

3/9/2018

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As soon as the city buildings begin to turn into smaller, rural towns and communities, everything shifts here. The cats may rule in the city, but once you get further out, it’s harder to spot them. They are still here and there, but out here the dogs are the ones that you see the most of. The other main animals seem to be birds. Almost everyone down here owns either chickens or ducks, and use them as pets, pest control, egg production, and meat. They’re very hardy birds and don’t seem to be affected at all by the heat.
Another thing they have going for them is how good looking they are. It’s crazy how many variations and sizes there are. Some of the chickens here are the size of a chihuahua, while some could probably stand tall enough to reach my waist if they wanted to. I’ve seen a couple that I don’t think I could even wrap my arms around.
Because of where we are, we decided that it would be a good idea to at least try and get some for our stay. Fresh eggs really did sound tempting, and besides, the chicks we kept seeing everywhere were really freaking cute. After a couple of weeks researching, building, and planning, we were allowed to get some.
But there was a problem- Just a couple days before, we had been over to a friend’s house and seen her collection of animals. She had quite a zoo, consisting of calves, chickens, rabbits, goats, and ducks. More specifically, ducklings.
Apparently ducks offer better meat and egg supply. Huge bonus to their looks. After that, chicks kind of got pushed to the side...

Meet Merlin (front) and Chibi (hiding), our two new Mascovy ducks.
​Bonus Bella peeking through the back.

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