Here we and others view what yesterday was a road. If you look past the “river” you can see the other side. Not just any road; but my commitment road. We had just started walking for exercise and taking photos in the morning on this lovely river road and then had to miss 3 days running since when we got up in the morning it was raining heavily. Guess we will be looking for a new place. Still we are feeling very thankful since some folks did actually live and have working gardens on this road. Many people living in public buildings and schools closed for the rest of the year to accommodate and some are damaged. We are anxiously waiting news on the road over the mountains to our property in Punta Pena.

Here everyone is watching in anticipation and in hopes that this bridge will be okay. It was just built and the grand opening postponed due to rain a couple of days before the floods.

The older one higher up on the river but right in town did not make it! Every bit of heavy equipment here is busy 24/7 and these folks shine in disasters, truly.

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Here is a link to the Panama Guide with information finally coming in on Bocas Del Toro. We don’t have much on the Rambala and Punta Pena, Chiriqui Grande area yet but we do know they are in a big mess and unreachable by road either from David or Almirante. Weather permitting hopefully boats will be on the move with some potential to move supplies soon.

Also see Panama Guide here for more on the roads and Punta Pena & Rambala.

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Here in our neighborhood in Boquete we are safe and dry. Here is a link to Boquete Weather Watchers that gives you a lot of photos of flooding in the area. Still in an emergency situation here and also in Bocas Del Toro ; our biggest issues here are people flooded out of their homes and without electricity. The brand new bridge finally opened the other day after many long months of waiting and just in the nick of time as you can see by the photos the other main bridge in town went down the river.

Our friends in Bocas have checked in – finally they have cell phone service and everyone is okay. Our friend Mario lost 2 cabanas and 1/2 of his house but people and dogs escaped just fine. We were supposed to be there for Mario’s birthday on the day of the flooding but stayed behind in Boquete due to rain. Now the road across the mountains is out of service so anyone who was on the other side is staying there – possibly for months! The road across the mountains is narrow and steep and rumor has it some of it that was already damaged but usable slid down the mountain side.

With devastation all around the area cleanup will probably take some months even though these emergency crews are very good at this work and have lots of experience. There are only so many backhoes and bulldozers available. Right now the immediate concern is gas & clean water for the Bocas area, much of the area depends on generators for power and gas is trucked in over the mountains on the only road that exists; the one that is now impassable.

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A few days ago we had an earthquake that was 6.2 on the rector scale! It was my first ever and we woke from a deep sleep at 1:00 am with the bed just shaking away like mad!

In spite of rain all week this red legged male honey creeper comes by each morning to share a banana and cheer us up.

Backyard beauty found with Eric’s perspective and great macro lens.

This afternoon our neighbor came by to let us know that the river was flooding in town today so we went in to check it out. I have been busy writing an article for an international online magazine, more on that later when we know how it goes. So off to town and a big break to trapse around in the rain in search of the perfect photo. Not mine but Eric’s. Mine are fine and fun but he’s the photographer. For now here is the photo update of the flooding we are in; and it continues to rain.

Right in town this is how it rages

The river has reclaimed a lot of land today

This last hold out was part of a large point on the bank that we watched dissappear.

We all watch hoping that the pigs aren’t the next to go and hope the people are out!

I don’t think any contracts will be written on these today and they just might be a tad close to the banks. We will know more tomorrow. Right now the new brand new bridge is standing (although the opening was canceled last night due to inclement weather) and the older one further up the river is rumored to be gone. More on that tomorrow too when we find out for sure. That will make it hard on the businesses that are on the other side of the river. Hope they dry out soon!

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One “must not miss” place to visit in Boquete is the Paradise Gardens.

The owners started out with importing their own exotic birds from England and as events will unfold in Panama they ended up with people bringing animals one by one that needed to be rescued and the animal retreat grew. Donations keep this place going and has turned this house and grounds into a busy liltle park/nursery. Below are a few photos of our visit and you will find more photos and the rescue stories iby visiting their website. One really important “take away” from the Gardens is a good understanding of what not to do with the exotic animals here. When you travel to Panama you will sometimes see the locals along the road selling exotic birds. They actually often stone these birds to get them down from the trees and then they glue their feet to perches to display them for sale. Now many of us would be thinking that if we buy and rescue one bird by the road and take it to a good home we have done a good deed and they are so very pretty. Unfortunately this is like buying cocaine from the dealer in the street to stop drug trafficking! It only means that the market for these birds increases and more birds will die. In order to get the one they are offering for sale they often had to kill a few in the process of liberating the babies from the tree by use of the stone or slingshot method. So Just say no! Do not think that you are liberating the animals; you are just encouraging the illegal and inhumane wild animal trafficking. Don’t be misled. Withour further adieu here are my photos from Paradise Gardens – keep up the great work Paul, Jenny and all your wonderful volunteers!

Here is my personal favorite! A baby 2 toed sloth. She is nocturnal so just barely tolerating us disturbing her in the daytime, sweet and cuddly! Her fur feels like lambs wool and I just loved petting her. How could you not love a face like that? Never mind that in the wild she will be slow as molasses and covered with green mossy looking goo! Best to enjoy her now while she is still an adorable baby.

This macaw is part of the family and seems to be the official greeter when you enter the Gardens!

Fruit loops anyone?? These guys are so-o-o cool! Outstanding colors and I think the red on his tail is some kind of mating plumage but I don’t know for sure. Anyone have the answer?

No idea what kind of bug but he is interesting and colorful.

Mountain black squirrel.

Kinkajou baby – also nocturnal and have a prehensile tail so swing through the canopy like monkeys but mostly at night! If you are as fascinated as I am

by these little guys visit National Geographic’s Mattias Klum wildlife photographer on Panama’s kinkajou

We had the most amazing sunset this night. It was like “sunflares” bits of rainbows at the top of the clouds!

Be sure to enjoy and support Paradise Gardens and the efforts of Jenny & Paul by visiting next time you travel to Boquete, Panama.

Next up will be some of the wildlife from our property in Punta Pena and a little update on the building of our eco adventure park. Hope we can be as good stewards of our land and animals as Paul and Jenny have been with their little piece of Paradise. Be Careful when you travel western Panama as you will find we are a big bunch of “nature freaks” here. I have even been spotted cleaning up litter by the roadside when our vehicle broke down. I had garbage bags, a bottle of wime and time to kill, why not? You should have seen the reaction of the kids at the bus stop; do hope they took a lesson.

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Carl Hansen with the Smithsonian Institute (click for more) shares his photos of the jungle canopy taken from a giant construction crane. Good idea for getting up close and personal with the birds. They are so difficult to photograph since they live way up in upper story of the canopy. I never expected to become a bird watcher since I like things like kayaking, white water rafting and snorkeling, you know; low to the ground and water filled type activities.

Living in panama with so many wonderful birds has changed me for sure. I have never seen so many amazing colors in nature like I have seen with the birds of Panama. When you travel to Panama you could decide to be a bird watcher to. Below are some of my new favorites. It is very Zen like to watch the birds and patiently try not to stir so you don’t scare them off. Relaxing and exciting at the same time. Right now many species are migrating so we get new ones all the time.

Here is our favorite hummingbird who lives in the yard and hangs out on the open porch.

His name is “socks and he let’s us get within 4 feet of him and talks back when spoken to.

This is an immature male red legged honey creeper; slightly larger than a hummingbird and smaller than a sparrow.

He loves bananas. When mature he is irridescent blue and outstandingly beautiful.

Always bright and lovely this is one of the many colored tanagers from the back yard

who come to eat at the feeder every morning.

This balsam tree is a favorite of many different kinds of birds.

But this particular “star throat” hummer likes the banana blossoms best.

Our Banana tree in bloom – invitation to the birds.

I never knew that Meadowlarks like to “graze” their way across lawns and fields.

They cruise along collecting bugs and are not shy at all.

Colorful tanagers – they stay in pairs most of the time.

Here is one more of our star hummer- the “snowy breasted!”

This is a rufous tailed hummer. They think big and are very aggressive but are very small, about 4 inches and very fast traveling up to 35 MPH as they chase their adversaries. It is sometimes like a landing strip in the yard and they often zoom very close to our heads as they defend their turf.

The blue tanager!

I hope you enjoyed this little bird preview. In my next post I will be featuring an animal rescue center located here in Boquete called Paradise Gardens. I fell completely in love there with a baby 2 toed sloth.

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We were from Florida before we moved to Panama. In Pasco County, Florida this year the naturists (or nudists – it seems they have changed their name for a better image) got politically organized and spoke their piece on this Election 2008. And here is what they wanted! The right to vote in the buff! You have to admit this really is a great way to market their nudist camp and get a lot of attention for free. Read the article in The Tampa Bay Online. The reader comments make it worth the read.

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