And...We're home!

Remember this timeless classic?

Well look at us now!

 

We've made it back home, now it's time to start seeing

If the snow is enough to go sledding and skiing

With our money exhausted there's no option for fleeing

Remember the palm trees and warm sun so freeing?

Now trapped in our barn, just hot coco and tea-ing

That the winter will end, there is no guaranteeing

Says each to the other, "There is no disagreeing,

I can't Belize what a Panama Honduras you're being!"

Thanks for reading!  

We're back in Lincoln; back to sorting out our lives, shoveling out our cars, 

and enjoying the rest of a New England winter.

Hasta luego, que la vaya bien!

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!

To honor the world's greatest engineering marvel, we offer the world's greatest palindrome (as far as we know)

Ladies and Gentlemen, like you've never seen it before... The Panama Canal

 The main locks on the Pacific side, the Miraflores Locks, have lifted more than 1 million ships from the Pacific to Gatun Lake since the canal's completion in 1914. 

Each of those locomotives are pulling lines to direct the ship through the locks

The Canal's three lock systems raise ships from sea level on the Atlantic and Pacific to Gatun Lake, which sits at 85 feet.  Once through the 15-mile man-made lake, ships are dropped back down to sea level before they leave the canal.

Only 7 minutes to pump 26,000,000 gallons of water!

After exploring the Miraflores Locks Museum, we headed back into town.

Panama City's public transit system - recognize your old school bus?

A bit of wildlife in the Parque Natural Metropolitano

Farewell Panama City!

Next stop: home!

Boquete

For a pair of farmers, vegetarians and locavores, we lived the dream for two days in Boquete where we drank local coffee, ate farm-fresh fruit and enjoyed a beautiful countryside.

On our first day, we toured a beautiful coffee plantation named Finca La Meligrosa (Miracle Farm).

There, we learned about the entire coffee process;

 From saplings to harvest...

 drying,

 cleaning,

roasting,

and of course, tasting!

Finca La Meligrosa  is also one of the few farms in Panama with the conditions suitable to grow the rare- and utterly expensive- Geisha coffee.  After tasting the sweet berry, we learned the nature of this finicky variety which only grows above 1,400 meters and goes for an astounding $9 per cup and $280 per pound.

On our second day, we visted the lovely Mi Jardin es Su Jardin, a beautiful private estate surrounded by a garden that couldn't help but be shared.

Boquete was beautiful and we really enjoyed it

P.S. We rented a scooter!

Carribean Knights

Our week in the sun, we are glad to report

Put us smack on the coast in our great tent resort

Sleeping on sweaters, we fought the terrain,

Which was constantly muddied through wet nights of rain

In Cahuita we surfed en el Carbe Mar

And took a boat trip to go esnorclear

By foot and beach cruiser, around town we scooted 

Munching bananas and cantaloupe ´til we were way over-fruited

After four misty days we went south to the border,

To get our last week of vacation in order

With our sights on the bridge which would lead us to Panama

The bus-walk-bus-walk-bus-boat trip truly tested our stamina

We snorkled then surfed in Bocas del Toro

´Til scuffed feet and bruised ribs made our bodies too sore...oh

We trekked muddy trails through the jungle´s long reach

To play in the waves of old Wizard Beach

Bastimentos, Carenero, and Isla Colon,

For three days we were glad to call Bocas our home

¡Pura Vida en Costa Rica!

 We have seen the real Costa Rica - at least for a short while.  Over the course of two evenings, we stayed in the small mountain-coffee-farming town of Santa Cruz just outside San Isidro De El General. 

 Our friend Corry, who has done several service projects in the town over the years, connected us with a wonderful family there.  We ate, slept,and lived  the Costa Rican lifestyle while stumbling our way through conversation - our brains are exausted. 

Most families in the area are part of a coffee growing cooperative - they are proud to say their coffee is exported to 26 countries.

A coffee tree!

Lidier and his truck

We were sent off with full bellies and happy hearts

The view from the front step

Monteverde

  

In comparison with the Costa Rica we´ve already experienced, Monteverde was altogether different.

  On our first day out, we sauntered five kilometers through the cloud forest of  the Santa Elena Reserva.

We caught a glimpse of mist enshrowded Volcan Arenal .

 Our second night led us to Finca Santa Maria for a guided night hike through the forest.

 We saw sloths, snakes, a big tarantula, 

and the biggest ant hill we´ve ever seen.

 With a non-view of Volcan Arenal in the distance, Jordan celebrates his climb up 6,072 ft. Cerro 3 Amigoes.

Oh the games we made!

 Introducing two brand new games from the creative minds that brought you, well, all the previous blog posts

I: The Human Chinese Finger Trap

INTRO: 

Inspired by memories of 25 cent toys, this game replaces shoddy woven tubes with brute human strength, technique and agility.

RULES:  

1.  Player one overlaps two index fingers, placing them in fist of player two.

2.  When fingers of player one are pulled, fist of player two tightens.  When fingers are pushed together,  the fist loosens.

3.  Using speed and aforementioned rules, player one must try and remove fingers from the Human Chinese Finger Trap.

  HOW TO WIN:

 Player one wins when he/she removes both entrapped digits in one clean swoop.  Player two wins if he/she prevents this from  happening.

II: Drop The Change Into The Change Pocket Of Your Wallet Game

INTRO:

   Combination ski ball and horse shoes, this classic requires total concentration, the steady hands of a surgeon and pure determination.

RULES:

1. From varying heights and distances, try and drop your change into the change pocket of your  wallet.

HOW TO WIN:

Drop the change safely into the change pocket of your wallet.

ENJOY!