Panama Wildlife

Saw the most amazing birds this morning. These black birds like to sneak into the house looking for leftovers. I was too quick today and off they went.  This one perched in the security door made an interesting shot. 

   
And this one I have never seen before. Now I know why my cousins black and yellow cattle truck is called ” The Chapìn,”  the local name for this bird.  

 
The field guide though called it a Tannager. Beautiful brilliant bird. There are over 950 different species here. That’s a lot of birds!  I love this place. 

Living Healthy

My first couple of visits to Panama I was allured by its beauty, diversity, and freedom. What’s not to like, right?  But only after we made the move did I realize how easy it is to live a healthy lifestyle.   

 
Outdoor living. When we arrived we stayed in a neighboring town for a few weeks, then we moved to an off grid cabin in the jungle for the next 6 months while we built the house. All along, and for the first time in my life I had never closed a window. Literally fresh air 24/7. It even sounds healthy, and I still like the whole idea of acclimating to the environment you’re dealt. Our windows are still open, and every day And night is fresh tropical breezes.   

 

Outdoor Activity. Everything here in Agua Buena is naturally geared to healthy living, fresh air, and abundant outdoor recreation and fresh local food.  Most people walk, ride a bike or horse to where they are going, and they are fit. Fit like a trained athlete fit. I am impressed.  Pollution and traffic and noise are far from the rural panama experience. “Tranquilo” is commonly heard here. And it it true. The life I used to live is is a reminder of how easy it is in the US. And how easily we are lured into into bad eating habits and sedentary life.  This pic below is an example of how much fast food is a part of american living. Really troubling. 

 The Food. I came up with  simple phrase to describe what I take away from this experience. “Abundant Living,” is about as good as I can do. There is fresh fruit year round, organic food and naturally raised beef and chicken, world class fisheries right outside, and fast food is about 90 miles away. This is an example of a local fast food called Cereza, or cherry. they are ripe right now along with a dozen other things. 

 

 Makes it easier for me for sure, to eliminate the choice of fast food, since it had become such a big part of life on the streets as a medic. It’s no secret I love this place, and each day I find another reason to celebrate this experience. Today I thank god for health and opportunity. My children get to see a different way of life they they will remember wherever they go in life. 

 

Panama Bosque

Jungle trail Agua Buena Panama  
Much of Panama is open country now with patches of jungle and forested river basins. With cattle grazing the mountainsides and valleys, Panama, although beatiful is a different picture than it was 50 years ago. From our house to Tonosi is about 15 miles of the description above, but when my mother in law was a girl here, she said they could go from Agua Buena to Tonosi and not see the sky through the jungle canopy. Where as we see monkeys every day, she never saw monkeys because of the thick forest. She heard them, but never saw them. Now they are confined to much smaller sections of jungle and a lot easier to find.  

 

It was a much tougher place back in the day. When the Panama Canal railway was being built about 70,000 people died from tropical diseases that we see very little of now. Today there are few bug problems as the open spaces are much more hospitable and dry out faster after the rains.  You can see from my backyard it is a ways to the forest. 

     

And this view of the front you can see were right up against it. We have a troop of howler monkeys living about 100 yards out this way along the river. The original dense jungle is a different story. Things grow fast, and in the old days it was easy for surveyors and explorers to lose their way. 

You can see a little of what your in for when you go to the untamed portions.  

 

This above is about a square mile of uncleared jungle. Hard to tell from here exactly what your into, but it is no wonder everyone in Panama carries a machete. You really couldn’t get through this without one. Remember, most of this is edible, but remember this: the jungle bites back!  I love this place.   

 

10 feet in is a different world indeed!

Panama Medical

Many of you may be aware that medical and dental cost in panama are pennies on the dollar compared to what Americans pay. Here’s why I think it is so, and another reason to love Panama.   

  

1. Panama is not a litigious society. It is very hard to sue a physician here, and even if it were easier the people here don’t think that way. Living carries risk. Driving, boating, fishing, all carry risk associated with them and people realize that. So they don’t do dumb things as often. There is a high level of common sense. In the states a lot of the cost built into your visit is to pay insurance premiums for malpractice. The other half goes to administrative fees to insurance companies for your coverage. Then there is civil law, or tort that places attorneys between you and your doc as well, increasing the cost to runaway levels out of control. Take away insurance and lawyers and what is the true cost of going to the dentist?  Here it is between $15 and $25 for a cavity. My private doctor charges $15 for a visit. The ER and and hospital admission for children is free, and then it is a sliding scale depending on what you need. But it is very cheap nonetheless. 

In the states there are two multi billion  dollar industries between you and your doctor. When I worked as a paramedic in Washington state, insurance was about  $500 per month out of my pay, and the company paid another $800 or so. That is 3 times the average monthly salary here in panama. Then the insurance didn’t even cover the whole visit. You have copay and deductible and denied treatment.  With my family of 5, including the companies portion I paid $15,000 per year in insurance and another $5k out of pocket. $20,000 a year for medical. Only $15k if we had no visits of any kind. Are you kidding me?? Health coverage will never be adorable as long as you are paying 3 professional industries so you can go to the doctor. The amount of money your doctor sees from the $175 visit is probably about $40 if he’s lucky. If the U.S. Is going to have social medicine it needs a single payor system and get lawyers and insurance companies out of the way of you and your doctor. No way that will happen when the lobbies on both sides are winning the war. 

Healthy Panama

  
Panama Again Leads the World in Well-Being. 

For the second consecutive year, Panama leads the world in well-being, with 53% of residents considered thriving in three or more elements. Costa Rica and Puerto Rico round out the top three as the only other countries or areas with at least 45% or more of their populations thriving. Afghans, in turn, had the lowest well-being globally, with 0% of residents considered thriving.
This comes as no surprise to me as so many around me are happy and content with life. The research this year comes from Gallup in a post called “Americas Lead Highs, Sub-Saharan Africa Lows in Well-Being”. Try to copy and paste that into google as the link won’t paste here. 

Panama is a wonderful place with a level of freedom only dreamt about in the states these days.  

Did I mention the 1000 miles of beaches and privacy unrivaled anywhere?  Mountains and abundant outdoor living with beaches and fresh fruit and friendly people. What more can be said. I love this place! 

  

   

  

  

   

 

Sábado nos vamos pescar sin licencia con pescar por cangrejo. Me encanta Panamá. No game wardens or hassels. Want to go fishing? Go fishing! 

Las Casas Maderas

Wood houses are common around the interior. Now the government homes are cement and recently some turned to steel studs and Hardyplank concrete siding. These older homes present several ways. Some have the cottage appeal. Beautiful!  Love the Rancho out back. Great for extra shade and gatherings. 

 

This casita below is modest but functional with 4 walls and an outdoor toilet. Lots of shade is nice. 

  

Some have natural appeal and a lot of functionality. This house below has extra shade out front and a great covered porch. It is very common to see a little Rancho roof added for cooler shade. These 20×20 homes out of wood have great street appeal and very inexpensive. 

 

Seems everyone in the interior has a well kept cute home. Most have a lot of natural appeal and fruit trees galore. I love this place! 

 

Simple living and low impact on the environment.   

  

Panama Cereza (Cherry)

  

The cherry from our area, la cereza, is a local favorite and is a delicious, health food growing without any upkeep. This cherry taste like a cross between a green apple, a cherry, and a mild bell pepper only slightly sweet. It is a varietal taste sensation.  

Above is a look at a mature tree along with Asa’s pink boots, and below is a 1 year old tree from my yard.   

Every day I find something new, and all year there is something ripe here in Panamá. I love this place! 

Panamá Parakeets

Parakeets are extremely fast and difficult to get a camera on. Not the greatest pic today but we got em.  

 

They are noisy and chatty with each other. Seem quite intelligent. We have two about 6 months old and they already know a few words.  I love this place! 

 

Simple Living

Life here in the jungle invites a different way of living compared to what my life had become in the states. Things are just simpler. Less stress, less deadlines, and more opportunity to live a more tranquil existence with a little more harmony. We do without some things, like hot water, clothes dryers,, fast food, and have cut back our garbage production considerably.  I do have a great view from the laundry room. 

 

Also, we have adapted more to our environment. We have no A/C or hot water, and the service to the house is only 60 amps. We run some fans here and there, but we have acclimated. And with that we live pretty cheap. It is refreshing and synchronous living and it feels good.  

 

We also planted 50 fruit trees of mango, papaya, guava, bananas, platanos and many more. There is food all around, and soon I will be able to share more with my neighbors as they have shared with me. The photo above is papaya. This below is part of my banana and platano orchard after 1 year.  

 

I just got my first rack of platanos this week. We are adding to it little by little, and in a few years should be close to sustaining ourselves.  The people here are not food driven or wasteful. They eat to live, while we live to eat. We’re are working on that change as a family here. Healthy, fit people all around. I love this place!

Panamá Road

Los Caminos de Panama son muy bonito. Everywhere we go seems worthy of a photo stop.  

 From the driveway and through the farmlands, in the mountains and along the beaches, Panamá is a beautiful drive wherever you are.  

 
So much lush greenery. I love this place!