humanitarian shout-out

Being down here in Panama has been a humbling experience. It really is a third-world country and a lot of people barely get by. So, Johnny and I went to the LDS mission president and asked what we could do to help, and he gave us a list of items that people, specifically members of the LDS church, are in need of. If you want to help out and donate any of the following items, call my mom, who is in charge of this humanitarian project. 801.898.6261.

*Children's clothing: shoes (sandals), white shirts for church, church pants, every-day clothes

*Teen clothing

*Hygiene kits (soap, toothbrushes/toothpaste, combs, etc.)

*Triples in Spanish (Book of Mormon, D&C, and PofGP)

*Primary aides: anything to make primary fun (stickers, pictures...)

(this last one breaks my heart)

*Missionary clothing: there are about 20 worthy young men who are ready to go on missions but they can't afford the clothing. They need white shirts, ties, a suit, pants, and good shoes. This is the only thing that is stopping them. If you could sponsor even one of them, it would be such a blessing.

Thanks to anyone willing to help, it means a lot!

the lobster

Is this not the happiest face you have ever seen? Johnny loves lobster, but the story of how it ended up on his plate is even better.

On our trip out to Escudo de Veraguas we were driving around the island when we spotted this boat out in the reef.

And then a boy popped out of the water and we realized he was diving for sea creatures! He does this every day and then sells his catch at the local market.

The guys wanted to buy his catch of the day so we pulled right up next to him and bought 4 fresh lobsters for $6! Can you believe how cheap that is!? That would cost, what, $125 in the states? We felt like we were robbing him so we gave him $9, but our guide said he totally ripped us off because we were Americans and that he should have sold them to us cheaper. Craziness.

An array of sea-folk: octopus, lobsters, fish, unrecognizables

So we got back to the hotel and cooked those lobsters for dinner. Yummy. The end.

(Poor, poor lobster = happy, happy Johnny)

the iguana

On our trip out to Escudo de Veraguas, our guides decided to go iguana hunting (I didn't even know people hunted iguanas, but apparently, they do). Iguana meat is a delicacy in Panama so they were determined to catch one.

If you look closely, there's an iguana chilling in the tree. Our guide climbed it and tried to sneak up on him, but he jumped 20 feet down into the ocean. Apparently he would rather drown than be captured.

After it jumped into the water, one of our guides pushed the other off the boat--in his clothes--and threw him a snorkle mask. That iguana was not allowed to get away! He eventually caught it.

Ta-da! Unfortunately for the iguana, theses guys then proceded to tie its legs behind its back, shove it into the anchor compartment, and then roast him for dinner that night. Poor little guy.

escudo de veraguas

This island, Escudo de Veraguas, is one of the properties Johnny's company is working on. It's so beautiful it almost looks fake. These pictures Johnny took really don't even do it justice. I must tell you how we got to this island, though. It's 37 miles off the coast of Panama, which is a LONG way in a boat. But we didn't take a big, strong boat; we took a dingy. Might I also mention it is rainy season and tropical storms are very common. I was so scared driving out into the middle of the ocean, going up and down huge ocean swells, leaving my kidnies behind (we were slamming down on those waves pretty hard). BUT, it was worth it because this is what we saw!

This is Roberto Samudio! He is an old Panamanian man who is working with Johnny and his partners--Roberto calls them his sons since he has none of his own. And you would never believe how old this strong, agile, intelligent guy is--80!!!

bocas del toro

If you could dream up a small, hippie, beach town in the Caribbean, Bocas del Toro is it. Yesterday we hopped on a small plane out to Bocas, an island right off the coast of Panama, and have been loving it. This island is close to one of the projects Johnny's company is working on so I hope we get to spend a lot of time here!

Everything here is on the water: hotels, houses, restaurants, even transportation (they have boat taxis).

This is Mummsie at our beautiful hotel.

There are no cars except for a few taxis in Bocas so everyone rides bikes or walks. I thought this scene was too good to pass up.

The boys taking a break from the what-feels-like-200-degree weather, drinking jugo de pera (pear juice) straight from the carton. Delicioso!

Just a view of the streets; I want a yellow house!

panama city

We have arrived! We are in Panama City, it's hot, humid and home! This afternoon we played tourist and visited the Panama Canal. It's an incredible feat and amazing to watch the ships pass through the system of locks. Each ship pays about a quarter million dollars to pass through and almost 40 ships go through a day! They are making some good money!

Watching a ship go through

This is a map showing the route of the Panama Canal. It takes 8-10 hours to sail through.

This part of the city is Colonial--built in the 1600s--and the whole town looks like it's from Pirates of the Caribbean.

This alter is made of SOLID gold. It's like 20x30 feet!

goodbye party

Last weekend Johnny and I had a goodbye party since we're moving in THREE days! This is where the magic happened--the kitchen. We spent two days cooking up a delicious Panamanian feast!

The best part--the dessert, of course! Between the three desserts, I used 8 cans of evaporated milk, Yikes!

We had a blowup slide in the front yard, pretty fun.

And even better, gladiator tournaments!

Go Mummsie!!!