Joy to the World

2014 has been a year of joy and wonder.  Daughter Heather married Chase Kimball in March, they enjoy their new life together in the nation's capital.  Shelly and David moved to Guayaquil, Ecuador in April where they work as diplomats for the United States and find wondrous sights traveling around South America.  Son Damon is a civil engineer in Miami, enjoying his profession, friends, and outdoor life there.  

In this holiday season, we wish joyful celebrations for you and yours, and for the world, 

Peace.

Latino Futbol Passion

Ecuadorians take their futbol very very seriously.  It's the one thing you can always talk about with anyone . . . in New Mexico the question is "red or green?", in NY "Yankees or Mets?" the question in Guayaquil is "Barcelona o Emelec?".  Fans are rabid about their teams.  As the season winds down to a championship, I jumped at the invitation of a friend to go to the stadium for a Barcelona game.  Wow! The fans in the entire south end of the stadium stand and sing and chant and cheer the whole game long, and when the home team scores, the place goes crazy!  Great fun.

One of South America's top ten largest stadiums

The home team won 3-0

Gringo Fanatico

My host and I in the suites

Goooooooooooooal!!

Craziness in the South End

The Panama Jungle Explorers

Heard but not seen:  these howler monkeys are LOUD!

We spent "Black Friday" in the Panama jungle, listening to howler monkeys, observing leaf cutter ants, and being enchanted by a variety of beautiful birds!  The trail through the jungle had babbling brooks, broken bridges, teeming humidity, and rich plant life at every turn.  Then we enjoyed a park featuring rescued jungle animals.   It was great fun, and much more enjoyable than being in that other jungle: the shopping mall!.

Howler!

Mother and daughter looking at ants

Tarzan and Jane

Mowgli and Baloo

Amazing sights

Hard working ants

Leaf cutter ants taking leaves home

Tapir and its prehensile snout

Harpie Eagle: Panama's
National Bird

Stately bird

You can Toucan

Ginger

One-day bloom

Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

Wild animals!

Panama's handicrafts reflect its wildlife

Coatimundi begs for food

Happy campers

Jungle explorers

Panama Canal: Path Between the Seas

It wouldn't have been a Panama vacation without a trip on the Panama Canal.  On Saturday, Chase, Heather, Shelly and David did a partial transit of the Canal, going from the Pacific Ocean entrance at Panama City through the Miraflores Locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks, and the Culebra Cut to the entrance of Gatun Lake.  We learned much about this engineering marvel, and how it changed world commerce.  We also saw the construction for the Panama Canal expansion which will once again positively impact world trade when it is completed next year.  A great day in an amazing place!

Container ships too wide for the Canal
are unloaded and containers taken by train on "dry land transit"

Reading up on the history of the Canal

Architect Frank Gehry's Biodiversity Museum on the Canal

Tankers making the Panama Canal transit

Pilot boats help all ships

Gates closing on the Miraflores Locks

PanaMA and Daughter

Following the tanker into the locks

Centennial Bridge crosses the Canal

Happy Travelers Shelly, Heather and Chase

Container Ships making the transit

Panama City's skyline from the Canal

See the levels of the locks: we went up over 85 feet in 3 locks

Going from the Pacific to the East

 

Black Friday All Over the World

One of our biggest surprises has been to learn that so-called Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is observed in South America.  Ecuador was full of advertising and anticipation of the shopping holiday, and here in Panama, it is crazy.  Merchants expect 40,000 shoppers coming from Venezuela, Colombia and other countries to descend on Panama City for shopping and sales. Another successful U.S. export!!!

Heather and Chase brought T-Giving ingredients
from the USA!

Oh, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We are so grateful for the joys and wonders of family and friends, near and far.  Spending the weekend with Heather and Chase . . . no shopping on Black Friday, headed to the jungle for monkey business!  

All the newspapers advertise Black Friday

Panama City: an urban oasis

Our view to the pool and the Pacific
from Floor 36 of the Trump Ocean Tower

Shop til you Caer (Drop)

Downtown Panama City

Hiking at High Heights

Hiking above the clouds

Hiking in the Andes can be breathtaking!  Not only does the beauty take your breath away, but in places, you are so high above sea level that you are gasping for air!  I had such an experience hiking in Ecuador's El Cajas National Park last weekend. Shelly wisely stayed home, while a friend and I took off hiking the 13,000 foot high hills about 3 hours from our house, near the beautiful city of Cuenca.  Lakes, waterfalls, great vistas and lovely vegetation.  The views were spectacular, and the hike was just what I needed after a tough week.  Take a look!

Good advice in bad English, but you get the idea

Ready to hike the Cajas