Update #13 - Panama Road Trip

July 21/22, 2019

Hi all - well, i am hopeful i will get this out to you all before i run out of time and am back on a plane to panama tomorrow.....this summer has flown....some good parts....some amazing parts....some busy parts.....some very difficult parts.....i have been trying to help my family deal with the business stuff in pennsylvania since my dad's death.....it is just hard.....but i also went to peru (machu picchu - a future update), saw family & friends, went to cape may with my mom for a few days away and to a friend's wedding in georgia.....a good, but very short 5.5 weeks of summer.....but now onto the update....and as always...this is written for my dad 💜

this past spring break i actually stayed in panama and took a road trip with my friends laurie and wendy....laurie, i have known since college and this was our first big trip together (hopefully not our last) and wendy, i have known since the ice and she is the one person in my life who has visited everywhere i have been since we met....sooooooo cooooooool.....we decided to check out the country i am currently living in for one more year....speaking of this, if you are planning on visiting, make sure to do it before june 2020....as that is when i will be moving someplace new....not sure where that is, but the job search will be commencing soon.....so let me know if panama is a location you are planning on visiting.....

so our road trip.....we went to three very distinct places in panama besides panama  city...boquete - out in the west, santa catalina - the pacific coast & beach, and el valle - the center of an extinct volcano (which you have seen in my updates before).....plus of course the panama canal and casco viejo, of panama city......it was terrific trip and i think we saw a lot of panama as a country....after the road trip i have also included are a few shots from my long weekend in Cartagena, Colombia and a final few shots from my year of school.....i do not always show a lot of people, but i thought i would end with some shots of people that really helped me make it through this school year...on with the update 😎

our first stop was to boquete....about a 6-7 hours drive west of panama city....it is a completely different climate and where most of the coffee of panama is grown...it is also a retirement enclave for expats (people living away from their country).....i am an expat of the USA....so once there it was amazing how much english and german we heard....so many retirees....which shows that panama is one of the top ten best places in the world to retire....all over panama they have these signs now....can you find all three of us?????

this is the view of boquete from up where the sign is overlooking the valley....green, luscious, clean air and some beautiful mountains....definitely different from the streets of panama city ;)

they were having a flower show when we got there...we were told it was an orchid show, as that is what grows in the rainforests of panama, but most of the flowers were not orchids...just a bit confusing....but very, very pretty with all of the colors...

boquete is also the location of some of the best growing coffee climate in the world...not too hot, a bit more altitude, good amounts of sun and rain....we toured a coffee plantation there called finca dos jefes....which means farm of the two bosses....it is run by a couple who bought the plantation when it was no longer functioning....their coffee is all organically grown....these are the drying racks for the beans once harvested....nice view :)

this is a coffee plant flower....they only flower for a very short time...and smell a bit like jasmine...these folks also grow their coffee in accordance with the schedule of the moon....their coffee is also direct trade coffee....which means they purchase directly from the farmer...no middle-men....this is much better than fair trade - as farmers and pickers do not get much from that agreement, but direct trade works with the farms & plantations themselves to honor the folks who do the work of planting & harvesting coffee...it is a pretty impressive place....check it out - finca dos jefes (click on name to visit their website)....and the coffee is pretty amazing as well!!!

while in boquete we also visited the bee and butterfly farm called boquete bees....it was terrific...we wandered the grounds learning about how they extract honey and then use it in many different ways....the picture above shows our guide and the old style bee farming methods....they still have some like these, but have started leaving hives in tree types that they have on the property...really interesting....they have a set of killer bees on the property....as well as many other types....no, we did not see any of the killer bees....thank goodness.....but they help the whole process, so they are not exterminating them....

the butterfly house was lovely....you can even do yoga there....they have space for the whole process of egg, pupa, larva and adult and make sure the butterflies have everything they need to survive....it was sooooo peaceful....

and then we did a honey tasting.....it was amazing....they produce 40+ varieties, with some added organic ingredients....plus honey wine and honey liquor....it all depends on the flowers the bees help pollinate and get nectar from...and each bee type has its favorite....so each honey tastes different from the one before...it was a lovely experience.....

from boquete, we headed to the pacific coast....santa catalina....there is a national park there called coiba...where we spent a day snorkeling and exploring.....above you see a shot from the island we had lunch on....the snorkeling was fun, except for the little, stinging jellyfish around the first island....you can see the boat we took around the islands for the day right in front....the pther boat is a floating restaurant/bar, but was not open when we had lunch....bummer....it was a 2-hour bumpy trip back into the mainland, but it certainly was beautiful out there......

here we are - laurie, wendy and i....hanging on the beaches of the coiba islands....it was a stunning day....relaxing and we saw some great life while snorkeling...i am hoping to get back to this region to dive this year before i leave panama....i would really like to do this in january when the manta rays are jumping and whale sharks are around....fingers crossed....

our last stop before heading back was el valle....one of my favorite locations in panama...a town that was built in the crater of an extinct volcano...we spent on morning birding with one of the best guides in all of panama...here you can see our crew with mario the birding guide!

do you see the birds???? where??? look at twelve o'clock to spot them....my favorite spots of the day was a pair of toucans we followed up the valley....such cool birds....ad a green headed parrot hanging around having breakfast....

and then it was back to panama on good friday....a few days before easter....panama's main religion is catholic, hence the pope's visit earlier this year...so on good friday, no one in the country is allowed to purchase/sell alcohol....except restaurants or hotels if they choose to sell any....this is from our road stop on the way back to the city....no beer for you!!!!

of course we had to visit the canal....and even though i have been here a multitude of times, i learn something new every time i go...it was a beautiful day and we watched quite a few ships go through the locks....the engineering of the locks is just mind-blowing....this is a shot of the first set of locks of the old set....adjacent to the pacific ocean....

we also went to some of the areas where you could see all of the city....as you can see it was/is the rainy season....which is happens in panama approximately for nine months....but the skyline is still fabulous to look at....

here's a shot of laurie in the old town, casco viejo, of panama city....these are the "bones" of an old church there....they have definitely been working to make this part of a panama city a tourist destination....but like the gentrification all over the world....this has good results and not so good results....but overall it was a great visit....

one last shot of the three of us from the beaches of santa catalina....we had a lovely trip and fun traveling together....here's to the next destination....

here is a picture from this past year's science team....we were dressed for pink shirt day at my school - which is an anti-bullying day that was started in canada, when a boy was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school...other kids saw it happening and came to school all wearing pink shirts the next day to stand up to the bullies...this has continued around the world and now pink shirt day is a yearly tradition at many schools including ISP.....

my last quick jaunt of the year was to cartagena, colombia, to meet up with my friend genevieve before she left the area to teach elsewhere.....it is a lovely, beach side city...the old section is quaint and beautiful to stroll through....lots of art and artisans there and bars, restaurants and cafes to hang at....it was a great little get away.....

we had sundowners at the famous cafe on the wall of the old city...lovely views and a huge colombian flag....what a fun, but hot place to wander in and explore....

this is genevieve and i toasting her next big adventure...she is headed back to the continent of africa...i hope to get in a visit...but much of it depends on where i end up next...cheers!!!!

we spent a day on one of the islands off of cartagena....we were some of 80 people in total on this beautiful island where we went snorkeling and had lunch and swam and lounged around...it was terrific...look at that water color!

i figured i would also include a shot from one of my last classes of the year....the picture credit goes to one of my students....this is what happens when you drop pure sodium metal in water...it is extremely reactive!!!! i love this shot....

this image is one of the last pictures i took in panama....off of my balcony...i really do get amazing sunsets and love this view....the pointy buildings are also really fun to watch during a lightning storm...simply incredible...panama was saying "hasta luego" to me for the summer....

and what would an update be without a beer shot....here i am with my good friend spicer on his last day in panama...him and his wonderful family are moving to bali to work there in the coming year...i will certainly miss our discussions at rana with our beers about science, books, music and life...i wish him & his family all the best and to the rest of you i say "cheers to wherever you are in the world"!!!

and so there you have it...my road trip and some others from panama and colombia....it was a crazy school year, with lots of travel and fun....but also the passing of my dad....i have one more year in panama and really do enjoy parts of this country.....soooooo if you are planning on stopping by, you have until june 2020 to do so....just let me know.....

i do have one more update to get out, which i will try and do before school starts next week...as all of you know, i run out of time more quickly then...it was of an amazing bucket-list birthday trip for my friend nadine....we did peru & machu picchu....simply incredible on so many different levels...fingers crossed that gets done sooner rather than later....

remember, if you have any questions about this update....send them my way.....
hope you are enjoying your summer/winter wherever you are and thanks for joining me for my latest update....and as always, this is dedicated to my dad 💚

peace out....dani

Update #12 - Trinidad & Tobago - for my dad

July 1, 2019

Hi there folks.....sorry it has been awhile since I last wrote, but as many of you know my dad, Tony DiPietro, passed away suddenly on May 8th....life has been a bit of a mess since then and my family and i have been devastated by this loss of such a wonderful human....my dad was my hero and the rock of our family....so i would like to dedicate this update and all that follow to him....he was my biggest cheerleader and loved to tell and share my story with anyone....so the updates will continue and i hope you enjoy them....miss you and love you dad....always 💜

this update takes place on the islands of trinidad and tobago.....found in the caribbean, above venezuela....it is an island steeped in tradition and their biggest tradition by far is carnival.....also known to many as mardi gras....this trip was amazing in sooooooo many ways and who knew this tradition was so much fun and included so many who come back year after year.....i knew from the moment we got on the flight to trinidad that something special was about to happen....and the customs line was enormous....everyone we met was soooo excited for what lay ahead and what really surprised me was how many of these folks came back for carnival year after year.....it was incredible how many folks had family on trinidad and then brought their friends and just kept coming back.....the one word that stands out to me for this particular carnival is tradition......

we were so very lucky to be staying with local trinis and those folks were showing us around and getting us tickets for all of the events.....and there were sooooooo many events and parties and aspects of carnival, it was mind boggling....I loved the music, the dancing, the costumes, the food, the people....it was a blast....especially pan finals and participating in j'ouvert....but more on those in the update.....really, if you want to experience what i consider the best carnival i have ever been to, you need to make time for trinidad.....after carnival we headed over to tobago (the island next door) to dive and i got my advanced water certification....all-in-all it was an incredible trip....on with the pictures...... 

one of the best parts of trinidad was the local street food....i so miss things like this, as we really don't have much except hot dogs and shaved ice in panama....above you see some women making roti and they have been doing this, in this particular spot for 35 years.....yummy.....trinidad loves pepper sauce....which is spicy and tasty....i grew quite fond of it as well....

two of the coolest trinis you will ever meet - rashad and vidiya....they and vidiya's husband ronald, were our hosts in trinidad....and on sunday we had a trini meal....spaghetti pie with kalalu....yummy!!! all vegetarian and all chessy and tasty.....perfect prep for a 7 hour march in j'ouvert the next morning....

so this is me....covered in chocolate....getting ready to march with the coco band for j'ouvert very early monday morning (4am).....this particular masquerade parade was started by slaves when the french were in charge of trinidad....the slaves did not have beautiful costumes and wigs like the french, so they covered themselves in whatever they could find - paint, mud, baby powder....chocolate......and then marched through the streets of port of spain, trinidad's capital.....they also covered themselves so their masters did not recognize them in the march.....so we "tripped on down the road" with the cocoa band......

as you can see, early in the evening, we were just covered in chocolate.....you get tickets for a certain group and they give you clothes, some sort of "fun" piece, our devil horns that lit up and blinked, a cup to get drinks (alcoholic or not), they provide music and breakfast....in this shot, the four of us have been covered in chocolate and we have begun the 7 hour walk/dance through the city.....messy....but wait....there's more.....

as you can see from rachel....as the walk/march goes on, it gets messier.....because other bands are covered in paint and mud and baby powder.....and when you meet up with these other groups, you throw what you are covered in on them, and they do the same to you.....so here is a bit later in the evening, once we had run into bands with paint and mud......

and this is us by the end of j'ouvert....completely covered in stuff...the sun had come up and we had walked/danced for 7 hours.....it was awesome.....and again, the word tradition is what i think of with this....as we had people of all ages in our band....the youngest being 7 & 8....oldest....who knows....grandmothers and grandfathers.....it was a complete blast and what a way to experience carnival.....I LOVED IT!!!!!

there is a parade monday afternoon after j'ouvert, but we did not make it to that one....we were sleeping :) however, then the big masquerade is on tuesday....which we went to and experienced, but did not march....the picture above and the following bunch are all from that.....

this is called "playing mas" - for masquerade.....and you can see, some of these costumes are amazing....they have feathers, and back pieces and are colorful.....the first two shots are from a group that got their inspiration from stained glass pieces....they were stunning......

in every group, there are the front line costumes....these are costumes many people have seen before....but up close and personal, they are stunning......and rather pricey.....these two women are front liners...which also means they could be the queen of their band....there is a competition for that honor as well....but neither of them won queen....

many of these people have been partying and parading for the past week.....but this is main event....there are five or six stages around the city and the bands parade between all of them....with speaker trucks blaring trini music and marshals singing along (DJs).....the groups run up on stage.....dance for about 5 minutes and then move to the next stage.....they do not do routines that are are choreographed....they just do things to show off the costumes.....

in the shot above you can see a marshal, on top of the speaker truck, performing for the band they are accompanying....and then you can see all of the costumes and just how many people are in a band.....it is incredible....and there more than 50 groups like this roaming the city at the same time....

this is shot to show just how many people are involved in a band....this does not include the drivers or the security crew for each band....the logistics of this day are just amazing....but i guess when you have been doing it as long as trinidad, you know what works and what does not....

some of the male costumes are as extravagant as the female....this guy's head piece was incredible.....

and everyone is willing to have their picture taken....they have worked all year for this and just want to know you are impressed with their costumes and feathers and pieces....i loved it....

so many feathers and different colors and friendly people....and again, the word that comes to mind is tradition....the numbers of families participating in mas, is overwhelming.....and it is alllllllll day!!!

these guys told me they had been coming their whole life, as their families were trini.....it was the main thing they came back for year after year to watch when they were kids and then to participate in as they got  older.....

this woman's outfit was awesome, but she wanted to have a selfie with me....i figured, sure.....her head piece and heels alone would have been impossible for me to deal with for mas....but she did it with style and grace.....i just could not stop smiling and dancing throughout this whole day....such a blast and then we were off to tobago for diving that night......

and then we woke up to this view on tobago....a pretty drastic change in the span of a few hours....but oh what a view!!!!  our dives happened mostly out by the small island you see the distance - little tobago....

this was the majority of our diver crew....it was with these folks that i obtained my advanced water certification.....just in time to go do some more technical dives in the coming year! woot!!! this was our celebratory dinner....and the woman on the far right also had just completed her open water certification and was a brand new diver.....

this was our view during the day....from the tiny town called speyside....people go there to dive, snorkel, fish or just chill out....we had some lovely weather and some very rainy weather....and most of the dives were drift dives with currents that were strong....great to float along and see the amazing life....the reefs of tobago are very much alive and healthy, which was lovely to see and experience....

this is a view of all of speyside....very small and nestled among the hills and green of tropical tobago...

and then we headed into scarborough, the capital of tobago for a day to relax and chill by the pool and ocean....this is one the ways to get to the water from our hotel....it was a lovely day!!! and perfect to relax after an amazing carnival break.....

of course the last picture is me and a beer from trinidad and tobago...stag beer.....a tasty lager to celebrate carnival and diving....what a perfect combination!

so there you have it....i am not sure you can tell from my pictures or my narrative...this particular trip was possibly one of the best i have ever had....definitely in my top ten....now, i am trying to get to rio for carnival 2020....so i hopefully will be able to compare carnival in trinidad with carnival in brazil....but until that happens....this was the best carnival i have experienced thus far in my life...and if you have a chance to go....GO!!!! one suggestion though....go with a person from trinidad or tobago...the experience you have with local folk is bar-none, better.....

sooooooo.....the carnival update is complete, so i am just a few months behind....i am hopeful to get my next update out....spring break in panama.....before i head back to panama.....and maybe even get my peru trip update out as well.....i was there at machu picchu, huacachina, cusco and lima, two weeks ago for a friend's bucket-list birthday celebration.....fingers crossed i get at least one more update out over summer break....hope all of you are well and enjoying winter or summer or the rainy season, depending on where you are located...and for those that celebrate - happy canada day, july 4th for the states and bastille day for france and go usa for women's world cup in soccer....so many celebrations!!!! hope all of you are well and happy and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to get in touch.....

for my dad....miss you and love you always......

have a fab day :)
dani