Tom´s central-american adventure

Happy easter to all!

Hope you enjoyed it and got a little break from work, school or anything else that might be happening outside of Panama!

Easter in Boquette was missing the easter hunt, but we made up for it in other ways.
Paradise garden had a tonn of visitors and for the first time mostly all were rich panamanians from Panama city arriving in big american diesel trucks.
All the voulenteers were busy guiding people around however we didn´t need to do much talking as panamanians in general like to poke and pester the animals.
Ironically alot of the animals in Paradise garden come to us because their owners either don´t know how to handle them, abuse them or just get bored with them.
I´m scared to find out exactly how many animals that acctually die or are traumatized for life because of bad owners, but i think the numbers are pretty high.

I´ve heard stories about panamanian children stoning wild animals mostly because thats what their parents would do.
Even around various sorts of plantations snakes are killed.
Not all of them are venemous and would probably flee as soon as they see a human than stick around.
The sad part is that the snakes eat mice, rats and other rodents that again eat farmers crops.
I wonder if panamanians will ever learn?

Good friday, my fellow voulenteer (Sean) and i ate a tasty italian dinner with the owners of Paradise gardens and their daughter.
Towards the end of the meal the street outside was filled with people carrying pictures of Jesus and the virgin Mary.
Some were acctually huge statues with lights powered by a generator.
Panama is catholic and for the first time we really experienced what their religion means to them.

Not much happend saturday exept more visitors of the panamanian sort.
The highlight came sunday morning when we were invited by Donna, an american voulenteer and her husband chef, previously owning and running several restaurants in New Hampshire.
Needless to say we had a very delicious easter sunday with omelettes, belgian waffles, homemade fruit siryp and mango juice to name a few of the dishes
Special for the occation was that we were joined by Maisie, the baby howler monkey soon to be released into the wild.
I´ve been here almost 4 weeks and clocked up $10 dollars in tips, a work offer at a horse ranch in Colorado, recieved bites and cuts from various animals and building cages for them and last but not least, a network of nice americans that drive us down to town after work!
Pretty good for being in a country just by chance!

However, not all days are spent at work.
Last week i went horseriding (special price thanks to new contacts)
Lovely ride, beautifull views and a horse missing the panamanian temper, good news for me
My next adventure was a hike on the famous Quetzal trail, passing the popular Bajo Mono waterfall that is not very impressive if you saw the pictures from the waterfall in La Fortuna
Quetzal´s are birds that tend to be hard to spot.
We were lucky and saw 4, but i only managed to photograph two of them.
Lots of other wildlife to be seen.
Birds, a sloth that actually moved for abit and bumping into 5 cows on one of the trails!

The owners of the hostel left for a easter holiday and the deal was that Wendy, a local in town, Sean and me would help run the place whilst they were gone.
It was unclear waht exactly Sean and me would get out of the deal and this is maybe why we have relaxed more than actually worked

Plans are still 100% ready, but i will be leaving sometime earlie next week and make my way up to Costa Rica, San Jose before my plane takes me to Havana, Cuba!
A Short trip, but i hope to see as much as possible and soak up some true cuban culture and maybe some cuban cigars if health treats me good
Allthough an expensive city to visit i got a good deal on a hotel (!) and plan to take full advantage of hot showers and my very first privat room if you dont count sharing a room with a fellow norwegian voulenteer in San Jose.
Dorm life is finally effecting my sleep and back.
It´s also worth mentioning all the different snoors you hear during a night.
Sometimes you wonder if your in the jungle and not up in the mountains!

My camera is out of batterie (again) so these links below will provide you with the last pictures from Boquette.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32364&l=570e2&id=509299407

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=32394&l=2956b&id=509299407

Time is running out in the internet cafe.

take care everyone and send me some news if you have any!
and happy birthday to anyone celebrating as this month comes to a close and also to those who are a year older in April!

Tom