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Yes, the above water plants are floating on a lake in Chachagua and living on the nutrients they gain from the water as do the plants below call “air plants” that live on the nutrients from both the tree (or vine in this case) and the water in the very humid air of a rainforest. A gentle reminder for us to drink our 8 glasses of water a day! 🙂
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| Our dock at Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| A Little Island within swimming distance of our dock This was the best area for snorkeling with colorful coral and fish! Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| 15 year old Scott, one of the owner’s sons and an excellent birding guide! Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| Sunrises & Sunsets were mostly indirect for my times on the water Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| A common view when we went away from the island Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge, Bocas del Toro, Panama |
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| I think this is a lodge or restaurant on one of the islands Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
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| And many people lived on the islands and thus on the water as here in Bocas Town Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama |
See my “Trip Gallery”:
2018 Tranquilo Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama
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| The city is now installing these emergency water tanks around town for when the water system is down (often), water will be closer at hand for families. As opposed to waiting for the water truck to come by for your water needs. And the rapid turnover of local politicians continues as a “real fix” is still not provided! Just promised! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| And this is how persons got water in past when the taps aren’t working. Atenas, Costa Rica |
And yes, this “rich” gringo lives in a housing development with our own water system that is virtually never down and on top of that my richer landlord has his own well and pump just for our 3 houses on this property, meaning we always have good water. Many locals might say “Not fair!” And life continues to prove itself not fair. And the politicians continue to promise to do better! Yeah! Right!
THE PEOPLE OF ATENAS ARE PROTESTING WITH SIGNS ON THEIR HOUSES
Here are just 3 of the protest signs trying to get politicians to do something:
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| “ATENAS IS THIRSTY” Spray-painted on an outside wall of one of the high schools. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| “Water is a right, not a luxury.” On a home fence in my side of town. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| “Atenas needs water. Atenas united by the right to water. A whole town is protesting. I say: Present! On another home on my side of town. There are many more! Atenas, Costa Rica |
For many of us, clean water is so plentiful and readily available that we rarely, if ever, pause to consider what life would be like without it.
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| Many bats surrounding feeder until my flash goes off! They are really fast! |
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| Without flash you can see one blurry bat drinking nectar. |
I read somewhere that only long-tongued bats can do this and they are rare, so it is good to feed them. But that means refilling feeder every morning! Other option is to bring feeders in at night and to wipe them with oil of citronella to keep ants and other insects out of them sitting in kitchen sink or in frig. And my third option is to plant more flowers and let them feed off flowers alone. That is sounding better! 🙂 For now, I have decided I will bring in at night. I’m tired of boiling sugar water! 🙂
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| Flying over Corcovado National Park near Drake Bay Probably one winding river but whatever, a lot of water for one forest! The Richness of a Rainforest! Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
Sometimes I go back and look through photos from a trip and see something new to share. 🙂
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| Sunrise from the Front Porch of My Room Aguila de Osa Lodge, Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
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| Little Stream on Hotel Property Aguila de Osa Lodge, Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
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| Complete with a Swinging Bridge! It connects a trail around the total bay. Aguila de Osa Lodge, Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
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| Pedrillo Falls Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Little Falls Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Part of the Continuous Beach Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Ranger Station like this at both Pedrillo & Cañon Island Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Part of the beach is rocky like this Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica |
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| Mangrove Boat Trip Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
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| Mangrove Floating Hyacinths & Dense Forests Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
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| And of course, lots of Mangrove Trees that grow in the brackish water and attract wildlife Drake Bay, Costa Rica |
My TRIPS Photo Gallery on this Drake Bay Trip
About Corcovado National Park (Wikipedia) and About Drake Bay (Wikipedia)
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| Municipal Water Truck Goes Down Every Street Every Day when the public water system is “down” Here it is across the street from La Carreta Restaurant. Those palm trees are at the Central Catholic Church at the Central Park. |
Our public water comes from the same source as Grecia’s over a mountain or two from Atenas. It is pumped through large water mains (big pipes) through the mountains, over rivers and deep canyons to Atenas. Sometimes the water main breaks or something stops the flow. This time, for more than week now they have supposedly been trying to fix a broken pipe that goes over a canyon on a little bridge that was broken when a huge tree fell during a thunder storm. It has become a real problem for some homes and businesses that must have water – well – all must have! And most are asking “Why is it taking so long?” One article said they are waiting on parts to arrive from overseas.
Even in developing countries we depend on water! And the water truck is like a pied piper with a crowd constantly with it. It is beginning to remind me of Africa around here! We were regularly without water in The Gambia and I always kept large bottles of water “just in case.” You adapt! 🙂
Well, if you are a Trump supporter, I hope you find another country to move to! I will not personally welcome you to Costa Rica!
My Costa Rica Photo Gallery: Charlie Doggett’s COSTA RICA
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| Sign on one of the streets I walk on between my house and downtown. |
Roughly translated, the sign in Spanish says in English:
If we want clean rivers, do not pollute.
ADECA is doing a good job in Atenas of helping people be aware of their environment and the individual’s responsibility to not polute which is a problem here like everywhere. I look forward to finding more of these signs around town, maybe for different purposes like the one I shared earlier on Trees.
4:30 AM – Up for shower, breakfast and walk to the bus station
6:15 AM – Bus to San Jose
7:45 AM – I exit bus at northeast corner of Parque Sabana, 4 blocks from lawyer
Appointment is at 8:30 AM, so second breakfast at Soda Tapia (famous!)
8:30 AM – Meet attorney Jose Pablo Carter at his office 150 meters east of Soda Tapia
9:00 AM – We arrive in his car at Police Station with maybe 15 people ahead of us
We complete paper work and then I do the musical chair thing like at bank
This was just one long row of chairs. As a person is served we all move up
the chair line until I was next to be served. About a 25 minute wait.
Maybe 15 minutes of a guy two-finger typing all my info in a computer
He glues the three photos made back in February to 3 different forms
Then gives me all my paperwork and sends me to the fingerprint girl
I learned later she was new. She did 3 fingers then new form, start over
because she did one of my fingers twice 🙂
Then she gave me two of the photo/thumb print cards to take to my attorney
He gave one back to her and explained to her where it went (Wow!) Learner!
10:30 AM – We drive away from police station and he says no one knows how much longer
I will have to wait, maybe 2 months. But we have made some progress!
10:45 AM – He is taking me to a taxi stand to go to bus station because he has a meeting.
Then he sees a taxi, flags him down and I move to the taxi headed for the
Parada de Autobus de TUASA – there are about a dozen bus stations depending
on where you are going. I go to Coca Cola Station for Atenas bus but I need
to go to Alajuela to pick up a package at Aerocasillas. So I go to the
Parada de TUASA for the next bus to Alajuela. 5 minute wait!
By noon I’m in Alajuela with my package ordered from Amazon of a Hypoallergenic & Bedbug proof mattress cover and pillow covers which I have not found here. Then a quick quesadilla and I have only a 5 minute wait for bus to Atenas (Lucky? God’s will?). Near the bus station in Atenas is my primary hardware store where I find they have only 1 soaker hose left, so I get it and try Coope Hardware and they have none (I need 2). I call a taxi and tell him what I want and he takes me to a third hardware store (ferreteria) and they have one left. Great! I just bought all (both) the soaker hoses available in Atenas! 🙂
I go home and install them in two gardens and water the gardens. My front yard and trees had a sprinkler system installed yesterday by my gardeners at a really good price, about what I paid for the two soaker hoses! Now my yard, trees and gardens are ready for the dry season without me spending two hours every two days holding a hose to them. Bear in mind that it may not rain again here until May!
When finished, it was 5:30 and I suddenly remembered I had a 5:00 Spanish class! Oh well! I am exhausted and will catch up next week. 🙂
Today is Friday and I got more cash for Angel Tree expenses (trying 3 ATMs before one worked!), paid one Angel Tree bill, got groceries, and I’m staying at home the rest of today! Susan picks me up at 6:50 tomorrow morning for Angel Tree party preparation. She and I are in charge of moving 300 wrapped gifts from Su Espacio to the church salon. Other volunteers will help. Then a fast-moving party and I’m on bus back to Alajuela for a rent car. I like to get a car the day before needed to get used to the car and make sure everything works! 🙂 I’m excited about experiencing another new birding place starting Sunday! Rancho Naturalista. My happy feet are busy feet! 🙂 And when the bone spur in my heel hurts, I take an anti-inflammatory Rx the doctor prescribed and do great! The heel cushion in a real shoe helps also! 🙂 Wear my sandals only around the house now.
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| While along the Yorkin River in a Bribri indigenous people village I captured several shots of the forest & its textures. East of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica |
