Circle of Life

Yet another beautiful day in Boquete. We hung around this morning and I sat outside listening to the birds. Today there was a flock of blue colored birds in our tree. I now call it "Etz Chayim" or Tree of Life. Just like the tree in Lion King and Animal Kingdom at Disney. So many birds visit this tree and eat the red berries. There were four tropical mockingbirds flying in and out of the tree all morning and they scared off lots of the other birds. Still I am able to add some more photos to the bird blog today.

I have the TV on today and following on Facebook and so proud of my sisters and brothers in the US and around the world who are marching for equality. Sorry that there is not a march here, but I am there in spirit. Yesterday we got an alert from the State Department that protests were expected in Panama City due to the inauguration and to be vigilant. Our sleepy town is busy with their festival, but Jeff and I are watching and cheering on those who represent us and others who believe that we are all created equal and deserve all the benefits of our Constitution and Amendments.

Since Boquete is so crowded with visitors to the flower festival we decided to go to David and also do some shopping. It is less than a half hour ride down the hill and a modern shopping center is right there when you arrive. This is where we ate at Friday's the other day. We continued straight into the centro of David which is the old town center. It was bustling with shoppers and we saw many upscale stores and boutiques. Lots of traffic, but we were able to find a parking space on the street next to the park. This is our first stop at  Parque Cervantes or Central Parque. The park is small and this sculpture is the centerpiece. It is lit at night and also is a fountain, but dry today.

It is very sunny and hot in David so everyone was sitting opposite the sculpture in the shade. This pretty church is across the street.

Jeff realized that his internet service was not working on his phone. Now we have both gotten Panamanian phone numbers and data plans to use while we are here. So now we have to find a phone store and get Jeff's phone fixed. We see a store across the street and head there. A lovely young woman tries to help us, but she speaks little English, and says we have to go to the Movil store and they have moved out of the town and she doesn't know where. She did recommend a place for us to eat lunch and it turned out to be a winner. This gal actually drew me a map so we wouldn't get lost going around the corner.

It was a cafeteria and great for us and we simply pointed at what we wanted to eat. We both had grilled chicken quarters with mashed potatoes. I had cole slaw and Jeff had salad. They even had Diet Coke which is not available just anywhere. Everyone is so kind and helpful. Surprising that so few speak any English, but then we don't speak Spanish. A young man came over to take away our tray and came back with napkins for us. We did take napkins and had them on our laps, but he was so sweet to do this.

I loved these two little girls making friends through the window. The child outside is sitting with her mother who is begging for money. They are dressed in tribal garb. The mom had been brushing her hair and holding her. The girl inside is with her parents and dressed nicely and wearing those sneakers that have rollers on the bottom so she has been gliding along. It was a really sweet moment.

After lunch we walked back to the car and use the GPS on my phone to find the Catedral de San Jose de David. I found the following description on Trip Advisor: David's cathedral is located in David's original centro historico, about 5 - 10 minute walk from Parque Central/Cervantes.
Catedral de San Jose de David. The tower was baptized on December 7, 1891. It was used as a lookout in the 1000 Days War. The remainder of the Cathedral is much newer, built within the last 25 years (my estimate). The tower was damaged by bullets during the war. This site is a National Historic Landmark.
Inside the Cathedral, there are many colourful murals depicting key scenes from the text of the Bible. The Bishop from this cathedral, 70 year old Jose Luis Lacunza Meastrojuan, was recently (spring 2015) named a Cardinal by Pope Francis. Bishop Meastrojuan is Panama's first Cardinal.

There was no one around at the cathedral and the doors were locked so we did not see the inside murals. We will try to go back another day

Now we headed off to find the phone store. It is now located in the modern mall next to Friday's. Inside we were greeted by a hip young woman who spoke no English and said no one in the store could speak English. She had on tons of makeup and very bright pink lipstick. We were a little skeptical if she could help, but don't judge a book by its cover. This gal could not have been sweeter or more helpful. She and Jeff both used a translate program and were able to figure out what was wrong with his phone. She and another tech got it fixed quickly.

Now we wanted to stop at the supermarket and decided to bite the bullet and buy a membership at PriceSmart. This is like Costco and has some Kirkland brand products. We got cans of Diet Coke, a rotisserie chicken, Bumble Bee White Tuna and Tropicana Orange Juice. Also some frozen foods and other necessities including skim milk in cartons that are not refrigerated. Last stop was a supermarket to pick up some produce and cleaning supplies. We chose the Rey today and I like it better than the 99 where we had shopped the other day. More American brand products. 

Finally headed back to our condo and ate our chicken and now watching TV and working on the photos and this blog.