Panama - Week Two
We completed another week on the farm in Panama, this time predominantly spending our time in the garden. Our daily routine has become comfortable and it is easier every day to wake up before the sun rises. We throw on our work clothes and walk along the dark road just a few hundred feet to the kitchen, our path illuminated by stars (and our cell phone flashlights). We hurriedly make our breakfast, sometimes wash a quick load of laundry, and then set off to the farm just down the road. Our first days were spent clearing weeds from a few rows of beans, peppers, and berries. We learned about the composting process conducted on the farm and applied fresh wood compost to the citrus trees surrounding the main house. Our fourth day was spent making cheese from the fresh goat's milk (now abundant due to the recent birth of four more baby goats, bringing the grand total to seven bouncy kids). The cheese we made was simple, one we made before while we were living in California when we were part of a goat cooperative. However, the queseria has special forms imported from Switzerland, and makeshift concrete blocks to help the cheese set more quickly. Our last day before a well-deserved break was spent cleaning up flower hedges and then planting cucumbers and green beans. We loved the time spent with our hands in the dirt, and even though the work was tiring and our backs were sore, we felt rewarded for the time spent outside breathing fresh air and working with the soil.
Our humble abode on the farm.
We also acquired a temporary addition to our family last week when we returned from our trip to Boquete. Tito (short for gatito) is a kitten which belongs to the owners of the farm and they are letting us watch over him while we're here. He looks cute in pictures but can be a menace when you're trying to get ready in the morning.
Tito, in a rare moment of inaction.
Inside of these molds and under the concrete blocks is some cheese waiting to be eaten.
A picture from our bus ride to Boquete. All of the buses we've been on so far have had a TV playing all the hit music videos in Panama.
The view from Cafe Mirador, an 8 km walk (one-way) from Boquete.