Remnants of a Coke

For four whole days (March 19-22), a small group of painters were busy house whitening our house on the outside.  It hadn’t been painted for at least seven long years.  In an effort to protect the wooden beams, it was necessary to paint as soon as possible.  My wife Aura broke her piggy bank and so did I, and were able to get the funds necessary to do the job.  For us, living on retirees funds, the cost was astronomical—$1,623.65.  This sum includes the cost of the paint plus labor.

I know this is a lot of money for painting a house in Panama, but we wanted a professional job, so we were willing to break the bank.  After the house was finished it looked like the white house.  Nice and shining.  Parts of the house are also painted in Caterpillar yellow.

At midday the painters would stop and open their lunch boxes to recharge their batteries.  I noticed they drank Coca Cola with their lunch.  One day, they left a Coke plastic bottle on the back porch.  It was so attractive, that I decided to capture the scene.  This is what I saw.

Snapshot of a large plastic bottle of Coca Cola on our back porch. A small amount of liquid was still in the bottle, untouched by the painters of our home. Notice the whiteness of the walls. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Finally, after more than seven years, our house looks white again. We have our own white house in Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Bench

In Panama, we are still in the middle of the center of the dry season.  This means will still have about a month and a half of sizzling summer days.  At midday it’s almost impossible to breathe.  It’s hot, real hot.  We don’t have an air condition system, so we have to patiently wait for the evenings when a soft breeze comes to the rescue, like the Cavalry.

We have a nice back porch which is excellent to enjoy the stars and the slow cool breeze of the summer days.  The only problem is that we had no chairs.  I used the verb had, because last Sunday I purchased a bench to take advantage of the cool temperatures of the Panama evenings.

Now a bench decorates our back porch.  It’s an attractive Mesh Park Bench.  Yes, you’ve guessed it—made in China.  It’s made from heavy-duty cast iron frame all-weather resin back and hardwood slats.  The frame is powder coated with a rust resistant bronze finish.  It was easy to assemble and included all the necessary hardware and accessories.

Alcibiades, the Twisters’ father, came over with his bunch and helped us assemble the bench.  The Twisters also joined in helping his father.  We had a good time.  It’s always pleasant to have them home and hear their howling and screaming for a couple of hours.  It brings life and excitement to our home.

Since last Sunday, my wife and I are enjoying our evenings under the stars.  It’s so nice to be alive and enjoying Nature.

Snapshot of The Twisters, my wife, and Alcibiades; busy at work putting together a bench we acquired last Sunday for our back porch. It was just about time to enjoy the delicious cool breeze of the evenings sitting on our back porch. Thanks guys. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Yep, "Mission Accomplished", Abdiel. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

This is where my wife and I have been sitting on our back porch enjoying the soft breeze and the lights of the stars since last Sunday. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The price tag of this park bench is $88.36 including VAT.  The price of spending quality time with the family is priceless.  Good Day.

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Dining Under The Huts

Snapshot of a restaurant located at the highly visited tourist area of Amador's Causeway in Panama City, Panama. The subject closely resembles the huts of Africa. The large tropical tree above is like a giant protector of the small huts below. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Panama Roasted Coffee Beans

Panama is not an important exporter of coffee.  Most of its production is for local consumption.  It is mainly grown in the highlands of Chiriquí in the area of Boquete.  Its main brands are Café Durán and Café Sittón, although there are other brands marketed within the country.  At home we are die-hard fanatics of Café Durán.  As much as I like coffee, I can’t drink more than one cup per day due to my reflux problems.

The history of Cafe Durán goes way back to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1907, barely three years after the Republic was born, Mr. Esteban Duran Amat, a business pioneer, started roasting coffee in Gorgona, a small town located inside the banks of what was to become the Panama Canal.

While the country was rising as a new nation, and due to the construction of the Panama Canal, Cafe Duran moved its establishment to the center of Panama City, where coffee was grinded, roasted, hand-packed—as was the custom then—and sold to the general public.

Since the late 70′s, Café Durán has been exporting top quality SHB Arabica coffee. They have been recognized for their “Extra Fancy” large size beans and “Peaberry” green coffee. Europe and the United States are their main export countries.  This family’s commitment to quality for five generations has proved that—it is always time for sharing a good cup of coffee.

Last Saturday I had a meeting with a friend at a Café Durán Store and ordered a Café Pintao.  On the counter I saw a glass container with a heap of roasted coffee beans.  I asked the woman attending the store if I could have some beans to take their picture, as I was an amateur photographer.  Instead, she gave me a handful and a nice Café Durán paper bag.  I was most grateful.

Below is the picture of the several coffee beans the woman gave me that lucky day.  Take a look.

Snapshot of several roasted coffee beans generously donated by a woman at a Café Durán Store inside El Rey Supermarket in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a nice Café Durán paper bag promoting the excellent coffee grown in the highlands of the Province of Chiriquí in Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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“The Dirt is Flying” in Panama Subway Construction Project

For several decades Panama has maintained a high level of construction projects, both public and private.  Panama City is now one of the most modern cities in Central America with a beautiful skyline similar to Miami in the United States. Currently two megaprojects are underway, (e.g., the expansion of the Panama Canal and the construction of the first phase of a subway system).  Both public works are planned to be completed by the year 2014; just in time for the celebration of the centennial of the Panama Canal.

If you have recently traveled to Panama City, you have certainly noticed the construction frenzy.  Everywhere you go within the perimeter of the city, thousands of construction workers are working like honey bees.  There is a construction boom going on, the largest in magnitude since the foundation of the nation.  Sometimes I feel like a tourist in my own town.  There are new housing projects in Chorrera and Arraijan I have never been before, and probably never will.

In order to capture history in progress, I went to the construction site of the subway system on the Transisthmian Highway.  I want to compare this site with the same site after the subway is finished.  The comparison will be dramatic.  This is a project that will greatly improve our mass transportation in the metropolitan area.  I’m very proud of how our country is modernizing its infrastructure.

Snapshot of the construction of the Panama subway which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year 2014. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The Panama subway will consist of three main branches. The first one will connect Los Andes with Albrook Bus Terminal (Northern Branch). The second one, will connect Chepo (Eastern Branch) with the same terminal. The third and last branch, will connect the cities of Chorrera and Arraiján (Western Branch) to Panama City. These three projects will take about fifteen years to be completed. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the construction of the Northern Branch of the Panama Subway to be completed by the end of 2014. The public construction project is in full swing even as we speak. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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The Ubiquitous Apple iPad 2 on a Wall in Panama

The iPad has been an extraordinary success for Apple Inc.  Since its introduction in April 2010, Apple has sold  300,000 units on the first day and 3 million in 80 days.

During 2010, Apple sold 14.8 million iPads worldwide, representing 75 percent of tablet PC sales at the end of 2010.  By the release of the iPad 2 in March 2011, more than 15 million iPads had been sold—selling more than all other tablet PCs combined since the iPad’s release.  In 2011, it took approximately 73 percent of the tablet computing market share in the United States.  During the fourth quarter of 2011, Apple sold 15.4 million iPads.

The iPad has continued to evolve.  It recently reached the third generation.  The successor to the iPad 2 was unveiled on March 7, 2012 by Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.  The new iPad sports the new dual coreA5X processor with quad-core graphics, and a Retina Display with a resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels (over 50 percent more pixels than a standard 1920×1080 high definition TV screen.  As with previous iPads, there are two models, in this case a Wi-Fi only model and a Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model.

This latest model has not reached our shores yet, but I’m sure it will soon hit the shelves in Panama City.  Apple is widely accepted in this country, specially amongst advertising agencies where it reigns unchallenged. The iPad is retailed in most of the computers stores in Panama.  It has a price tag of $525.95 not including the ITBMS tax which is 7 percent.

All around Panama City, you will find Apple’s iPad ads painted on the walls.  I found one on the wall of Multimax located at Tumba Muerto.  The ad was promoting the iPad 2.  The new one is not yet in the market.  The new iPad is a smash hit, but billboards advertisements aplenty still promote Apple’s iPad 2 in this country located in the middle of the world.

Below are several pictures of an ad for the iPad 2 in one retail store in Panama City, Panama.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a commercial ad promoting Apple's iPad 2 on a wall in a building in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The ad on the wall reads, "iPad 2, now with iOS and iCloud. If it was previously difficult to live without it, now it's impossible." Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Children’s Play

Last Sunday, March 18, 2012 we received a pleasant visit from the Twisters and one of their friends.  They were returning from a baseball game at Parque Urraca.  Abdiel and David were very excited because their team won.  Abdiel played as catcher and David as third base.  A trip to play in Miami is in the works for August but the war chest is empty, however the player’s parents are making all kinds of activities to grow the fund.  I hope they make it.

The kids looked dirty, sweaty, and hungry.  After eating, they started playing with an old cellphone one of them had found at the baseball park.  The device wasn’t working, but they were doing all they could to make it talk.  While they sat on the kitchen’s floor trying to resuscitate the depleted phone, I shot a couple of pictures without their knowledge.  Take a look.

Snapshot of the Twisters, Karol and Abdiel, and David sitting on the kitchen's floor trying to make and old and depleted cellphone work. Tried as they did, the phone would not talk. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of David García, one of Abdiel's best friends, and a member of his baseball team. He plays third base and loves the New York Yankees. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of Karol, Abdiel and David desperately trying to make an old broken down cellphone work. Their concentration was intense. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Blackouts in Panama City

Power blackout are not very frequent in the area where I live.  However, from time to time they do happen, and when they do everything stops.  No lights, no Internet, no computer, no Wi-Fi, no nothing.  It’s like going back to the caves living like a Neanderthal.  It’s really scary and boring at the same time.

On Wednesday, March 21, 2012 we had two blackouts.  One in the afternoon at approximately 3:30 p.m. (-5 GMT), and the other one in the evening at about 8:00 p.m. (-5 GMT).  Everything went pitch dark.  Fortunately we had a couple of candles and that is what we used to walk around the house.  The power outage wasn’t fixed for two hours.  I was able to kill time, listening to music with a small FM battery-powered radio.  It was my only device that survived the blackout.

At 10:00 p.m. the power was restored and we were catapulted back to the 21st century with all its goodies.  It was so nice to beat the darkness and embrace good ole technology.  My computer started to purr like a kitten and it was once again business as usual.

Below is a picture of the candle my wife used to light the house.  I used my Birthday camera—Canon PowerShot A720 IS— to capture the dim candle flickering in our living room.

Snapshot of a dim candle next to Cuban piece of pottery during a recent blackout at our house last Wednesday. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Dipping My Toes in DSLR Waters

Snapshot of a Canon EOS Rebel T21i DSLR camera also known as EOS 550D. The camera is equipped with a EF-S 18-55 IS kit lens. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

After acquiring a DSLR camera I’ve been dedicating a considerable amount of time reading the Instruction Manual in an effort to understand how the camera works and take better pictures.  My previous camera, a Canon PowerShot A720 IS has performed remarkable well, but it lacks the quality of a DSLR camera.

The greatest advantage of SLR cameras is the ability to change lenses.  Different lenses are used to take different subjects in different situations for diverse worlds of photography in your hands—wide angle, telephoto lens or macro lens.  Another advantage of my new camera is the size of the image sensor.

An image sensor is the device that converts the light from your lens into an electrical signal that’s interpreted and displayed as an image.

The bigger the sensor, the more light can be captured, which means you end up with more detailed images.  Smaller sensor have less surface area, so they don’t pick up fine details or perform as well in low light.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with the different picture styles of my new camera.  These are the different options of the device:

• Monochrome:  The black-and-white image looks impressive with light and shadows.  Plan to use it more in the future.
• Faithful:  The cloth, hairs, and other features look just the way you see it in person.  At the end of this blog post is a picture of a baby using this picture style.
• Neutral:  The colors and sharpness are subdued, decreasing their intensity.
• Landscape:  The reds, greens, and yellow become more saturated.  Blue skies and green trees are captured in deep, vivid colors.  This an option that I will certainly explore further.
• Portrait:  The skin tones are lighter and softer.  Perfect to take pictures of women and children.
• Standard:  The image looks sharp and vivid overall.  This is the factory standard setting of the camera.

Below is a picture of a baby using the option of the faithful picture style.  Notice the natural color of the skin, exactly like the baby in real life.  I couldn’t obtain this tone of skin color with my Birthday camera.

Snapshot of Paola, the youngest of the three Twisters, learning how to crawl. She is seven months old. Notice the soft color tone of her skin, just like in real life. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Panama Security Forces

I have a high respect for our men and women in uniform.  They work day in and day out protecting us, specially when we go to bed and close our eyes.  On a 24/7 basis, somebody from the Panama Police is guarding the walls of the nation, and while doing so, risking their lives.

The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of this small country located in the narrow Isthmus of Central America. Panama is the second country in Latin America (the other one is Costa Rica) to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces.  This came as a result of a U.S. invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship  which ruled the country from 1968 to 1989.

Panama maintains forces, consisting of armed Police and Security forces, and small air and maritime forces. They are tasked with law enforcement, and can perform limited military actions. Panama can create a temporary military force to counter any attack.

Below are the different branches of the Panamanian Security Forces known as the Panama National Police:

• Policía Nacional (National Police)
• Servicio Nacional de Fronteras (National Borders Service)
• Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (National Aeronaval Service)
• Servico de Protección Institucional (Institutional Protection Service)

The National Borders Services (SENAFRONT) have been trained and equipped to protect our borders, specially the border with Colombia which has been a scenario of continued conflicts with Colombian drug dealers and guerrilla units known as FARC.  Speed boats, helicopters and special radars have been acquired by this unit to interrupt the increasing drug traffic from South America to Europe and the United States.

In November 2008, the Servicio Aéreo Nacional (National Air Service) merged with its maritime counterpart, the Servicio Maritimo Nacional (National Maritime Service) to become the Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (National Aeronaval Service), also the creation of the new Servicio Nacional de Fronteras (National Borders Service) as an independent force from the National Police.

Below are several pictures of units from SENAFRONT on a large speedboat during a recent exhibition of airplanes, helicopters, executive jets, and boats at the former Howard Air Force Base.  They had their faces painted green and were carrying heavy military equipment.  They looked intimidating to me, but kids were happy to take pictures with them.  I kept a safe distance…just in case—tongue-in-cheek.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a unit of SENAFRONT on top of a large speedboat during a recent exhibition of planes, helicopters and boats organized by the Panama government at former Howard Air Force Base. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

As you can see, it was a beautiful sunny day with pristine white cotton looking clouds overhead. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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