Sharon's Souvenirs: August 2016

Monday, August 29, 2016

Playa Corona Sunset

The sun has set on our time in Playa Corona, Panama...

The Bridge of the Americas Coors can!

Undulating sand patterns

Silhouette magic...

Everyone loves a good beach bonfire. But we weren't invited.

And I love a good moon. It's my muse. The amazing stars of Playa Corona not included.

Next week, Sharon's Souvenirs is heading to the big and bright lights of Panama City...

But this week, check out three short and sweet book reviews over at The Chorus of the Crows

The Links:

Wednesdays around the World!

Photo Friday

Travel Photo Thursday

Image-in-ing

Our World Tuesday

Monday, August 15, 2016

We decided to go for a warm, romantic walk on the beach on our first night in Playa Corona. The beach was pitch black and deserted. But we weren't alone. There were trillions of stars salting the sky. They were mesmerizing. In fact, I saw 3 shooting orbs during our stay. There were also a few dim lights emanating from scattered beach Casas, but no other signs of life. Until, on our way back to our room, we heard growling. A guttural, protective kind of growl. Uff da. I was scared. Being attacked by a rabid dog might ruin a gal's vacation. Just a tad. But, we just kept moving and arrived home without getting our necks ripped open.

The next day, we saw this dog down on the beach. We figured that he was the culprit.

As you can guess, we soon became fast friends. And Caracol, our vacation name for him, followed us everywhere.

(Casa Caracol was our home away from home in Playa Corona)

He joined all of our morning walks...

We were side by side on our beach strolls...

When we frolicked in the water, he wanted to come in after us too. But the tides discouraged him.

As soon as we gave him water...

He followed us up to our room. Good grief! We didn't want a dirty dog inside. But, he didn't stay long. He went back to wandering the beach.

But he stayed in our hearts. He's still there...

Now, bring on the cats! Highlights from the 2016 Internet Cat Video Festival are revealed over at The Chorus of the Crows Oh, and this cutie...

The Links:

Wednesdays around the World!

Photo Friday

Travel Photo Thursday

Image-in-ing

Our World Tuesday

Monday, August 8, 2016

Playa Corona Sunrise

Playa Corona sunrise. Ahhhhhhhhhh. I can still hear the fishing boats zooming across the tides like clockwork. The top photo is my favorite. Because it is interactive. The man in the middle is giving me a full body wave! And the sun is just barely saying hello.

I'll leave this post wordless until the end. You'll see that each day was only subtly different. Some days were clear and ruled by a white hot orb. Other mornings were draped with scattered clouds. But the gentle warmth of the sun was a constant. And of course, the boats and breakfast weren't far behind.

Heaven.

Heaven and hell...those are the dueling themes over at The Chorus of the Crows this week.

For whom the bell tolls...

The Links:

Wednesdays around the World!

Photo Friday

Travel Photo Thursday

Image-in-ing

Our World Tuesday

Monday, August 1, 2016

El Valle

We took a day trip to El Valle while we were staying in Playa Corona. It's only a hop, skip and a few curvy turns up to this cool, verdant oasis. The temperature felt pretty refreshing after cooking the books on the beach. El Valle is nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano. I can tell you from experience that it was windy at the top. I was worried I'd be blown clear off the narrow rim where we were parked. This vantage point was my favorite part of the sleepy day trip.

The Crater

Pray you won't fly off.

Our ride.

There wasn't much to do in El Valle. Except enjoy being on vacation. But we did tour a water trickle. I mean water fall. And we had an amazing lunch at Camino del Inka. We had garlic chicken with buttery potatoes and salad. Chicken is so much better in Central America. I suppose chicken was good like that in the states once, in someone's backyard, when there was neck chopping involved. Now, an assembly line of millions of antibiotic injected jail birds, just don't taste the same.

Then we did some shopping...

There was a nice outdoor market. The best part was the crafts. (not shown) I bought a painted wood plate. My husband bought a Panama man-purse. To put his i-phone in.

This Rey grocery store was a little too gringo-fied for my taste. I couldn't find many local products. Let's see. Do I want local guava jam? Or Smuckers. Do I want an imported apple? Or a fresh local papaya. Another thing I can tell you from 9 travel years of experience in Central America, is that junk food like cheese puffs taste even better there. I think there's less artificial stuff and more real stuff. You know, the tasty bad stuff.

I love the above dog shot. It was so funny. The dog just sat in the opening, waiting for master and keeping the automatic door from shutting. Being that energy is at a premium in Central America, I'm sure the manager didn't like this dog letting out all the air conditioned air!