Hot Now

  I was SSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! excited when I realised that the building going up across the street from my apartment was going to be a Krispy Kreme Coffee and Donut Shop. Not necessarily because I love donuts (I do), but because it was a little piece of home. A slice of America. Elizabeth and I walked by everyday and checked out the progress. Finally the grand opening was in sight. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed the party that would ensue. The Panamanians know how to throw a grand opening party!!!
  When they erected the barriers for crowd control I thought that was a little much. Then the DJ started spinning and the crowd arrived. They lined up all night to be the first ones in. Free donuts for life for the first 13. Free donuts and t-shirts for the first few hundred.

   

they did indeed wait all night...

   It took a while for the hoopla to die down. As much as I do enjoy a delicious donut, I did not want to wait 30 minutes for one.

It was a Monday and as EM did not have school that day, I was to pick her up in Alyn's lobby. Walking by Krispy Kreme, the Hot Now sign caught my eye. I was a little early to get EM so I decided to cross the gauntlet of a street and finally indulge my sweet tooth.

I witnessed the delicious confections being glazed behind the clean glass, and smelled the mouth watering aroma that could only be deep fried heaven.

   After surveying every flavour for several minutes, I ordered the Triple Chocolate. Luckily the flavours are in English so it was quite an easy process. I am very far from being bilingual. After paying $1.30, the kid emerged from behind the counter and handed me a donut libre. That means a FREE original glazed donut!!! When I asked him "por que?", he said "hot now". In the past I had always overlooked these as being too plain, but I gratefully accepted this present.

   Once in the lobby I decided to try the plain donut. It was still a little warm, and the shiny glaze was a little sticky. After the first bite, I realised the significance of Hot Now. Plain or not, that was the best donut I ever had. Now every time I walk by Krispy Kreme, I look to see if the Hot Now beacon will summon me again. It has....

Cute DIY gift idea to give to a visitor

A few weeks ago my dear friend Xiaoning stayed with me for a few days in Panama. Among all of the exciting things we did, was seeing the beautiful Isla de Contadora. When I scout beach stones for my collection #beachcombing I like to see what they look like wet. I happened to snap a photo of this little guy and she thought it was cute.  Flash forward one week...

I was looking at my stash and remembered how she liked my smiley stone. I thought it would be so cute if I could find a way to send one to her to remember her stay with me.

I took some clear nail polish and painted a face on one of my stones.  Dead ringer for the original!!! 

To make it even more special, I wrote the date and place on the back with a coloured pencil, and sealed it with a clear nail polish heart.

That is when my 2 year old daughter wanted to join in on the fun. She created the face above.

Then I added PINK nail polish and glitter to the mix. #toddlerfun

I let her decorate some #seaglass that I will send along with my stone.

Come and visit again Xiaoning!!!!!!!!!!!

Isla Contadora

When my guests were here, we went with them to Isla Contadora, one of the beautiful Pearl Islands off of the coast of Panama in the Pacific.

We took a ferry from the Balboa Yacht Club on the Amador Causeway.

The ride took about 1hour and 15 minutes, but the time went by quickly. They showed a movie on a flatscreen TV on the boat. I think it was Jurassic Park, but I didn't pay attention. Plus it was in Spanish...

It was late February which is the "dry" season in Panama. The weather was gorgeous and the sky was as clear as the water. It made for smooth sailing, although the return trip was a little choppy. I spotted my future private paradise along the way......

The ferry stopped a few yards out and from there we took a little local johnny boat to shore. #saltlife

The water was beautiful and clear, with not too many waves.

I was able to search for sea glass and smooth rocks for my collections... #beachcombing

I wandered a around the island on my own before the tide got too high.

With a little paint and some elbow grease, I could have this up and running in no time! This boat was similar to the one we took back to Panama (kidding). #graffittiart

I found a project that had been abandoned half way through. I don't know what happened during the construction but the view was breathtaking. I pictured myself floating in the crystal pool with a Mojito in my hand...

I had always wanted to visit the Pearl Islands and was glad I had a chance to go with my friend Xiaoning.  Like most of Panama, it has beautiful aspects, and areas that just couldn't quite make it in the battle for tourism dollars. I liked it and enjoyed it's beauty. I will return to explore another day. Maybe by private plane?