Where Wonder Meets Wander

Water Apples, also known as Rose Apples. Other WILD plants that grow here include: Banana, Orange, Lime, Coconut, Lychee, Guanabana, Jackfruit, Biddyba, Nancy, Mango, Avocado, Guava, Papaya, Grapefruit, Sugar Cane, Peppermint, Spearmint, Lemongrass, Ginger Root, Yucca, Squash, Naranjito, Ginger Flower, Plantain, Noni, Cacao (that's chocolate!) and so much more! I was shocked today. Shocked to my core. I knew the Ngobe did not have much variety in their food. I knew they sold the cacao and lychee and limes and bananas and coconuts and mangoes and papayas and guanabanas and jack fruit and ice cream beans for cash and I knew they bought rice. I have seen them carrying 50 pound bags of rice. I have also seen them carrying huge bags of sugar, which was a little troubling to me. I could not imagine what they needed so much sugar for. I am talking like 25 pounds of it at a time. Ngobe Indian children carrying rice and sugar. Then I discovered they live on rice with salt ...

I love to sample new foods and I love to try things that are very local. Hojaldras, for instance, are Panama's equivalent to fried dough and when served with breakfast make you feel like you are getting eggs at the fair. There is a tendency for travelers to eat at places that look clean and have a nice ambiance. Occasionally those places are fun to visit because they offer high-end foods that appeal to the tourist's tongue. But they are usually expensive and, in all honesty, don't always offer the best food. Little local joints typically don't look the cleanest from the outside and in some cases look down right terrifying. I am fearless when it comes to trying new places to eat, but occasionally I have paid a very dear price for my bravery. Once I stopped at a little restaurant in Mexican Rivera Maya, just south of Cancun. It consisted of two plastic tables sitting outside a tiny cement home. Two people were sitting there, but they had the appearance of being ...

Walking the back streets can seem a little daunting. I know, I do it all the time. You find yourself in places that are a little uncomfortable, out of your comfort zone. In fact, it can be quite a culture shock. Usually when people travel they go to the tourist spots and focus on carefully pre-planned stuff to do. For example, on the main island of Bocas Del Toro, you walk down the strip, go to a nice restaurant, and buy a ticket for a boat tour that will take you to a nice beach. That's fine, and you should do it because it is part of the experience. But to get a little deeper into the culture, all you have to do is walk a few streets back into the neighborhood and you will see a different world. Yes, it is dirty, yes, it may not smell very good. But if you stop looking at the poor conditions and look at the people, your perspective will start to change. You will see grandmothers sitting on porches watching the world go by. And if you smile and wave, they will wave back ...

Wearing a Purple Hat, laura Please check out our FULL WEBSITE at www.PovertyProjectInternational.com Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/povertyprojectinternational/ If you want to chat, you can email us at povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com Or if you want to help us out and DONATE, you can go to PAYPAL and send your donation to   povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com All donations are tax deductible. Live is an adventure, Live it!

Enjoying the Ride, laura Please check out our FULL WEBSITE at www.PovertyProjectInternational.com Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/povertyprojectinternational/ If you want to chat, you can email us at povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com Or if you want to help us out and DONATE, you can go to PAYPAL and send your donation to   povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com All donations are tax deductible. Live is an adventure, Live it!

What was that? laura Please check out our FULL WEBSITE at www.PovertyProjectInternational.com Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/povertyprojectinternational/ If you want to chat, you can email us at povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com Or if you want to help us out and DONATE, you can go to PAYPAL and send your donation to   povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com All donations are tax deductible. Live is an adventure, Live it!

Happifying,  laura Please check out our FULL WEBSITE at www.PovertyProjectInternational.com Connect with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/povertyprojectinternational/ If you want to chat, you can email us at povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com Or if you want to help us out and DONATE, you can go to PAYPAL and send your donation to   povertyprojectinternational@gmail.com All donations are tax deductible. Live is an adventure, Live it!