4th of July

Rotary is simply fantastic! I attended the annual "Toma" meeting in the morning at a beautiful setting. They swore in the Rotary President of Boquete and recognized other Rotarians for their service. What a great group of dedicated folks! I am impressed. It was also great to meet other Rotarians who showed up from around the country. I was invited to speak at a couple other meetings in other cities. So I have a presentation booked for this Wednesday night and then another on the opposite side of the country in a couple weeks. I am so honored to represent Rotary and have really enjoyed meeting so many people dedicated to service above self. It makes me teary-eyed sometimes to know that there are so many caring people in the world who are striving to make this world a better place. Rotary is the best! (Picture: Boquete Rotary Club President giving his speech)

On the evening of the 4th, I celebrated with a couple of friends at the top of a nearby mountain here. There are many gringos who live here, so there were a lot of 4th of July celebrations here (believe it or not). It was very relaxing, and the few fireworks they had were spectacular, given that the volcano was in the background. Very beautiful! (Picture: fireworks with the volcano in the background)

Yesterday, I did a day hike with a group of about 20. It was organized by a local gym here. We drove about an hour and half north and then hiked a couple hours back into a small pueblo called Fortuna. It is a remote setting, and the people have no electricity. They were very kind and greeted us with smiles and had food prepared for us....a large serving of white rice, a slice of cooked plantain, and pork....all rolled up in a huge banana leaf. It was delicious, although I am not a huge fan of pork, so the hungry dogs there were well fed. The children there sang us songs and a young boy and girl wore traditional garb and did a short traditional dance for us. It was so adorable! So many special moments here in Panama. I occasionally find myself stepping back a bit, observing my environment - taking it all in, and thank God so much for the privilege of being here to enjoy the people, the culture, everything! Many teary-eyed moments. And the beauty here is simply breathtaking! I love Panama! (Pictures: Children that danced for us; view from the hiking trail on my way into the village)