Museum Day (july 14)

These are pictures from my museum day. We visited an Afro-Caribbean Museum, an Emerald Museum and the Panama Canal Museum. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the Afro-Caribbean Museum so all you see from that site is the sign. The museum was less than I expected. It only housed a few artifacts and relics displaying the rich history and struggle of the West Indies people. Nearly all of them came here during the construction of the Canal with the hopes of getting paid much and then returning home to care for their family. Unfortunately, most did not make it back home and either died here or created a new settlement. The black Panamanian presence is still very large today. The second stop of the day was the large cathedral you see below. I do not remember all of the history around it however it is located in Cathedral Square in Casco Viejo and is very well known and important. The pics below show a grave (yes they had multiple headstones in the cathedral floor which indicates there are graves beneath the surface), a row of priests' pictures, a tile from the original building, and the original stone face of the cathedral. The third stop on our tour was an Emerald Museum. Panama does not actually have emeralds on its land but it served as part of the route surveyors traveled when carrying the precious jewels. The lizard looking piece is a replica of an ornate emerald item discovered in some old city. The last pictures are of Yolanda and I in the plaza near the water enjoying the intense sun.

Casco Viejo (july 21)

Panama Viejo is Old Panama in English. This is where Panama City originated but as you can see it is nothing but ruins now. The city was attacked by pirates, burned to the ground and left to rot. The residents fled to Casco Viejo (I've uploaded pics from there) and rebuilt their city. The large tower you see is the remains of a famous cathedral in the area. In one of the pics you can see a model of what the cathedral looked like when fully constructed. They have done reconstruction work on the tower to allow visitors to climb up to the top. The skeletal remains are of a grave unearthed during the renovation of the cathedral.

Chef Drakeardee (july 23)

So I'm going to have a maid when I have grown folks money, but until then I have to eat and thus learn how to cook. I know how to read and follow directions so I guess I can cook somewhat. Here's one of my creations: Shrimp Stir Fry.