OCTOBER 14, 2013: THE BEACH IN PORTABELLO, PANAMA

PORTABELLO, PANAMA

"A DAY AT THE BEACH"

October 14, 2013

WOW! is an understatement for our day!  

We met Brother Helms on Sunday at Stake Conference and he offers to take our entire family on an outing!  They had today off of work for Columbus Day -- he and his wife both work for the embassy here in Panama.  They brought both of their cars and picked us up at our hotel and took us on an amazing adventure to a secluded beach where we swam in clear Caribbean water all day and went snorkeling and our kids loved hanging out with their kids and, and, and .........  AMAZING!

We took the 45 minutes boat ride home and with the daily rain clouds rolling in south? of us the wind had picked up and the sea had more waves and it was a "fund ride" back to the port!  Just for the record, the waves outside the boat were higher than the boat most of the time, but we were good!  It was quite fun!  Especially when the motor of the little boat cut out in the middle of the ocean!  But the driver got it going again and all is well!  

A Fantabulously Memorable Day!

BEWARE!  This post has about 200 pictures!

There is some commentary within the pictures.

A local private school

The Helm's home

THE DRIVE THROUGH THE JUNGLE ON 

OUR WAY TO PORTABELLO

LOOK AT THOSE CLOUDS!!!

 THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

 THE FORT AT PORTABELLO

Date back to about 1664

David by an old cannon

 Joseph and Benjamin carry things to the dock so we can 

board that little turquoise boat!

We will put 14 people plus the driver in that boat to go out to the 

little beach on the other side of that land strip.

Benjamin

Brother Helms

Look at that slide

HOW VAST IS THE OCEAN!

LOOKS LIKE A MAN LAYING ON HIS BACK WITH A BIG HAIRY BELLY!

Pelican

See the hut?

More huts!

Brain Coral

Sister Helm passes out sunscreen

The kids LOVED their dog "Shadow"

Our Snorkeling instructor

Shadow loves to swim!

OUR JUNGLE BEACH

 THE OLDEST KIDS WORK TO FIX A TREE SWING

DANIEL FINDS A COCONUT THAT HAS STARTED GROWING INTO A TREE!

DAVID STARTS TO CRAFT A RAFT

"Robinson Crusoe" needs some rope

Daniel get a coconut cracked open and we all have a taste

David makes a hut!

 OUR RIDE BACK TO PORTABELLO

 GOOD BYE TO OUR LITTLE PARADISE FOR THE DAY!

NATHAN

A CHURCH IN PORTABELLO CALLED THE "BLACK CHRIST CHURCH"

 

The legend behind this statue is:  

One day this statue washed up to the port and the people didn't know where it came from.  The people tried to send it back on a ship to where they thought it might have come and on its way the ship caught on fire and burned up.  The statue came back.  I think there was another attempt and the statue came back so the people decided it must be meant for them and it is sort of a good luck symbol.

Every year they have festivals and celebrations around the "Black Christ" statue.  They adorn it with a new fancy robe.  People make a "trek" along the road for miles to reach this church as a form of "self-repentance/cleansing."  Very interesting.  This statue and the case it is in is very ornate, yet everything else in the church is very simple and the town is very poor.

Tombs within the church wall

Huge doors in the side of the church that let a wonderful breeze blow through.

Vendors outside the church

The local "Red Devil" bus

Another portion of the fort built back at about 1664

Helm Teenagers -- our new friends!

Inside the fort

Mason and another old cannon!

Rebecca tries to copy Nathan!

A local man fishing

Though these people live in such meager/poverty conditions, they all of satellite dishes on their roofs!

Coconut tree

We think this was the actual port location

Benjamin takes in the scenery

A vulture type bird

 A Helm Family tradition -- stop off at McDonald's for dinner!

We decided the sunburns were well worth it!  Sunscreen was applied, 

but not well enough or often enough for the Panama sun!