Weekend Adventures #1: La Criolla

So to recap my weekend adventures the past few weeks, I'll start with my trip to a finca (farm) of one of my students. Well, really, two. Luis is 13 years old and has somewhat befriended me and he invited me to go with him, his sister Lupe (really Guadalupe - age 17), and their dad to his grandparents' finca for a day. It was a lot of fun - we left about 9 in their dad's car (which was a little bit old, as in I could see the ground through the passenger's side floor...) - and made the 25 min trip.

When we got there, Luis showed me around. They have chickens, pigs, horses, and of course a molienda (mill) for juicing the sugar cane and making miel de caña (sugar cane honey)!

Horse & foal!

Molienda (mill for juicing sugar cane) & Fatima

Piglets! We ate plenty of pork...

PUPPY!!!

I got some good hammock time looking out at the countryside

We went horseback riding!! That's Luis.

My horse!

Luis' dad stirring the sugar cane juice (guarapo) that's being boiled down into honey.

Me stirring the honey!

Fatima - Luis' adorable and personality-laden 5 year old cousin

They have guinea fowl!!

Me & some oxen. nbd.

Oh yea. Then I rode in a covered wagon. Basically I'm on the Oregon Trail.

We went to a river - La Ciruelita - in the wagon.

It was gorgeous!

Tiny road on the way home. Had some interesting bumps along the way, but we made it!

Luis' grandparents - they are super super sweet and hard-working!

 It was a day full of animals, horseback riding, sugar cane honey, raspadura (basically hardened sugar can honey with some coconut - SUPER SWEET), swimming in the river, and plenty of panamanian food (rice, chicken soup, and pork, mainly). It was great to get to know another panamanian family!