We Have Loved Our Stay Here

To start off this blog this time I want to give you a small peek into the mind of Panamanians.  Now DO NOT TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY !!!.
In some respects this picture shows that people here are taught to "think before they follow".  They do not assume that things will be done for them.  They look where they are going at all times (except during Carnival), they know that lawyers have their limits and things are NOT solved by going to court.  They also have the capacity to make good judgement calls...... and their "logic" is sharpened each day by the culture they live in....... They DO NOT take life for granted.  They assume (and rightly so) that the only one that cares about them is themselves...........
Now think about that in the context of field service and the obstacles that must be overcome to reach them......................
In their mind God doesn't care either...........nor do other people......... except perhaps very close family.
And they know that to survive they have to look after themselves and don't expect someone else to do it for them.
Now look carefully at the picture below and imagine this in the United States....... The Land of Lawyers and O.S.H.A.

Did you notice the Ditch???
However since the Boquete highway first started they HAVE added paving stones in the Medium for crossing the Hwy. Just watch out for the ditch.....

And no blog would be complete without reporting on our BRAVE Fire Fighters here in Boquete...........
This story is from Lawson:
We had a fire here recently.  We have fires here every year because as I have reported before, the locals burn off the fields because the grass is 6 feet high or taller and there are may snakes etc in this grass, and they are clearing the rodents out.
I looked and about 450 feet away from our house there was a fire burning but not coming in our direction.
I went to the front door and there was a red pickup truck outside and the 2 fire fighters were sitting on the neighbors front porch drinking coffee. (This is normal)
So I went back and started watching the movie I was watching..... (Fires here have become the normal sort of thing and don't cause a lot of alarm..... after all the house is concrete...)
Then Mom called to me from the bedroom.... the fire had moved closer and I came out to check.   I heard the crackling of the fire very close to the house.
When I looked out the back door the fire was within 10 feet of reaching our back fence..... a lot closer than last year.

In that moment another sister came banging on our door, "Are you all right?".  Opening the back door allowed the smoke in and it was so thick that we could not see the back yard and could not see even as far as a foot in front of you INSIDE THE HOUSE. And could not breath without a wet towel over your face.
We grabbed the dogs and the laptops and planned to leave.
FRIENDS, THIS IS WHY THE SOCIETY SAYS TO HAVE A "GO BAG", READY FOR ALL EMERGENCIES.
The fire burned up to our fence and about a foot under and into the yard, toasted our beautiful fruit laden Orange Tree (heavy with fruit) and our young avocado tree and sizzled to a stop.
With the immediate emergency over I went out to check on the neighbors up the street and I see an antiquated Fire Truck from about  1945 sitting in the road.  There are 4 fire fighters with the truck.
They jump off and uncoil the hose.  Two of them grab the slack, flat hose and go running into the fire dressed IN SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS.  You see the hose jerk and then jump and fill with water, and then about 45 seconds later it stops, goes flat and the 2 firefighters come running back out of the fire at high speed....... and the other 2 pick up the slack hose and go running in, also dressed in shorts and t-shirts and not a mask among them......
They take turns this way every 45 seconds or so (they are holding their breath !!)...... And they switch off like this for about 10 minutes.
At this point the fire is NOT out but whatever they were hosing down is thoroughly wet and they are satisfied and stop.
Mind you..... they have new fire trucks here in Boquete.....We've seen them..... usually in a parade somewhere...... And the firemen in the Parade wear dress clothes..... so I would have to say we have never actually seen Equipment with our firemen.....or face masks or breathers..... etc.
They are truly a BRAVE BUNCH of men.....( you might choose other words to describe them), charging into a blazing fire in only shorts and t-shirts.
And I want you to know that it was not just a little fire.  The flames are over their heads !!! when they run in......
One of the many AMAZING SIGHTS in Panama.....................

Our now BLACKENED orange tree.... so sad.

Now to get to the title of this Post............................

                     Yes, friends, the title is in the Past Tense...................

We are leaving Panama and heading back to the states.
In the spirit of Modesty (see insight book, Vol 2, pg 422) we realize that staying is not possible.
We have stayed as long as the money will allow. We have successfully sold nearly all that we own so that we could stay longer.  But like many other Need-Greaters, we must go back and earn more money so that we can do it again at a later date.  ..... And.......
I have too many health issues to remain.
Two years ago I got Dengue Fever.  It was very hard on me physically and although I recovered, it left problems in my right arm for over a year afterward.
I have recovered 90%, but still have left over issues with it.
If I were to contract Dengue again my chances are extremely high that I would not recover.
Here in the higher elevations it is less likely that I will get dengue again, but when I go down to the lower elevations, like David, it is a risk.  And on the news lately the entire country has been notified that an epidemic of Dengue Fever has been recognized.
Hopefully by the time we must catch the buses and leave the worst of the problems will be over.

So what has Jehovah let us see, and what has He taught us in just under 3 years?
What has happened since we first came to Panama in June of 2011? (Remember that this post does not report on other growth in Panama.  The entire country has also seen growth that is nothing short of miraculous).
We started in David's "Group" in February of 2012.
David had at the time around 12 to 15 publishers (they now have over 50 also !!), 2 elders and 3 Ministerial Servants at the time.
The CO did not appoint Jim as an elder in David because by the time he arrived we knew that staying in David was not possible because of my health.....

The picture below is the David Congregation in February of 2012......The 11 people here also include the CO that was visiting that week.  We had only 15 publishers at this point........They now have over 50.

So the end of April 2012 we moved to Boquete and Jim was appointed as an Elder there.  Making the official "headcount" of ten (10) for Boquete.

When we first arrived here in Boquete, there were 8 people to greet us..... The Sanders family (4), Pete and Buffy (2) and the  Axlers (2).  Originally, 5 years previous to this there had been 8 that started the group in the first place.  Sanders, Conza's (Pete and Buffy), and Fausts (Jim and Lilly). They formed what served as a "core" here for nearly 3 years. They served alone and plowed the way for the rest of us. They were the original "group", which meant they could have a WT study and public talk ONCE A MONTH in English, BUT only if they had a speaker that was willing to give the talk.  They met in the Back Room (Library) for their "meeting",  The Congregation Bible Study (formerly Book study) and WT were with the Spanish Congregation.
From small Beginnings.......
From THAT Boquete began to grow.  By the summer (June) of 2011 the group had officially 10 publishers. Faust's were away at the time of our visit, but the Axlers had moved in.
We visited for only 3 weeks and determined we were coming back to stay. With much "downsizing" and prayer we came back in February of 2012.

Jehovah had decided it was time to GROW !! Not because of us, but because it suited Jehovah and his timetable.
In August of 2012 the Circuit Overseer had permission from the Branch to officially designate Boquete Chiriqui Ingles as a congregation, no longer a "group".  YEAH HOORAY !!!!!!!
That was a BIG moment here.
Within only a few short months, about 12 months, we were able to take the picture below....... This pic includes ALL the visitors that week and ALL the publishers..... There are 22 publishers in this pic.  The rest are visitors. So Boquete had grown from 10 to 22.
The picture below shows our "Congregation" in December of 2012, two years ago.

This pic is from Dec of 2012

Boquete Congregation has grown to such an extent that midweek now we have more in our morning groups for field service than we used to have in our whole congregation 2 years ago !!!

This was a mid-week service group just recently- Feb of 2014

This is also a midweek service group from Nov of 2013

In the last 6 months the Groups of Puerto Armuellas & Bugaba (English) were dissolved.  The publishers from these former groups have been sent to David Congregation.
It has been sad to see this happen, but now the David congregation has the help that they need to begin to complete the assignment that Jehovah has given them.  The City of David is SO HUGE, that to date (over 2 years since they were first made a congregation) they still have not been able to "canvass" their territory even one complete time yet..... 250,000 people live in David. And more move in every month.
Most of them Spanish, but there are also a lot of English speakers and Foreigners.  They must be found too before the end.
Even with the 3 groups being formed into 1 congregation they are still needing help.......... (hint hint)


I am including Pictures of Volcan Congregation in this post also.  They too have seen growth and progress as well

This is the outside view of the Volcan Kingdom Hall.  They currently have 3 languages meeting in this Hall.

The strange script is Ngobe.  They are also making spiritual progress here in Panama.

.There are SO many pictures that I have not shared with you, due to lack of time and space. So in this post I will share some of those that you have not seen..... with captions so you can enjoy them too.

One our favorite places to eat is Restaurante Nelvis....... Good, Tasty, and Cheap on the pockets.....
Also Restaurante KM 35 (called that because they sit at the 35 kilometer distance marker........the sign is on the other side of the road)........lololol
The distance markers on the Boquete do not run concurrent on both sides of the Hwy like they do on the interstate Hwys in the US.  Coming from David the numbers run up the hill. Going the other direction the numbers start in Boquete and run the other way.... So technically the restaurant 35 sits at the 3 km mark, not the 35 km mark......But this is Panama.... we all know what they meant to say.
They also serve good, basic, and tasty Panamanian food at cheap prices.

No visit to Boquete is complete without a visit to Sugar and Spice.  Hands down one of the best sandwich shops here.  This is in Bajo Boquete.  Ask anyone.  EVERYONE knows where sugar and spice is located.

You have 2 oceans to choose from in Panama......This is the Pacific Side...... What a view 

Sunset at the Beach !!!

THIS IS A BEE HIVE !!!!!!  BEWARE AND BE VERY QUIET !!!!.  We have African Bees here and they are nasty!!!!

TAMALE COOKED IN BANANA LEAVES

this was my Lunch one day.  They are for sale from the street vendors here.  YUM !!!!Don't let the appearance put you off...... It has onions, peppers, ham, and spices that are AWESOME!

The next series of pictures are now one of our favorite Hiking spots.  It is near a river/gorge.  The usual trip includes a tour of the Castle.  There is quite a story attached to this......should I wait till you come so you can get the story?
No? OK.  According to the locals it was started over 50 years ago by a local man that was building it for his wife.  Before the house was done she died.  He gave up...... and a few years later he died.  It is now the property of the family that wants nothing to do with it.....
Who knows....considering the culture we are dealing with here it would not surprise me if they considered the house to be cursed.
Apparently the river water HAS at one point risen high enough to flood the first floor of the house.  But that does not happen often.
Not any more often than Bajo Boquete going underwater....... which HAS happened also.....
What the Husband had in mind for his Wife defies imagination !!!! Enjoy the tour.....

This is the approach to the Castle from the Road.  The trail is only about 1,000 feet or so.

It is 2 stories high with a roof area that could be walked on and used as a third story for BBQ etc.... Did they do that 50 years ago??  Hummmm.

This is the second story with the roof Parapet for safety

The Castle is built next to a AWESOME gorge with a swift flowing river that gurgles you to sleep at night.......very peaceful !!!  This picture is zoomed in.  It is close to a 100 foot drop from this view !!!

The gorge is over 100 feet deep only a short distance from the castle.  The river bank is not as steep where the castle is built.  The Castle is nearly 65 feet above the water/River Bed in normal years.... that tells you how high the water can come in the worst years.....

This is only part of the inside on the first floor.  This room is nearly 80 feet long and 35 feet wide

this is 1/4 of the top floor...... the place could hold our Kingdom Hall with room to spare.

The house is likely more than 50 years abandoned now, but was fabulous in its day....

Poor old house, forgotten for many years.... the moss is thick and the bird droppings deep.

No castle would be complete without a Balcony.......

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  Come and see it for yourself some day.

What Does It Take To Be A Need-Greater???

This Post will take a completely new track from the usual.
The question at the top is to start you thinking along fresh lines of thought.
Many of you have no doubt said, "I could never be a need-greater in a foreign country".  And while that is true for many because their circumstances would simply never allow it, it might not be true for others.
When we look at our lives, sometimes we assume our health, or finances, or family obligations by necessity must stop us.
PLEASE DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED FRIENDS.  WHERE EVER YOU ARE ABLE TO SERVE JEHOVAH, KNOW THAT HE WILL BLESS YOU.

But with this post I will outline some of the circumstances that some of the friends here are coping with successfully.  Serving as a Need-Greater does not mean that your life fell into line perfectly so that everything worked out.......I've never met anyone like that...............
There will be NO NAMES.  But lots of lovely pictures of all the dear souls that have made and are making sacrifices to serve here. The list will cover brothers and sisters from all over the circuit and in all kinds of circumstances.
                                This is one of our "local characters"......... a real cut up.......................

Below is the Pioneer Meeting for all the pioneers, both full-time and Aux. for our C.O.'s Visit

In this post I will list some of the obstacles that exist for a number of the friends.  If your life fits one of these pictures and you wish you could serve as a "need-greater" at a future date...... approach Jehovah.
And then pray some more.
It may work out for you as it did for some of these dear friends.
So whether you can serve here in Panama, or somewhere else, someplace else, it matters not.
Only that you pray about your service and continue to make future goals in your service to Jehovah.

There are quite a few different kinds of people here.  Married, single, older, younger, families with young children. Some of them have come alone, some have taken on roommates for reasons both financial and otherwise.  They are able to help each other with emotional support, financial support (when they are room-mates), and as partners in the service.
One of these has a former home in the states. She has rented it out.  Her grown son is not in the truth.  She has retirement income and has bought a house here.  She is very happily settled and pioneering.
Another sister from the states is a cancer survivor.  She has received a clean bill of health on her last check ups.  Every year she goes back to her doctors to see that all is OK.  She has family scattered across the US and seeing her doctor is also the best time to schedule "family time".  She has a room mate and pioneer partner here for the time being.
A different sister has been a widow for some years now.  She was VERY comfortable in her little house in the States with NO desire to move.  She has traveled before, but never considered herself the "moving" type.
She had helped out in her home area with the Spanish congregation, but DID NOT WANT TO MOVE !!
So she came for a short visit to see what Panama was like, AND SHE SAYS, "Only because her sister gave her a vacation gift/ticket to Panama".  On her own she says, "I would never have done that".
After 4 months visiting Panama (her daughter was holding down the fort at home), she said,....."I'm coming back" !!  She also has health problems..... A heart condition, Diabetes, and leg problems.  But being here in some ways has actually helped her.  The natural food here has lessened her Diabetes (another sister said the same thing). The walking has helped her legs and her weight problem.  She lives quite close to the hall and just walks slowly.  Gradually she has seen a benefit from NOT driving.

Now both she AND her daughter are here !! ( Her daughter was also one who said "I don't want to leave home, I'm happy here at home").  When Mom returned home last October, she told her daughter that she should come for just one month and try it out.  They SOLD most of the things in their house, rented the house to another family and....... they have already been here for 3 months, with no desire to go back.
She was telling me more of her story that she said I should share with you on this post.......................
About 1 month before she was to leave the states she had a home invasion..... Mind you, at this point, her house is nearly empty.  They had sold all the furniture and nearly everything was gone.  The only thing left was their computers and phones and the clothing in their suitcases.....
Of course the thieves stole the computers and phones and the little bit of money left laying around.......They broke in the back door window and splintered the door................. The brothers came to their rescue.  It was so traumatic that she ended up the hospital and does not remember how she got there or who took her or how long she was there.  Only that the brothers took her.  She recovered in the few weeks left remaining before she took the re-positioning cruise back to Panama.  She is doing fine, and her determination to let nothing stop her has helped her to recover her balance.
One couple here have 5 children, 4 still in the states.  They are retired now. They find it necessary to go back and forth because one of their children has medical issues and they must deal face to face with Medical doctors quite a bit. One of their adult children is with them.  Making it work here for them has been a big challenge, but they are working hard to stay and hoping that their other Daughter and her family will join them here as it appears that it will be better for them.
Several families here have young children.  One new family has a 13 years old.  He will start public school here and begin his new life with Spanish.
One family has 2 girls aged 10, and 8. They are being home schooled and doing well.  They recently had to go back to the states for a funeral and family obligations.

A third family has been here since their girls were quite young.  The daughters are now bi-lingual.

Another family has 2 children, a boy and a girl.  They came just to "taste" Panama and see if they could stay. Since they have been here Dad has learned that he can help them to stay by working online as an English teacher.  So he is now working at finishing his TESOL Course and will soon be employed. They had originally planned to stay only 6 months, until the money ran out..... but now it appears they can stay longer.
Another family is here with their young daughter.  The daughter will eventually learn Spanish, but for now knows no Spanish.  Mom is disabled from health issues, but is able to get around and drive etc.
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There is an endless variety of people here,  as you can see from above. 

But without exception they have all done one thing, and have one thing in common..........................

                                                   THEY    COUNTED    THE    COST !!!!

Having said all this about coming to Panama and serving as a Need-Greater, there is more to consider.

Jesus said, "Count the Cost". (Luke 14:28)
"Who of you who wants to".......{ be a need-greater.}......."does not first sit down and calculate the expense?

So what are the costs?

It is wisdom on your part to check out the area that you think you want to serve in.  Come for a short stay of a least one month.  Until you actually live in a place for at least a month you have NO idea what it is really like, and even then there will be continual surprises. When you arrive do not just play the tourist.  Really make sure that you go in service and live like you would live if you were here already.  Tourist life and real living are not the same thing...... !!!!!!
Make sure that if you don't like it you are not stuck.
Make sure that if needed you can go home.  Have a plan in place before you come.

GOING HOME DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DEFEATED !!!!!
THERE MAY BE BETTER CHOICES FOR YOU SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Please do not become a burden to the congregation that you are coming to help.  (1 Thess 2:9 "Surely you remember, brothers, our labor and our toil. We were working night and day, so that we would not put an expensive burden on any one of you, when we preached the good news of God to you.").
The scriptural principle is not to be a burden to your brothers and sisters. In a foreign country it is more difficult for those that are already here to stay.......  Many of them have sold everything !!
This is not true of all that serve in a foreign countries, but as much as 45% of those here have left houses, fields, and families behind.  

YOU WILL NEED A CAR ---------OR-------Be willing to walk EVERYWHERE and take the buses.
Every time you want to go to the store are you willing to take the bus or walk?  If you come with that in firmly in mind then you will not be a burden.

The use of cars is not limited to field service, BUT shopping or being dropped off takes more gas, more wear and tear on the cars and more time and energy for the friends that are already here.
And trust me when I tell you, here in Panama at least, the wear and tear on cars is TREMENDOUS !!!
The roads here tear up a car, and unless you are driving a TANK, the car will need repairs (major repairs) within 3 years of being purchased NEW.
Please friends bring lots of money for taxis or as gas contributions for those times that do you get a ride in service or to go shopping.  Gas here is currently over $4 per gallon.

You need to be self supporting financially.  You can not work in a foreign country and considering what they pay the average worker ($10 dollars per day !!!) you don't want to work here anyway.  And expecting others to help you out is not following scriptural guidelines.  

Service is VERY DIFFERENT HERE.

In some places the studies are abundant, but in others you work just as hard in this territory as you might back where you came from.

And prepare yourself for a culture shock.  The people here will NEVER DO IT THE WAY YOU DO IT BACK HOME.  They don't care what you did back home.  They don't do it that way,   It doesn't make sense to them here.
Telling them how to do it better............. will not make them appreciate you more.  They will only look at you strangely and keep right on doing what they are doing......
Depending on where you choose to go in Panama you will see abject poverty (next to a home owner that is filthy rich), filthy conditions as bad as open sewer pits and garbage everywhere, "modern" slavery, severe prejudice, mistreatment of women, abuse of children......
Yes, things are strange................................................ from your point of view.
Yes, things are backward.............................................from your point of view.
Yes, things take 3 times longer than they should............from your point of view........
(Take a minute to reflect on all the wrongs that Jesus saw in his days.  It is little different now.  It is still Satan's world order of things)
1 Timothy 4:10--"That is why we are working hard and exerting ourselves, because we have rested our hope on a living God, who is a Savior of all sorts of men, especially of faithful ones."

Love the people for WHO THEY ARE, not who you want them to be.

This was our service group one Friday morning..........37 people............................COME SEE US !!!

Bank Guards, Los Molinos Canyon, Ngobe children and very big bags!!!

So,  about 5 days ago Lawson stopped at San Francisco Plaza at Canasta Basica (our favorite cheap grocery store) to buy us some chicken and the power was off, (not unusual lately).  He walked in the store only to be told that they could check him out for other things but that the chicken needed to be weighed and the scale would not run without power...... so, no chicken.

Next door to Canasta Basica is the German Bakery, also without power.  But Lawson has been there so often the owner knows him and says," the power is out, but the cake is fresh,"......
As Lawson is walking out the Guard from next door at the Scotia Bank walks in and tells the owner George, "The power is out, all the security cameras are down, they don't need me over there until the power comes back on."
Then he sits down and has coffee.
............................................................................................................................................................
I'll give you a minute to think on that one.
Lawson's first thought?
OH!!!, I could make a fortune in this country when the power is off !!!!!

This is Plaza San Francisco where the German Cake is SO good, and our favorite CHEAP grocery store with the basics for Panamanian cooking

And here is a picture of my NEW NGOBE BAG....

This bag is made of plant fiber by the native Indians here, (Ngobe).  They are extremely tough and sturdy and THEY STRETCH..... So when you go to buy one expect that they will increase in size about double of where they start.  A lot depends on how much weight you put in them, but they eventually stretch anyway if you put anything heavier than a cell phone.

I think they are awesome, and as far as I can tell they last a very long time.
Some are made of tightly rolled plastic (plastic grocery bags).  They are also very very tough and they stretch beyond belief.
My first Ngobe bag was the plastic kind.  It started its life about 10 x 20 inches with a 40 inch (total length) shoulder strap.
By the time I got off the plane and back to Florida the first time in June of 2011 (only 3 weeks) the bag had stretched to the point where I had 5 paperback books, a sweater, snacks for the bus, a small blanket, 3 bottles of water ..... and had I been able to carry it all,  there was plenty of room for more.......!!!
It had "GROWN"  to the point that it was dragging on the ground, so I had to tie the shoulder strap shorter so that it would land somewhere around my knees instead at my ankles and scraping on the ground..........
AWESOME BAG!!
I ended up giving it as a gift instead of keeping it, because I couldn't see myself toting a bag that large !!!!
SO,...... HOW BIG DO THESE BAGS REALLY GET ????

Look below.........................................









This is the Ngobe man that has a stand set up at the Cascada (waterfall) up north of Bajo Boquete.  He and his wife (wives? possibly) make and sell Ngobe items to the visitors.  Monday to Friday he is set up at his stand across from his house.  On Saturday and Sunday he is set up at the waterfall where a lot of tourists end up for pictures.......... smart business man......................
So we were talking with him about the size of the bag that I had bought 3 years ago and how large it got and he says, "wait a minute" and he goes across the street to his house and comes out carrying this HUMONGOUS BAG !!! SO AS A JOKE IT DID THIS................

He thought this was very funny and it gave him an idea !!!  So he says, "just a minute..." and he goes back to his house again and come back with the bag on his back........ this time with something IN IT. !!!

His hands are in front of his body because he is holding the strap down over his shoulders...

 Here's what he was carrying !!!!!

IS THIS NOT THE CUTEST KID IN THE WORLD!!!!
A KID IN A BAG !!!!!
In this pic you can see Dad going back to the house, notice the feet bulging in the bag....... He told us this is his 4 year old son............................

And this is our parting shot of his family and the house they live in.

Welcome to Panama.

This month also we took a short hike down into Los Molinos Canyon.
As compared to Volcan Baru?  This was a piece of Cake!!!

However, if you go for this hike you will need the following:
1) Permission from the Los Molinos Subdivision.  And it helps if one of the friends lives there and you can use their name as the basis for permission.
2) The trail was actually closed when we went and we do not know when it will be reopened for official travel......if it's like other things in Panama it may, or may not, EVER be "officially" open.  But they gave us permission to go "at our own risk".
So here we are climbing OVER the closed gate to the trail..........................only in Panama.....................

3) We brought our lunch and swim suits and had a blast.  So bring water to drink and plates etc.
4) Wear excellent hiking boots.  The trail is NOT user friendly.
5) Make sure that you know how to SWIM! The river is very swift at the bottom and will sweep you away if you are not strong enough to resist, or if you lose your footing.
6) AND have a really good time...........................
We are just starting down the trail.  It starts with steps, but that is VERY MISLEADING...... as the steps disappear after about 1000 feet and become cuts into the dirt hill or roots to balance on or rocks that haven't shifted yet,............ all covered with loose gravel and leaves......

This is Sombra, our dog...... Belgium Shepherd mix........

This is LeAnn being "PASSED" across the river.  She is not large enough or strong enough to resist the current, but was brave enough to be passed along...................

We made it to the other side, lots of rocks and swift current and a few bruises along the way.......

Here is Beth  "dong the dishes" after lunch........

Time to head back up the trail..................this the "rest spot" 1/2 way up or down, in the shade of the jungle....................

Going up is hot and sunny...............whew.

Almost back where we started, but Jim and Kavin still have to muster the energy to climb back over the closed gate..................................

Well deserved rest........ end of the day...............

All for this post folks...........................talk at you again later..........................