I recently got a hold of some ghost peppers and decided to make some salsa… some really hot salsa that is. Well I finally got around to making it today. INGREDIENTS
1 lb tomatoes
5 ghost peppers (maybe 8 would be good for flavor, but use like 15 if you want super spicy)
1 white onion (next time I would use 1/2 white onion)
3 cloves garlic
1.5 tsp white vinegar
cilantro to flavor
DIRECTIONS
1) I used dehydrated ghost peppers, so rehydrate them by placing them in hot water for 15 minutes or so. I initially made this batch with only 2 ghost peppers, however after tasting the final product, I decided it wasn’t nearly spicy enough, so I added 3 more for a total of 5.
2) Chop ingredients into chunks and place in bowl separate from the peppers. You want to make sure that it is all mixed up good.
3) Chop all ingredients into small chunks. A lot of recipes call for the items to be blended. I used my juicer which I think works better because the tomato juice is separated from the pulp, so you can add juice to get to the right consistency rather than removing juice… but it probably really doesn’t matter. I mixed in a little at a time adding a ghost pepper ever so often to ensure that they were mixed throughout.
4) Remove salsa contents and add juice to desired consistency. I found that it didn’t take much. Place in container and refrigerate, allowing the spiciness from the pepper to spread to the rest of the salsa.
I tried some of it, and its got an okay kick, although not as spicy as I was hoping. I’ve never made salsa before, so maybe it will be more in the next couple days. The peppers and onions filled the kitchen area, and I could definitely feel it in my eyes the entire time I was cleaning up.
So tomorrow we try the ghost pepper salsa… hopefully it is spicy enough that I will feel that I can cross item number 11 from my bucket list… eat a ghost pepper.
I had the day off today and decided to head down the Mission San Juan Capistrano. I had an amazingly relaxing time and was able to snap a few pictures while I was there. I followed it up with a drive up PCH with the windows down and the sunroof open .
83% of American adults own a cell phone. In recent years, smart phones have become all the rage… allowing users to access the web, stream video and play games all from their phones no matter where they are. The App Store now has more than 425,000 applications available for download for the iPhone while the Android Marketplace has more than 200,000 applications for download. However, I’d like to focus on one application, Phone Story, which tells the story of the life of the very device the game is being played on.
Chapter 1 – Conflict Minerals
The first level of the game focuses on the very beginnings of the device… the minerals which are used to create the individual pieces of the device. Many of these minerals come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are considered conflict minerals. Workers work for $1 to $5 a day in very unsafe conditions.
Chapter 2 – Assembly
The second level focuses on the assembly of each of the individual pieces into the finished product. This happens at factories in China. Workers in these factories are forced to work 36 hour days and earn wages which still keep them in poverty. Over the last several months, more than 20 workers have committed suicide.
Chapter 3 – Consumerism
This is probably my favorite level of the game… focusing on how advertisements make potential consumers think that they will be super cool for owning the latest device when in reality, all their friends have the exact same device.
Chapter 4 – Death
Every year, electronics makers come out with a new version of their product, the latest and greatest. As many flock to get their hands on the new devices, old devices are tossed out and become E-Waste, more than 25 million pounds a year to be exact. More than half the E-Waste from America is exported where it is “recycled” in ways that puts not only the environment, but those disassembling the devices, in harms way.
Apple has reportedly removed the application from its App Store… however not before this person was able to download it and upload a video of the gameplay to YouTube. It is reportedly still available for download in the Android Marketplace.
There are several things that I love about this application, the first being that it shows the consumer the injustices in all phases of the creation and discarding of their precious devices. The second thing that I love about this application is that all proceeds are being redirected to organizations fighting corporate abuses, the first being SACOM. I urge you to check out the video, and visit http://phonestory.org to learn more about the life of your phone.
Today was just one of those days that was just perfect… an amazing way to end an incredible trip!
Most of the day was spent on Isla Grande, an island only 5 minutes by boat off the shore of the mainland on the Caribbean side. I spent 5+ hours lounging on the beach, just relaxing, enjoying life.
This is a picture of a private island across the way I stared at all day. I don’t know who owns it, but you may recognize it from the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.
One of the guides that just happened to be on our tour (today was like his only day) just happened to be the Panama representative of a major cruise line… he does all the talks on Panama, so he pretty much knows everything about everything. He suggested we do the train ride from Colon to Panama City, which I originally wanted to do but decided against it because I didn’t think there would be enough to see. However, upon hearing that he would be joining us, I jumped at the opportunity. He pretty much knew everybody, and got us prime viewing seats… he even knew the conductor, so we got to go in the engine! The only thing I could think was “Don’t touch anything!” I’ve see Unstoppable, I know that this doesn’t end well!
My day ended by watching the sun set over the Panama Canal from a glass roofed boat… The picture isn’t that good because we were moving pretty quick and its through glass… but it definitely is the highlight of the trip and probably one of the most memorable things of my life. A perfect way to end the trip.
Well today definitely wasn’t as exciting as yesterday, but I suppose that is a good thing. I spent today in El Valle, which is a crater inhabited by rainforest… definitely something completely different from the city! I’ve attached a map that shows both today’s trip and tomorrow’s trip in relation to Panama City.
So what does a trip to El Valle include you ask? First, it means about a 2 hour drive out of the city. I was the only one on the tour, so I learned a lot about Panama, historical and current… I also learned I can buy a house here for like $40,000… not too bad. The first stop on our trip, the local zoo. My tour guide told me the animals were in cages… however he didn’t tell me how small the cages were… poor animals could barely even move around. It mostly consisted of local birds and frogs, but also had alligators (which they apparently have here) and monkeys! The parrots could talk… they would say “Hola”, which for some reason brought me a lot of joy… bird talking in Spanish . I think it spoke better than me! I’ve included pictures of the leopard and the raccoon (Don’t they make you just want one).
And I’m not sure what this thing is, but he fell asleep in his food bowl, kind of like he passed out there, which made me laugh
From there, we went to some hot springs, which in general are pretty unexciting for me… so I just spend the time exploring the area. It was beautiful, but looked a lot like our next stop, so I’m not posting any pictures. Next, we went to this 150 foot tall waterfall. There were some suspension bridges held up by rope that we crossed that were not the most stable things… but I enjoyed the challenge!
From there, we went to lunch, where I finally got to have authentic Panama food! It was pretty dang good… Sea Bass in garlic sauce with plantains! They had a pet monkey out back… it was so tiny, only weighed a pound! It was so friendly, I just wanted to steal it!!!
That was the end of our tour of the valley. However, on our way home, the tour guide took a detour because I told him I hadn’t seen the canal yet… so we went to see the canal!!! Not only that, there was a giant boat going through when we were there, so we got to watch that whole process. It costs a boat $200,000 to go through the canal, plus I think it was $2,000 an hour per tugboat… it takes 10-12 hours to get through the canal, and boats may wait in line 24-48 hours just to get into the canal!
All together, a pretty successful and wonderful day . Tomorrow I’ll be going up to Portobelo, which is ruins of an old Spanish fort used to protect the gold they had in Panama from pirates (no joke). Then we’ll go to Isla Grande, which is an island in the Carribbean that is supposed to have awesome beaches! Sounds like a nice, relaxing final day .
Every time I travel, especially before this one since I am traveling alone, people always ask me a lot of “what if” questions… and my response to them is almost always the same.. “Then I’ll have a story to tell.” Well today, I have my story. (This is probably the point in this post where mom, dad and all other uber-worryers should stop reading until I get home on Wednesday night… just know I’m totally fine and still have all my stuff… and the next two days are with guided tours).
I’m pretty excited because I can FINALLY cross off probably the most difficult item on my bucket list to complete (at least as of now):
#46: Survive attempted kidnapping in foreign country.
Ok, so maybe that just got put on my bucket list just now, and maybe it wasn’t attempted kidnapping… but it could have been, I don’t know. I was going to make up a story here that is more interesting than mine but I thought it’d be better to not make people (hi mom and dad) worry more than necessary. Today was my self-walking tour day of the city. My first stop was Casco Antiguo, which was built in the 1600′s. At lunch, I got out my Frommer’s to see what I needed to see when I read this ditty:
There are two principal entryways into Casco Viejo but both pass through poor ghettos, so always take a taxi to get here
Fortunately for me, I was already there. The area was really poor… people were living in buildings that were mostly collapsed and only had half a roof, but I wouldn’t call it the ghetto and never got the feeling of it being unsafe. Besides, the concierge at the hotel said it was safe to walk anywhere in the city. I headed out north because that was both the way to Ancon and Amador, the next two places on my list… unfortunately, that took me through Santa Ana, which is the ghetto Frommer described. I don’t know about you, but to me, when markets are no longer open for you to go in but instead hand you stuff through a little hole behind bars, I would classify that as a place you shouldn’t walk. I didn’t take this picture (I felt it best not to be flashing a camera around), but I found one online that is kind of the area I was in…
It was at some point when I felt someone grab me on the shoulder, as I turned around, the unknown person pulled me into one of the run down buildings. Unfortunately for him, there where 3 things about me he didn’t know:
1) I’ve watched every episode of King of the Hill.
2) I have no problem in fighting dirty if I have to.
3) About a mile into my trek today, I realized I forgot to wear deodorant.
Also unfortunately for them, they were amateurs and didn’t know what they were doing. Anyhow, back to the story, so as I’m getting pulled around the corner, I grab onto the door frame (it must have been a punk kid because I’m pretty sure I could have out-muscled them, and I’m pretty little). Anyhow, I had already pre-planned for just such an occasion by attaching my backpacking whistle to the front of my backpack. I gave the whistle one loud blow and I was free. Best of all, I still had all my stuff! (And Jill was making fun of my whistle less than a week ago… what do you think about my whistle now?) Also, since I forgot to wear deodorant, all the unknown perp got was a handful of stinky. However, I didn’t get away completely unscathed… the sleeve of my favorite shirt got ripped and I have a nice bruise on my arm. I think it looks worse in real life than in the picture… it also still stings a little bit.
I feel really blessed… so many things went just right to make this a story, but really a non-incident (except for my shirt). God was really watching over me. After all that occurred, I decided to cut my day short and head back to the hotel, which was probably a good idea because I have a sunburn now.
So that’s my story, pretty exciting, huh? (At least knowing the outcome).
So that covers about 5 seconds of your day, what about the rest of it?!?!
Thanks for asking! Today was supposed to be a long day… 20-25 miles of walking probably to see everything in Panama City. I had a 7am wake-up call, however I didn’t get out of bed until around 10. It just really felt good to sleep in… plus they gave me 6 pillows to use (tonight they only gave me 4, what gives?) Based off the information I received about the town yesterday, I headed out… my first location being a walk along the ocean that went in front of the main part of town. Remember yesterday how I said the maps here were no good? Well I stand by that statement. The entrance to this walk was NOT where the map said it was. I stopped and asked a security guard at one of the hotels… he told me it was back where I had already been… it most definitely was not, so not only are their maps bad here, their directions are worse!
I finally found it, definitely where the guard said it was not, and walked across it. It was about 3 miles across and gave great views of the city (as you can see in the next couple pictures)
This lead me to Casco Antiguo, which was built in the 1600s. Most of it now is just ruins… however sadly, a lot of people live in these ruins even though they don’t have roofs. I loved walking down the narrow brick streets looking at the old architecture. The first picture below is of a church that was there… They had a service going one, so I stuck my head in for a while and took it in.
Tomorrow
Tomorrow I’ll be going to the Anton Valley (with a tour, I expect it should be safer ) which will include some zip lining and other awesome stuff. It’s going to be an early morning, so I’ll hopefully get to sleep early. Until then, I’ll be reflecting on Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
I was expecting the travel to be brutal… LAX->Vegas->Houston->Panama City isn’t exactly the most direct route. By 8pm, I felt like it was about 4 in the morning… and I still had 2.5 hours before my first flight left! Leaving Houston, we had to wait 45 minutes on the tarmac until the could re-route us around a storm… however I fell asleep and only woke to the roaring of the engines as we took off.
Something fun about Panama is that only like 12% of the population speaks English… However, I was able to come up with enough logical sounding Spanish to get me through immigration and customs, into a taxi that got me to my hotel, and got me checked in. In all fairness, most of the hotel staff at least speaks a little English, so the hotel part really isn’t that awesome. I spent some time getting acclimated to the room, and went down to plan my stay… After talking to the guy, I’m really, really excited for the next couple days. I asked him for a map of the city (I actually got 2 because the first one wasn’t very detailed) and got a tip as to a good place to eat…
…EXCEPT…
All he could do was draw a square on the map and tell me it was somewhere in there. It was only about a block radius, so I thought I’d give it a try. Here’s something I quickly learned about Panama… There are no street signs… even if they did, the maps appear to be incorrect. Needless to say, I did NOT find my restaurant and wandered around the city for a while trying to find anything to eat… I did however find the local mall and slipped inside. It was just like any mall you would see in the US… Apple Store, Nike, Tiffany’s, etc. I eventually ended up eating at a restaurant in there. When I went in, the lady started talking at me and I just gave her the deer in headlights look… Fortunately, after dinner, I was able to successfully find my way back to my hotel.
Here are some things I now know about Panama (at least the city):
* It kind of smells funny… like a cross of ocean and smog and humidity… actually that’s probably exactly what it is
* The tide is crazy… when I was coming in, there were a whole lot of boats that were just sitting on the ground with people working on the, but I could tell that when the tide goes up, they then begin to float. I hope to make it back there tomorrow to get a picture
* The city is not very pedestrian friendly. Most of the intersections don’t have a little walking man, so you just kind of go with the lights. The only problem is, the lights are right where the vehicles stop (as opposed to across the street like in the US) so you can’t see them as a pedestrian. I think at this point I’ve learned to just kind of go (at least that’s what the locals do)
* It’s really gross out… hot and humid
Some things I still have not figured out:
* How can people drive without street signs and without getting lost?
* What does a horn honk mean… The only definitive thing I’ve seen is when a bus stops in the middle of the road to pick up someone, and that person has 1 foot in, and the car behind the bus decides that one foot is enough of the person to have in that the bus needs to start driving.
Highlight of the day:
There was a guy dressed in a pirate outfit… on stilts… in the middle of an intersection… dancing… with a mermaid. I would have taken a picture but I thought he might chase after me and beat me down mermaid style or something .
What’s to come:
So now what? I was so tired when I got in that I didn’t really feel like exploring the city. There are city tours, but they cost $30/hour and is just a taxi driver… so tomorrow I’m heading out on foot (my sister knows what this means). I THINK I can walk the entire thing… but I’m guessing it’ll be a 20-25 mile day.
Then one of the other days, I think I will be going to Anton Valley, which is this cool looking valley in an old volcano, which will not only allow me to see the beautiful scenery, but includes such awesomeness and zip lining, horse back riding, and doing fun stuffs around waterfalls .
The other day, I plan to take a train all along the canal and through the national parks into Colon, which both my Frommers and the guy at the hotel said is a very dangerous place… at which point I will be picked up by the tour people and taken to Portabelo, which is supposed to be super scenic, then off to Isla Grande, which has white sand private beaches and the such to relax.
And because it has been a long day… and will be a very long day tomorrow… I’m going to bed early.
I decided to resurrect this thing… fortunately no bots sniped my domain while I was on hiatus…
This weekend is a 3-day weekend (yay!) which I’m pretty excited about. This past weekend, I started to get a desire to actually do something over the long weekend… I don’t know that I’ve ever actually done anything special due to the freeways and all other places being inundated with people. By Sunday, I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to go somewhere… but where? Camping is always fun… Vegas is always good times… On Sunday night I had a genius idea that if I could change around my work schedule to work next weekend, I could actually get a 5-day weekend… which means
…drum roll…
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL!!! Well, that’s assuming I go somewhere nearby and somewhere that doesn’t require a whole lot of time to see everything. And so… as of late Tuesday evening… I officially will be in Panama City, Panama for 4 nights. It’s crazy to think that I will have gone from not even having a trip on my radar to landing in a far away location in less than 6 days… but that’s how I roll.
So what are my plans while in Panama? I really don’t have any… I know there’s a canal there I should probably see… and I hear monkeys (which happen to be my favorite animal… unfortunately it is also illegal to bring them back)… I guess we’ll just have to see how each day unfolds… it’s more of an adventure that way . I will, however, have WiFi and my camera, so check back for updates/pictures throughout the weekend.
.
. I think it spoke better than me! I’ve included pictures of the leopard and the raccoon (Don’t they make you just want one).
) which will include some zip lining and other awesome stuff. It’s going to be an early morning, so I’ll hopefully get to sleep early. Until then, I’ll be reflecting on Psalm 91