Shopping in Panama

I haven't done much blogging about life in Panama here, since I try and keep this blog for more "mommying" and "crafty" things. Not that being a Momma and living in Central America aren't intertwined, of course, but the bulk of our Panamanian adventure is over at Ordinary and Beyond. (If you haven't been there, you might want to stop by. I think you're in for a treat. You'll find a few plantain "recipes" and lots of pictures of our daily activities.)

With only a little over a week left before we leave Boquete though, I'm running out of days to blog about all the stuff I wanted to highlight before we returned to the States! I know once we get back it's going to be a whirlwind of a whole new life, and a different focus.

So, I'm sharing a little of daily life in Panama with you here! And it consists of walking and shopping. :) This store is just down the road from us and it's only a 15-20 min. walk. We go there by way of a rocky road which turns into a paved neighborhood street. (I'll be showcasing that next time.)

There is a little sweet shop in front, and a couple coin operated children's rides.

A single slice of cheese, anyone?

As I was typing this post, I realized it's a lot like an Amish variety store. They sell an odd assortment of everything, but they don't really have everything. Know what I mean? :) Up the stairs they sell things like cheap baby toys, a few kitchen items (we got a cheese grater here), light bulbs, "croc shoes", notebooks, crayons and even plastic bags for produce venders. Oh! You can even get your empty propane tank exchanged here!

I will mention that this store was the location for my first (and only) sighting of a cockroach. On my very first visit here, I reached up on the fresh meat counter to get a carton of eggs, and something large and brown scurried away underneath as I moved the carton. Not to boast or anything, but with a history of family members who are easily startled, I did NOT scream or drop the eggs. You know that poster, "Keep Calm and Carry On"? Well, I did that. After gasping, (in my mind,) I carefully put the egg carton back and reached for a different one. Not sure why, 'cause the cockroach wasn't IN my carton, but anyway. We haven't bought eggs from here since... But it wasn't because of the cockroach. We found that several of the eggs from that purchase weren't, ah, "fresh".

In front they have a wine selection, a few rather dusty pinatas for sale. (Neither are pictured...sorry.) Natasha likes to point to the "Pooh" pinata, and I'm always impressed that she recognized it as Winnie the Pooh, since he's very non-Pooh looking to me.

The majority of our shopping is done when we are in town on Sundays after church, but during the week if we run out of something, I like to walk down here to get it. Like, a recent visit consisted of purchases like: toilet paper, a razor, one battery and two notebooks. Just this morning Natasha and I bought one pound of salt for 30 cents and a dozen bananas. Bananas are 2 for 15 cents, so if you select an odd number, they will have you return to the bin to get an extra one. :)