#1: Tatiana Salazar visits Chicá, Parque Nacional de Campana (ES):

Chicá is close to the Parque Nacional de Campana, a national ecological reserve with excellent weather, great roads, and a marvelous landscape. ANAM (Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente) has cabins for rent and the area is excellent for camping. Anyone interested?

Read the complete post and admire the views by visiting Tatiana's blog.

#2: PanPan‘s exposition of the military badges from the extinct Fuerzas de Defensa  (ES) is a historic review of the military times in Panama. All of those companies were active when the 1989 invasion to Panama took place. The thoughts and comments to this post by the readers are mixed. One group cries out a complaint for the long gone military days, especially because of the street violence that takes so many lives every day. People want justice, and they do not see a satisfactory response from the police right now. The second group rejects even the thought militarizing Panama, and the third group just loves the colorful showcase of badges and names that remind us all the military days.

#3: ColterYahn visits the Sarigua Desert (El Desierto de Sarigua)

Scorched by the relentless sun and twisted by the salty wind that erodes away the precious little topsoil there is, trees with their roots left exposed quickly wither and die.  Rain then erodes away more of the the salty earth, which dries rapidly and is swept by the wind into new forest, devastating the sensitive ecosystems that surround the Sarigua desert. Continue reading and admire the amazing photography!

#4: Roman Sainz (ES) spends some quality time with his dad. While reading his post I had the urge to call mine. You know, time flies…let's hug and love the people we care about. Do not be afraid to HUG the one you love :-)

#5: FashionCHICA on the health benefits of  "massage with chocolate" (ES)

This is  paradise for the chocoholics like you! Isn't it beautiful that now you have yet another excuse to aquire all the chocolate you have been thinking about these days? Well,   according to the girls at FashinCHICA, by masagging your favorite treat onto your skin, the high antioxidants in it will protect the skin against free radicals, which cause wrinkles. An increasing number of scientific studies support the value of applying antioxidants directly to the surface of the skin to combat free radical damage.

#6: Heidibella in the Tropics  visits the "Rincón Alemán"

Last night we had our monthly Cusqueños get together. The venue this time was "Rincón Alemán".
It was the perfect backdrop for the occasion. I had never been there before and I can say with certainty that I'll visit again. The atmosphere was intimate yet with an obvious German cheer in the air. Among the winning dishes were the Lauch Quiche or Leek Quiche (amazing!) and the Champignons mit Knoblauch or Garlic Mushrooms (so tasty!). Head over to her blog to read the complete post and take a look at the tasty photos!

#7: Art and Rants on Tattoos:  My body is my temple and I will do with it what I please!

Allow me to elaborate on that last point. My mom is a firm believer that she owns me, and therefore I cant do anything with myself that she dissapproves of, that includes but is not limited to tattoos, piercings, and any other things she might consider self mutilation (yet she has no problems with me drinking…) So she has already warned me that if I ever get a tattoo that she will proceed to cut off whatever limb or part of my body its on. Usually one would take this as an empty threat but I dont doubt for a moment that my mother is in fact capable of crippling her own son. My brother has 3 tattoos and a piercing, my sister has a piercing and a thing for writing on herself. The only
difference is that they are in Chicago and Im still living at home… Continue reading

#8: Ericiglesias.com reports what happened in a College Football encounter between a team from Panama and a team from Nicaragua…Really exciting!!!

Days ago, 22 of the ULACIT Warriors (former Villa Catalina Warriors) from Panama, played against the Guerreros-Aló from Nicaragua (57 in roster), in the Nicaragua National Stadium. (Saturday July 22, 2006)

The game ended TIED 28 – 28, and was decided in overtime in favor to Nicaragua 34 to 28.The Nicaraguan press defined the game as the best football game EVER HELD in Nicaragua. Read more and check out the photos now!

I'll be back soon with MORE!