Transformational Experiences Leading Into 2012 and Beyond [ 27:31 | 25.19 MB ] Play NowPlay in Popup | Download (775)

Making Connections that Stick, Attracting Our Global Family

“”Everything I thought I knew, I didn’t. Once I realized, I don’t know anything at all, I set out to  search for the truth. In order to see the truth, I needed to be open to any possibility.”
~Bubba Davis Aragon

In Episode # 12 Lainie & Miro start off by sharing a few of their experiences over the last two weeks as they explore the Panama City area including the canal, the grand seafood market, Casco Viejo and Isla Toboga.

Panama Canal

Miro and Lainie  visited the Panama Canal as one of their first excursions in Panama City.  The canal, at the Mira Flores locks has a wonderful viewing area of the beginning of the canal where we watched the massive cargo ships enter the locks as they were lowered down to the next level. At the Miraflores locks, vessels are lifted (or lowered) in three stages totaling 8 meters, allowing them to transit to or from the Pacific Ocean port of Balboa (near Panama City).  Ships cross below the Bridge of the Americas which connects North and South America.  It is quite remarkable to see in person and if you are considering a trip to Panama, we highly recommend planning one  day trip to the Canal.

View the Panama Canal photo gallery here.

Seafood Market

Another place Lainie and Miro visited was the grand seafood market in  Panama City. Guided by the hovering vultures above, the market is located just outside the entrance to  the old city, or Casco Viejo.  Inside the market there are dozens of vendors each selling their catch.  Corvina (also known as sea bass), pargo (which is red snapper in English), and tuna seemed to be the most popular . Still, the fish were beautiful and cheap, by American standards. Spiny lobsters around 3 lbs each could be yours for a mere $6. There were shrimp of every size and shape and fish and shellfish already prepped for ceviche. The overall experience? A must for any  seafood lover.

View the Panama City Seafood Market photo gallery here.

Casco Viejo

Also, on a couple of occasions, Miro and Lainie  spent time  walking around Casco Viejo. Beautiful, full of history, its colonial houses, the colors, the native Indians, it’s picturesque qualities created the perfect afternoon or evening. There’s a seawall in the vicinity overlooking Panama City’s  many tall buildings, viewed across the harbor.

The Old City is a work in progress and many of the buildings are being restored. There are many small bistro type restaurants with outdoor seating in the evening, creating a great place to hang out. This area is similar to walking around a small town in Spain, probably because it was actually built by the Spanish. There is an old church here that had to paint its golden walls black to keep the pirates away. There are walls here that were built in the 1500s!

The presidential palace is also located in Casco Viejo, which means the policemen are omnipresent. So it’s very safe.

View the Casco Viejo photo gallery here.

One evening, Miro and Lainie met the father of one of Miro’s  schoolmates from Los Angeles, named Alex and his colleague who happened to be in Panama City. The group  explored Casco Viejo together and when they decided it was time to eat, they stumbled upon a restaurant that looked interesting,  not knowing a thing about it, but up for the adventure. They were told there was no menu and as the group sat down, they would be  served what the kitchen prepared. The restaurant is called Monolo Caracol, which turned out to be one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city.

No menu, just 12 courses of amazing dishes kept on being brought to our table, from ceviche,  carpaccio, fish soup, octopus and shrimp kabobs, veal and glazed onions, pork loin,  flakey fish, butternut squash with wild rice, topped off with the most amazing chocolate morsel.

Yep,  it’s official. They’ve become foodies…

Isla Taboga

For Lainie’s  birthday Miro and Lainie wanted to be away from the city, someplace serene  surrounded by nature. On the morning before Lainie’s birthday, Miro and Lainie  took a  boat over to an island, called Isla Taboga, known for it’s flowers. It was only a 1 hour boat ride to the island, but it felt like a completely different world. Lainie and Miro  spend 3 nights on the secluded island in total. On the morning of my 44th birthday, Miro and Lainie hiked to the top of the island’s largest hill where a cross has been placed, called cerro de la cruz. From there we saw a beautiful view of the ocean, the surrounding islands and even a perfect view of the Panama City skyline.

View the Isla Taboga photo gallery here.

Next, Lainie & Miro  speak with friends Bubba & Dixie Aragon, a wonderfully inspiring mother and son duo whom they’ve met over the past year, on the road of life.

Miro and Lainie had the pleasure of meeting these American born transplants over a  year ago in Nicaragua, and since then have considered these friends, part of their extended family.  Their conversation address the esoteric side of life, diving into transformational thoughts, surrounding a new age, a new way of thinking, including 2012 and beyond.

It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”
~Wendell Berry

To many, the significance of 2012  marks the a date of human transformation and evolution on a mass scale. In a manner of speaking the “old world” is gone, the old way of doing things is no longer relevant, a concept  Miro and I took into our realities as we set out on our adventure in 2009.  Coming  to terms with this consciousness shift has been our path.  How we used to live life is just no longer an option for any number of reasons.

As you will hear in the upcoming interview, mother and son Dixie and Bubba Aragon talk about their  diverse interests that have touched their recent experiences including  energy grids, ancient cultures (such as the Maya people, Olmec and Aztec), ethnobotany and the power of attraction. To this extent, their lives demonstrate a combined passion as they move through life, one day at a time.

We want to take a moment to thank a few people who have contributed to our travels. Your donations have helped cover our travel expenses from Guatemala, to Nicaragua. The people who have contributed to Raising Miro are: Terrance O’dowd, Eric Hammond, Chip Jacobs, Billy Horn and Sonia Kim. Thank you so much! Your donations are much appreciated!

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Special Thanks

To those of you who have supported us so far on this journey, the donations we’ve received and the wonderful words of encouragement. Thank you all for your comments and feedback, and please keep them coming. Thank you Hanna for giving us a wonderful professional boost with the intro & outro, engineered by Hanna Jakobson, music “Multilayered Timbres” by Dr. Pimp courtesy of CC (creative commons) license.