In this post, I want to give you some ideas that you can do at home, they are things that as responsible travelers we can do and that will not only do us good, but also the environment.
Things we can do for our memories and future trips
1. Virtual tours
Today there are places that offer virtual tours and Panama also has its own.
You can see from museums such as the Button Museum, to natural places, such as EL Valle de Anton and each day more and more are being created, you can see some of them here.
2. Make a list of trips you want to do by the time the quarantine ends
Print them out (or write them by hand) and keep them close.
They say that things have to be visualized so that they complying, so do not skimp on your wish list, if you visualize it and you propose it, you can do it.
I have personally done it and not only have I known several places in Panama, but I have visited about 20 countries, lived in 2 of them and I don’t have money, it’s a matter of proposing it, setting a date and working to fulfill that dream.
3. Check the implements of the trips
Especially if you like camping, check that they are in good condition and clean.
Many times we return from a trip, already at night, tired and likewise everything we carry stays in the backpack.
And when we realize we are already leaving for another trip and over time, (depending on the quality, it may be little), they will be damaged.
This also allows us to know what we have, what life time they have (how much longer it can be used), what we need and thus organize ourselves and plan the next purchase of implements.
4. Make a photo album
Surely, you have several photos of your trips and maybe a lot, take advantage of this time to organize them.
You can make a digital photo album with a few notes from the trip, maybe with whom you went, write some anecdote, among others.
Also, being able to organize some photos to print them later, I recommend this so much, because the photos that remain are the ones that are printed, many are lost when the devices are damaged.
So, we can show them to our nephews, children, grandchildren and inspire them to know our country, the world, to teach them how to do it and above all not to stay on the screen all day.
5. If you like photography
It is a good time to take a virtual course or watch tutorials, you do not need a professional camera, with your cell phone you can learn composition and with some editing you can improve a lot.
It is also good to see the cell phone tutorials, maybe there are options to do photos we didn’t even know.
There are tutorials and photographers who are dedicated to taking photos only with cell phones, with these you can learn a lot.
Keep healthy, to be ready when we can travel again
6. Exercising to get fit
Maybe you have seen this before, exercise will not only help you maintain or gain good conditions, your immune system will improve, bones will be stronger, stretching and low impact exercises help a lot with the tendons (they lose elasticity over the years), and of course you will feel and look better.
I am personally doing it and I have verified that it remove the stress that quarantine can generate, it prevents me from being injured (I suffer from sciatica and at least I have to walk a little every day), it increases strength, endurance and energy, at the beginning how it was difficult for me to move hahaha, my body was asleep.
But after the days I realized how I had more energy and had significantly improved the conditions.
For me, 5 to 50 minutes a day is ok, hahaha, well sometimes I just do the warm-up, but that helps, and it depends on the routines.
I am follow a count on YouTube (Virtual Gym) and there are routines of 5, 10, 15, 20, 50 minutes and for different parts, legs, arms, neck, among others.
I also weigh myself from time to time, because I don’t want to lose weight, so I check to keep up.
Remember to stay hydrated, a lot of what you sweat is water and you have to recover it by drinking water.
7. Eat healthy to improve your health and defenses
Being in quarantine does not mean eating anything, if you are doing it, it may be anxiety, to control that a little, because go to point 6, exercise.
A varied meal helps a lot, they also recommend 5 meals a day, which is basically 3 meals distributed over 5 and if you are one of the 3 meals and have snacks, these can be fruits, nuts, granola, cereal.
It sounds like a diet, but in reality they are not, it has sugars and fats (so one can gain weight), but the difference is that these are healthy.
Things we can do for the environment
As you know, in my articles I always recommend picking up the garbage, leaving nothing and if possible picking up a little of the garbage that is found.
I also like to promote activities in favor of the environment (on social networks), since, one of the principles of this blog.
It is not only “not to damage places”, it is also that insofar as we can “take care of them”.
So, these are some of the things we can do at home and that will make us have more awareness on our next trips.
8. Start recycling
Although you have a small space, even with a bag you can start,
- check that it can be recycled, clean the packaging (once you use the product),
- let them dry,
- crush them (tetra pac, cartons, bottles)
- and when everything is dry, store them in a bag or tank
- when quarantine is over, separate the materials. There are people who say that you have to have several containers to separate them from the beginning, and although it would be excellent, to be honest, unless you have a lot of free space and buy many tetra pak / cans / bottles, you can do it, personally I use a container of clothes dirty that I was not using it, it does not even reach my knees, I have it for daily use to recycle (near the kitchen) and because of the quarantine, I have another, which was not using it either, this is a lot bigger, it’s in the parking lot and as the other one fills up, I’m going through things on to this one.
- Take them to your nearest center, there are places where you can go 24 hours, or to a recycling fair.
You can store used cooking oil in an oil container that is no longer being used and you can take it to a recycling fair.
You can store the glass bottles in a separate place and at the next Costa Recicla fair you can take it.
They also work as bottle of Ron Ponche and give it away for Christmas, I did that a few years ago.
Collection places to exchange for points (discounts).
Ecoins: is an initiative that through affiliated companies receives almost all kinds of materials such as: plastic bottles, tetra pak, aluminum, tinplate, paper, cardboard, glass, cooking oil as well as electronics, nescafe capsules and other plastics.
They have several collection centers, the bad thing is that not everyone receives everything, this means that maybe I have tetra pak and glass bottles and have to go to two different places.
You earn points that can be exchanged for discounts. see more.
Reciclar Paga: It is a company that also works through points, it only receives PET bottles and aluminum cans.
The good thing is that it is handled by machines and these are in some shopping centers in the capital and universities, so while it is open, you can go.
It is important to leave them the label because the machines read the barcodes and thus credit the points. Link here.
9. Start a small orchard
If you have some soil, whether in a pot or on the ground, you can start planting, use the seeds of the products you buy, twigs and even, sometimes culantro comes with root.
You can sow an orange tree or a lemon in a pot.
Having plants makes the house / apartment cool or less hot, the greenness of the leaves is relaxing and the flowers give us joy.
I have several plants at home, such as spinach, oregano, papaya, orange, cacao, soursop, banana, coriander, rosemary, aloe, national lemon, almost all I have planted by seed or by twig.
The trees are still small, but you can make an infusion with the leaves (tea in Panamanian), I have some land.
Because I live at home, but it is not a big deal, so do not imagine the great terrain hahaha.
10. Make a compost
You will see that it is really easy, maybe you already have everything you need at home and that will reduce your waste.
With the quarantine and worried because, the garbage collectors can get sick and this will lower the frequency in which they pass (which is already happening).
Start a compost, until now I have used 2 tanks that I already had at home and it was not done nothing with them, they both have 5 layers of compost.
Steps and materials
- Container: You need a large container, you make holes in the bottom and sides.
- Egg carton: place egg carton on the bottom of the container (this is only for the base of the compost), a layer of this.
- Dry leaves: add a layer of dry leaves (I am using garden herbs, they were high, I cut them (with hahaha scissors), let them dry, put them in a bag and take them out as needed,
- Waste: Add a layer of organic waste (eggshell, fruits, seeds, greens and vegetables),
- soil: add a layer of soil (whatever you have),
- repeat: and so, you add layers (leaves, rubbish and soil) depending on how you have organic material.
- Every day you add a little water, just to get it moisten.
- Stick: time to time you introduce a stick (which reaches the bottom) to allow air to enter the compost. The stick is only for making holes.
- The compost should be in the sun (watch out for the rain).
Note: This is for those who have a home.
Experience: I have almost 2 months since I started it, it does not produce a bad smell and my pet has not tried to destroy it.
You can put the waste in a separate container (covered) and when you have an amount that you think is enough, you can make another layer of compost.
I have seen articles in which they say that the containers must have holes and others that do not, according to my experience it is better with holes.
Since the same waste can produce a liquid (plus daily irrigation), and I have had to turn the tank so that the excess of it comes out, when it comes out, it has bad smell, but it is only for a few minutes and you only feel on the area where the liquid is being poured.
It can also be done directly in the ground, for this you have to dig a good hole and it is also wide, the rest is the same procedure.
Plus
11. For those who like gastronomic tours
You can learn the recipes of some country or region, surely many of you already do it, but surely others do not, so, you can start by making some caimañolas or some fresh corn torrejitas, which are quite simple.
The ingredients are easy to get and you can even make your variants, you do not need the grinding machine.
You can use a fork for the carimañolas (that’s how I make them) and a blender for the torrejitas, and even a changa (a Panamanian tortilla made of fresh corn).
You can also make a ceviche, some alfajores, a tamale de olla, a guacho or a mondongo.
Other posts you may also like
- 15 Virtual Tours in Panama
- Ancón Hill, Tropical Humid Forest and Viewpoint of Panama City
- Plantación Trail in Soberanía National Park
- 7 Trails at Metropolitan Natural Park
- Hike to the top of Chame Hill
