Hibiscus Flower in Panama
A beautiful red hibiscus flower hangs from overhead near Panama City, Panama.
For whatever reason, it had not crossed my mind that there would be hibiscus flowers in Panama. I had expected to see them on our Hawaiʻi trip, but not during our Panama trip. So I was pleasantly surprised to see these flowers there. Admittedly, before our trip I did not look up what kinds of flowers grow in Panama. I just figured we would see what we would see.
I was not, however, surprised by all of the lush vegetation that we saw in Panama. It reminded me of what we have seen in other lower-latitude places, such as Jamaica, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands.
I am always interested to see the plant life in places that are different from where we live, and Panama had lots of it to see.
See more from our Panama 2024 Trip!
Unexpected
So many times, we want to know what is coming next. We want to plan ahead and be prepared. We do not want any surprises.
At times, knowing what is coming can feel safe. But it can also be a little boring. Some of the best blessings are the unexpected blessings.
We learned long ago not to try to plan out every minute of trips ahead of time. Leave at least some room for things that you are not expecting. Maybe leave lots of room. As we were on the plane approaching Kauaʻi on our first Hawaiʻi trip, a group sitting around us were planning out what they were going to do each day, complete with guide books, maps, spreadsheets, and whatever else. Our plan for the week was that we had a hotel reservation and a rental car reservation. And that was all. Even with no plans, we loved every minute of that trip.
Plans are good, sometimes. But unexpected blessings are good, too. Embrace and enjoy them.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10 ESV
About the Photo
For this photo, I wanted the main focus to be on the hibiscus flower. To achieve that, I somewhat desaturated the background colors, especially the green tones the leaves. I also added a bit of vignettting around the edges to bring more focus to the center of the photo and the flower. And if you do not notice all of those things without me telling about them, then that is just fine, as it means the photo still looks somewhat natural.
Photo: Each photo is a single Raw exposure, processed in Raw Therapee and GIMP.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Rokinon 35mm f/1.8
Date: October 6, 2024
Location: Panama City, Panama
