Bastimento by Moonlight

Just got back from a quickie trip to Bocas where we spent 2 days with our good friends Char and Pedr.  They are true boat people who divide their time between their sailboat on Isla Carenera in the winter and their sustainable fishing boat in Gustavius, Alaska in the summer.  Not a bad life.  Dennis got to practice his sailing skills and I managed to stay out of the way.  Bocas is a little hot for me, but it was nice to sail around a bit and spend the day on Red Frog Beach at the Palmar Tent Lodge.  Considering we are 5 capable adults with a lot of experience between us, it was comical that not one of us had a flashlight to maneuver the trip back down the beach, through the jungle and back to the marina to take Shannon's skiff back to their boat.  This was a trust walk if ever I went on one.  Focusing on not stepping on any little red frogs (dangerous to their health and mine), we followed the sound of the surf until we reached the jungle path and then had a perfectly magical walk guided by stars to the marina.  How Shannon found the tiny opening through the mangroves to reach Char and Pedr's boat is a testimony to his sailing expertise.
Many people love Bocas, but for me, it's a bit hot, crowded and full of touristy shops for the younger crowd, which is a 180 from the mega trash problem and poverty that surround it. I loved watching the very eclectic mix of folks riding bicycles all around. (sure miss my Townie) I also learned 2 new skills; tying a batik parea into a dress and making paper cranes.  Char, who is a woman of many skills (sailor, fisherman, artist, masseuse, world traveler, bumper car babe and parade crasher to name a few) patiently wrapped and unwrapped me until I had the perfect dress for the steamy tropics.  We also had  the most wonderful meal at a place called the Casbah in Bocas Town and will return there on our next visit. Fresh tuna for the boys and por las mujeres, pollo en cognac y pollo en salsa de curry enjoyed with a lovely Malbec.   A visit to the Riptide boat bar while waiting for the boys to pick up boat parts and make a stop at the local surf shop was a nice way to spend the afternoon as well.
So much to explore here.  Next adventure:  cruise to Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, and Bonnaire next week.
Wish I had more pics to share, but as you know, my camera, only works sporadically, and didn't like the humidity of Bocas Del Toro.  Love to all and see you soon.
"THOUGH WE TRAVEL THE WORLD OVER TO FIND THE BEAUTIFUL, WE MUST CARRY IT WITH US OR WE FIND IT NOT." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Young schoolgirl waiting for the boat taxi to take her home

The ride to Bocas

Street life

Char and Pedr having a refreshment at the Riptide

Riptide Boat bar and restaurant

Does this really need a caption?

Dennis learns a new skill

View of Bocas Town from the sailboat

Ropes

View from Carenara

Bocas lifestyle

Boat traffic

They Call Me Mellow Yellow.....quite rightly.

Well, miracle of miracles, my camera has graced me with a day of picture taking before descending back into the black pit of hell where it usually lives.  I can't begin to tell you how frustrating it is to want to take a photo and have my camera lock up with a black screen.  Well, I did just tell you, and now you know.
On Saturday it worked, and I was able to get a few shots at the David Fair which was winding down.  The fair, like most fairs, had the usual exhibits, demonstrations, rodeo, music and fair food.  But this is Panama, so it's 'Fair with a Twist'.  We absolutely enjoyed ourselves and had a wonderful day.  Timing things to not be in the heat of the day, we arrived late afternoon and parked at McDonald's and walked to the fair.  I tell you this because the streets outside the fair are lined with vendors and street food and were just as interesting as the fair itself.  Lots of junk, to be sure, but there were many little finds that were hard to resist.  Barbeque chicken on sticks, and typical ceramic garden art to name a few.   My bookcase now is home to 3 ceramic Panamanian musicians, poised to play, which I couldn't resist.
Tickets were $1.00 with our jubilado discuenta.  I couldn't help but compare that to the $7.50 fair entrance I am used to in CDA but I digress.
We enjoyed the many exhibit halls with items ranging from exquisitely detailed Panamanian hats, clothes, leatherwork, jewelry, wooden carvings, and jewelry to housewares, thousands of shoes, toys, and kitchen magnets.  I searched for paintings, but never found any.  There were artists there willing to draw portraits on the spot, but no paintings to adorn my naked walls.  Dennis found a new hot sauce to try (of course) and I couldn't resist a beautiful silver rope chain.  We settled in at one of the outdoor cafes for a cool beverage and a bit of people watching.  Children were riding horses and cows and many beautiful horses were on display.  Panama reveres the caballo and earlier in the week was a giant cabalgata (horse parade) consisting of hundreds of proud  riders with  a generous sprinkling of rum throughout the crowd.  We missed this event, so sadly, I have no pics to share.  I have to say my favorite highlights of the fair were the border patrol policia giving zipline rides to the kids, the folkdancing, mariachi band, and the street of flowers.  On the street of flowers, there were plants of every kind and all for sale.  I was in heaven, and absolutely loved the succulents, orchids, medicinal herbs, and hanging flower baskets.
Eventually, our feet gave out and we headed home, back through the street vendors and home to a cooler Boquete.
Dennis finished painting our house and gate, and they are now a very bright and tropical yellow.  One house to go and then the trim work and another job is checked off on the Never Ending List.  We wouldn't have it any other way.
"IT DOES NOT DO TO DWELL ON DREAMS, AND FORGET TO LIVE." J.K Rowling from Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

Daily visit from the neighbor's dog

Yup!  It's yellow.

You got to mooove it, mooove it.

zip lining border patrol

Little Gaucho

This is a real cowgirl

You mean this isn't Mexico?

On the street of flowers

Mas flores

Grandmother of all yucca

Que es?

Furniture stalls

outside the fair

colorful booths

mmm.......good

hats with molas

Say hello to my little friends

Santa Catalina by the sea

Decided to take a little break and head over to Santa Catalina last week.  It's a beautiful 5 hour drive with lots to see along the way. Armed with a fanatastic National Geographic map of Panama (impossible to get lost), we checked into a very laid back surfer hostel called Hotel Estero, which was run by a friendly Basque man named Segor (see-gor)  He welcomed us and made sure we had what we needed before heading off to surf the day away.  Our little cabina was perfect with awesome views of Playa Estero. There is nothing  quite like falling asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing, while warm tropical breezes carry you off to dreamland. Saving some moolah, we brought an ice chest filled with food and prepared most of our meals.  We shared cooking dinner duties with Jim and Lesia (boy, can she cook)  and talked and drank wine into the wee hours.   Dennis spent a good deal of time in the water, while I walked the beach, played with the local dogs, chatted up the other hostel visitors, and enjoyed the solitude of Playa Estero.  As Dennis was on the beach very early in the morning, he got to see some baby turtles hatching and watched as folks gave them a bit of help getting to the water without being eaten by birds.  As it's not really nesting season, this was a rare treat.
 We met some folks from Holland, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain. This is always the best part of traveling and staying at hostels.   Town provided plenty of restaurants for people watching and just soaking in the beach vibe and Dennis won the quarter game when he ran into a friend from Boca Chica.
We took a boat trip over to Coiba Island, and it was a great day with dolphins swimming alongside our panga (one even cruised by my hand in the water and gave me a look see)  My heart just sang I was so happy.  We got to snorkel at a beautiful little island that was part of Coiba Park, but missed out on monkeys and parrots.  Acquaintances  Jere and Remmy, told us that they had camped for 3 days on Coiba and to see the wildlife, you really need to hike into the interior.  Maybe someday.
Sadly, my camera was acting up (and not in a good way) most of the trip, and by the end of the day, gave up the ghost and died.  Woe is me.  I love taking photographs and am presently mourning the loss of my camera.  I am hoping something will pop up on Craigslist or BoqueteBuy/Sell very soon. Perhaps the camera gods will smile on me.  Oh well.  Time to upgrade.
Seems like the weather is getting ready to do something.  It's been quite dry and windy for a while, but on the way home, we had a bit of rain and big wind.  Many trees had been blown over and were covering the road in several places.  When we got home, most of Boquete was without power.  A few hours later all was well and the power came back on.  I have a feeling that our dry spell is soon to be over.  Say what you will about the infrastructure in Panama, things get fixed fairly quickly.  Relatively speaking.
Yesterday was the big Bid4Boquete Venta de Patio.  At the silent auction, I bid for and won a month's membership at the gym where I go for yoga.  Found an interesting painting from Israel which now lives in my bathroom and big score; a lampshade.  I am hoping to paint it and add a little pizazz to a lamp I got at a yard sale a while back. I also found a funny little sculpture of an Easter Island head in a box, which looks awesome in my new bookcase.  All proceeds will go to various charities in town and the turnout was crazy.  Shopping here is a learned art.  You can find just about anything....if you are willing to search and be creative.  The patio sale, which is like a giant rummage sale, gives people the opportunity to scoop up clothes, art, household items and refurbished appliances, along with baked goods, lunch, silent auction, music, kids games and face painting and is entirely put on by volunteers. A good day was had by all.
  "ANYONE WHO KEEPS THE ABILITY TO SEE BEAUTY NEVER GROWS OLD." Franz Kafka (Dedicated to Stefani, from Switzerland, with a tatoo on her back,  of Kafka's face on a bug's body.

hillside on fire

our cabina

dino art at the hostel

low tide

morning fishing

panga

sand art

guarding the parking lot

whale skeleton

view out my front door

curious hostel kitty

deck for yoga, meditation and chillin'

Playa Estera

End of the ride

Happy dog

He just shimmied up the tree and got these

Kafka girl

Gorgeous snorkel beach near Coiba Island

Power Shopping in Volcan

On Saturday, we headed to Volcan with our friends for a day of shopping and sightseeing.  Volcan is on the other side of Volcan Baru and is about a 45 min. super gorgeous drive.  The town is a bit more spread out than Boquete in my mind and made for a very fun day.  First stop was Nita's Flea Market, a little roadside shop with wonderful collections of this and that.  Beanie Babies come here to die.  There was a snowman collection to rival my own and a gazillion other little finds.  However, by far the best was a wonderful pair of PINK rubber boots which I had to have.  There's part of our property that I've yet to explore due to fear of snakes (none of which I've ever seen here, but fear them none the less)  I am fearless in my pink boots and can't stop admiring them.  The boots, not the snakes.
We found the local Todo Dollar, much better than ours, and made a quick pass picking up odds and ends for the casita.  Then off to the St. Benito Catholic Highschool thrift store where you can pick up all kinds of food, clothing and other goodies.  They have quite a collection from LandsEnd and other US stores of discontinued or out of season items,  and I found some acrylic paints for my painting class as well a top for cooler days.  Every now and then, I put on a long sleeve shirt, but not too often.  One of the perks here.
Took a break for lunch at Mana, a lovely restaurant for sloppy jorge's (hor-hays).  You may know them better as Sloppy Joes.  Powering up, we continued our shopping tour to Berard's, a rather upscale grocery store, and a fabulous bakery for macaroons and chocolate muffins.
Heading out of town, we passed through ex-presidente Manuel Noriega's private hidden airstrip for running drugs (no longer in use as far as I know) and headed out to the Jansen coffee estate, a stunningly beautiful ranch where we were chased by cattle being rounded up by the local caballeros.  Of course, I had to jump out of Jim's truck for a photo, but quickly hopped back in as they started gaining on us.  On up to the top of the hill for coffee and views.  Made a quick pass though the events room to check out the art and found a poster for yoga on March 2nd.  This was a new one for me.  Chocoyoga.  Why did I never think of that?  If only I could go, but alas, I am sharing a table at the Chiriqui Flea market that day to sell off some things and will have to miss it.  I will be there in solidarity with all the other yoginis blissing out on chocolate.
Noticing the sun was slowly passing down over the mountain, we made one last detour to the truck stop for empanadas de pollo and spent some time out on the scenic patio overlooking the jungle.  I didn't have my binoculars with me (remember, this was a shopping trip) so couldn't identify all the birds circling.  They were awesome. Big brown and white somethings....most likely hawks of some type.  Panama really is a birder's heaven.  So as the last bit of sun colored the sky orange, we headed home to Boquete.  A little note here.  The roads are beautiful, but full of curves and hairpin turns.  They are utilized heavily by people walking day and night.  Believe it or not, many people don't own cars and actually walk to their destinations, which is why they are in great shape and we, not so much.  We drove very carefully so as not to hit anyone and only had to swerve a few times in order to miss a few runaway cows in the middle of the road.  An owl did flap in front of the windshield VERY CLOSE, but no one was hurt and we made it home tired but happy from our Volcan adventure.
Sunday was another work day here, but we did manage to get over to visit with some folks from Deer Park, see a little of the Daytona 500 (Dennis, not me)  and catch up on the news of the area.  They are here for a few weeks before heading back to Spokane, where they are preparing a final move back here for next year. They have quite a menagerie, dogs, llamas, chickens and more, so had to make it a quick trip.   Dennis had been emailing with them for the past few months, and we finally were able to hook up and meet.  Super nice couple, (Marge and Fred)  and  we all hit it off and chatted the night away.  They came back to our place for a bit of wine and watching the sunset before heading back to their little treehouse at Hostel del Refugo, one of my fav hostels in Boquete.
Update on the house.  Mortar is done.  Dennis is done with ladders for a while. Time to celebrate.  But wait, there's more to do.  Alas, celebrating will have to wait. We are going to have a big fiesta.  You are all invited.   "FRIENDS COME AND GO, LIKE THE WAVES OF THE OCEAN, BUT THE TRUE ONES STAY, LIKE AN OCTOPUS ON YOUR FACE." Robert Wiloborg

So this is why we haven't had water for 2 days

This is what you do with an ugly cement wall

Pond view at Nita's.  Just missed a bird taking off with a fish.

Front of Nita's Flea Market.  Lily, their pet monkey is sleeping.

Stuff everywhere

Young boy at St. Benito's

Noriega's private airstrip for running drugs in Panama

Let's meet here for coffee

Objects are closer than they appear

Hanging flowers in the gazebo

view of the finca Jansen

one of the paintings in the events room

My dream yoga class

Enjoying the views and the birds

Quitting time

Asking the worker for directions to the lake for fishing and kayaking next time

Mama's got new boots

Marge and Fred Epley, from Deer Park, Washington