Playa Bluff Lodge Isla Colon

... 00. The next day we went around the corner to a little market and saw Styrofoam ice chests for $8.50. So Carla, the owner of our hotel, will now inherit a pail and ice chest when we leave.
We are leaving this afternoon to fly back to Panama City. We will then take a 30 minute taxi ride to Gamboa resort overlooking the Panama Canal. We will spend 2 nights there and take a ˝ day cruise through the Canal tomorrow.

... hanging out and not doing anything besides enjoying the surroundings. I enjoyed the beach and Ed enjoyed the air conditioning and CNN. When I reached the beach, got set up, within 3-5 minutes, I was dripping in sweat. A breeze came and went which naturally cools the body. I remained in the direct sun for an hour which was plenty! The temperature was around 92 degrees and probably 87% humidity. I checked and guess what? No hummingbirds ...

As soon as we arrived in Bocas del Toro island we began a frantic search for somewhere that would be showing the Six Nations rugby grandslam decider. We soon learned that it was American spring break as accomodations were quite full and all we could find was American college basketball everywhere so we had to settle for watching it on the internet. Luckily we managed ...

... knees! I lost my sunglasses. Danielle fell a few times and was covered in mud, pants ripped, and a pretty deep cut at the bottom of her foot. I was hoping that by the time we got to the beach we would find an alternate route back - which was not the case. We founnd a slightly easier path but it was still muddy. All that trouble for a quick beach visit! The large group at the hostal made a huge Christmas dinner but since it was mostlyfish danielle ...

We found a house to rent! On an unplanned impulse we have decided to live here for at least a month. Things have just worked out to stay on and it feels right for us all. We are regulars at the hospital/nursing home and we're not ready to leave them yet. Erin has found love with Doctor Luis. Silvia has found love in creating various kinds of braided art. I have found love surfing at Carenero Point. Ahh. Living in Panama. That's one to tell the grandkids... My last ...

... and life and she always offers steady advice combined with warnings to take care, "They're killing people out there!..." she laments. Michael Robinson, whose family all died a while ago, who has travelled, and who likes to buy lottery tickets and cigarettes when he has money. A dear man, the kind you would love to be your grandfather. Silvia, who is deaf and wails away in pain some days. Other days, she is more peaceful and looks at you curiously. She appreciates it ...

... paint walls. All wet and sleep-deprived, we waited silently for our boat to take us to Bocas. Erin opened a juicebox and we passed it around, taking sips from the straw for breakfast. The shallow wide boat, with its barred roof and plastic side flaps, combined with the rough seas was actually a lot of fun. I felt myself whooping as the driver accelerated and bounced over the tops of the waves. The trick seemed to be that more speed meant better skimming over the tops ...

... blood stream. She gave me her card ostensibly so I could e-mail her about having dinner or drinks the next day (she bailed), but I did learn about the quackery that is "StemEnhance." Ok, I also found the nude photo on her personal website, but I was doing scientific research. Thursday, following a good chicken liver pate and some disappointing clams, I hit a couple of different happy hours at bars with waterfront patios and checked out ...

... as he made us custom earrings. He gave us a huge compliment and said ¨Ustedes no son turistas sino viajeras¨!! We also met a young couple at our hotel who just graduated from Berkley - we went snorkling with them yesterday and are going into town with them tonight. Our experience here has been incredible. We´ve been hanging out at Red Frog Beach and yesterday we took a boat to the Zapatillas islands. We´ve ...

... which was very kind. They reminded us though that the starfish were alive, and to not hold them out of the water for long.

We basically just relaxed on the beach and snorkeled with the starfish. I read my book, "Jaws," which I borrowed from the hostel. Afterwards we grabbed a couple of coca-colas at the outdoor restaurant until the taxi came back to pick us up.