El Oasis Boquete

... because one of the ex-presidents passed away, so the whole country was in "mouring". AKA "we don't have to work tomorrow so let's drink!" We didn't do much in the way of mourning, but we did do some serious relaxing.

Friday we volunteered at the orphanage, per usual, and had class in the afternoon. Then we hopped on a bus bound for David and my mom! We picked her up, bags and all, and were in Boquete around 6:30. Of course I was excited to see ...

... We came home for lunch and headed down to Habla Ya for class. I really like my new professor and I feel like I'm learning a lot. Plus it's great living with Rebecca because she can answer any questions I have outside of the classroom. It's strange because I can understand Spanish really well, but I just don't know how to form a response. I need to work on vocab and verb conjugations...but I think with practice, I'll get it. I'm comfortable enough ...

... is also one of the most challenging in Panama. Pity we couldnt find it then! We took a collectivo all the way up a massively steep mountain in the Volcan Baru National Park to the Ranger Station and got dropped off outside. It was closed with no signage up saying why or how we were supposed to pay for tickets into the park. We also couldnt seem to find the start of the trail either. Alan went exploring and came across a trail winding up into the mountain. We set off ...

... I could probably spend hours watching that sort of stuff, but it was time to head back to our part of town for some shopping. We picked up a few knick-knacks, and wandered around for a while. I was admiring the architecture of the buildings and taking inventory on the local flora and fauna, when Farida brought something to my attention. I guess she began to notice that there are a lot of pretty girls here, and that....ahem...their ...

... etc. We made a group with some people we had met, hired a guide and really had a great tour. Chile is a beautiful country, and this was our 2nd time there. We would still like to take the time someday to do a trip from the north to the south of this fascinating country. On the ship itself we kept busy. Sid found card buddies and played some bridge and rummy, and I managed to walk most days plus do a yoga class. It was a nice cruise ...

... I manage the local phones and book our partial canal trip for Saturday, the only day it runs. We spend the day in the casco Antiguo (the old town) and this is good, now substantially renovated with balconied buildings, waterfront, churches and museums. The french were based here at the turn of the century on the original canal works. Of course I am in my element here - 2 French insolvencies, buiding disputes, financial scandal and dodgy dealings when the US ...

... rostis! I go one step further and make oatmeal cookies and cappuccinos and even a cheesecake for after dinner - a day of food and it's great to be cooking again! The five of us head to El Tunco, on the coast, and chill out in hammocks after tiring ourselves out on surfboards. We arrive in time for the local ping-pong championship and get suitably drunk joining in. Time to say goodbye again, to El, Jack, Ali, Meg and to El Salvador as I head over into Nicaragua and the ...

... place where there was some party amongst a group of friends. We jumped in the car and I sort of fell asleep in between times of Brown (Roberts dog) deciding that she didn't like the boot and would climb over the back seat inadvertently managing to rub her ass into my face. 6 or so hours later we arrived and the swell was um... big. It was about 8-10 foot and there were about 40-50 guys already in the water. In my fatigued state I made the 40 minute paddle out the back ...