Hotel Ladera Boquete

... late night spot. I saw so many people<br>that I knew from school and around town. Then, on Saturday, I did some<br>volunteer work. I didn't go to the orphanage. I ended up at a reading<br>program in a rural town. Really, all we did was arts and crafts. The<br>kids colored with markers and they were amused by my attempts at<br>Spanish. They especially enjoyed playing with my digital camera. They<br>love to see themselves and until that day, they had never taken a photo<br>themselves ...

... them to the children ourselves- they looked so adorable in their new outfits and it really brought a smile to their faces! Thanks to Amy for making that happen. <br><br>Now it's off to dinner..tomorrow Paradise Gardens (a local animal refuge), if we're not rained out that is. Enjoy the photos, hope all is well at home! I can't believe it's October..I hear the pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks! Have one for me!<br><br>kisses &amp; hugs<br>Jaime (and Libby!)

... rum counteracts the dancing, so that doesn't count as exercise!). We're still not entirely sure if we are allowed to use the facility, but we're just going to keep acting like we know what we're doing and hopefully that will work! The Valle Escondido grounds are perfectly manicured- workers are constantly grooming the lawns and golf course- evening washing the windows of our house! I came home from the gym today and there was a man washing all of the ...

... of walking. We hopped on a boat stocked with all the necessary provisions one may need to pull an all-nighter in the middle of nowhere: fresh fish, lychees, grapefruits, a positive attitude, and lots and lots of beer! Now, I shouldn't say that island was completely uninhibited..there were a few thatched huts and one main "house" which consisted of some bamboo thrown together to create a platform that held 5 or 6 hammocks and a small kitchen. Apparently if you build ...

... 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 ...

... sand beaches, got in some fishing, and rubbed elbows with the locals, including the Kuna Indians who inhabit the islands. The rough early days of the sail were fading from memory when alas, it was time to set back out for our last day at sea to reach mainland Panama. This time only Bronwen braved sitting upright on deck, while the others lay below trying to stave off another day of puking. Feeling fine and starting to get the hang of ...

... them. The food provided us at Yandup was better than average, meals usually included seafood of some sort and rice. I would recommend this side trip as an interesting contrast to Panama City, which is very cosmopolitan because of the canal and other transportation enterprises that have flourished here. There is so much more, but time is short. Yesterday we got back to Panama City and walked into Casco Viejo. That is a whole ...

... 110 feet, I expect you are all now bored but here comes more. The ships are pulled through the lock and also kept from hitting the side of the lock by tug locomotives, they look far too small to be able to do this job. We also walked around the museum and watched a short movie about the history of the canal.

... to anything we have seen in the last three months. Thursday we fly to New York and then onto Mumbai. Both Myself and Mish can´t wait and we are very excited at the prospect of finally getting to India. In a little over a week we will meet up with Craig and Dave, our friends from back home. I´m looking forward to seeing my friends again. I have missed going out for drinks with everyone and can´t wait to see some familiar faces and catch ...

Hello to my wonderful f*mily *nd friends! Well, it is h*rd for me to remember wh*t *ll I h*ve done since the l*st time I wrote * blog!! * lot h*s h*ppened! I will st*rt with the kind of s*d news. Our trips to H*w*ii, the South P*cific, New Ze*l*nd *nd *ustr*li* got c*nceled. Everyone on bo*rd w*s * little bummed. It w*s c*nceled bec*use the owners w*nted to s*ve some money *nd go somewhere closer. G*s is pretty expensive, well it w*s expensive ...