The Seductively Sleepy Islands of Bocas del Toro, Panama by Peter Stevenson

I just read this really great article about the town of Bocas (where I'm staying currently) the surrounding archipelago, and even Casa Cayuco (where I just finished my house-sit) by Peter Stevenson, featured this month in Conde Nast Traveler.

The Bliss of the Bocas 
The Seductively Sleepy Islands of Bocas del Toro, Panama  
Columbus landed there. Graham Greene made it on his third try. Now our man in Panama, Peter Stevenson, falls under the laid-back spell of the islands of the Bocas del Toro. Welcome to the Caribbean that time forgot

I stepped blinking into the Panamanian sunshine outside the tiny airport in the Bocas del Toro archipelago and had to blink again. I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. In the front yard of a house across the street from the airport exit was the charred fuselage of a small plane very much like the one I had just taken from Panama City. Apparently no one—neither the airport officials, nor the airlines, nor the resort developers hoping to turn the islands of the Bocas del Toro into a Caribbean idyll—had thought to ask the owners of the house to dispose of the wreck. I looked back at the fuselage and thought, At least move it out of view. Or throw a tarp over it—maybe one saying something like welcome to panama.

Read full article here...

The Proving Ground by G. Bruce Knecht

This book on boat racing started out confusing for me. Listing too many crewmen to keep track of while adding things about boats that I still haven't learned about. Then, a few chapters in the story really takes over. I read the most of the book on a windy boat ride to and from town and found it riveting. I hope I never have to experience 1998 Hobart weather conditions, the likes of which Australia had never seen in summer. Boats flipped, boats sank, sailors died, and few made it to the finish line. The Hobart is a race in Australia that starts in Sydney harbor. I am now very intrigued to see a boat race. It's been suggested to me that I start off learning sailing by being a dead weight on racing boats. Sometimes racing boats need crew just to sit on different sides to add weight on the boat to help with the wind. I'll be sure to start with small races though, no overnight Hobart types for me just yet.I'm sure the marina in Toronto will be seeing a lot of me when I come back home. Great recommendation from Carl, Thanks!

Hello & Goodbye

The new house sitters have come and gone. Having recently been surfing myself and having watched 'Surfer, Dude' with Matthew McConaughey, I'm able to better empathize with their 'wanting a surf vacation' situation. On the second day they said "Hey, you didn't tell me the cockroaches were the size of my phone" While laughing I thought that was the best size description. The roaches do range from Nokia to iPhone.

In just three days they realized it was not the job for them. I can't blame them. They are coming to a very different environment than Jenn and I were blessed with. We had a bay full of excited cruisers and a motor boat to get ourselves into town among other things.

As a suggestion to any traveler: if you are going someplace new and staying for a while and making a commitment ASK QUESTIONS. You know what happens when you assume (ass/u/me) Don't go with information from two years ago. A lot can change in two years.  

Jenn and I were so excited to be living in a tree house with no address in the jungle. We absolutely loved our time at Cerro Velero. It was exactly what we were looking for. We made friends that we are eager to keep in touch with and visit with again. The dogs, Gelie and Indie have stollen our hearts. No matter how rustic the house seems to others it was perfect for us. It has been an inconvenience without having a boat but luckily the community here was very generous with us. It's hard to believe that time is already at a close and soon I'll also be saying goodbye to Jenn.

Jenn & I on the Camino Nov 2011

We met someone just the other day who on parting said in a way that warmed our hearts "I hope you miss your plane!" One of the biggest jokes of Bocas apparently is "I'm leaving soon". Jenn and I have floated ideas of other destinations. We're both excited to see where we meet up over the years. Road trip in North America, Horseback in Central America, live in Italy, our original plan of India? Pull a destination out of a hat...

A year since boarding a one way ticket

A year ago today I was repacking my bag for the umpteenth time wondering where my one way ticket would take me. To France, Spain and beyond. Tonight I sit under the stars and a bright moon in a bay on a boat. Today's events I couldn't have foreseen even from yesterday's vantage point. When I woke up this morning I thought I would be going on a trip nearby then waiting to welcome the new house sitters. As the saying goes "If you want to make god laugh, make plans."

Jenn and I have been housesitting for just over two months now. We've had hiccups but it hasn't deterred us from loving the house and our time here in Bocas del Toro. There was one week where we had no boat, no fridge and no internet. We still don't have a boat, our internet is not great but the fridge is on the mend. Its problem seems to be a matter of cleaning the back pipes out regularly from all the bugs that lodge themselves in the back. It's a propane fridge, the first one I've seen but they are very popular here. (A $6.40USD tank of propane lasts about 12 days)

Today I came inland (we're also boat sitting) and walking up the steps at 6:30am heard the Genny running. We hardly ever run the generator because we monitor our power and do laundry on days that are rich in sunlight. We unplug everything when we're not using it so there's no phantom charge and we don't use a lot of water so the water pump doesn't have to work hard and use up the power. As I was walking up the steps I thought maybe Jenn had been keen and started a load of laundry so we could hang it before we left for our day trip and it would be dry for the new house sitters.

That was not the case. A lot of learning happened today. Apparently the house wanted to make sure we learned a lot more about water pressure systems, batteries, generators and the whole system and how it works together. Sometime in the night a switch that is activated by a pressure gauge on a water system stopped working. Instead of turning off the pump kept going sucking so much power that our displays were angry with a red light indicating power was getting dangerously low. Having recently been told the damage that can happen to batteries when depleted we were anxious (to say the least). We called next door to Carl and Mary for advice and to cancel our trip.

I wont bore you with all the other things I learned but after being very sad to leave the day before Jenn and I are ready to embark on other adventures. If only the new house sitters had shown up! I've been a little bummed that the new house sitters aren't as chatty as I would have liked. Particularly after waiting all day and receiving a message just before sundown that they were only in Panama City. I've only had a very short chat two days ago with the newcomers, my favorite question so far was: "Are there bugs?"
To which I replied "yes, it's not a sealed house. There are lizards, geckos and the very occasional scorpion"
I looked up at Jenn and asked "I don't have to mention the cockroaches that are the size of your hand right? Those fall under 'bugs'?"
At least they don't bite or bother, they just hang out on the walls really.

So it's been a really tiring day and I've enjoyed recalling where I was last September 24th. So many new faces, places, changes and learning's. So many airplane rides, boating lessons and land exploration. If you walk out your front door, not sure where you'll end up some interesting things will happen. I guess that one way ticket was just what I needed to see the world of possibilities.

Spoiler alert: I'll be living on a boat!

The day to day in Panama

A praying mantis visits our vlog

In catching up on stories about Paris I've been leaving out details about Panama. Jenn and I have been doing a fun nightly Vlog that we're already excited to look back on. It's probably funniest for us. Now, how to explain Dolphin Bay, Bocas del Toro...

Me with a Kinkajou

A paradise to look at, with a great community feel. I have come in contact with more bugs and animals then ever before. I've gotten acquainted with a kinkajou, a possum, cicadas, dolphins, birds, snakes, fish, leaf bugs of all sorts, howler monkeys, sloths, ants galore, dogs and horses. Everyone that lives out here is a character with an amazing warm heart. Everyone looks out for each other here and together the cruisers and expats have made a welcoming Bay.

The view from the tree house

I usually wake up between 6-7am and enjoy a coffee as I look out onto the Bay. Jenn and I like to take in the view as we listen to the morning Net, a radio show that everyone in the area participates in. Sometimes we play a game of cribbage and are usually content just making fun of the trivia questions. We're the youngest house sitters in the area and the questions are usually about things 'before our time' and prefaced with "this is an easy one". (If it's so easy why do only two people ever participate with answers?) So sometimes we'll shout out ridiculous answers just for our own enjoyment.

Rana Azul "parking lot"

 The rest of the day is filled with house sitting duties (general clean up, walking the grounds, maintaining the solar batteries, feeding the dogs, paperwork for the worker) reading, writing, learning something new about sail boats, socializing and exploring the area. Every Wednesday there's a game of Mahjong but we've only been a couple times. Every Sunday the restaurant Rana Azul is open and it's a great way to see everyone in the area to catch up, enjoy some drinks and buy eggs. That's right, we buy our eggs when we go out to the restaurant from another patron who has hens. The weekly supply sells out pretty fast so we try to get there by noon.

Watching friends watch dolphins

We go into town to get our gas, propane, and food supply once a week. We use the propane for the stove and fridge. The gas is for the boat and generator. Our boat Cricket recently had some problems so we've been relying on the kindness of others to take us into town. We've had enough sun that we've only had to run the generator when we equalized the batteries for the solar energy.

The Treehouse

Jenn and I call this place the Treehouse. It's raised off the ground and level with the canopy of the surrounding trees. It's completely off the grid, running off solar power with a back up generator to use when needed. There are two huge water tanks that catch the rainwater that is collected from the large circular roof. We were happy to discover that if we're not catching sun, we're catching rain and always replenishing our basic needs. The washing machine runs off the solar energy and all the rain water is filltered first through a regular sieve to catch debris and then though a filter. Sometimes we put the rain water through another filter before drinking but we usually drink right from the tap.

A Troller (left) and a Panga (right)

The only way to get around here is by boat. There are no roads in the jungle and we're lucky to have a few well maintained foot paths. Jenn and I kayak around from time to time and love to visit the boats in our bay. That's right, only here 45 days and we're calling it "Our Bay". We've had a few cruiser dinners, pot lucks and juice bars where we've invited newcomers and returning boats up to the Treehouse so we can brush up on our sailing vernacular.