Captain Miguel

We're really losing track of days now! I couldn't remember when we are moving to our next lodging, so I had Dad pack his bags this morning only to find out that we don't go until Friday! The island life is good for us... A few days ago we had a stormy day - it was like having a "snow day" back home - we didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. I took three naps, we read books, did crossword puzzles and then wandered out to the Pickled Parrot for snacks. That night (I think) we went across to Bocas Town and ate at an Italian restaurant, La Ballina (the whale), recommended by our hostess Joanne. It is a tiny little grotto, filled with cases of wine from all over the world. We had a fresh Greek vegetable salad, whole wheat bread (the first whole grain I've seen since we left the states), and PASTA! I never thought I'd get tired of fish and seafood but I'm afraid it happened. But all it took was one night of something different and I'm ready to tackle pescado and langostinos again. And yes, Philip, it's probably bad karma to eat the little fellas I've been enjoying playing with out in the water - I think that's why I became a vegetarian in the first place! :)

Yesterday we rented a water taxi that was manned by Captain Miguel. He's a member of the local Bocaterenos boat guild - the little guys that are trying to stay in business while the "big boys" are moving into town with their larger tour companies.

Miguel took us out to Boca del Drago beach where there is a little restaurant and bar on the far side of Isla Colon. The seas were still a bit rough from the wind so Miguel suggested we eat first and relax, then maybe the water would calm down a bit for snorkeling on the way back. There were hardly any other boats on the way out, I guess there's not quite enough gringos around yet to fill tours in that direction. While we were eating at the outdoor cafe a long hand-carved wooden boat pulled into the beach and started unloading case after case of sodas and huge tanks of propane. We lost count around 50 cases of soda (in glass bottles, not cans), and probably well over 300 pounds of propane. We were just amazed at how much cargo and weight this boat could carry.

After a margarita and some garlic langostinos...

.. we motored to Starfish Beach where the sandy water is usually filled with starfish. Since it's been windy and rainy the visibility was poor but Miguel found one nice starfish for us to see. I could tell our captain wished it was better conditions, but for us just being here is awesome and neither of us care if it's "perfect" or not.
The next stop was a coral area with beautiful clear water. Dad even put on his snorkeling gear and jumped in with me for awhile! We saw anenomes, black spiny things that I didn't want to run into and lots of fish. I saw some sort of eel winding it's way through the coral but it was gone before Dad could get a glimpse of it. It was a sunny day but I actually got cold in the water so we called it a day and had Miguel take us back to Casa Acuario. We'll probably give him a call in a few days when we're settled in at our next place and have him take us out to Coral Cay again for more snorkeling. He's a great guide and we manage to talk quite a bit despite the language barrier. He keeps reminding us "no fret"... smart guy!


We napped a bit in the afternoon and then took a water taxi back to Bocas Town and tried a new restaurant called Buena Vista. Yum! We had quesadillas with fresh garlicky salsa, satay chicken kabobs and an organic chocolate brownie ice cream monstrosity for dessert.

Dad and I were noticing again this morning that there have been hardly any bugs in Panama. I had expectations of hordes of mosquitos, roaches to rival Godzilla and assorted creepy crawlies but they haven't shown up yet! The only thing I've had to deal with (they pretty much stay away from Dad) are the chitres or sand fleas. They seem to have an affinity for my skin, but if that keeps them off of Dad then it's ok. They are teeny black specks that pack quite a punch in the bite departement. But other than itching like mad they're no real threat. So at night I dot cream, goo and baking soda all over and jump in bed for an itch-free sleep.

I think I am finally "getting" Bocas. I've been enjoying it thoroughly here in the islands and feel very relaxed but yesterday something changed. I think I've got the groove in my blood now and it feels great...