Aeeshah

 

PHOTOS —>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/L5g25K93mENAvLdn9

Golfito, 

While still awaiting the arrival of the new engine part, we got on with what we needed and wanted to get done, plus enjoyed all the beautiful parrots and macaws we saw everyday.

Dinghy wheels are a real necessity on the Pacific side with the tides being quite formidable. Taking advantage of being attached to a dock at Banana Marina, John hauled the dinghy out and proceeded to attach our new wheels. Our next step was to try them out.

We went across to the peninsular opposite Banana Bay had a look around the bay with its amazingly, green, foliage, from the mangroves at the shoreline to the mammoth trees covering the hillsides. 

When reaching the bar area we chose a spot and ran the dinghy ashore. All went well, the wheels made it much easier to pull the dinghy’s weight up the beach. Admittedly there was no surge, nor any rollers to contend with. 

The beach was covered with tiny crabs and their amazing, sand art. I was fascinated by the symmetry of each crab’s sand trail.

The beach area was really quite shabby. It must be what’s been left from a camp of some sort. 

To break the week up and relieve the boredom:

we again rented a car.

On our first day trip we drove up through the mountains along a roadway that wound around and around affording us some lovely views of the slopes and valleys around.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

The Robert and Catherine Wilson Botanical Garden has a rich, internationally recognized collection of tropical plants from around the world. Over 1,000 genera in more than 200 plant families form the unique collection that is an integral part of the Las Cruces Research Station. There are hundreds of bromeliads and orchids; dozens of philodendrons and other aroids of all sizes; scores of heliconias; plus ferns, gingers, marantas, giant bamboo and close 500 species of palms well represented on the 12-hectare (30-acre) site.

The Wilson Botanical Garden is part of “La Amistad Biosphere Reserve” that encompasses 472,000 hectares of park land and buffer zones centered in the southern Talamanca mountain range in Costa Rica’s South Pacific.”

Was our planned visit today. We arrived and were greeted by a friendly receptionist, given a map and off we went.

Our first stop was the observation tower, walking along a beautiful pathway in the shade of huge trees we both enjoyed the walk.

From the tower we could see all across the adjoining mountain slope, off far into the distance.

Not surprisingly all ahead was greens or every hue and shade as far as one could see.

We followed several other pathways around other areas, starting with area:

E the bamboo, as it was sign posted. One clump of bamboo was amazingly enormous, not only in height but also each stalk/branch was massive.

Quite incredible considering it’s a part of the grass family. 

D – Dracaenas, was the next pathway which looped around through wonderful gardens and headed to the dining room for lunch. 

Lunch was a set menu with a set price and it was excellent. Lasagna, salad, cauliflower and a ginger cake dessert. We were both surprised that there were no other guests. And were guessing it was because of it being low season. 

After lunch we continued our explorations of the exquisite gardens starting with the pathway F. Gingers.

On our way we saw a few Agouti. They were hunting through the brush for berries and nuts to eat. Such cute animals, looking like a huge Guinea pig but with the legs of a short deer. 

The gingers flowers were very impressive, with so many varieties and all under the huge, shade, trees which made for a lovely, walk.

Marantas were the next area, followed by Bananas. Our final loop took in the bromeliads, which I love!

The orchids were a bit of a disappointment as they were in locked greenhouses, but we had a peek of a few.

We finished off by passing  through the butterfly garden,

where we saw enormous honey bees. And finally the glasshouse with the differing cactus. 

As we were leaving we noticed the clouds moving in from across the mountains and sure enough misty rain began to fall followed by the regular late afternoon downpour.

Back at the boat it was as if we had never left. Chico had made many new friends. This time they were the folks going and coming from fishing trips. They loved Chico, he was very happy to be admired!

Day 2

Piedras Blancas National park and mountain drive:

Piedras Blancas National park was our destination for the morning. We needed to find the park entrance.

I had googled and researched with my best results being it was near the settlement of La Gamba. Off we went up the incredibly, rough, mountain road/track out of the end of town.

Again the slopes were so amazingly, green, jungle foliage, lush and dense, trees and vines with steep sided gorges and streams pouring down.

Nearing the top we followed a road that branched off and was sign posted Piedro Blancas National Park. We did pass through what I guessed was the settlement where we thought the palm oil workers lived. This led to acres and acres of palm oil fincas.

The farms or fincas as they are called stretched for as far as one could see. There were also a few small cattle farms with the cattle enjoying the lush pastures. 

Palm oil

We encountered a fellow with a couple of horses that had baskets on their back where the palm oil fruits were being carried. He was trying to get a colt to the side of the lane so as we could pass.

We also saw where the palm oil “crop” was being stored.

The massive acres of palm oil stretched for miles. Neither of us had realized it was such an important crop in Costa Rica. 

We had seen in the town of Golfito many huge trucks used for transporting the oil to a storage facility. Plus we had seen a ship along side the town dock where other tankers were loading the oil.

Upon looking it up we learnt:

“In many areas in Southern Costa Rica where banana used to be cultivated, African palm has taken over. Palma Tica, (Grupo Numar), owns some 35,000 hectares, and the Farmers United in Co-opeagropal some 10,000 hectares.”

After not finding the Piedras Blancas National park entrance we headed towards the mountains to enjoy some cooler temperatures.

The beginning part of the drive had us driving along side a massive river, the Sierpe River. It was a brown water river flowing down from the mountains through an impressive gorge which we drove along, stopping for photos of course.

By this time we were getting hungry and so started to look for a lunch stop. Neither of us wanted to stop at the roadside cafes, but wanted something more exciting. 

Further along we saw a sign which looked interesting, “Chocuacos”

Chocuacos

Turning onto a very, steep, downhill, dirt track, I was a bit freaked out, as there was no-way we could turn around if we had to. By then we were committed and down and down we went until we came to a lovely lagoon, with waterlilies outside an attractive restaurant. 

Chocuacos turned out to be a delightful family venture. The Dad had reforested a cattle farm and built the restaurant next to the old cattle pond that is fed from a fresh water spring.

We both enjoyed looking around, chatting with the family and having an excellent lunch. And I loved all the water birds seen around the lagoon.

Plus there were bats roosting on the inside of the restaurant area. They were so sweet, just hanging up above us.

Believe it or not, but, after lunch, we found our car windshield had a busted area. The culprit was a mango off the tree under which we had parked!

The rest of the afternoon we drove through the mountains enjoying the views and the cooler mountain air.

until eventually the clouds descended, and the afternoon rain arrived.

A few days later our engine part arrived. It had sat in the city San Jose for a week……

John got everything back together. The engine was great, better than ever with less rattle.

John went to the Port Captain as here in Costa Rica you need a zarpe from port to port. They like to know where visiting boats are located. It took 2 days to be completed. And finally we were ready to move on.

4. Costa Rica boasts an intriguing legend surrounding the Blue Morpho butterfly: some indigenous communities believe that encountering a Blue Morpho brings good luck and symbolizes a visit from departed loved ones.

5. Beyond its reputation for relaxation, “Pura Vida” is also a philosophy deeply ingrained in Costa Rican culture, encouraging individuals to embrace life’s simple pleasures and prioritize happiness over material wealth.

16. Within the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve lies a hidden wonder: the “Enchanted Tree,” a centuries-old strangler fig believed by locals to possess mystical powers and serve as a guardian of the forest.

 

PHOTO ALBUM LINK ——>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/RTf6EeCRAhDNYPfBA

Golfito

Costa Rica’s southernmost town is located on the Golfo Dulce, the Sweet Gulf, across from the Osa Peninsula, just a little over 20 miles from the Panama border.

We were anchored off of Banana Marina, in Golfito, where we could access the shore via their docks, use their facilities like laundry and all for a small fee per week. 

A Costa Rican check in:

The first chore was checking in. We were directed by Yessica at the Banana Marina office where to start, where to go and plus she photo copied 7 copies of every document she said we needed copied, of which there were 9 documents! Yes, 63 copies to hand out, just crazy.

To start we headed to the Health and Agriculture folks. This proved to be the most time consuming procedure. We started here just after 9am and were not finished with them until after 1:00pm. There were papers to fill out, copies to be handed in, copies made, folks to consult and then we had to go back to Banana Marina to await an inspection of our food. The inspector, a young fellow called Michael, arrived and we took him in the dinghy out to Aeeshah. He was totally made up with Chico, had photos taken of him to show his boss and family. He checked all our foods and saw we had very little and that was it. 

Next we had to walk with him to his office where he had to fill out further forms which he then emailed to us while we sat there. Off we had to go back to Jessica, for her to photo copy those forms too, so we could take those copies to all the other offices…..just soooo much paperwork. 

We stopped for lunch next at a quaint street side resturante. It was a very local place, complete with the old fellow sleeping out front in his chair. 

Off to find Immigration, next we sorted Customs, and finally out to the far end of town to the Dock Master, just getting finished as they were closing up at 3:30pm. 

Around Golfito:

We took the dinghy out for a tour around the shores of Golfito. Along the shoreline are the local homes, most of them on stilts with their boats outside.

Behind the homes and across the road sit a few shops and then behind them the slopes of the tropical rainforest rise 1,700ft. In the water in front were their fishing boats.

Beyond the shores of the town of Golfito is jungle, wild, rain forest, untouched land except for a few rare rustic cottages. We enjoyed the dinghy around the massive bay and were totally amazed by the birds. We had Scarlet Macaws fly past, we saw hawks, vultures and many small colourful birds that I had never see before.

The town of Golfito was built in the 1930s as a company town to provide housing and facilities for the employees of the United Fruit Company. The company operated in Costa Rica from 1899 till 1984. For 40 years Golfito was the main banana port, but due to labour problems and higher costs the company abandoned Costa Rica for Ecuador. 

Each day we would walk along the roadway into the town to visit one of the 2 grocery stores. Along the way there was always something to see, a guy painting a scene on steps,

a retired banana train in the park by the ferry dock and incredibly:

Scarlet Macaws:

Scarlet Macaws feasting on the fruits of trees. Macaws are such a common sight that nobody pays them much attention. They fly over the boat everyday, we hear them chatting in the jungle and yes after a while its easy to take them for granted. To see them is still for me a real thrill.

Banana Trains:

The abandoned trains I learned had started running in the 1940s hauling tons of bananas from the fields to Golfito for export. The train in the park was known as the Black engine or Locomotive 81.

It served on the southern railway line to connect the Golfito region of Costa Rica for banana transportation and people. It hauled as many as 40 carloads of bananas. It was build In 1940 by Manufacturer: Baldwin Locomotive. The trains too were abandoned when the United Fruit Company left and the banana farms closed. 

Earthrace ship:

One evening we were invited by a fellow called Robert to go aboard an unusual looking vessel that was anchored near us. It looked like an old USA military ship. Robert was “boat-sitting” for the vessel and its resident dog, Adda.

Once aboard we found out it was part of the group Earthrace. It patrols the waters off of Costa Rica and Panama to stop illegal fishing and such activities.

Personally I could not live aboard this type of vessel it was just too rustic. John was super happy to get to explore the engine room. We were shown around the whole ship, each deck, the galley, the crews quarters, the bridge etc. It was quite interesting. The dog Adda was lovely! 

After a trip to a much larger grocery store situated on the Pan American highway where we stocked up, we felt it was time to move on.

Tides: 

Since being in the area we have noticed some amazing tides. Not being used to such, we find the 10ft – 11ft tides quite awesome. John watches the marina dock’s “poles”. The huge concrete pillars that the docks rise and fall up and down.

Golfito Dulce:

Away from the Golfito area we went heading towards Casa Qrquideas where there was supposed to be a botanical gardens to visit.

We arrived, the shoreline was lovely, wild and just so green, but the place we were looking for no longer existed. It was now a resort.

Never mind, we enjoyed the anchorage and the view of the jungle slopes.

Rincon:

At the very end of Golfito Dulce was our next destination.

Arriving later in the day we had a nasty surprise when the engine would not reverse to pull back on the anchor nor go ahead….engine problems!!

Of course to round things off, the weather erupted, lightening, thunder, torrential rain and winds of about 30kts. We were lucky the anchor held.

Back at Banana Bay:

The next day bright and very early, we up anchored with the dinghy attached to Aeeshah’s side, set the sails and drifted off towards Golfito and Banana Bay Marina.

It was a very slow, hot, passage of about 2 – 3kts most of the time, for the distance of 25miles.

Finally arriving in the later afternoon, we anchored off Banana Bay and made arrangements to enter the next morning. Under dinghy power we made it safely into the dock.

Engine problems:

John was fairly certain he knew what that problem was in the transmission.

He disconnect the propeller shaft, in order to get to the transmission, so as to get to the drive plate. He found that the drive plate had broken apart, smashed, scattering the pieces into the bell housing.

A new drive plate was ordered from the USA, goodness knows how long it would take to arrive. We were held hostage till its arrival.

Car ventures:

We made arrangements to hire a car by going to the very new and fancy marina at the far end of Golfito. It looks like a very nice marina, but the prices are just crazy.

However one can hire a car there for the going rate. We thought 2 days of exploring the surrounding area would be wonderful to break the tedium of awaiting the engine part’s delivery at a hot marina dock. 

Day 1:

off we headed towards Mirador Las Torres do de Jovita and Mirador La Torre Cerro Adams in the Golfito National Wildlife Reserve:

To reach these miradors we had to turn up a narrow, unpaved, rough track that led uphill from the Golfito road. It really was quite an adventure driving along this lane through the trees with a huge drop on one side and the jungle slope on the other.

Thank goodness we never met another vehicle! Up and up we drove, finally coming to what we took as the 1st mirador, as there was a gap in the trees and therefore a viewpoint. The view was lovely looking out over the bay. We could see all the way to the Pacific beyond Golfito Dulce.

Further up we drove to yet another viewpoint where we could see even more of the bay and further into the distance.

Deciding to continue along this very rough lane to see what was at the end, we found a small casa that had a sign up saying Cocoa for sale.

John parked and we walked up a path where we found a lovely garden and above a porch. The lady of the Casa invited us up to the porch where we sat and enjoyed a coke each. (I think the sign meant Coca Cola)

The view was stunning!! This was a true mirador. We could see right across the top of the bay and over some of the countryside. 

I was also really happy to be able to sit on the porch and see many different colorful birds. They were so tame, not worried at all by our presence.

 

While enjoying our drinks the lady who was called Konica was cooking on her rustic, outdoor stove. Being curious I went to have a look. I saw she was roasting a very large bean shaped seed pod.

Konica broke it open and started scooping out the dark brown inside and eating it. She offered me some, and Wow! It tasted wonderful! As Konica said almost like chocolate, dark sweet chocolate.

She very kindly gave us some to enjoy, plus a whole seed pod to roast back at Aeeshah. Konica also explained it was very good to have with milk at night for a good nights sleep. 

Upon returning to Aeeshah I researched the seed pod:  Carao seed pods:

They come from the tree commonly known of as Pink Shower, a relative of the Golden Shower.

What is miel de carao?

It grows in forests and open fields at lower elevations, and is known to be planted as an ornamental tree. In at least Costa Rica, its pods are stewed into a molasses-like syrup, taken as a sweetener and for its nutritional and medicinal effects, called Jarabe (or Miel) de Carao. Cassia grandis. 

We headed off back down the bumpy, wild, trail and along the way spied a couti family.

and an amazing flock of toucans perched in the branches of a dead tree. We counted 15 of toucans.

They were all squawking at each other, perhaps arguing, or discussing the days plans, what ever they were making quite a ruckus. We watched them for about 10 minutes until most had flown away. I believe they were: Chestnut Mandible Toucans

Further along a hawk flew off the lane and perched in a tree branch near us. Dangling from its talons was a snake wriggling to try to get away.

Playa Palvones

Our next destination was Playa Palvones which is reputed to be: One of Central and South America’s very best surfing hotspots. Found at the mouth of Golfo Dulce Playa Pavones, Peacock Beach, is a reputed world-class venue, with the world’s second longest wave in terms of length, height, speed, and swell.

   Along the way we passed many fincas/farms. Some were cattle farms and some were farming palm oil. We were both surprised to see so much palm oil being farmed.

Again the road was quite rough, pot-holed, and narrow, with crazy bridges, but at least it was flat.

The Playa Palvones area turned out to be gorgeous! The beach just goes on forever and ever, the colors were startling, and hardly anyone around.

It was lunchtime and we found a lovely restaurant La Choza De Gaby. There we enjoyed a wonderful meal. It was a family restaurant which basically catered to the surfers of which there are usually plenty, however the seas are down, so no big surf for surfers yet. 

Back to the beach we drove to enjoy a walk along its shores. 

John started chatting to the only fellow on the beach and it turned out his wIfe was a Bermudian, Nancy Mc Ellen. The fellow had us go to their bungalow which was nearby to say hello.

Turned out she had been ahead of me in school by some years and taught by my mother. What a small world. After a chat we headed off back along the beach, to the car and back to Banana Bay after a wonderful day. 

   Day 2:

Piedras Blancas National Park

We followed the road through Golfito, past the airstrip and into the jungle slopes. This was part of the Piedras Blancas National Park.

Driving along the rough track through the jungle we kept our eyes peeled for any birds or wild life. The best we saw this day was a hawk. However the jungle slopes were lovely.

 Off to Rincon

Along the road that led to Rincon we were again surprised to see palm oil farms. The road was quite high in the slopes above Golfito Dulce with a few view points which we decided to stop for on our return.

Upon reaching Rincon we stopped to look out into the bay where we had anchored for the night that we lost the engine. Being a lovely day the bay looked gorgeous.

We had a very nice lunch at a restaurant there.

I spent my time trying to capture shots of the birds.

There are so many lovely birds in Costa Rica.

On our return drive we stopped at the view points and then at a cafe that had a viewpoint.

There we enjoyed a Passion Fruit smoothie while looking out at the terrific view and watching toucans in the trees.

Another wonderful day trip.

A couple of Costa Rica facts:

1. Costa Rica’s forests are home to an astounding array of creatures, including the world’s tiniest squirrel species, the aptly named “pygmy squirrel,” which measures just a few inches in length.

2. The decision to abolish the army in 1948 was not only a move towards peace but also stemmed from a unique circumstance: after a brief civil war, the victorious side opted to invest in education and healthcare instead of maintaining military forces.

3. While many know about Costa Rica’s active volcanoes, few realize that the country also hosts one of the world’s few accessible underwater volcanic vents, known as “Black Smoke” or “Black Smokers,” found off its Pacific coast.

 

 

PHOTO ALBUM —>>. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DJSpAUVGQJKgsEjd9

 

La Playita

Is basically an anchorage where one waits to leave. It is susceptible to the wash from all the tugs, pilot boats, workboats, large fishing boats and shipping that constantly passes.

It is also an anchorage that is reliant on using the marina dock as that is the only dock. We were there for a few days waiting for my mouth to recover.

Yep I had to see a dentist that day after we left the canal as I had a terribly sore jaw. It was decided that I needed to have a crown and a tooth removed, so that was why we needed to “hang around” in the uncomfortable La Playita anchorage. 

On the plus side for the anchorage we were near tons of wonderful shops, shopping plazas, malls and similar.

We were lucky for find a wonderful taxi driver Doixe, who was very happy to serve as our driver for a day. We managed to get our laundry done, the propane tank filled, all our grocery shopping completed and our Soda Stream tank refilled. He really was a great source of information too. 

On the day we checked out we had another wonderful taxi driver Oscar. I was still feeling lousy and he made my day so much easier. 

While we were in the La Playita anchorage our friends Cecile and Sylivan were there too. We had first met them in 2012 when we crossed from Florida to the Bahamas with them, and last seen the in 2016 Rio Dulce.

They invited us aboard their catamaran for a celebratory drink and dinner. It was a wonderful evening catching up with old friends. 

Isla Tobaga:

Was our 1st stop upon getting away from La Playita. The main reason for stopping there was to make water, plus to say goodbye to Syl and Cecile who had moved there some days before.

This anchorage is off of a tourist town. The town itself looked quite Spanish/European, attractive and quaint. Each morning the ferries arrived with their cargo of humanity.

The music was pumped out, normally salsa type, the beach chairs were filled and aromas of food cooking drifted out to the anchorage. We never went ashore, it did look interesting but we were busy.

We sailed off to:

Isla Bona:

What a surprise this island was, at 700ft it had steep slopes that were browned by soil and rocks. Trees grew, but were mainly leafless, bare branches.

There were rusty, colored, rocks and cliffs which at first glance looked lifeless, until one looked closely and then you could see hundreds, yes hundreds of birds.

In fact more like thousands of birds were roosting or nesting all the way up the slopes. 

We anchored in a small bay where we were surrounded by birds. After lunch we went in the dinghy to explore the shoreline. There were Pelicans, cormorants, boobies, Frigate birds, flying, roosting, swimming and fishing all around.

Schools of fish were being chased by dolphins, the seabirds were chasing each other for a fish meal, there was action everywhere. We both found the isle to be quite incredible! 

We both would have loved to spend more time at the Isla Bona anchorage, but we were to do an over night passage to our next anchorage.

Playa Benao:

After an overnight that John mainly covered we arrived at Playa Benao. Described as one of Panama’s premier surf spots the bay did offer shelter at one end.

This was a very, very, large bay where one end was protected from the huge Pacific waves by an island and a rocky sand bar.

The sound of the surf crashing ashore was the dominant sound, the spray was in the air everywhere giving the huge bay a hazy unfocused glare. There were surfers in the shallow surf and others way out in the huge rollers. I guessed they represented different levels of skill.

Later during the afternoon there were folks riding horses along the beach. Chico was quite amazed by the one horse galloping down the beach.

We spent a quiet day, John recouping from the overnight which he covered while I did odds and ends.

Out we motor-sailed at 6:30am the next morning heading to our next destination. The scenery was spectacular even with the cloudy hazy conditions.

At one stage we passed kayakers sports fishing and video recording themselves. Neither of us had ever seen or heard of such as game fishing from a kayak. Doing a Google search, thanks to starlink, sure enough this is an option off the wild Pacific  Panama coast. 

The shoreline being compared to Jurassic park is a fair comparison, just wild jungle on mountain slopes with steep, cliffs of a red clay and huge seas crashing ashore. 

After 9 hours of a mix from motoring to motor- sailing to even a few hours of sailing we arrived at:

Ensenada Naranjo, (Naranjo Bay):

This bay lies at the southwestern corner of the Azuero peninsular. It is a beautiful bay!  One can see where some of the land has been cleared for cattle farming but the rest is jungle. Along the steep farmed slopes cattle grazed while from the jungle we heard howler monkeys, a very odd mix.

There was a fishing boat setting nets in the bay. On the shore we could see the small farm buildings. The evening was lovely, the swell not too bad, and we had a good night’s sleep. 

The next morning we lowered the dinghy to explore the bay. After a cruise around the very scenic bay we attempted to go ashore at one of the smaller bay towards the end of the larger bay. 

Well, that did not go well! The next thing I knew I had been knocked into the bottom of the dinghy and John was yelling, “get up!!” The surf was splashing over me, the dinghy as being dragged sideways. I was sure we were going to be flipped. Apparently the engine had cut out as John was about to surf the dinghy ashore, the surge tail-ended us and washed over us. After, managing to get out of the dinghy, grabbing hold of it, fighting the surge, and pulling like hell we managed to get it ashore. No easy feat as it had water in it and the surge rose up the beach by a good 15ft. Anyway we managed to get the dinghy somewhat up the beach, but with the surf we didn’t have long to walk around before we needed to get back in and out of there, as we learnt, the Pacific surf is mega strong….even when it looks not so. 

I was fascinated by the crabs with their balls of sand. They were all over the beach, scurrying about making sand balls.

Another surprise for me has been the Frangipani trees covered in lovely blossoms that were growing everywhere along the shoreline. 

After cleaning up back at Aeeshah we lifted the anchor and headed off. After a wonderful sail we arrived at:

Isla Cebaco west – Ensenada Naranja:

Again a huge, bay with steep jungle slopes. There was one large beach, several smaller beaches, cliffs, and rocky shoreline a real mix which made for stunning scenery. Anchored on one side was a supply vessel for the sports fishermen, of which we saw none.

After a restful night with little rolling, we decided to stay the day and enjoy the bay. Surprisingly a small cruise ship arrived and anchored at the mouth of the bay. The guests were taken to the supply vessel, to a few of the bay’s and then they departed. 

We went in the dinghy around the bay for a look see. As said the bay was huge so this took over an hour.

We had a comfortable passage to our next stop:

Isla Brincanco:

Anchoring in yet another large bay where we were well sheltered from the surge. The forested slopes around us were dense, I would think impenetrable. The water was turquoise and very clear. However it became quite hot and uncomfortable during the evening and night due to lack of breeze. Plus we had swarms of a small flying bugs. It looked like a mosquito, but was smaller, a real nuisance bug. Out of the bay we headed, and after 20 odd miles of travel under an overcast sky with choppy seas we arrived at:

Isla Cabada, in the Islas Secas:

These Islas are stunning! We anchored off an area that is an exclusive resort, with its own airstrip, plane, (which landed right after we arrived), a supply barge, pleasure boats, etc. However we hardly saw a soul, it was so exclusive not a person in sight. The bay we were in had wonderfully clear water and very pretty isles which would have been fun to explore. 

We had our first big rain shower, thunder, lightning event. The temperature dropped noticeably which was wonderful and made for a good night’s rest. 

Up and off to our next destination which was 6 and 1/2 hours away. Unfortunately most of the day was spent motoring with a choppy swell, not my favorite type of travel, we arrived off of:

Isla Parida in Bahia Mogote Sepaicro: 

It was not our 1st choice for the night, but it proved to be a wonderful bay. The area is not far from the Panamanian mainland and so there were someday trippers about, plus fishermen in their rough mother-boats.

The bay was wonderfully calm, with clear water, palm tree lined beaches and a gentle breeze. We went for a look about in the dinghy.

The shoreline again had frangipani trees in flower, which were simply beautiful. The rocks again were the ruddy, red, iron boulders, the sands were this time a mix of whitish sand and what they call black sand, which to me looks like grey gravel. 

We were again treated to heavy rain, thunder and lightening during the evening, which soon passed and left lovely fresh air behind.

Next morning we were off to our last Panamanian anchorage:

Punta Balsa:

This was what they call an open highway anchorage. In other words it’s wide open to the ocean. We anchored off of what we guessed correctly was a small guest house.

There was the sound of howler monkeys in the trees ashore plus a few fishermen laying nets, otherwise this was a very quiet anchorage. Due to a massive sand bar off the point/Punta we were quite sheltered from most of the ocean swell.

It wasn’t forecast to rain, but sure enough the rain clouds building in the distance came along and visited us with a lovely shower rinsing off the day’s salt spray.

It was a peaceful night in this very open anchorage.

Gofito, Costa Rica 

Our passage to Gofito, Costa Rica was long and slow. Unfortunately there was little wind that day, but fortunately the seas were calm. It took hours to get around the peninsular, Punta Balsa, that holds the border of Panama and Costa Rica. 

Next we faced crossing Golfito Dulce a sound of 30 miles long and 8 miles wide. Several Bermudas would fit inside. Our destination being Golfito another bay where the town of that name was to be found.

 The best way to describe Golfito/Gulf is a smaller bay inside an enormous bay, surrounded by mountains. The mountain sides are covered in dense jungle, the sounds of birds and howler monkeys can be hear, it’s wild.

The little town lines the shoreline below the towering mountainsides. We were treated to a lovely evening sun setting out across the bay. 

“There are times when we stop. We sit still…We listen and breezes from a whole other world begin to whisper.”  —  James Carroll

 

PHOTO LINK—>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/6D75Lt9CtxEkBREU6

Last few days

As our last few days counted down we were manically busy:

There was the forward cabin and head to have ready for guests. These areas are usually Chico’s domain and storage for all that we have, but seldom use, but might need, so we keep. The forward cabin was made into a double bed area.

There was all the grocery shopping to do for the breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that I anticipated having to make. We did a massive shop with our friend Harm

Next there was preparation and cooking of the food, plus the storage of it all. 

John was cleaning the exterior of Aeeshah, getting rid of the grime that had accumulated from being in a marina too long. Plus he got rid of all the unnecessary stuff in the lazerette to make way for all that needed to be stored there for the crossing. 

Aeeshah had to have her bottom and running gear cleaned. We had the local diver do that due to the crocodiles that are see about the marina.

The engine was checked cleaned and checked again. We filled up with fuel and water, all the covers were removed and stored, I cleaned the cockpit and throughout the boat, the laundry was all seen to, absolutely everything we could think of was prepared just in case….

oh and we managed a few short last walks to see the howlers and the Montezuma Oropendola my favorite birds. 

On the 8th April:

Our lines and fenders arrived. There were 4 huge, thick blue lines, standard for sailboats to use while crossing. Plus, 8 very large, round white buoys again the must to cross with. These were put on the foredeck ready for the passage. 

9th April, day before:

By 2:30pm I was showered, and ready.

1st to arrive was Santiago our professional line handler. We had seen him leave on another boat, had heard he was excellent and so requested if possible for him to be our professional line handler for our crossing.

Next to arrive was Madeline and Roy. These are friends we have known for a number of years, from our times in the Rio Dulce.

Everyone got settled, John got showered and out to the anchorage we went. Our reason for being in the anchorage was basically convenience in the morning. It meant we could get up just a bit later and didn’t have to navigate the chanel out of Shelter Bay marina in the dark.

In the anchorage we all chatted and relaxed. For John and I it was the 1st little bit of relaxation we had had for several days. Chico was happy as we were back at anchor and he was able to roam the boat. Plus he was receiving lots of attention.

I had made a western style cottage pie for dinner, plus a Ceaser salad which we all enjoyed at about 6:30pm. By 8:30 we all had headed to bed, Madeline and Roy up forward, Santiago in the main cabin and us aft, I believe everyone had a good night’s sleep. 

10th April, Panama Canal day

Of course, as normal, I was awake before the 3:30 alarm, got the kettle going and the 5 mugs set out. By 4:00am we had all arisen, had some of our teas or coffee and were more or less ready for our advisors’ arrival. (We had agreed to allow a trainee advisor, plus a regular advisor for our crossing).

They arrived on a tender, aka pilot boat, which came as close as possible without coming alongside and they jumped aboard one after the other. Both were large men with their bags and gear the cockpit was now crammed full. Up to the bow I went and brought the anchor up. And off we went heading towards the 1st locks beyond the bridge.

Off to the 1st lock

It was still quite dark as it was so early, but this means nothing when it comes to shipping and the canal, its a 24hour operation. Us sailboats are just trivia added on to use up the tiny bit of space left in the lock. I learned that when heading to the Pacific the ship enters the lock 1st then the small craft fill the space behind the ship. 

There were 3 of us sailboats, Aeeshah being the largest we were to be the middle boat. On our right was the little French boat and on our left was Sunny Spells an Australian sailboat.

Our friend Harm was a line handlers on Sunny Spells.

Our pro line handler Santiago was the organizer for us, he saw to the fenders between Aeeshah and the other boats. He was just marvelous, checking and adjusting with meticulous care. By the time we were all tied up together the ship was inside the lock. 

The ship was attached by massive cables/lines to the mules at the upper side of the lock walls.

John had to steer all three boats inside. He did not find it easy, often what the advisor said did not match up with what he felt needed doing, the speed too much or too little. However he was very careful and in we went.

Ascending the Gatun Locks

Once we were inside the men/dock hands, way up on the top of the walls threw the monkey fists attached to the lines to the outer 2 sailboats. 

A monkey’s fist is an iron ball attached to line covered in dark paint. You would not want to be hit by one. Further on we saw where the men had to practice and train their throws. It really is quite a challenging height/drop. (see below)

The large blue lines are attached to the line from the monkey’s fist, which are then pulled by the dock hands up to the top of the lock.

The line handlers which were at the 4 corners of us 3 boats then had to loop the lines across the cleats. They could not tie them but had to keep them tight by constantly adjusting the tension as we were raised.

The gate leaves close and up we very very slowly go to the top of the lock by the rising waters. Being the middle boat we were left to watch. 

“All gate leaves are 64 feet wide by 7 feet thick. However, they vary in height from 47 to 82 feet, depending on their position. For example, the Miraflores Locks lower chamber gates are the highest because of the extreme variation in the Pacific tides.”

So we were about 30 feet higher when we reached the top of the 1st lock. Next step was that the ship moved ahead by a slight excelleration and having the mules pull it into the next lock.

The dock hands followed with our lines while John steered all the boats ahead. The lines were again secured to the walls that were way above us. Once again the lock was gradually filled with water.

They actually use the water from the neighboring lock and you can see the ship on the other side facing the other direction – towards the Atlantic.

Again we finally reached the top and the gates opened for the ship ahead of us to move ahead into the 3rd and final lock on the Gatun side.

Behind us we could see the next ship moving into place ready to move up. Once in the 3rd and final lock the whole process was again gone through.

“The original Panama canal locks are named the Gatun, Pedro Miguel, and Miraflores locks. The new locks, which were added as part of the expansion of the Panama Canal between 2007 and 2016, are named the Gatun East and the Miraflores West locks. The original locks measure 1,000 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 42 feet high. The new locks are larger, enabling larger ships to travel through the canal. They measure 1,400 feet long, 180 feet wide, and 60 feet high.”

Looking at the sheer size of the gates/leaves, knowing the age of the locks, seeing the old riveted steel, one just has to be in awe of the whole Panama Canal.

And yet meanwhile we had parrots flying overhead and egrets fishing from the lock gates. 

How was Chico doing?

He had been in his cat box, but it was stinking hot in the locks. I let him out and he had to find space in the cockpit. Poor guy was panting badly. Not a happy fellow. Eventually Chico managed to cool down and was able to watch the procedure and wonder just what we were up to.

Gatun Lake and across

We finally emerged into the lake, the Gatun Lake and it was then that I was told to go below and make breakfast. I was required to make a full hot breakfast for the advisors and line handler. My meal of choice was scrambled eggs with cheese, breakfast sausages and sliced stick loaf. Making for 7 adults was quite a huge task and a very hot job. It was served and eaten in no time. Everyone was very hungry having been up for nearly 5 hours. Madeline and Roy very kindly helped me with the dishes.

Crossing the lake we had several huge wakes from tugs and ships. Aeeshah rolled and crashed about, my teapot smashed in the galley sending tea everywhere. Coffee was spilt in the cockpit and the advisor lost a cup over board.

The lake it self was quite ordinary, I thought. It sits approximately 26m (85ft), above sea level, it forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships 33km, (20 miles), of their transit across the Isthmus of Panama. It was created June 27, 1913 when the gates of the spillway at Gatun Dam were closed.

We took just over 3 hours to cross the lake. The entire time the advisor trainee was hounding John about speed saying we would not make it in time to get into the lock with the ship we were booked to cross with. John did his best to nurse our old Perkins, going at 6.5kts which is .5 of a knot more than we ever motor at. One of the other sailboats had fallen behind and the Aussie boat had raced ahead. We did what we could and I began to resolve myself to a night in the lake.

Once we reached Gamboa mooring area where we would have to stay for the night our advisor told that we could continue, he had worked out for us to tie to a tug…… , (which by the way never happened).

I was then directed to make lunch for everyone. Now the instructions I had received was for 1 cooked meal, which I understood to be dinner, which I had served the night before. 1 cooked breakfast, which I had already cooked and served. And for a lunch, for example a large sandwich. I had large baps with ham and cheese or turkey and tomato on the menu. However, the main advisor, who had done nothing but doze phoned the agent and complained that he did not want a sandwich. He wanted a cooked lunch! So we were threatened with a $400 fine unless I produced a hot lunch for the 2 advisors. Sour grapes!

I luckily had a solution, left-overs from the previous dinner. I headed up the rest of the western style cottage pie in the microwave and threw some dressing on romaine topped them both off with fancy toppings and passed it up to them. No complaints were heard.

The rest of us enjoyed the large baps with ham and cheese or tomato and chicken. For dessert I sent up a packet of cookies, a container of granola bars, grapes and a whole chopped pineapple, plus peanuts for good measure. Sure enough by the near end of our canal crossing it was all more or less polished off, mainly due to our advisor’s hearty appetite. 

Well, we finally arrived at the Pedro Miguel locks only to be told we would have to wait, yes, wait, so much for the rush….

Pedro Miguel lock

There we waited while the sky filled with  dark clouds, the rain held off right up until we were in the 1st lock the Pedro Miguel lock and then it blew, thundered and flashed lightening.

John was in control of all 3 boats again, but found it quite chalenging. Then we found out why the steering and control was difficult….one of the other captains was playing with his throttle…..… As soon as he stopped buggering around the boats were soon straightened up by John. Before that the French boat on our other side was precariously close to hitting the lock wall.  

This time in the locks the sailboats were ahead of the ship.

We had the huge, red Atlantic Journey a chemical tanker behind us.

The dock hands walked us forward, the line handlers released the line as we slowly decended. Yes, this time the water went down sending us down 30 plus/odd feet. 

Miraflores Lake and Miraflores locks

Upon exiting we had to cross the Miraflores Lake an expanse of water leading to the next set of locks the Miraflores locks, where once again the whole process was repeated. In, tied, walked ahead, attached, ship inside, lock leaves shut, water pumped, down another near 30 feet.

The final lock was adjacent being Miraflores 2nd lock. Once again we were walked in by the lines as John slowly motored, and again attached by the dockhands. 

We could see the final level below us over the lock doors. It took an age for the water to be pumped out before the lock doors could be opened for the final time. 

Out to the Pacific Ocean 

And there we were heading to the Pacific. We made our way down river first passing river banks where swimming off shore we saw crocodiles. On the river banks we saw deer which the crocs were stalking for their dinner.

In view came the huge docklands where the ships are served, under the famous Bridge of the Americas and to the Balboa Yacht club.

By this time it was late evening, coming up to 7:00ish. The tender arrived and took the advisors, next a smaller boat arrived for Santiago, the lines and fenders and it was all over. 

I for one was exhausted, it had been a very, hot, long, day, plus eventful, with excitement and anxiety a true mixed bag of a 16 hours awake. One day not to be forgotten by any of us.

Ashore for dinner we went, getting a ride to the dock. The Balboa Yacht club serves a very nice dinner, but John and I just shared a pizza. Back at the boat we all headed to bed. 

A Huge Thank you to Madeline and Roy for their help and good humour!!

Early the next morning, right after a cup of tea we moved to the La Playita anchorage. It had been a very folly night with all the wakes from the tugs, tenders, etc. After breakfast Maddy and Roy were off.

 

 

PHOTOS—->>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/79LaY1JWz4gBkfvB6

The Shelter Bay Marina

Being in Shelter Bay is a whole different world than Red Frog. On the day we arrived there was literally a queue waiting to enter, the marina was incredibly busy. So many cruisers leaving for the canal transit or entering the marina after a crossing from all parts of the world. There are many folks from all parts Europe, South and North America  and other distant areas of the world. 

Shelter Bay Marina offers a lot to its residents. There’s a good restaurant, a library/sitting room, laundry facilities, a store and a twice daily bus to get to the stores in Colon.

Checking in for the Panama Canal 

We had been under the impression that one had to be here, in the marina, to get the boat assessed, measured and checked for the crossing. However, we found out that was no longer the story, times have changed. Nowadays, you have to contact an agent, and then it’s a do it yourself job. I contacted Erick, who is one of the Panama Posse agents.

Panama  Posse is a group we have been subscribing to for a few years. Through them we get great advice from other cruisers, good suggestions of what to do and where to go, and importantly discounts on marinas and such. 

After contacting Erick with our request, he got right back to me and said the sooner I get all the info to him the sooner we would cross. That there were bookings for the forthcoming month, so the sooner the better. 

The paperwork proved to be very detailed, but by the day’s end I had it all completed and submitted. One day later, Eric got back to us with the date: April 10th

We had nearly 6 weeks till we crossed, plenty of time to get ready plus enjoy the area.

Shelter Bay marina is situated where the old Fort Sherman USA base sat, on Toro Point at the Atlantic, (northern) end of the Panama Canal, It is directly opposite Colón. Adjoining the marina is the 14,000 acre San Lorenzo National Park, one of the premier birding locations in the world.

Fort Sherman was the primary defensive base for the Atlantic sector of the Canal, and was also the center for US  jungle war training for some time. The base was turned over to Panama in 1999. The old base buildings were and are, abandoned, left, neglected, falling down with jungle trees and vines growing over and out of them. This makes it an exciting area to explore, poke around and spot birds and wildlife. There are still various pathways and old roadways that are somewhat over grown, or totally over grown. 

We took advantage of the area taking daily walks around the old base, around the derelict housing estate, pathways and byways enjoying the birds and animals we saw which also appeared to enjoy the ruins and the 14,000 acres of the surrounding trees. 

We also resurrected our bikes. Both of us enjoy biking and the nearby roadways leading to Fort Lorenzo, several beaches and old trails.

We have seen Howler monkeys, Spider and Capuchin monkeys, in the trees.

On a normal day the howlers can be heard from the marina. One howler that I spotted lying on the branch had nasty boils, that looked almost like smallpox around its neck. I thought that the holes were wounds from fighting – bites inflicted by others, but using google I found out they are from Bot-flys.

There are many coatis these are The white-nosed coati, also known as the coatimundi,

is a species of coati native to Central America and as far north as the southwestern United States. They roam around in family groups throughout the jungle. We have spotted them on many of our walks. 

I find my favorite birds to watch are the: Montezuma Oropendola –

A spectacular, very large, mainly ‘blackbird’ with splashed of yellow and red more common in tropical lowlands. It favors forest edge, open woodland, plantations, and semi-open areas with trees; colonies of large pendulous nests adorn tall trees.  

Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The species in the family vary widely in size, shape, behavior and coloration). Both the English and scientific names of this species commemorate the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II.

They weave their nests which are hanging from Royal Palms growing between the old homes in the old housing estate and along one of the roads. One colony of birds I watched build new nests from scratch. They literally took just a few days to intricately weave a wonderful new hanging nests.

And of course we have spied many other beautiful birds. Getting a photo is very challenging

In one of the old buildings we saw bats roosting.

We were trying to get through the building when we disturbed the bats. They then obliged by posing for a photo. 

There are also old army batteries throughout the area.

Some have been adorned by graffiti, most are very dingy and ghostly. From the one behind the marina we were able to slip and slide down a steep slope to a small beach. Looking out we could see the enormous ships sitting idle waiting for a passage through the very busy canal to the Pacific Ocean.  

In yet another area we find the old jail. It is back in a distant part of an army battery, behind what we think was a power station. The prisoners long gone, the rooms bare.

On the bus ride to the grocery store

one of the most shocking sites is the Colon prison, built in the 1800s as the old city jail. Yes, it still houses prisoners, even with busted out windows, parts of the roof missing and other parts looking ready to fall in.

And there are no facilities, the food must be delivered, in clear bags, by family or friends. Laundry and such must be out sourced, the place is just a long term holding facility. A dreadful, haunting place. In fact most of Colon is very run down, trash ridden and ugly, with a terrible reputation for violent crime.

Our bike rides

started out as gentle, short rides to get adjusted to the saddles plus using different muscles  that hadn’t been exercised in a while.

Having researched the roadway cutting through the San Lorenzo National Park and leading to the old Spanish Fort San Lorenzo I found there were several old lanes and pathways leading into the jungle. Each one looking to be quite an interesting journey. We decide to bike to each one and see where we found ourselves.

The first being: Devil’s Beach

The roadway which leads to San Lorenzo is newly paved and so nice and smooth, is mostly shaded by the jungle on either side. It is a very, quiet, roadway, traffic is a rarity, as it only leads to the old Spanish fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres River. The whole area being the San Lorenzo National Park means there are miles and miles of wild land in fact, as mentioned 14,000 acres of protected area around you. 

Along the way we are lucky to hear the Howler monkeys in the jungle and then to spot them in the trees above the roadway. Of course we stop for a photo op, but snapping monkeys is not easy. 

We next stopped  at the bridge next to where there is a ranger station. Looking over the edge, John spots a large terrapin swimming slowly upstream. 

Down the trail to the Devil’s beach we bike. The beach we find is unfortunately littered with debris. Fishermen wade in the shallows casting rods and nets. Further out are the many ships awaiting their turn to pass into the Pacific. Overall it was an enjoyable ride.

Our second expedition was: Sendero Punta Bruja

Taking the same roadway towards San Lorenzo fort we find that after the bridge where the rangers are located, the roadway is a gradual uphill slog…. That uphill climb went on for quite a long way, actually all the 3 plus kilometers of roadway was a slow uphill. 

We both took our time and finally we were at the entrance of the trail. John was sure he could ride the trail, but I was doubtful, however I tried. The beginning part wasn’t too bad but as the trail started going downhill over some rugged terrain I gave up, so we left our bikes by the side and commenced to walk. 

I guess we had thought it would be a short hike, but by the time we got to what appeared to be the end we had covered just over 2.2k. And I’m pretty sure we went the wrong way…..we followed the pathway to the shoreline of a mangrove bay where there was just nothing to see. I was positive we should have turned off onto a bridge I had seen as we had passed.

We were both hot, quite tired and needing more water to continue so we set off back to the marina. The good part was once we trekked back uphill, me pushing my bike, to the roadway we had a wonderful amazing downhill ride back.

Our third venture was a second visit to Sendero Punta Bruja this was the following week. 

Once again we pedaled/slogged uphill for just over 2k. I think what makes the uphill more difficult is that much of the road is straight so you see way off in the distance where you are aiming for.… Anyway, we got to the pathway, I locked up my bike, and I commenced to walk, John rode off on his bike to where the bridge was located. He then parked and off we walked.

Following a shaded pathway enjoying a very shady jungle hike

Climbing up the hill on the other side and following another trail through some attractive woodlands until finally emerging at a beach. 

It was quite a surprise, the beach was huge! The tide was way out and all the shallows were exposed, plus, nobody was there.

We enjoyed exploring the beach and walking along the rocky shoreline into the adjacent rocky beaches. 

This time the ride was well worth the walk through the jungle and discovering the beach at the end.

The walk back through the jungle was very, hot and so the downhill glide all the way black to the marina was amazing!

Our fourth bike adventure: Sendero Las Tres Torres 

Sendero Las Tres Tires was to be our next outing, once again along the quiet roadway to Fort Lorenzo. On yet another lovely day we again set off to see what we would find along the Sendero Las Tres Torres pathway. All the way uphill we both rode without stopping! We found the roadway continued as an uphill climb until finally we reached the Sendero Las Torres trail markers.

Off we strode, however the trail became increasingly over grown. It became just too overgrown to continue safely as there could easily be snakes hidden in the brush. We had to abandon our trek.

Just down the road a bit further from there were some old US army barracks which we then aimed for. However again we were disappointed to find gates locked stopping any entry by the public. Back to Aeeshah we headed, again a wonderful downhill for half an hour. 

Our fifth venture: Sendero Cerro El Pavon 

Our next major outing, this time armed with ice teas, snacks and extra water was to Sendero Cerro El Pavon. The little info I was able to get promised a long forgotten US army look-out tower. Once again we assaulted the long, straight uphill slog. Once reaching the same stretch of road as the gated barracks we found there was a downhill ride that wound around, straightened out again went uphill and there we found the trail head to Sendero Cerro El Pavon. 

Off we set, this time the pathway was quite clear and free of most undergrowth. We wandered under some lovely bamboo clumps, through some huge jungle trees and the uphill until ahead we spied the tower in a clearing.

The odd thing was there were picnic tables that must have been provided with the anticipation of walkers arriving. They were plastic and had sort of melted from the heat. Before climbing the tower we relaxed in the shade enjoying some of our iced teas, phew! What a relief! 

Up the very rusty tower we found the breeze! What a wonderful sensation to feel the breeze when you are well and truly hot and very sweaty. The view was across the jungle to the Atlantic on one side, just off in distance we could see images of the ships.

The rest of the view was across the jungle, trees, trees, and more trees. There was a bee “hive” built just under the top step. These bees were quite small and not at all aggressive…. I think they were what is called the stingless bee.

Once down we drank the rest of our iced teas and then set off for the hike back. Again, the jungle was lush and lovely, but hot and sweaty.

Once on the road we faced a steeper uphill till we got to the battery entrance and then a wonderful, smooth, mainly shaded, downhill glide back to the marina and Aeeshah. 

Boat work

Between our weekly shopping excursions into Colon, our daily walks or rides we have both been busy with repairs and upgrades. My main one was sewing seat covers to replace the old and hand stitching the sail cover. Its stitching had rotted by  sun exposure, we did not want the difficult task of taking the cover off as this entailed taking off the main too. We prefer to leave that till cooler months ahead. 

John had a major challenge with the water maker. The lift pump would not run and after stripping it down countless times, ordering new pieces he ended up making a new part himself a tiny little piece and voila! The water pump now works so the water maker works, and we need it where we are headed.

John also is upgrading all the cleats in preparation for our canal crossing. And he has installed a new inverter. Our whole capacity for solar has been upgraded due to new charge controllers so the inverter was the next obvious upgrade. 

Surprise visitors

The marina is always manically busy with boats coming in, boats leaving, visiting, provisioning etc we had several different neighbors with in the few weeks of being here. So when our dock mates of 10 days said they were sailing to San Blas for a week or so we didn’t expect to have a boat next to us till their return. Imagine my surprise when just after they leave I return from the laundry to find another boat next to us…..but, not only that, it was friends from the years before.

Miles and Barb with their friends and helpers Kent and Elli. All of whom we had been dock mates with in the Sapordilla Lagoon marina the Reserve in Belize. We had several catch up chats during the day and wonderful dinner out together that night. Our other neighbour Harm came too. Dinner was good and the company excellent. Off they headed the next day.

Our sixth challenge is to ride the entire way to Fort San Lorenzo, walk around the old Spanish fort, and ride back via visiting Playa Tortuguilla.

Good Friday was the day for our final bike challenge. We set off up, up up the same long uphill stretch, stopping for water at the regular place by the Sendero Punta Bruja trail head. Continuing uphill, until finally we hit the downhill just before the trailhead to the tower. From there it was all new roadway which was undulating, slight uphill steep downhill, until finally we came to the entrance to San Lorenzo Fort. There was a chain across the entrance, we guessed due to the public holiday.

Second best choice was to continue down the road to the slipway, which we did. At the slipway we could see our friends Roy and Madeline’s catamaran anchored a little ways upriver on the Rio Chagres.

There were several locals there enjoying the day off by fishing. Plus ospreys showing off their fishing skills too.

Across the water was the San Lorenzo fort which we had visited 2x before during other visits. After a bit of a break we set off to:

Visit the nearby Playa Tortuguilla. 

Of course we had an uphill ride back towards Playa Tortuguilla. For me this meant several stops to catch my breath and regain my mojo to continue my uphill fight.

At Playa Tortuguilla’s entrance we locked the bikes and set off down a shaded lane. All along the way we had a small river running alongside in a gorge. In the trees above we encountered many howler monkeys chillin’ in the branches. They gazed down at us as if to say, “silly humans walking in this heat!”

The lane was a good mile walk to the beach, upon arriving we found many locals cars parked in the bushes and the locals enjoying their Good Friday on the beach. It wasn’t a very special beach, but we crossed it off our list. 

Back up the trail we mounted our trusty bikes and headed off in the direction of “home’, uphill yet again. Close to the towers trail head we stopped at another trail, this one indicating there were battery ruins to visit,

Bateria Mackenzie.

The perk with this trail was it had a concrete pathway running alongside it. The pathway made it much easier riding, after 10 minutes we were there…..to fine there was a tumbled down building and what appeared to be a homemade firing range.

Oh well, been there done that, we headed for Aeeshah. Yes, some more uphill which again I managed and then the wonderful, refreshing, glide downhill back to Aeeshah and the marina.

We had ridden a total of 12 miles plus had a 2 mile walk, not bad for us old guys.

Chico’s news

Nothing really to report for Chico, except, he’s been really really bored in this marina. So he has taken up helping me with my work on the computer. 

“A meaningful life is not being rich, being popular, being highly educated, or being perfect ….. It’s about being real, being humble being strong, and being able to share ourselves and touch the lives of others.” – unknown

 

PHOTO ALBUM LINK —->> https://photos.app.goo.gl/uDXDCXFNPvRnvj1r7

Awaiting the weather window

We needed in order to head to Shelter Bay we kept busy with our boat chores

and walks whenever possible. The weather was mainly cloudy, rainy, windy and the seas were very high, good for the surfers. 

One of the first chores was a visit to the dentist….I had a broken crown on a molar. The dentist informed me that the rest of the tooth had to come out. Off to Bocas we went 2 days later for me to have the tooth pulled. To say I was worried is an understatement.

I really, really dreaded it. In I went, climbed into the dentist chair, received my needles and waited. The dentist was back shortly and off to work on my mouth he went, a few crunching feelings and sounds, lots of suction and it was over! I couldn’t believe it only took 10 minutes at most and all was finished.

Polo Beach area

We had a wonderful walk with Maddy and Roy, setting off up the Red Frog hill, uphill to the look out at the top. Next heading along the trail that borders the jungle.

There we saw a delightful troop of monkeys, the regular Caspian, mothers with their babies and the adolescents leaping from branch to branch.

We turned right at the bottom of the hill and followed the lane that runs through the jungle, passing caves and streams till we reached the caretakers cottage at the end. Along the way we could see that someone has started felling the teak forest.

We had been told that it might happen, it was sad to see all the under brush cut and the beginning of the trees being felled. I seemed to attract the horseflies, for some reason that day I was very attractive to them and consequently got several bites. 

From the caretakers cottage we followed the shoreline trails to Polo Beach. There we saw and spoke to Polo. He is a local that has had a hut there for 70 years, so he told us, he offered fish and rice to eat plus coconut water.

We continued on along the trail till we were back on the Red Frog Lane. It was a wonderful walk.

 

Saigon Bay, shopping, friendship rock and finding new trails

As we were no longer Red Frog marina guests we could not use the shopping water taxi. Instead we anchored in Saigon Bay and shopped in the afternoon at the grocery there.

The following day we used their dock and walked into town via the paths and lanes between the houses. Our first stop being JJ’s for breakfast.

They make the most wonderful breakfast sandwiches. After breakfast as we were continuing our walk further into town I found a painted stone tucked away on top of a boat trolley. Being Valentine’s Day it was painted with a romantic theme. These friendship rocks are very popular in Bocas as there is a lady who paints them and hides them away for folks to find. Most store keepers have a display of rocks they have found. I was just sooo happy to find mine!!

Kindness rocks are painted rocks that are decorated with positive and uplifting messages and then placed somewhere in the community for others to find. The mission of the Kindness Rocks Project is to have these simple acts of kindness connect communities together and uplift individuals.They tend to be smallish stones hand-painted with designs and such intended to be given to somebody special.

Someday I too will paint a few!

Our next stop was the bakers that sell the best bread ever. Their sourdough is wonderful! 

Into Bocas town – Colon we went, the roads are a right mess. For some reason using goodness knows whose logic, the powers that be, are ploughing up the streets and trying to put in enormous piping to be used as drainage.

The problems with this is that the town’s roads are maybe a foot above sea level. When the tide is high the gutters are full to the brim with sea water and muck and when it rains, which is often the roads were already flooding. So how can you drain water from sea level to pipes under sea level  into the water that is sea level?

Add to this the sewage that is also being sent from every building into the gutter/piping system…..Does not make sense, it defies logic….. Meanwhile nearly everywhere is muddy, sewage, smelly water. It used to be such a pretty town. 

After our shopping we walked back to Saigon Bay via the cemetery and beach. This is one area not affected by the mess being made. We had never thought to walk this trail before and we found it much nicer than the paths. We found the graveyard to be quite sad and neglected, but peaceful. The beach area is very plain, but again quiet.  

On another shopping trip we went by water taxi from the anchorage at Red Frog. The fun part was the return when the water taxi had to drop off the passengers to different stops in Bassi Town.

This is a small town on Bastimentos which is primary populated by folks of West Indian descent so it is very colourful. 

Visit to Dianne and Howard’s new property.

We had bumped into friends Dianne and Howard who used to be in Red Frog marina. They had sold their boat and the last we had heard they were looking for property. They wanted to set up a research station for visiting scientists. They told us that finally they were moving into their property, a hotel. They asked us to visit and we jumped at the opportunity. The following Monday we went in the dinghy to the very far end of the Red Frog anchorage and across to the shore of Bastimentos.

There we found them working with their workers to repair the landing dock and walkway. 

Dianne told us where the trails were that we could follow, and off we went for a walk around one side of there property. We were accompanied by one of her little dogs, a spaniel that they had adopted from the city. It was a lovely trail that took us about 40 minutes looping around and back.

We saw monkeys a wonderful butterfly which I believe was of the genus Caligo, nicknamed the Owl Eyed butterfly, Plus several large spiders hanging in the brush, which at home are called Silk spiders.

Following the walk we went into the house near the dock where Dianne and Howard were presently staying. It was just lovely!

The quaint decor, the whole set up and the view. We all sat on the porch and believe it or not….Dianne served us a wonderful lunch of spiced pumpkin soup, homemade bread and cheese.

 

After lunch they took us on a tour, we went up to the hotel building. The pool deck was again very prettily set out with wonderful views.

Up to the hotel level we went and onto the porch/bar area. The views were stunning, we could see Aeeshah way down in the anchorage. Again I just loved the decor, so quaint! 

Next stop was down to the ground level and out onto another dock area by the mangroves. All along the way Howard and Dianne explained their plans for the future. They are very excited about their new venture, which to us sounds amazing! 

A visit to the Darklands

When I was in getting my tooth removed John met Chris. He is the chef and manager at El Capitano A small resort with a restaurant in the Darklands area. Chris invited us to anchor off and go ashore for dinner. 

We I turn asked Roy and Maddy if they were interested in going with us. So about a week later, once my tooth was on its way to being healed, we all set off towards the Darklands.

We found the place and anchored off. It really was a small rustic resort, but its reputation was for excellent food. On our second night there we went ashore for dinner.

The menu is a set one and that particular night we had a delicious meal of Mai Mai in a creamy sauce, along with an excellent salad and a baked potato. Dessert is included and our dessert was decadent passion fruit creamed cake, made with real fruit, just amazing.

While in the Darklands area we went for a bit of a dinghy explore around the bays and shoreline of San Christobel and mainland Panama. It was wild, mostly untouched, mangrove with jungle behind.

There was a settlement on the mainland side which looked to have a muddy track so maybe a way to get to a road from there?  There were also some larger sized properties which looked to be doing some farming.

A Bocas Marina swap meet, our last Red Frog walk and saying goodbye

For the first time we went to a Bocas Marina Swap meet. We took the dinghy across as it was a very calm day. John was hoping to pick up some secondhand gear for the boat…well he scored big.

He found a Victron battery charger 60A for sale. It was 1/3 of the price of a new one plus it was virtually brand new, having hardly been used. John had been upgrading our whole charging system to Victron plus rewiring the lot too. He was well happy!

Our last visit to Red Frog was to have a walk. We met up, quite by accident with marina friends and they had Jungla with them.

We really enjoyed the walk, caught up with the news/gossip, saw monkeys and they even saw a boa.

John then went into the marina to enjoy a going away do for the marina boss Deci. Following which we went in to the marina and said good bye to Yvette, Koos and Jungla.

Jackanally’s

And off we went first to Jackanally’s. There we anchored and were joined by other friends on their boat. It was a delightful anchorage.

A wonderful breeze blew, the water was calm and it was totally peaceful. We enjoyed a great dinghy exploration around the mangroves, saw what was there, said good bye and then set off for a night at Escudo de Veraguas.

Escudo de Veraguas

“With only three square kilometers and located in the province of Bocas del Toro, is this small Panamanian tropical paradise. It is considered the habitat par excellence of the pygmy three-toed sloth. Despite little interaction, the sloth is critically endangered. It is also home to the red and blue arrow frog.”

“The Shield of Veraguas is located in Bocas del Toro, not in Veraguas. Belonging to the province of Bocas del Toro, due to a feature defining the region, the Shield, is a completely virgin island, inhabited by the few natives who inhabit it, and by a small handful of huts that serve as refuge for fishermen who come to this area, where fish is abundant and nature is exuberant. Despite belonging to the province of Bocas, this island is, for all intents and purposes, an autonomous Ngäbe-Buglé territory.” 

We enjoyed a sail to the islands and anchored off in the sand behind the large sand bar.

It was just there, no other cruising boats. Not long after we arrived along came a few fishermen in a long cayuka. They had a load of lobsters, John bought a few for our dinner, we chatted and off they went.

The sunset wasn’t a grand display, some lovely clouds of which the patterns were unusual.

The full moon lit up the sky, it was spectacular! We had a very enjoyable evening and a peaceful night.

Our plan for the next day was to circle the whole of the isles, explore all the bay’s and inlets and then sail for Colon – Shelter Bay, later in the afternoon.

Our explorations were wonderful. I really do not think there are adequate words to describe the sheer beauty of these isles. They are totally unique by the way they are created, the way the erosion has formed them, the contrasting colors and textures of the scenery.

There are dozens and dozens of tiny isles, inlets, water ways between, around each corner is another spectacular scene.

Nobody live there, but there are small fishing camps and some are used to cater to day tourists.

Once we had circumnavigated the whole area we walked the beautiful beach of the sand bar.

There was much drift wood and other vegetation from the mainland Panama. Surprisingly for once not too much plastic. I found the horse flies really bothersome, they ignored John, but just kept after me.

We enjoyed a wonderful 24 hour stop at our Escudo de Veraguas anchorage. Up came the anchor in mid afternoon and off we set for Colon, the entrance to the Panama Canal and Shelter Bay marina.

The passage started off as quite comfortable, unremarkable, but by about 8:00pm the predicted weather deteriorated. We ended up with increased winds, up to 20kts, at times nearly on the nose, with seas that were also varying in direction with chop on top. In other words it was a nasty night passage. Thankfully John managed most of the night hours, as I felt dreadful.

We finally reached the entrance to the canal where the anchorage is located. We dropped anchor, John went for a shower and crashed out. I spent several hours picking up everything that had been thrown all over the place by the rough seas. Thankful we were in and able to rest till the next day. 

“Live a life full of humility, gratitude, inellectual curiosity, and never stop learning.”

-GZA

Thank you for life, and all the little ups and downs that make it worth living. – Travis Barker

 

 

PHOTO ALBUM–>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/cYdoScw75YnFG7Be8

January 2024

The New Year arrived quietly for us. May came to stay for the night with us. I had made split pea and ham soup which we enjoyed and had an early night.

Walks

The weather had been terrible, cold, grey, and cloudy, but we did have an occasional sunny day.

On one such day we went for a walk with Winter, Kate and May along the Southshore coves and the dunes. We set off above the coves along the trail above the beaches and then returned along the coves and rocks dividing them.

May loved the rock climbing and so was very happy to scramble up the steep sides. 

Boston again

John had to return to Lahey Hospital in Boston to have the stent and the remains of 2 stones removed from his bile duct. This time John arrived with a black eye, which he received when playing with Eve.

Once again we flew Bermuda Air. It really is a wonderful airline, with roomy seating, great staff and easy no fuss boarding. Again, we stayed at the Hyatt House hotel. The day after we arrived I took John to the endoplasophy department where he had his proceedure. I assumed he would be at least half a day, but no, he was all finished before lunch time and ready for me to collect. However he had to rest for the remainder of the day, which we both found very boring.

For our last day we were lucky that it wasn’t too cold and we were able to walk about the area, but again a very mundane day. We walked every strip mall in the area. We visited every shop that looked remotely interesting and people watched, managing to stay out until 2:30pm

A stay at Gavin’s

We were staying at our son Gavin’s house for the last part of our Bermuda holiday. This was lovely as we had time to catch up with him and Katie and see more of the girls.

On our last day all of the young cousins were at Gavin’s to say goodbye to us.

And Quest finally took off bike riding. He was very so proud to finally be able to ride with the group.

Off to Panama

5:00am we left for the airport and by 3:00pm we were at our hotel in Panama City. This time we stayed at the Raddison right beside the Panama Canal. It was a completely new area for us and really quite impressive. Our room looked down on the canal itself and we could see the Bridge of the Americas with the ships passing underneath.

That evening we went to what turned out to be the local yacht club for dinner and a few drinks.

Again there we could look right out at the canal and watch the shipping. Some of the ships are absolutely ginormous!

The following day our flight wasn’t until 1:00pm so we enjoyed a great breakfast at the hotel and then walked around the area. As it turned out the whole area is parkland and the peninsular makes for interesting walking and exploring.

There are ruins from the Americans that had a base there, playing fields and even a Garden of Biodiversity park, plus by following the Amador Avenue.

One can walk all the way to the Nature Center Flamenco Island and Perico Island. We will definately return to the Raddison.

 Back in Red Frog

Our flight back to Bocas is always on a small plane which takes just under an hour and flies just above the clouds. 

Back at Bocas we were fortunate to easily get a mini van type taxi to the Basimentos launcha water taxi dock. Back at Aeeshah it was as if we had never left. Chico greeted us with affection and quickly let it be known he was after his dinner.

Walks, friends and seas

We were soon back to our regular routine of out for morning walks and then working on getting Aeeshah ready to leave.

Vet Gloria very nicely agreed to come to the marina to give Chico his annual. Well he was not a happy cat when he saw and felt the needle….which he had to have 3.

He has recovered now. Thank goodness he is vetted for a whole year now.

The walks were wonderful, normally we would head up the steep lane to the top of the hill.

We check the view, down one of the tracks to the shoreline by Red Frog beach. We survey the beach and walk out to the miramar where we see the surf.

Recently the surf has been thundering ashore, my photos do not do it justice, seas of over 13feet breaking on the rocks. The spray in the air all around the beach, red warning flags fly to warn folks not to swim due to the surge and rip currents.

Finally we spied the monkeys. The first time they were in the trees along the side of the marina Lane. There seemed to be mainly mothers and babies.

The babies were all over the place, never sitting still simply scurrying from tree to tree limb to limb, jumping crazy distances.

The second spotting was from the pathway that runs along side the dense jungle. These guys were more mature, quieter, one just sat and watched us almost as if studying our faces.

On the Friday evening we met up Madeline and Roy and walked to the Point for dinner. It was a lovely evening. The dinner was excellent as usual.

Out to anchor

Just under 2 weeks after we returned we headed out to anchor. We kept our dock space so as we could still go ashore for our walks and also use the shopping boat as we still had some chores in town. For me the biggest chore was visiting the dentist about my broken crown. BUT that’s for next month.

 

 

The PHOTO ALBUM–>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/waDNBesr8MMUdDza6

Home to Bermuda for the Christmas festivities, family time and ……

Our journey back to Bermuda took us a few days of travel, but all went smoothly and finally at just after11:00pm we excited arrivals and saw our driver Atiba awaiting our arrival.

The first week was taken up with doctor appointments and such, just boring appointments we had to keep.

We were also invited to all of the younger grandchildren’s Christmas concerts, of course they were all at the same time. We ended up attending Quest’s..

We also had several evenings of baby sitting and a morning feed of Jessie.

We were starting to catch up with all the maintenance around the property. John was painting the exterior, I was revamping the Airbnb interior. All was good at home, we were also enjoying time with the family…..

Then Everything Changed

Saturday morning John had a very bad spell, he suddenly was in excruciating pain, in his left upper chest. I thought he was having a heart attack. He was in incredible pain, I rushed him to hospital. (Mistakenly arriving at the old emergency entrance). I got him inside where he basically ended up on the floor. Luckily a security guard quickly secured a wheel chair for us and off I rushed pushing him along corridors to the new emergency department where I’d never been.

Once there they put him right on a bed straight away knew it was gall bladder issues. He was hooked up to several intravenous drips, one for fluid, one for antibiotics and then there was pain meds too. He was attached to a heart monitor, and examined by an emergency doctor.

He was cc-scaned and everything pointed to gall bladder issues, but also bile duct. He could not eat or drink as this would stimulate the bile duct and it could be life threatening. It was determined he had to be flown to Boston’s Lahey Hospital for immediate surgery.

However we found out this takes a bit of time because 1st the plane with medical staff has to be flown to Bermuda. I went home to pack and await a call. Saturday night passed, and then we were told that Sunday midday was when the plane would arrive. The ambulance, stretcher and medical staff arrived and off we headed to the airport. 

The staff were lovely folks we chatted the whole way to the airport. They actually had travelled all over the world for medical emergencies.

We were loaded aboard a jet, there was room for just us the doctors and very little luggage. We only carried an overnight bag and a backpack plus winter coats we had been loaned by Chrissie and Ruben as we didn’t have any. (John didn’t even have shoes on, just a hospital gown and socks)

Boston’s Lahey hospital. 

There he was found to have a blocked bile duct and a gall bladder brim full of large stones.

During the week at Lahey his bile duct was partially cleared  of 2 huge stones and a stent put in. In a second operation his gall bladder removed. He received wonderful care and basically had a really good tune up.

Meanwhile I spent my time traveling between the hospital, hotel, mall and grocery store. It was as expected very cold so I spent minimum time outside. Luckily the hotel supplied transport via a free shuttle.

Homeward we were after a week in Lahey, but we have to return in the New Year for the final clearing of the bile duct.

Back in Bermuda

John was to relax and lay low for a week or so after our return, this coincided with us have May and Quest for some of the time that 1st week back. 

John enjoyed taking them to the play ground while I got on with jobs around the house.

We went to dockyard another day. May and Quest wanted to go to the trampoline park. This was a 1st time experience for us. The place is quite large and full of equipment to jump on, has dim lighting and there is music on a repeat cycle. The kids had a blast!!

They showed us all their moves and then played with all the other children that arrived. An hour was more than enough time spent there, both of them were shattered from all the action.

We strolled around dockyard and headed to lunch. It was a very pricy lunch! Bermuda is just too expensive.

Next stop was a playground then Fort Scaur before we headed home.

Chrissie and I got together for our regular baking of mince pies and sausage rolls. I had previously made the pastry so on the day I just rolled it out. We made dozens of each, most of which were shared with the family.

Another day we met up with Gavin, Lilly and Evie to walk along the dunes and south shore beaches from Warwick Long Bay, which is close to our house all the way to the end of Horseshoe and back.

It was a wonderful walk, very few folks about and the sky was mainly blue with lovely clouds.

Christmas and Boxing Days

These days were family days, Christmas Day being the busy one. In the morning we went upstairs to Chrissie’s to open presents with her and Quest and Ruben and Mason.

It was fun exchanging gifts and watching the children with their surprises.

Chrissie then made us a fabulous breakfast casserole plus a wonderful fresh fruit salad. 

Our next visit for all of us was at Kate and May’s home to exchange gifts.

Again the children really had a great time opening the gifts they exchanged. Kate, May and Josh headed off to Josh’s family while we came home for a few hours.

The final visit of the was to Gavin, Katie, Lilly and Evie’s’ home.

Our other grandchildren Ethan and Rhianna were there too. More gifts were exchanged,

Kate and Josh arrived with their friend Dannette and one and all enjoyed each other’s company. 

Gavin and Katie had cooked marvelous Christmas dinner which also consisted of contributions from all of us, so it was a real banquet.

Everyone enjoyed sitting down together for a wonderful family Christmas dinner. Of course there are cracker with prizes inside and all the trimmings on the table.

It was a wonderful Christmas.

On Boxing Day Kate and Chrissie insisted that John and I had to play a game with all of them.

I don’t really know how to describe it other than someone very dysfunctional must have created it.

However, yes, we did have a few hours of laughter enjoying all of the outrageous answers/questions.

Gavin Katie and the girls met up with us for a lovely walk at Cooper’s Island.

As usual we explored all along the trails, beaches and tracks that led us past the magnificent beaches,

along the ruins of the old NATO base, through the remembrance park area

and to the end of the point that faces out to sea.

On yet another day we met up with Gavin and the girls, Quest was with us and we all walked the Spittal Pond trails.

The kids love going off the beaten path so we did see areas that not many feet had trod.

They also enjoy the rock climbing that you find along the shoreline, however on this day it was very rough and windy so the seas were throwing spray ashore. We all got somewhat salty.

Our last expedition with Gavin was to walk while the children biked the railway trails in Somerset.

We parked near Somerset Bridge and our walk/bike ride took us all the way to the old bus station.

This was just near where my Nana used to live I enjoyed seeing the house Wefo where I have many happy memories. 

The return walk to the car was again a quick one following the children on their bikes.

John and I again got back to our house maintenance, finishing off as much as we were able. 2023 ended quietly, May spending New Year’s Eve with us.

Life was good, on, on to another year.

 

PHOTO LINK —>>  https://photos.app.goo.gl/cKxHg2f964aYkQve8

It was a day before my Birthday when we decided to head out, to go, to wherever.

We motored through the mangrove cays heading towards the outer cays. We both decided we would prefer the exterior anchorages. Once at Crawl Cay we settled for:

The Zapordillas

These two, uninhabited islands are surrounded by a coral reef and are located east of Bastimentos Island. The Cayos Zapordillas are known as two idyllic islands in Panama’s Bastimentos Island National Marine Park. These islands are like something off a postcard—they have white-sand beaches, tropical forests, and coral gardens just offshore.

After we anchored we headed ashore and really enjoyed a walk along the beach. We walked in both directions and then when heading back towards the dinghy.

John spotted a shark swimming along in the shallows.

We followed it a ways and then John, being John had to jump in the water and scare it, so off away it shot. We believe it was a Thrasher shark.

We enjoyed a lovely swim in the gentle surf that was rolling up onto the beach and then headed back to Aeeshah. 

Later that evening we were visited by the park’s men. They wanted a $50 parks fee for the night and we would receive a receipt. Or $25 park’s fee with no receipt. Of course we took the $25 fee. 

Cayo Agua, Punta Norte.

The next morning we chose to go to Cayo Agua, Punta Norte. We had never visited this area and it had a good write up. So off we went. The anchorage was very pleasant and so after anchoring we set off in the dinghy to explore.

The shoreline was very attractive with many little bays, a few caves, tiny isles, and wonderfully huge trees over hanging the cliffs.

We passed several long, palm lined beaches and could see that some of the land was being used as fincas/farms, as there were cows grazing under the trees.

After going as far as we dared we hauled the dinghy ashore at the end of one of the long beaches. Just near where we hauled out was a small river emptying into the sea.

I set off along the beach to look for shells and I could see John investigating the river. I did feel a few bites when I was near the seaweed, but John must have been quite well bitten as I saw him storming towards the water. Nasty sand fleas or no-see-ums, not sure which but the bites were itchy. We had a swim and then headed back to Aeeshah. On the way back I saw horses grazing too. 

That evening we found that the anchorage too had an abundance of mosquitoes. So, Cayo Agua, Water cay, obviously has many ponds and is a breeding ground for bugs that bite. (Actually, the bites on my legs were dreadful for about 5 days after).

Needless to say we left in the morning….

We had heard from friends Madeline and Roy, they had been trying to catch up with us. So, we arranged to meet up at Bluefields.

Bluefields

Bluefields is a very, large, deep, bay with tall, hills on each side. It is a part of the mainland Panama, but there are no roads or tracks leading there.

The bay has several small villages, the locals rely on farming and fishing. Everyone is very friendly and many locals paddle out to visit and or trade. When we arrived we had barely anchored when the first visitors arrived. One was a fellow called Duncan. He asked to guide us to the Casscada/Waterfalls. We agreed to go at 9:00 the next morning. 

Meanwhile we were being visited by many, many children in kyukas. Most were trading bananas or coconuts but a few just visited to say hello and get whatever we had to offer. As we knew we might have visitors we had previously bought, a dozen cokes, several small bags of rice, several packets of cookies and candies. Our stock was soon depleting.

One child was indeed quite cheeky. His name was Michael he was 6. He was alone in a kyuka and we gave him a coke. I went down below to fetch something, John was already in the cabin, when I turned around to go back up I found him in the cockpit, drinking the coke and grinning. Michael the cheeky imp!!

We ushered him off. – He had scrambled up the stern having tied his kyuka to the stern. 

Once again we were treated to a spectacular sunset! The breeze was wonderful, the visitors had headed home and we could chill.

Life was certainly good.

Las Cascades

The next morning we awaited Duncan at 9:00, waited, and waited when we finally we had nearly given him up we heard shouts from the shore which of course was Duncan paddling towards us. He climbed into our dinghy, tied his kyuka to our dinghy and off we set to meet Maddy and Roy. Duncan ended up tying his kyuka to their boat and we all set off with them in their dinghy and us with Duncan in ours.

When looking at the mangroves from outside, you would never imagine that there was a waterway, let alone the river we found.

Once we reached the mangroves Duncan, being the guide, took over the steering of our dinghy to navigate the way.

Every aspect it was exceptionally beautiful. The greens, the reflections and symmetry that surrounded us was of exceptionally beauty. It was a magical ride. 

After a while Duncan landed the dinghy at a small grassy area where we climbed off, secured the dinghies and headed a long a narrow muddy path which followed the river. 

Duncan showed us a number of different crops that were used for medicinal purposes. He also pointed out the avocado trees, plantains, bread plant, etc.

Before long the path turned into a walk along the river bed, until finally, we reached the first waterfall. The scene was just lovely, the colours blending and shining in the sunlight.

We stopped for a spell to look around and then climbed the nearby slope and continued again along the river bed and a narrow path, until we reached the larger waterfalls.

These waterfalls were much bigger with a much larger cascade of water. Again the scenery was spectacular. Duncan set off to climb these waterfalls and show us where there was a deep pool halfway down.

Once he returned he suggested we went and swim, plus try the pool. Well, I had no intention of swimming, but off went John. He jumped in clothes and all, swam to the falls, climbed out and up to the pool. Exclaiming how wonderful the water was, how refreshing!

Next thing, Maddy jumped in and was obviously enjoying the water. So, I thought, what the hell, I had better have a dip or else I will regret it later. Duncan held my camera and off I went into the water. Wow! It was so chilly! However the water was wonderfully refreshing.

It really revitalized my whole body, washed away all the sweat, I just felt wonderful after the swim. 

Before we knew it was time to head back to the dinghies, I again enjoyed the walk but more so as I was so nice and cool from the swim.

Once back at the dinghies we made our way back down the rocks, then along the beautiful river, around the twisty bends under the trees and finally mangroves until we were once again in the bay.

The whole waterfall trip was wonderful, we all totally enjoyed the experience. 

Once again we had an abundance of visitors. I had cut down on what I could give, now giving a cookie and 2 sweets wrapped in half a paper napkin.

Later in the afternoon we saw black clouds approaching, very quickly we were slammed by strong winds, and pelting rain. It nicely cooled the air and chased away our numerous visitor, for a while that is….

Beach walks

The following morning after our early morning visitors had left happily with their “treats” we met Maddie and Roy.

We all motored in the dinghies to the village at the end of the bay. There we followed the concrete path through the small village, uphill and down hill passing small fincas and areas growing a multitude of crops.

Agroforestry or sustainable agriculture is a type of farming that uses all the plants. For example, the trees provide the shorter plants with shade and prevent soil erosion with their extensive root systems. Plants like beans pull nitrogen from the air and place it back into the soil, naturally fertilizing the other plants.

Once we reached the end of the pathway we walked through another small village. There the local leader who also runs the tiny tienda asked for a $5.00 fee from us to continue. Which of course we paid without complaint as it is his village.

Once on the beach we all enjoyed the sheer size, the surf crashing ashore, the sea spray and the freedom to go for a beach walk. 

Further down the beach were some fellow cruisers with their children enjoying the beach and playing with children from the village. We chatted for a while and continued on. 

When reaching the point there was a river emptying into the sea, so we then took to the pathway that ran behind the beach.

This pathway was lovely and shady and it led us to the next village. 

We walked through this village, but it was obvious that not many visitors strayed this far, as we were stared at from faces at windows. The locals were not unfriendly just curious.

Upon asking we were told the village was Guacamayo. After passing through we then walked the beach to the very end and turned around for our return walk back to the dinghies. 

For the walk back we kept to the pathway under the trees. Madeline stopped at the tienda and purchased some eggs and we all enjoyed a fruit juice. It was a lovely morning walk.

That afternoon we once again had a heavy rainfall. It’s definitely a pattern in this area.

Our plan for the next morning was to follow another pathway we had spied. It headed in the opposite direction and when I asked a local he had said it went to “otra playa,” aka another beach.

Off we strode again uphill and down, crossing streams, passing fincas and small local homes. Everyone we saw were friendly, but you could tell they were curious as to where we thought we were heading.

We reached an unfinished part of the pathway which was crossing a boggy area. There we walked the narrow retaining walls and continued uphill.

Upon reaching the beach we could see it was basically the far end of where we had been the day before. We continued to the end of the beach and saw to continue we would have to cross a small river.

Across to the other side we waded and off we went along the path again.

Reaching the end of the path we found a stile, which we climbed and ahead saw the most amazing beach.

It was a beautiful day with wonderful clouds so that this beach was highlighted in every way possible. It ran off into the distance as far as we could see.

Along the beach we strolled, again seeing a few locals who looked at us curiously.

I spied a pathway running parrallel to the beach but in the shade of the trees. That path was for me, out of the blazing sun it was much cooler.

I really don’t know how far we went, but what looked like the end was just a bend in the beach, by then we all were walking in the shade. We continued, walking with us was a friendly local John had adopted.

Then we reached a clearing behind the trees where we could see very nice fincas. There were cows crossing a small river to the green fields behind. Our option to cross looked to be a log bridge.

That was not for me so I walked out onto the beach where the river flowed and crossed there in the very shallow water. Back on the pathway the fincas were along the other side of the river to one side and the beach to the other.

The scenery for me was stunning! The colors vibrant, the contrasting scenes were magical.

Sure enough we reached another log bridge which is where we decided to stop our walk.

We all felt we had explored far enough for that day. Just there was a small wooden hut which turned out to be a tienda. We bought fruit juices, and headed back.

I hope to return another time and go further as in the distance we could see yet another small village and lots of beautiful beach.

Our return journey was just as beautiful, but we all walked under the shade of the trees. It was a very sunny, but very warm day.

We lucked out on the return journey. We saw a local guy push his kyuka down the beach to the surf. There he carefully timed pushing his kyuka into the surf.

Calculating perfectly when to jump aboard through the large breaking surf. Then off he paddles out to the deeper water to fish.

Now to most folks this sounds, well easy, but it wouldn’t be as the kyukas are made from a single log of a tree of which the wood is incredibly dense. Therefore the kyukas are very heavy and a side swipe from one in the surf could be lethal.

Back along the side of the beaches, over the stile, along the pathways, passing the tiny homes and finally coming to our dinghies. The walk back was just as enjoyable too.

Above is an arial shot of some of the beach that we enjoyed. The cleared are are the fincas.

We had all decided to sail back to Bocas. For us, we needed to prep for our return home which was a week away. 

That week sped past, prepping the boat takes quite a bit of work. Plus we enjoyed a lunch with friends and their dog Duke. And of course we had our daily walks.

We have a young friend and her boyfriend staying with Chico. Before we knew it we were heading out. First to Isla Colón to get our flight to Panama City.

We actually flew right past Bluefields and the outer beaches we walked. Those day there were the best! Just wonderful, we will return.

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have” Eckhart Tolle

“A single day is enough to make us a little larger”

 Paul Klee