Karen here! Things are well down here. It's been sunny the last couple days so we've been going to the beach and kayaking. The surf picked up a little bit the last couple days so the guys went surfing. One day, Chet and I kayaked to the island across from we're staying (about a 20 minute paddle, not very far), paddled along that island for an hour then crossed back over to Bastimentos and paddled up it for a bit, seeing awesome mangroves, lots of starfish, and a couple beautiful sting rays. Not a lot of snorkeling that day though; too much swell in the water and the water wasn't very clear due to recent rains.
We've met quite a few characters the three weeks we've been here. When we first got here, there was a German guy Andres staying here. Hectic fellow! He owns a skate/finger-deck store back in Germany and travels for surfing and to go to skate and finger-deck competitions. (Finger-decks are little skate boards you play with with your fingers. Wyatt, Chet, and I knew of these from growing up, but we didn't know there are competitions for it!!) Andres, a guy in his 30s, always seemed a bit over-caffeinated, talking very quickly and scolding the guys ('You lazy boys!) for not getting surfboards the first full day we were here.
Next up, we met a tall blonde German lady named Jennifer. She had come down to Panama for a couple days from where she lives in Costa Rica to renew her visa. If you stay in Costa Rica longer than three months, then you need to either apply for a long term visa through lots of paperwork OR you can leave the country for a couple days and they'll give you a new three month visa when you re-enter CR. So needless to say, the latter is what she was doing. She loves sailing and the tropics, hoping to stay here more full time to avoid going back to 'cold gloomy Germany.'
After that, we met a lovely Australian couple, Sam and Alex. Alex had just graduated from university with a degree in communications. Sam is studying to be a nurse, but she is taking some time off to travel. Alex is going back to Australia and Sam is going to Guatemala to study Spanish for a couple months. Awesome people, lots of good discussions, plan to keep in touch with them!
Last up, Diane and Rod from Colorado. They were just finishing a two week trip through Costa Rica and Panama looking for a nice place to retire to. Funny couple; the tropics will suit them! They're flying back to the states tomorrow, dreading the foot of snow on the ground and another predicted foot of snow on the way.
Tomorrow we're leaving the islands to go to a town called Boquete up in the mountains of Panama that is known for its coffee. We'll be there for a couple days and then plan on heading to the Pacific side of Panama. I'll miss the beautiful blue Caribbean, but it will be nice to move on.
Till next time!
Karen
We've been eating a lot of pineapple lately. It's really good on oatmeal!
Our patio with the guys' boards. (Photo credit Wyatt Dooley)
Wyatt taking a nap after a long day of surfing and hanging out.
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