Bocas Town on Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro

Dec 30th we checked into the Bahia del Sol bed and breakfast in Bocas Town. It is a great place. We love the house. It has 4 guest rooms. We got to know some of the other people staying here, too. We love the architecture, the layout, the dock (the whole building is above water). They have a cat and dog that live here, Sophia and Cubby. Jack and Lee, the owners, are very pleasant. Jack is quite a character. And he cooks breakfast for everyone.

The ONE thing that I don't like, and it is probably a reason I wouldn't stay here again, is that secondhand smoke seeps into the rooms when someone smokes outdoors. The windows are just screens with shutters, they don't shut completely. And since I can't control people smoking, I would probably not stay here again, to protect myself from my reaction to secondhand smoke. I don't want to get sick on my vacation!

Otherwise, it is a perfect place. If you don't get sick from second hand smoke, then this might just be the place for you. It is a $1 taxi ride into town. Or you can walk. It is nestled in Saigon Bay, amongst the locals. I love it. I have heard that if you stay in town on the main street (there are only a few streets here in Bocas Town), you won't get much sleep because the discos play until the wee hours of the morning and are LOUD. We are about 15 min walk (or 5 min cab ride) away, so it is great.

We had one day of no rain (yesterday, Jan 1st). Right now it is pouring down rain. It is just pounding!! We got some sun yesterday, and we got engaged, so it was a perfect day! We ate at Buena Vista Bar and Grill in Bocas Town and the sun was setting. Once it was dark, they had a boat parade and fireworks -- it was great.  The boats were all lit up. The service was pretty decent and the food was delicious.

One thing that is kinda cool is that Bahia del Sol, along with many other places here on th island, collect the rain water, and that is what is used for the wash, for showering, toilets, faucet. We drink bottled water but have used the tap water for brushing our teeth and washing our faces and showering. So far we haven't gotten sick. Many locals do this, too. It is nice. I would like to do this back home. (we are on a well system so I don't mean for our water supply, but mainly for gardening, etc).

The vehicles (mostly taxis) here have specific reasons for honking their horns, which they do quite often:

1) to tell people in the streets to get out of the way
2) to tell other vehicles they are going to pass them
3) to acknowledge people ("hello")
4) to let folks know they are waiting for them
5) to let folks know they are angry at them (this one we didn't see too much of)

It is hilarious. Each time we see a taxi honk their horn, we know which category from above that it falls into. Very easy to decipher.

The policia stop folks randomly... and the hospital looks very germy. And there is trash everywhere!!!

When we were walking back to Bahia del Sol, we saw a cemetery, and a lady on a scooter was leaving with two dogs. The dogs just jumped up on her scooter, and held their position as she rode away. I took a picture of it (see below all the pics of these things I am mentioning).

Today we are taking a short flight back to Panama City, and will spend the afternoon and night there, and then we will fly back tomorrow morning to the states.

Kinda sad it is over, but missing my home, my Aegis and my Max, and my Bimpy cat.

Marriage proposal in Panama

I am the happiest girl alive!!! Steve and I went to town this morning, to purchase some souvenirs, and to eat lunch. We also checked out where the airport was. We WALKED to the airport. Kinda cool. Then, we were so blessed with a gorgeous sunny day without a cloud in sight. How could it have been raining non-stop for the past week straight? Well, a good start to the new year!

We went to a local beach, and we laid out, and then Steve talked me into going into the water. I am usually not one for going into the water at the beach, at least past my knees. But we went in... farther and farther out!!!

I got sidetracked at first because a local man was wading out into the ocean sorta close by us, and he was carrying a puppy. I thought for an instant that he might drown the puppy. I am unsure of the way folks do things here, so I went over to him (I battled the ocean to get to him) and he let me hold the puppy. The poor little guy was scared and shivering. So, I gave the puppy back, and was going to watch him with an eagle eye, ready to rescue the puppy if necessary (even though I don't swim well).

Then I went back to Steve and was talking animatedly about the pup, and then he turned around to face me with the souvenir ring and asked "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" O my!!!! My heart stopped, I wasn't expecting this, and thankfully my sunglasses hid the tears welling up in my eyes. My knees felt weak, and I said "are you serious?" and he said yes, and I then said "me? You want to marry ME?" And he again said yes, and I believe I said yes or "of course I will" at that point, but he started getting impatient and said "well, ANSWER ME" hehe.. I told him yes yes yes yes yes.

He then explained how this was the start of a new year and wanted to propose to me in the water, because the water travels all over the place, and so wherever we go, whether it is Belize, or Costa Rica, or wherever, it has the same water, and it can be "Our place". If that isn't the most romantic thing ever, then I don't know what is.

So, we then decided (me really) that I don't want a big wedding at all. Maybe just a couple people witnessing our wedding, and then maybe do it early spring. Maybe April 1st. hehe.

I get to pick out a ring when I get home. I am already looking online to check them out. Woohoo!

So, this was a perfect New Years Day. The sun came out, for the first time in a week. Blue skies, sunshine, marriage proposal!! YAY!!! What a fantastic trip so far!

Bocas Bound and Red Frog Beach, and now we are in Bocas Town!!!

We are glad to be out of Bocas Bound and Red Frog Beach on Bastimentos Island. I am sure the island is pretty when there is sunshine and blue skies, but unfortunately we maybe saw the sun for about 30 minutes during our 2-day stay there.

We also are a bit disturbed regarding the customer service, and the attitude of the people there. Yes, we stayed at Bocas Bound, not the fancy, high priced resort. We were anticipating staying on the beach all day, so no need for a fancy room, right? And, we never stayed at a hostel type place before, and while we didn't stay in the dorms, we had a private room, we expected more.

First, we expected the place to be cleaner. There was a HUGE amount of black hair in the shower. In both showers, in fact. Even though the room was a private room that sleeps 5, we still had dormitory style bathrooms, with 2 toilet stalls (one without toilet paper) and two shower stalls.

There was water leaking into the two toilet stalls... from the walls? From the toilet seal? I don't know.

They gave us only 2 towels, which never dried since it was so humid. After the first day they smelled moldy.

And since we had a bad time getting up the hill with "the giant" (that is what I am nicknaming our HUGE piece of luggage), and since it had been raining off and on, we requested an hour in advance, a ride down the hill to met the boat taxi today. It never came so we walked down ourselves. Steve carried the 64-lb luggage on his head. It is crazy.

The bar and grill we went to yesterday, on the beach, took forever to get our orders. It seems that everywhere it takes forever to get an order. I don't like that. Time is money, and good customer service! And, it started pouring down rain so everyone on the beach ran to huddle under the covered bar and grill area. We found out later that the owner of the bar was there... rumor has it that he is from Michigan, but not sure... anyway, he stood up and yelled at everyone that in fact, there was a fire code (this was an open building, no walls at all) and that everyone needed to leave unless they were going to buy something. What a crock. So basically the fire code says you can have as many people as you want as long as you buy something? Definitely not impressed.

But we are off the island. We needed to experience that, however painful it was. We arrived in Bocas Town today, on Island Colon (the main Island in Bocas Del Toro) and a big town with a lot of rastafarian and Jamaican influence. I like it so far. The couple that we met at the above mentioned bar yesterday are staying here. It was a trip... I can't believe it!! We started talking to them right next to us, and when we asked where they were staying, they told us Bahia Del Sol, in Saigon Bay, and we said "We are checking in there tomorrow!!" so we came around 1:00pm, our room wasn't ready but we went to Bluff Beach with them today, and then to Las Coralina (spelling?) restaurant and hotel, for lunch.

The funny story about that was when the other couple, Brian and Becky, ordered, they got their food right away... the waitress put the food down in front of Brian and he started eating the french fries. He opened up the bun on his chicken sandwich to check if it had cheese.... well, the waitress came running back out and took the plate from him. It wasn't HIS order! It was for the next table. He had a french fry in his mouth and we thought she was going to take that, too. We were amazed that she took it right from him and set it down 3 feet from us. The other table's occupants didn't even seem to notice. it was pretty funny.

One thing I noticed that wherever I go here in Panama, the bed heights are very low. It is just an observation, and so once I swing my legs over the edge of the bed to get out, I have to re-learn this. I have kicked the ground a few times.

There were bugs every place we went. So far the worst was at Bocas bound. But I haven't even seen a mosquito yet!!

Oh, here is a cute story about the local children on Bastimentos Island. They catch the red frogs from the island and put them in big leaves. They then offer to show us gringos the red frogs, for 25 cents. Very entrepreneurial. Becky asked them what they were going to use the money for, and they said pens and crayons so they can color and draw. Don't know if that is true, because later the kids bought soda pop with some of the money, but it is still cute.

I took lots of pictures but haven't downloaded them yet. Probably will just add them to my Facebook Photos.

Wet. Rain. Moisture. Humidity. Clouds. No Sun. Panama.

I think maybe we can get tired of our vacation. Sounds weird, huh? But the past 3 days of nothing but rain with only peaks of the sun, really wore us down. Yesterday morning we left Boquete at 8:30am and Patryck and his wife drove us back down through David (which was sunny, by the way), and then around and up through the mountains, to the Caribbean coast, and Bocas del Toro, where we are now.

We were tired from sleeping not so well in the uncomfortable beds at Colibri Lodging (don't get me wrong, it was a steal for the price, but had we known that Boquete would have basically NOTHING to do when it rained, and restaurants that ddn't stay open after 7pm, and locals that didn't really like us gringos, well, we would have gone for a more inclusive hotel with a gym and spa, etc, or we would maybe have only stayed one night).

Once we got to Almirante, we were in a shanty town area with a dock. Barely anyone spoke English, but we needed to take a "water taxi" to Bocas Town, on the Island of Colon, and then another water taxi out to Bastimentos Island, to our current place of lodging at Bocas Bound on Red Frog Beach.

The water taxi ride was an adventure in and of itself. We had 19 people on the boat with all our luggage. The water was choppy and it was about a 30 minute ride. Waves were splashing up into the boat, and I was worried our suitcase was going to flop out of the water. Finally, though, we arrived in Bocas Town. It reminded me of a busy Jamaican town. Lots of Rastafarian influence. I had to run to the bank to get cash, since we didn't have any for our boat ride to Bastimentos Island. Somehow the price of our ticket from Bocas Town went from $3 each to $10, we were suckered. Oh well! Next time we will know better.

We finally arrived at the Marina at Red Frog Beach, and ended up walking up a steep hill, maybe half a mile, to Bocas Bound, in the pouring rain. We were not happy campers. Tired, exhausted, and wet. Our room was not ready yet, but finally we got some food, got into some dry clothing, and last night, got a good nights sleep.

This morning the weather looks a little better. Possibility of some sunshine today. We are looking forward to it!!!

WHAT AN ADVENTURE!!!

How to get Diabetes: The Zero-Calorie Hoax

I am not affiliated with Dr. Sears at all, but sometimes I really like what he has to say. I LOVE Stevia, and avoid diet beverages at all costs... and I wanted to forward this on. I wish he had a link to a website with this information (or at least one easy to find), but nonetheless, good information...

Al Sears, MD
11903 Southern Blvd., Ste. 208
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411
December 28, 2010


Did you know we drank over 43 billion cans and bottles of diet soda last year?

Diet soda’s been on my mind lately because I’ve been reading the latest studies on diabetes. Did you know drinking diet soda leads to diabetes?
One recent study says point blank that if you drink diet soda every day, you’re 67 percent more likely to develop diabetes.1
And the more you drink, the worse it is. Another study found that those who drank the most diet soda had a 34 percent greater risk than those who drank the least.2
Even the famous Framingham Heart Study found that people who drink more than one diet soda a day have a 56 percent increased chance for developing metabolic syndrome – that’s the group of risks that give you a greater chance for diabetes, as well as coronary artery disease and stroke.3
But if you want a sweetened drink, a good alternative to diet sodas are drinks sweetened with stevia. This herb has been used for hundreds of years as a natural sweetener without problem and can be found at your local grocery store. Just keep in mind that it’s 200-300 times sweeter than sugar.
The best thing about stevia is that it’s a natural extract. It has no calories, and doesn’t spike your blood sugar. In fact, it might even help increase insulin sensitivity.4 And increasing your insulin sensitivity – that is, keeping the amount of insulin you need to process sugar low – is the key to reversing diabetes.
There are other sweeteners you can use, too, like sorbitol and xylitol. These sweeteners are made from alcohol, and don’t cause an insulin reaction. They’re natural laxatives, though, so you might want to add them to your drinks little by little.
These are just two ideas you can use to get away from drinking diet soda and get off the road to diabetes. For more ideas like this, I found a report that’s full of real-world, easy-to-follow advice. It also gives you tips on foods to steer clear of, and tells you about little-known blood tests like Hemoglobin A1c and fructosamine. To get the report, go here.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD


1 Nettleton, J.A., Lutsey, P.L., Wang, Y., Lima, J.A., Michos, E.D., Jacobs, D.R. Jr., "Diet soda intake and risk of incident metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA),” Diabetes Care Apr 2009; 32(4): 688-94
2 Lutsey, Pamela L., Steffen, Lyn M., Stevens, June, "Dietary Intake and the Development of the Metabolic Syndrome. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study," CIRCULATION AHA Jan 2008; 107.716159
3 Dhingra R, Sullivan, et al, “Soft drink consumption and risk of developing cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in the community,” Circulation 2007; 116:480–488
4 Gregersen S, Jeppesen PB, Holst JJ, Hermansen K., "Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects," Metabolism Jan. 2004; 53(1):73-6


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Rain Rain go AWAY!! It is not supposed to be the rainy season here in Panama!!!

Today was another rainy day with lots of wind. We were very cold here in Boquete. However, there were a couple hours of sunshine that peaked through the clouds. We walked all around town, and ended up eating tacos from a whole in the wall corner cafe for lunch. Very good.

Then, we ended up at Isle Verde resort for some massages. They have a spa inside the resort, where you can get massages here in Boquete. We paid $45 plus tip for a deep tissue massage that lasted an hour. She was very knowledgeable and we feel SO good now!

We had dinner at as local pizza joint. I think the pizza was so-so, but Steve LOVED it.

We are still cold, huddling under the blankets in bed, haha, this will be the joke part of our vacation. We are worried about Bocas del Toro now, I snuck a peak at the weather forecast and it will be wet and rainy for the next few days... at least it will be warmer though!

On our way to the spa tonight we saw a young couple whose car was stuck (see attached picture) so we helped them unstuck their car. (is that a word, unstuck? hmmm).

I also included a picture of the San Juan Bautista church, and some horses. 2 horses were inside the fence, but one was outside, they were just hanging out, like friends chatting. The other picture included is a picture of the town square, or city center.

We are leaving early tomorrow morning and so most likely I won't be able to post again until tomorrow evening. We will see.

Now we are in Boquete, Panama!! Freezing our butts off!!!

I have a few things to write about, regarding Panama.

First, everyone who knows me knows I LOVE animals and do a lot of animal rescue. It is hard for me to see the way animals are treated out there. I don't know if they just don't know any better, or just feel that us humans are at the top of the food chain, so we can do what we want to those below us. Here is what I have noticed... There are a lot of chickens / roosters just walking along the roads. That is very common. Same with dogs. They are all scrawny. I bet you won't ever see an overweight animal here. And, there are a lot of cats, too. I would be afraid to have them get hit by a car. But I can just see that none of the dogs are neutered, no collars on them, etc. I hope the dogs are happy. Even the cows are scrawny. Maybe it is a Panamanian thing, because they can just eat more grass, right? And there seems to be plenty of it around them.

But cockfighting is big here, and that disturbs me. The value they place on these beautiful creatures is based on how well they can fight.

And, as we were driving up to David from Boca Chica, we saw multiple people out there on the side of the road with birds, parrots, cockatiels, etc. on a piece of wood or stick, they were just holding them, wanting to sell them to just anyone passing by. To me, pet ownership is a responsibility. I don't think that just anyone should be a pet owner. In fact, many folks I know should NEVER have a pet.

Now that we are in Boquete (pronounced Bo ket ay), in the mountains, we are experiencing some bad weather. Strong winds, heavy rains. It may not be so bad if we weren't nestled in a little mountain valley... but I am not sure. We have been cold. We checked in to the Colibri Lodge, which is basically a house that a family lives in, and they have rooms on the side and back, maybe 4 rooms in all, with private entrances. Very inexpensive, about $25 per night for two people. It includes a private bath, and supposedly hot water. Last night the shower was hot, as I used it to wash my face. The sink doesn't have hot water though. And the power has been going on and off. Right now I have been wanting to take a shower, but apparently there is no hot water left so I am going to wait awhile. The poor weather in Boquete has really put a damper on our plans, it is freezing outside (well, rainy and windy) and we don't have the proper attire.

We thought more of the locals would speak English here, and it is frustrating for me to try to communicate. I know it isn't their fault at all, it is my lack of preparation by not learning Spanish well enough to communicate. Heck, we didn't even bring a Spanish to English / English to Spanish dictionary with us!!

When we first arrived, our driver, Patryck, took us to The Rock restaurant. I accidentally ordered fish and a soup. I even ate some of the fish without knowing what it was. haha. I quickly stopped once I found out what it was. Yuck. Steve says it is all psychological. Oh well.

Tomorrow morning our driver, Patryck, will pick us up, take us to the Caldera hot springs, and then on to Bocas del Toro, where we will spend the next 5 days in two different locations there.


Where we are in Panama

Gone_fishing_panama
I am telling you the story of our trip to Panama, and all our experiences from my normally outgoing, positive viewpoint. But now I will share some things that I don't like about the trip so far.

First, they aren't anything against Panama, they have to do with my body. Nope, it isn't going to be me complaining about how I look in a swimsuit, hehe!! The first thing is that I have a cut on the bottom of my right foot... from our first full day here, when we went kayaking. (In the picture of the boca chica area, we stayed right next door to Seagull Cove Lodge, and the "X" is Boca Brava, a backpacking hotel in Panama, where we ate lunch when kayaking. The "smudge" (which was supposed to be a heart, haha, is our "deserted island" where we saw the iguana, etc.

But the tide comes in quickly, and goes out quickly here. When that happens, rocks are along the shoreline, and I cut my foot walking up to shore. It hurs. But I have colloidal silver and some pure iodine drops that I brought with me, and have been cleaning it out. Nonetheless, it is right on my arch. And since I have flat feet, every step hurts. Steve has one, too, but he has high arches and he says it doesnt bother him. Lucky Steve.

The next thing that is killing me is my shoulders. It is very uncomfortable here, sleeping. Sure, we have A/C in the room, the temperature is fantastic... I just have woken up every morning stiff, and toss and turn during the night. This is not saying anything bad about the resort at all... Gone Fishing Panama, the resort in Boca Chica where we are staying, is a fantastic place... It just has to do with my recent shoulder surgeries and bad back.

But, we are leaving today for Boquete, for 2 nights. Then we will be off to Bocas Del Toro -- first, spending 2 nights on Bastimentos Island, and then the next 3 nights in bocas Town. I will insert more images of those areas when we are there.

We leave for boquete in about 3 1/2 hours.

I included a picture of the country of Panama, as well. boquete is right above Boca Chica, and then Bocas Del Toro is above Boquete, on the Carribean side of the country.


Private Island, White Sand Beach, Crocodiles and Dolphins... Feliz Navidad!

What an adventure today! We went with the resort owners son, Cedar, and one of his local friends, out on the boat today. What a perfect plan for a warm and sunny Christmas day in Boca Chica, Panama
Cedar_and_friend


Cedar and his friend
As we started out on our trek, we went toward a private island that a friend of Cedar's owned. It was very  reclusive. We landed on a gorgeous beach, I mean, it was amazing! Black sand beach, a little hut could be seen off the beach a few hundred yards, and two dogs came out to greet us. Here are some pictures:


What was extraordinary about this place was that it had sort of a swamp or a lake not too far from shore (the tide didn't reach it) and in this "swamp" there were about a dozen young crocodiles!! With names!!

Crocodiles


We played with them for awhile, and I took a movie, I am very poor at taking movies, will never be a good photographer. So we will just deal with that and be forgiving. But I got a few photos, too.

Then, we walked along a stone path through the jungle on this private island... from my understanding, this guy who owns the island has an all inclusive place where he will take wilderness lovers (and folks who don't need to stay in a 5-star hotel) out on treks and adventures in Panama, and they stay in a hammock in a little open hut. Very quaint and outdoorsy. And expensive. Apparently you can rent the whole island for $1,100 per night.
Once we finished THAT adventure, we went to a white sand beach island that took about 30 minutes by boat to get to. On our way, we saw DOLPHINS!! Unfortunately all I had was my camera on movie, not photo setting, so I have a very horrible movie of about 5-7 dolphins frolicking and playing alongside our boat. That was so cool.

And on to our white sand beach. The inlet / cove was perfect. Water was warm, waves were calm, I wasn't afraid of drowning. (Yes, normally I am afraid of drowning).

We got a LOT of sun, and relaxation. What a wonderful Christmas, the white came from the sand, not the snow. Yes, this is the life. I am sick of snow! I don't want to go back to Minnesota!
Here is a picture of Steve, and one of me, on the boat during our adventure today:


And here is a picture of Donna (the owner of the resort) and I when we got back and after we showered so I don't look like a drowned rat.

Rebecca_and_donna







Steve_on_boat

Our_white_sand_beach

2nd day in Panama

Yesterday we ended up kayaking to some deserted island. Well, no one lives there but it is accessible to anyone who wants to land there. The tide here in the bay is a big one, ranging from 18 to 20 feet. When the tide is out, you can see many more islands and rocks. But when the tide is in, they disappear. I am out here on the veranda at Gone Fishing Panama, and am viewing the island that we kayaked to yesterday. It seems so much closer than I remember when I was actually out on the water kayaking.

Maybe that is because I am SUPER SORE today. My upper back muscles and shoulders are killing me. Steve says he did most of the work paddling, but he is a liar. It was 90% me. And I am sticking with that claim.

It is so peaceful and gorgeous here. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! What a wonderful day to wake up on Christmas morning just outside the city of David (about 20 miles away). I know it is a different city than Bethlehem (Steve has pointed that out to me many times), but the symbolism is still there for me, I think it is Luke 2:10 that says "For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ, the Lord". How cool is that. It may not be THE city of David, but it sure has the same name!!! :)

I am definitely not dreaming of a white Christmas. I have been keeping up with the news back in Minnesota, and they got dumped with another 4-6 inches of snow yesterday morning, and two more storm systems will be coming through in the next week. Hopefully it will all be done snowing for the rest of the winter by the time we get back. haha!! So much false hope there!

Today we have planned to go with the resort owners son, Cedar, and a bunch of locals, to an island about 12 miles away, have a picnic lunch packed, and just lay on the beach, party, swim, etc. Another couple that is staying at this resort, from Switzerland, (an older couple) have befriended us and the gentleman (I think Verner is his name?) cautioned us with fatherly advice about how much closer the sun is than we are used to. So be sure to use the sunscreen. I like the fatherly advice!! :)

Here are some pictures of the deserted island from yesterday, along with my footprint and Steve's footprints. You can tell how flat footed I am. Thankfully I have sandals with custom made orthotics built in, so my legs and hips don't hurt as much anymore.

Adios!! Will write more later!!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!