Tuesday 7/03/2007
Now that we have made it to Panama and are out of hurricane range it has been really nice to finally be able to sit back and relax here on Isla Colon (Bocas Del Toro). We've enjoyed spending time with "Sashay" and "Calico Jack" and have also met many otherfriendly cruisers who are here from all over the world. Martini left us to continue her travels down to the San Blas Islands. Shortly after she left, our good friend Reef from Key West came to visit for a few days with his friend Bill and we had a great time hanging out and catching up over cocktails. We haven't explored a whole lot around this area even though we've been here for almost a month. It has been raining quite abit, but we try to take advantage of the sun when it does come out. A couple of days ago we took a four wheel drive taxi out to the north eastern end of the island with Bruno, Estelle and Montana. You must have a four wheel drive because the road is very bumpy and quite muddy with all of the rain. We got off at La Coralina, a beautiful resort nestled in the jungle with amagnificent ocean view. The owner, Stacy, who also used to live in Key West fixed us some drinks and thanked Jeremy and I for stopping some thieves who had boarded her boat several nights ago. She was not on the boat at the time and the thieves left as soon as we flashed a spotlight on them without taking anything. Lucky... Stacy has spent the last two years fixing up La Coralina and has done a really incredible job. As she gives us the tour I cannot stop thinking about how this should be my family's next vacation spot. Just a 20 minute walk from the resort and you find yourself all alone on a lovely five mile stretch of white sand beach. We had a memorable afternoon playing with the girls and getting beat up a bit in the rolling surf!
Wednesday 7/04/2007 Happy Independence Day!
Pablo, the owner of Bocas Marina (Which is located right by where Max is anchored and where we spend a lot of time) bought a huge box of fireworks so that all of us gringos could celebrate the 4th of July in style. Jeremy and I offered to head into the jungle to help him light them off at the top of the hill. Once it was completely dark outside six of us began our hike through the mud and cutter-ant hills. I kept my flashlight in the treetops with the hope of spotting a sloth or bats or something cool. We finally made it to the top of the hill without dropping the box of fireworks, but more importantly without spilling a single drop of beer! After setting the box in a clearing we lit the fuse at the top of it and ran for cover in the trees, not really knowing exactly what was about to happen. Luckily nothing got too out of control and one beautiful explosion after another shot straight up into the sky (Good ones Pablo!). We could just make out the sound of the people below cheering over the deafening noise of the fireworks. Once the show was over, and we all pulled out our flashlights and started to look around, one of the guys suddenly called out in alarm "Hey! I think I've been standing on a grave!" We immediately realized that we had just set off a huge noisy box of fireworks on a pirate graveyard! It was a really neat little graveyard with many of the stones over a hundred years old! A couple of people were a bit uneasy at this point and so we all stumbled back down the slippery slope of the hill. At one point I looked down and realized that I was standing in between four huge cutter-ant hills! My flip flops were instantly covered in ants with heads so big they look as if they could barely lift them! It was a bit unnerving, but luckily they are not as ferocious as they appear. We were relieved to be back at the marina, cold beer in hand. It was a 4th of July to remember!
