Feb 5, 2010 - Settling down in Boquete

I am discovering that just about everybody these days is travelling with one of those little netbooks... and a cell phone. I almost wish I had one as most computers in this town seem to be old and slow. I'll try to post some photos tomorrow, Saturday. I now have a little routine. I get up around 7:15 in the morning, eat breakfast at the house, get ready, then walk to the school, which takes me about 35 minutes. Sometimes I stop on the way. Wednesday morning I spent half an hour walking around a private garden called "Mi jardin es su jardin"...

Feb 2, 2010 - Boquete

I've been in Boquete since Sunday night and today was my second day of Spanish classes. I'm staying with a local lady, about 3 kilometers from the centre of town where the school is located. I have my own small room and share the bathroom, which fortunately has a hot water shower. Unlike the capital, Boquete is at 1000 meters so it's much cooler here. The temperatures during the day are around 22-25C and at night it goes down to around 15C or so. Very pleasant climate. I love mountains and flowers, and there are plenty of both here. It's...

Jun 30, 2009 - Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away

Everyone seemed to settle in, and a routine was established. Geneva’s menu was pretty much thrown out the window as the French guys took over the kitchen. The food was extremely tasty, and Cory and Elaine didn’t mind not eating meat for a few days. There was a little bit too much pasta for their liking though. It makes sense lots of vegetarians aren’t necessarily slim, too many carbohydrates. Being a vegetarian doesn’t equate with complete healthy eating. The sailing was a bit longer on the second day, but there was time for snorkelling a...

Jun 20, 2009 - We Concoct Chicha or Tepache

It's raining. The rain continues all day. The hotel is full. In fact, I'm turning people away at the door. We're bored. Bob the neighbor and I found a recipe in a Mexican cookbook that sounded too good to pass up. One pineapple, sugar, limes, spices and voila! instant hooch. Buy a bucket. Chop up a pineapple, all of it except the spiky stem. Add sugar, a gallon of water, lime slices, and spices. Stir every so often and wait a few days. The finished product tasted a lot like cider with a pineapple flavor and it did have a kick.

Jun 17, 2009 - Interesting Guests

I met some interesting people from all over the world. Some have reservations and others just show up at the door asking if there are rooms available. The cast of characters ranged from anthropologists to honeymooners. Four spirited kids from Goole, Yorkshire, England had interesting occupations: kitchen worker, caretaker at home for handicapped adults, plasterer, and electrician for the Royal Mail Service. We also had a couple from Guatemala who own a holistic center in San Marcos on Lake Atitlan, Luisa and Chuss. A couple named Valerie...

Jun 14, 2009 - Boquete

14 June Set off from Santa Clara by getting a taxi to the main road where there was a bus stop. The bus we had tickets for was due to arrive "around" 9.15am this was more like 10.15am. We boarded the bus and was entertained by movies that were dubbed into Spanish. I lost track of the journey time but when we eventually got off the coach it was a brisk walk to the bus station to board an American Style Yellow School Bus. The seats typically lacking leg room but what was more amusing was the fact that people would load the seats up. So a two...

Jun 13, 2009 - Aguas Abiertas Swim Competition

Casita Carolina is full this weekend. There will be a swimming competition in the lake at 3 PM and swimmers are here from all over Mexico. They will swim 1.2 km. across the lake and tomorrow double that distance. I'm going down to the balneario to take some photos.

Jun 11, 2009 - Cenote Azul Revisited

It's always good to swim in Cenote Azul. The water is unbelievably clear and the cenote is 90 meters (about 300 feet) deep. Today I took sisters Amy and Andrea from Utah and Chantel, a clothing designer, and her Blair from Australia to see the cenote and swim. Even an hour at the cenote is a pleasant change from the heat and humidity we feel every day here. Lake Bacalar is very clear and clean but very shallow. Cenote Azul is crystal clear and 295 feet (or 90 meters) deep. To see Chantel's fashions go to www.goddessofbabylon.com.au

Jun 6, 2009 - The List

Carolina left the staff and me with a list of things that need to be done around the guesthouse. I bought the parts to install a rod on which to hang the colorful flags at the outdoor shower. Modesto installed new taps in the kitchen sink. Silvia repainted two black and white lamps for the king size bedroom. Olga, her sister, made new couch cushions for the porch. We're making progress.

Jun 5, 2009 - The Kids

The two women who work for Carolina came by today for a visit. Silvia, la jefa of the whole operation, was married and had a baby in the time that I have known her. Finally, today I got to meet her daughter Ximena. Olga, Silvia's sister who works on weekends, brought her son Jared by for a visit.

Apr 13, 2009 - PanaRail To Colon

Kathy and Ken Corrigan met me at PanaRail train station at 7 AM for a one-hour ride to Colon aboard the train. The ticket cost $22 and gave us a great view of Lake Gatun formed when the Panama Canal was dredged. We saw toucans and other soaring birds along he way. Some of the passengers were businessmen going to the Zona Libre to work. Other passengers were tourists like ourselves. When we arrived in Colon, we took a taxi to Hotel Washington for breakfast. Really, this was all there was to see in poor decrepit Colon. This once grand port on...

Apr 12, 2009 - Panama City on Easter Sunday

After a long bus trip on Easter Sunday, I arrived in Panama City and stayed at Casa de Carmen. I will be here until I leave on Wednesday on COPA Airlines for Guadalajara. I am still weighing the pros and cons of moving to this beautiful and exotic country. In the meantime, I will shop, go to the Veneto Casino, and find anywhere that is air-conditioned in the steamy city.