Debbie
10/16/2009, Columbia, Missouri USA

Well, just thought I'd let everyone know that I flew back to the States and had Lasik surgery 3 days ago. It is WONDERFUL! I can really see. It was easy and painless. And, even better, I'll be able to see those channel markers and reefs without glasses sliding down my nose or getting splashed... Yeah!! I also think that I can see a little better at night than with my glasses. Wow! I am sooooo happy. Check y'all later,..... Bye.

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Debbie
09/28/2009, Colon, Panama

We left Bluefield Saturday morning around 11:15 am after it stormed all morning. The trip was really quite pleasant and got some sailing in until the last 20 miles. Just outside Colon, the squally weather hit again and the current had been pushing us the whole way (for a change) and we were going to reach Shelter Bay by about 5 am Sunday morning (yesterday). We definitely don't want to go into a new anchorage or marina in the dark and not in the rain, so we turned around and motored back out for a while. Once it started getting lighter and between squalls, we headed back toward Colon. This was another humbling experience as we motored through the 300-400 ft ships anchored outside waiting to head through the Panama Canal. Some of the ships called Panamax can be up to 1000 ft with less than a foot on each side to get through the Canal. It reminded me of the game 'Battleship' with all the big ships pointing every which way. We jumped in behind one of the big ships heading in the breakwater and into Limon Bay and turned abruptly right toward Shelter Bay Marina as the large ship headed toward the Canal. It started raining again so we made loops inside Limon Bay til it cleared and headed into the marina about 8:30 am. Our friends, Susie and John off of Cabaret, had got us all set up with a slip in the marina and were standing ready with dock lines. Bryan and I both breathed a big sigh once we were docked because we had not been into a marina in a year, but all went well. Bryan and I napped most of the day. Bryan played volleyball with folks in the afternoon, and then there was a big dock party pot-luck last night. That was fun. There are several other boats here with cruisers that we had met elsewhere and met a lot of new folks also. This morning Susie came by to get me to go to the store with her. OK, not what you would think. We donned helmets and backpacks and headed off on her motorcycle to Colon about 20 minutes away. We passed a sloth beside the road, dodged a huge iguana crossing the road, and then drove over a lock in the canal. Wow! We were there and back within 2 hours. Pretty cool, huh?

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Debbie
09/23/2009, Bahia Azul (Bluefield), Panama

Sometimes we create our own monsters. Before we even had the anchor down, we had cayucas coming at us from every direction. The first cayuca had a couple girls aged 12 and 13 that giggled a lot. We asked them if they could take us to the waterfalls that we had heard about. So, tomorrow for $5 we'll head off to the waterfalls. They asked if we could take their picture for school. Of course, we said sure. They giggled and said that they'd be back at 7 am tomorrow morning to pick up the pictures and off they went. Their uncle was also in his own cayuca wanting to sell shells. He also asked for his picture to be taken but he waited for me to print it. Then a single girl came and asked for a pencil which we gave her. Then a lady with 4 tiny kids came, sold us some fruit and asked for cookies for the children which we gave her, and asked for clothes which I had already donated to the hospital in Bocas so I had to say no. Then she asked for our trash. We were confused but gave it to her and said thanks. Then she asked for $1 for the trash. OK, we gave her a dollar to dispose of our trash....its worth a dollar. She then asked for a photo but we said no again and waved goodbye. Then a cayuca with 4 kids from about 4 to 8 years old came up. They asked for pencils which we gave them but then we couldn't understand anything else they wanted so we waved goodbye again. We were really glad that we were clued in before leaving the States to bring school supplies. When people in the States ask for something you know that it will probably end up on E-Bay but here they actually ask for things that they need and will use. Its also really good experience practicing our minimal vocabulary in Spanish. I also giggle a lot. P.S. Bryan wants everyone to know that we actually got to sail today from Cauchero Bay to Bahia Azul. It was great!

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Debbie
09/19/2009, Split Hills

The Cerutti family Green Acres Chocolate Plantation has a nice 2 hour walking tour around their gardens and cacao plantation. While Linda explains when and how they've cleared land, replanted vegetation, and dug ponds, David uses his 28" razor-sharp machete as a walking stick. You forget that he's carrying it until every few steps he takes a whack at a dead limb or diseased cacao pod. Linda comments that "the most dangerous thing in the rainforest is a gringo with a machete." We got to see where and how they ferment, dry, roast, crush by hand, and finally grind the cacao nuts. Cacao grows best under this rainforest canopy, and the Cerutti family is working on restoring the rainforest at least within their 30 acres.

For those of us 'chocolate lovers', the Cerutti's explain that chocolate is healthy. It contains antioxidants and tryptophan which controls the production of mood-modulating serotonin. Eating chocolate releases endorphins, the body's natural pain killer. These factors may account for a sense of well being after consuming chocolate. As we walked David picked and broke open a cacao pod. There are about 30-40 cacao seeds/nuts in a pod and each nut is encased in a white juicy pulp. You can eat this sweet goo then can crunch into the nut. Wow! That's real chocolate. No artificial preservatives or fillers there!

We moved the boat yesterday another couple hours down to a beautiful secluded bay called Cauchero Bay. There are 3 other boats here including one catamaran called "Tisha Baby" with folks that we'd hung around with in Bocas. We all got together last night on Tisha Baby for happy hour and had a fun time. I took brownies that I'd made from the organic chocolate and cacao bits that we'd bought at Green Acres.

As a side note, we had a pleasant surprise because it was cool here throughout the night. For months, I've been waking up 3-4 times a night with sweat dripping off me and No, it's not a female thing. In Bocas it was just really hot with little breeze. Last night I'd wake up and smile to myself and go right back to sleep. With chocolate in the belly and a great breeze, I was in heaven.

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Debbie
09/16/2009, Dolphin Bay (Laguna Porras)

Well, we finally left Bocas del Toro this morning. Course we only went 9.1 miles and we motored the entire 2 hours. Oh well. The good news is that we are finally on our way toward the San Blas islands. We're anchored up next to the Chocolate Farm which we hope to tour tomorrow. Two native boys in their cayucas (dugout trees) came by a little while ago asking for pencils, paper, and crackers. Its dusk and we're listening to the howler monkeys with their 'whooop whooop' conversations going back and forth and all kinds of birds. Its 86 degrees with 71 percent humidity. Its a beautiful and quiet evening all in all. As Bryan says, "We traded water taxis and ferries for howler monkeys and parrots. Its a good trade." Will write more later.

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Debbie
09/15/2009, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Well, after 3 1/2 months in Bocas and 11 1/2 months since we left St. Petersburg, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've just recently gotten my watercolors out and started painting again. A very British lady from South Africa organized some Saturday morning watercolor workshops at the Bocas Marina and got me inspired. I scraped all the old, moldy stuff off my palette and started fresh. After a couple quick paintings some neighbor cruisers commissioned me to do a painting of their grandchildren. It was wonderful! They are beautiful children and I had such fun. And, the cruisers liked the painting so much that now they can't decide if they're actually going to give it to their daughter for Christmas as originally planned or keep it for themselves. So, please pardon a little bragging on my part. I'd almost forgotten how much I love to draw and paint and this really gave me an ego boost. So, here's the result.

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