Archive for bocas del toro

It’s Raining Again

Posted in Bluff Beach Retreat, bocas del toro with tags , , , on February 13, 2009 by reachdownbetweenmylegs

Oh, it’s raining again
Oh no, my love’s at an end.
Oh no, it’s raining again
and you know it’s hard to pretend.
Oh no, it’s raining again

Supertramp

The rain came down multiple times early Thursday morning waking me with each rain storm.  I got up in the darkness 630 am.  The  rain settled down as I walked onto the porch and pulled up the screens around the kitchen/bar area and awaited the early arrival of Dave Lloyd.  Catlin and Matt got here Wednesday night in time for dinner.   Ron brought us food from Lili’s Cafe, Caribbean food hummus, spiced chicken, rice and beans and chocolate banana brownies.  Earlier in the week we enjoyed hot chicken wings from Lili’s while we played cards.  I highly recommend Lili’s Cafe.

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Swamp

Posted in bocas del toro with tags , , , , , , , on February 12, 2009 by reachdownbetweenmylegs

Well, you better not go at night.
There’s things out there in the middle of them woods
That make a strong man die from fright.
Things that crawl and things that fly
And things that creep around on the ground.

Charlie Daniels

We had heard about La Piscina, a small cove protected from the waves so you can swim.  The idea was to walk to the “goat farm” pay the little girl at the farm, a dollar per person and then “they will show us the way to the piscina.”  We had Iris pack us some sandwiches and we grabbed 5 liters of water and started off.  The walk to the goat farm took approximately 45 minutes, crossed two creeks and a log crossing in front of the goat farm.

Goat Farm and the Gringo

Goat Farm and the Gringo

We paid our money and nobody came with us.  So we walked another 30 minutes and came to a fork in the path and chose the path that was most travelled.

Behdad Jamshahi

BJ

Trail on the way to La Piscina

Trail on the way to La Piscina

Ocean View

Ocean View

Bates in Fern Gully

Bates in Fern Gully

We later would learn that if you make it to what we called “Fern Gully”,  you missed the trail to La Piscina.

The Debbie

The Debbie

The trail crossed several streams, swampy areas and even a knee deep marsh with horse droppings in it that we waded through.  The trail finally came to an end and we decided that we went the wrong way and headed back.

End of the Trail

End of the Trail

We headed back frustrated and ran into a little boy “Diego” on a horse who informed us we went the wrong way and La Piscina was about 1 hour from where we were .   He then headed out in another direction and told us to head back.  Later, he would come back and pass us. We then found him at the fork in the trail.  He pointed and said “La Piscina”.  I then paid him $5 dollars for his help. (later to learn he was a son of the goat farmer who I paid the initial $5.)

We walked down into another swampy area, where Jason Korn stepped into hip deep mud.  We couldn’t pull him out so he had to reach down and take off his shoe, pull it out and then pull out his leg.

Jason Korn and the Swamp Monster

Jason Korn and the Swamp Monster

We walked about a hundred yards more and voila, La Piscina.  We swam, ate lunch and rested for the trip back.

La Piscina

La Piscina

Too far to go
I- We come to take you home

And when they split those atoms
It’s hotter than the sun
Blood is a special substance
They gonna pray for that man

So wake up young lovers
The whole thing is over
Watch but touch monkeys

Talking Heads

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The Seven Deadly Sins——-SLOTH

Posted in Bluff Beach with tags , , on February 12, 2009 by reachdownbetweenmylegs

Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

The Sloth

The Sloth

 This is our best shot of the sloth over three days of finding him/her in the same spot.  Occasionally we see some slow arm and leg movement but that is all.  Has to be a sloth.

Sail away where no ball and chain
Can keep us from the roarin’ waves
Together undivided but forever we’ll be free
So sail away aboard our rig
The moon is full and so are we
We’re seven drunken pirates
We’re the seven deadly sins

Flogging Molly

 

 “sluggishness of the mind which neglects to begin good… [it] is evil in its effect, if it so oppresses man as to draw him away entirely from good deeds.”

Thomas Aquinas

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Road to Nowhere

Posted in bocas del toro with tags , , , on February 6, 2009 by reachdownbetweenmylegs

WELL WE KNOW WHERE WE’RE GOIN’
BUT WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE’VE BEEN
AND WE KNOW WHAT WE’RE KNOWIN’
BUT WE CAN’T SAY WHAT WE’VE SEEN
AND WE’RE NOT LITTLE CHILDREN
AND WE KNOW WHAT WE WANT
AND THE FUTURE IS CERTAIN
GIVE US TIME TO WORK IT OUT

We’re on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin’ that ride to nowhere
We’ll take that ride

Talking Heads

 

We landed in Bocas overcast, tarmac wet with recent rain.  De-planed and found Ron owner of Bluff Beach Retreat.  We waited for our luggage to come but first they loaded the plane with the new luggage as ours sat in the cart and the deluge began.  Rain….  The luggage came through the hole in the wall, a guy pulled each bag through and you give him your tag.  Quickly we carried the bags to Ron’s 4 door pickup and drove to the nearest hardware store and bought a blue tarp.  Now the journey began.  We drove through town, Bates found a restroom and Debbie bought some Ibuprofen.  Ron drove us past the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.  The ride was bumpy, wet and well now you can see.

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