Patience Please

I'm not the best with patience usually, but after having been out here for a year I am beginning to learn it is much needed.  I have gotten a few emails along the lines of "What happened to posting the last month?"  Well there is this little thing called salt water and salt air out here when traveling full time by sailboat.  I am not sure how it makes its way into the inner workings of my electronics but it does slowly but surely.  

In other words my main computer I write and edit the blog with is not working anymore. I have been frustrated beyond belief the past week trying to get the damn thing up and running again.  I had 22 blog post written, edited, and ready for posting.  All I needed was an electric outlet and some decent internet.  The couple of days between completing web work and actually finding a connection that could post it all my computer crashed.  This also included all updated post on anchorages, weird/eclectic adventures, updated thru April cost of cruising, and some new layout and design work I had done.

Moving on..

On a better note I fly back into the U.S. on Tuesday to visit family, friends, and possibly do some traveling.  I am hoping that I can find a decent computer tech that can get all of my old data off the computer so I can get it all updated ASAP.  I also lost all photos from those days because they were on that computer.  If anyone knows someone in the New Orleans area that can help me get the info off the old computer that would be awesome.  Please email me: sailingkokoi@gmail.com

So in the meantime you get this sweet photo of my neighbors right next to the marina.  This is true Panama living at its finest.  Funny thing is there are 6 people living in this home.  Even funnier they are 10 times happier than any mansion living citizen I have ever met.  The kids throughout the day run down the dock naked, front flip off, hop out and run back inside.  Either a quick bath or air conditioning for them. Keep Life Simple! Be Happy!

I am alive. Life here in Panama is easy. Its hard to describe, but I will put into words how time just seems to drift by slowly out here.  It just happens.

Ciao

Red Frog Beach

When I quit working and having to wake up at 3:45 AM every morning I swore I would never set an alarm again. I lied when there is swell the alarm shall be set. We were up around 7:30 this morning to paddle out to some decent head high sets.

After a quick session I came home cleaned up and went out for some dolphin encounters. Pretty incredible seeing wild dolphin in a mating bay. There were plenty of baby dolphin going crazy out there.  Playing all over the place.  After that a long dinghy ride through the mangroves around Bastimentos Island and over to Red Frog Beach.  We had some lunch and spent the rest of the day chilling on the beach.  The rainy season has defintely started down here.  This means rain all day everyday with 30 minute breaks between thunder heads. We were almost home then got hammered with pelting rain the last 10 minutes of the ride.  Good times getting needle rain in the face doing 25 mph.

Surf, Snorkel, Beers...

Lunch, Party, and the list goes on daily.  Its busy here.  I haven't found anything crazy interesting on the spearfishing front so don't expect anything like the Bahamas yet.  The swell has risen and I have been spending about 6+ hours a day paddling out and catching some incredible waves.  Now back to surfing!  Peace

Bocas Del Toro, Panama

WOW!  Where do I start with Bocas.  It's a kids playground gone wild. A peter pan style world where no one ever grows old. Filled with super active kids in their 20's and 30's having the time of their lives.  A water world per se where everything from hostels, bars, restaurants, dive shops, groceries, and everything in between is waterfront with a dock.  Just dinghy up and chill!

It has been a week and seems like we have been here for years having fun already.  Meeting tons of amazing people.  Surfing, diving, spearfishing, partying, and plenty other crazy activities!  Where did the past week of my life go?  It went to some of the best times of my life with some of the wildest and crazy people I have met.  I'm going to try and write a little more regularly, but when your having this much fun there isn't much time to put the fingers to the keys.

Chillen

Swim, have cold beer, swim more, repeat…  Just chilling with some friends of mine at Aqua. Brad the Canadian, Franceska the German, and Hila the Israeli.  This place is a total melting pot of people from all over the world.  Just sitting here daily talking with everyone you learn so much about so many different cultures.  Its exactly what I have been chasing for so long.  Daily life in Panama.

Slacken'

Just another day of slacken around Panama Style!  The weather has been beautiful recently and we have been taking full advantage of being outside and enjoying it.

Fresh As It Gets

There isn’t a single piece of produce here that is perfect.  I think that’s why all the produce here is so perfect!  Its all incredibly juicy and so flavorful.  Have you noticed that every single tomato in the grocery back home is of almost the exact same size, shape, and color.  There must be something sketchy behind that but I’m no expert.

Approval..

Even Rob Machado approves.  This place is pretty damn epic.  One of my favorite movies is The Drifter.  If you haven’t checked out Rob’s movie its a must!

Life is Amazing

It's a very interesting place here.  Home to many expats that ran from the U.S. for a number of different reasons.  A truly eclectic group of people to say the least.  Then there are the locals which are just as much a mixed group.  You’ve got the non stop drug dealers trying to sell you coke and weed.  They all obviously have severe brain loss since they repeatedly ask me throughout the night as if we had never talked and I had never told them NO.  Then the locals only clan.  A group of hardcore guys that don’t want anyone else but themselves around this area.  

Then there are the true locals.  Panamanians that are the nicest and most kind hearted people you could ever want to meet.  They are happy with who they are and where they live.  They are extremely welcoming and will say Buenas and smile every time you pass them up.  This place is slowly starting to grow on me.  I can say I truly love it here.  Its a water world of sorts.

 

Bocas...

There are those that can hang and then there are those...  Well you get the picture.