Are you cut out for rainy season in Central America?

                                         A tropical thunderstorm as seen from the space station


     Well, Espiritu and her crew have been in the midst of the tropical rainy season for nearly 6 months now. Without a break, just like the locals.   Hundreds of inches of rain have fallen on us. Thousands and thousands of tachycardia-inducing close bolts of lightning have violently invaded our space.

                                 Yet another tropical weather system looms black on the horizon


  By the way, in addition to ourselves, the tally of our friends on sailboats who have been struck by lightning this year in Central America has now risen to SEVEN.

  We're so ready for it to be OVER.

            I was a big Croc-basher in my former life. But my pink Vans/Croc squeakers have
                              taken very good care of me in these very wet months.

   
                        Just another sizzling, crackling, grumbling, anxiety-producing night
                                             in Central America during the rainy season

       
         This photo of dark storm clouds moving in over Shelter Bay marina shows why none of our friends have been struck by lightning in marinas. The numbers are on your side here. You are surrounded by lots of other targets. At sea or in an isolated anchorage, one solitary mast may be the  highest spot for miles around.
       

           As the last weeks of the rainy season go out like a lion (lightning crackles above and around me as I write this), I ask myself the question:

 Do I recommend sailing through Central America during the rainy season?

 Sigh.

 Well, you already know the downsides. The constant layers of mold which blanket the inside surfaces of our floating home anew the morning after scrubbing her clean the night before. The extreme challenge of living in such close quarters day in and day out,  extreme heat and humidity, wind, waves, lightning and squalls adding fear and arguments about how and where to proceed to the mix.

   Looking at the whole thing as the adventure that it is, rather than a slog, can help.

               Having a sense of community is always good for the morale, as we did on
            election night when 25 of us gathered in the cruiser's lounge to watch the returns.

            And, I suppose, being a Democrat meant election night was good for the morale as well...

       
                                        Bonding with animals also helps:

                       Meet Cooper, the overly-friendly marina dog. He's sweet, but...(and there's no nice way to say this)...he really, really needs a girlfriend. Badly (I'll just leave that up to your imagination to fill in the blanks of this scenario).


  And then there are days like the one recently where we shook off our malaise and frustration with mechanical issues and took off into the rainforest which borders our marina.

                                           This was our reward:

                                          A chestnut mandibled toucan sighting!


       For all of the downsides of these months down here, in the end the huge reward is simply being immersed in nature.

                                            A muddy bog after the days rain



   In the 21st century, the balance has shifted so far that for all practical purposes, nature has nearly completely disappeared from modern society. In modern life, we are completely surrounded by man and his creations.

                                        Great leafy vines creep all the way up this tree


In modern life, nature is but a fantasy -- a dream of the past long gone. But down here, we're literally swimming in it. I have a feeling that after we've survived the rainy season, I'll have the attitude of one who has prevailed through anything hard -- say a triathalon, or childbirth, or obtaining a college degree -- and say yes, yes, YES! It's hard but it's worth it! And it changes you. Forever.

  But first, we must survive the rainy season.  Espiritu's electrical system is repaired, so our plan is to sail North to the Colombian island of Providencia on saturday.

      It's a trip of about 260 miles, which should translate into a 2 or 3 night trip. Looks like we're finally saying goodbye to Panama, our home for the last 5 months. We'll never forget you, Panama.

   Onward!   :-)



         

New photo round-up: Panama North Shore

May your trails be crooked, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. 

May your mountains rise above the clouds. 

-- Edward Abbey

                                       Exploring the San Lorenzo National Park


      Well, the uprising in Colon has settled down, Superstorm Sandy has moved on, but Chris and I are still here at Shelter Bay Marina in Colon dealing with ongoing battery problems.

    While we're here waiting for parts, we've had the chance to explore the rustic Caribbean coast of Panama.

              The area we've explored in northern Panama ranges from slightly west of Colon, across the canal and east to Portobelo, and further yet along the coast to the tiny towns of Puerto Lindo and Garotte (neither of which are on the map).

                          A tree groans with fresh papaya in the front yard of this home

                                                    A swing hangs lazily over the water

                                                                 Lost horizon

                                                     Children swim in their skivvies

                                                           Coconut palms

           We were thrilled to trip upon a pair of Shetland ponies! I grabbed a handful of
   grass and slowly, gently approached the little guy to see if he would eat out of my hand...

                                      "Hey, come back!"   Ah, well... LOL...    :-)

          We went on a 12 mile round trip bike ride deep into the rainforest. Our destination was the San Lorenzo Fort, shown above at the mouth of the great Chagres River.  It is the oldest fort in Panama.

                                  Our only company at the Fort besides a snake and dozens of
                        howler monkeys was an armadillo. Who knew they lived in the tropics?

                                There is a bit of fall leaf color change here in Panama

                                                       Rickety dinghy dock in Garotte

    ...and another view (note the shipping palate on the left -- no need to waste perfectly good wood!)

           We were curious about this Star of David cinderblock around a home in impoverished Garotte

                                                            ...and just up the road...

           A street artist draws a family in distress on a wall in Colon. This could be related to the
         recent uprising and shootouts with police, where many were killed, including two children.

                                                                        Boathouse

                          Yes, I crossed this uber-rickety foot bridge, and lived to tell the tale...

                                                   Dreamy little dinghy dock

                                                             Child's toy gun at rest

                                                             Interesting cloud formation

                                                            Bus stop

                                                Panamanian youth clowning around

                                 Cruiser's hang-out and book exchange in Puerto Lindo

                                                 Dugout canoe as planter

                                             ...and another view...


           And lastly, a sailors favorite thing:

                                                                    Wind

Persistent anxiety in Colon...yet life goes on...

                                      Yesterday in Colon, Panama


       Chris and I remain here in Shelter Bay in Colon, Panama, where riots, violence and shootouts have been ongoing for almost a week now. 48 hours ago the President stated his intent to overturn the new land law which was the cause of the uprising.

                                             
         But the protestors have stated that they will not rest until the President actually overturns the law. As of this writing he has only stated his intent to do so. Our understanding is that the insurgents plan to increase their activity today with more rioting, blocking of roads and commerce, etc., until the law is actually overturned.

     We remain protected by the military here in the marina, and we have not actually seen any of the violence here in the aptly named Shelter Bay. And -- life goes on.

    Several of us took a trip into Colon proper yesterday to provision at a grocery store there. We had a Panamanian driver with us in case we should run into any trouble on the way.

                                      Armed military police guard the grocery store in Colon

    We were happy to see the shelves were well stocked at the supermarket, which was up and running, no doubt thanks to the large military protection force there. Several other stores next to the market were closed, however, as was the bank, which was out of money and shut down until further notice.

   So, we've been doing our best coming up with ideas to keep our minds and spirits occupied with positive thoughts...

                                                                   How about a tea party!

           The tea party was the brainchild of 7 year old Ella of "Rivers2Seas," who also invited her dolls to participate (Notice the coffee mugs, which would have to do, as no-one has fine china teacups aboard their sailboats).  I participated eagerly as, in this time of unrest, keeping the children distracted and occupied is a top priority.


    When the uprising began last week we were in nearby Portobelo, where we participated in the annual Black Christ Festival.

                           Thousands of pilgrims from around the world come to the sleepy city
                of Portobelo once a year to visit the famous carving, which is hundreds of years old.

                                                   A powerful sight

          Worshippers crawl on their hands and knees during their journey to the Black Christ.
     Many wear purple adornments that are similar to the vestment that the Black Christ wears.

                 Some drip hot wax onto their backs as they crawl in an act of self-flaggelation


                     As interesting and at times emotionally powerful this was to watch,
                               there were some bizarre and amusing moments as well.


               At times I felt like I was at a flamboyant parade in West Hollywood. For example:

                              This fellow was quite proud of his ruffly Black Christ vestment...

                                                      ...and that of his chihuahua...   :-)

 
                                                                     Mixed messages


     
         At the Black Christ festival I found a couple more additions to my occasional series:
    "Latinos unknowingly wearing mildly-to-wildly inappropriate donated American t-shirts."

     This very sweet, very devout and sincere Panamanian woman bearing a purple candle during her pilgrimage most certainly has no idea what her donated American t-shirt says -- and I didn't have the heart to tell her.

 Portobelo has 5 tiendas, all owned and operated by Chinese immigrants who speak fluent Spanish and Chinese, and absolutely no English.

                                              One of the Chinese owned tiendas in Portobelo

           Keep in mind that this sweet Chinese tienda owner speaks NO English.  Sigh. Then there is the obvious irony that since she owns and runs a successful retail outlet, and OK, let's face it, she IS Asian -- I'm certain that she is very good at math and appreciates it's importance in society. LOL...


      Anyway, we are expecting our new battery to arrive from Panama City today. But that is a big "IF," as many of the roads remain blocked by insurgents. But IF the battery arrives, and Chris is able to quickly install it, then this afternoon we will throw off the dock lines and make the two night passage to  Providencia, about 260 miles to the north. We will be buddy boating with "Rivers2Seas" and "Tension Reliever."

    So, that is our plan. More to follow. Onward!   :-)

    UPDATE: Due to the roads being blocked, our battery never arrived this morning, so "Tension Reliever" went on to Providencia without us. We should be here in Shelter Bay for another week at least while we wait for the battery and a battery charger as well. No worries!   :-)