We are probably at our lowest point of the trip ...Latitude-wise ;-) - having dipped below the Peninsula de Azuero on our way to Islas Las Perlas, our next stopover. This has actually been a week of 'highs': with the arrival of two of Bruce's longtime friends the fun-meter turned UP. The boys have the clout to bust his a** and have prompted more field trips -- and stops [mostly fueled by their quest for rum] ...
Patrick had never been ziplining and Wednesday was Moffett's b-day; so five of us set out from Quepos on a rutted mud road into the canopy. We did a total of 10 ziplines (the longest nearly 500' and FAST), two rappels, crossed a wobbly suspension bridge, and - the most scary of all - swung like Tarzan (or Jane) from one platform to the next -- all VERY high up & confirming my dreadful fear of heights, especially as the tiny platforms shuddered with each incoming participant, and got slippery in the rain! But it WAS (I admit) a load of fun and worth the little bit of 'eeeee!' I felt each time I was clipped and sent flying ...
After that we overnighted to Golfito to check out of Costa Rica, and provision a bit more (Sharon and I have done most of our sightseeing in the little mercados and tiendas of Central America ... ) At Banana Bay - the cruiser hangout in Golfito - we ran into some folks we know and friends of friends; trading email addresses on scraps of dinner napkins and chatting into the evening ... until we departed that night: this time crossing into Panama and making landfall at the Islas Secocs - absolutely GORGEOUS islands: lush green mounds, turquoise water, etc.
The anchor was hardly set before we were in the water - swimming, exploring in the dinghy, or as Patrick and I did - snorkeling the entire crescent bay where I had one of my MOST ENCHANTING moments of the trip: a tiny yellow and blue striped fish - about the size of a walnut - joined us and swam with us the entire way! At times he was directly under my mask - just beneath my nose - his tiny fins beating as hard as he could to keep up (at points we even slowed down to accommodate him!). What a delight!! !
Alas we left there yesterday after dinner for a two-night passage to Las Perlas: an archipelago of isles and rocks directly south of the canal zone, which puts us in position to arrive in Balboa Tuesday (12/21) (after a little fun at Las Perlas - also supposedly great snorkeling grounds).
Speaking of fish ... I've been getting up early for my 7AM watch to get the line out and grind up some local coffee I picked up ... and the last two mornings have caught yellowfin tunas even before my first cup of joe! Today I even put out my old 'lucky lure' ... it has lost its shimmer and most of its feathers since I first picked it up in 1993 (!) however he still has his old magic: finally we had to start throwing fish back - and retire him probably for the duration of the trip.
After checking into Panama (on the 21st? 22nd?) I expect to get a flight early (o-dark-thirty) Thursday and start making my way home - by way of Oma & Opas, then back to Cali before the New Year. SO anxious to see my loved ones and share some Christmas cheer SOON!! Signing off Sat'y Dec 18 - XOXOX Betsy / Mom
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