Yes, they actually say that. In fact, the patois that we are so familiar with from movies and TV is exactly what you hear in person. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to ask someone to repeat what they just said to us, allegedly in our own language! But before we get…
As we wound down our time in Cartagena, we continued to enjoy the fantastic nightlife in the old city, particularly in the Getsemani neighborhood which is just outside the original walls but within the extended walled city. We walked through Getsemani’s narrow streets where families turn the streets into pedestrian-only bars and restaurants, either serving…
That’s the official name. Cartagena is big and sprawling with many high-rises but the first thing you see when approaching from sea, are old Spanish fortresses on either side of the channel. Long ago the Spanish sank ships and dumped debris to seal off the natural entrance closer to the city, so everyone had to…
Yes, we are selling our home! We are going to upgrade to a larger boat. After five years with FKL and two years living aboard full-time, the time has come. But more on that later… After leaving Snug Harbor, we really got into the more remote Guna villages, where the vast majority of the people…
Taylor, a lovely friend of ours from SV Via, wrote the following. A longish read but it completely sums up our experience here in San Blas, and I could not possibly say it better myself. The moon is overhead. I don’t really know what day of the week it is or what the date is…
So, what do we do all day? On any given day we get up and make coffee like most folks. Tess then often spends several hours working on the computer, managing Glendora Employment Agency. John often works on whatever boat project is most urgent. By early afternoon we are ready to go do something, often that’s snorkeling or exploring…
In a word, PARADISE. This is the reason we bought the boat and what we have been dreaming of for the last decade plus. Very much like parts of French Polynesia, but a lot easier to get to. The San Blas archipelago of 350-ish islands is located off the Northeast corner of Panama near Columbia….
A few days after arriving back to Shelter Bay Marina we had boat projects wrapping up and our daughter Sarah joined us for a whirlwind visit. We showed her the sights on the north side of the canal and then spent a couple days in the Panama City area exploring before she returned to school at…
Well, our planned ten week vacation has turned into four and a half months. After Tess’ surgery (see last post), we went down to San Diego to attend the Panama Posse event and see our friends from the Sea of Cortez on MV Tango. On the way back to Glendora, we were going to visit friends from…
We have been staying with family in SoCal while we endure a bunch of doctors appointments (11 in the first week!!!). On my end, my “routine” glaucoma checkup turned into an OMG, your eye pressure is higher than it’s ever been, which led to urgent surgeries to add additional pressure-release valves in each eye. Never…
