OUR DEPARTURE IS NEARLY HERE

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

PORTOBELLO BAY, PANAMA

Today is Sunday and It's Perfect is still anchored in Portobello.  The skies are partly cloudy and the wind is gusting more than 20 knots.  This has been a good anchorage, we have spent a lot of time here repairing systems after the lightening strike and now provisioning for the last leg of our 3 year journey circumnavigating the Caribbean Sea.   From here we will sail to Roatan Honduras, about 750 miles and then another 700 miles to Key West, Florida.

SAN BLAS ISLANDS

While Panama would not be a long term destination if we passed this way again it has been home for the past 7 months.  From The San Blas to Portobello/Colon, then Bocas del Toro and over to Boqueta the people are friendly and the views of the rain forest, coastline and sunsets were sometimes breathtaking.  All in all a good place to be for the winter months in the Western Caribbean.

RED FROG BEACH



BOQUETE



While here we have met many locals and gotten to know many children.  Riding the chicken bus or the water taxi everywhere we went  we have been amazed at how well behaved these children are and how caring and polite the people are.  If you board a bus with babies or young children and there are no more seats on the bus, other locals will soon have the children out of the isle and in their lap or standing in front of their seat.  You never hear the children complain or argue, most sit politely waiting for their bust stop.  The parent or older sibling will collect the child on the way down the isle and off the bus.


ANOTHER ONE RIDES THE BUS

The music might be BOOMING as the bus rattles along but the people and children are all quiet, acknowledging friends as the come and go from the bus.  They are always helping one another and even the occasional foreigner trying to maneuver their many packages onto the bus.  It has been a rewarding experience spending time on the local transportation where we were never made to feel out of place.