Walk to the Caribbean

I apologise for all the typos, this was written on my itouch.

Monday, March 22
I had been told by Walter that the road to the coast man Pixvae look easy and that winches were required on the most hardy of trucks In preparation we made a trippto Santiago and bought knee high rubber boots, 2 tens and I still more waterproof bags and some batteries and a file… Rodney bought a 24” machete. The “Doit Center”, Panama’s answer to home depot had but one type of file, a triangular metal file.

I went to pick up my bags which had been shipped the previous Thursday from Bocas Town but was disappointed to hear that not only were they not at the depot, the would not be there that day. I ran into Karina and Sarah. They had just come from Santa Catalina having left Hrssus and Anat were were spatting were were bound for Jaco, Costa Rica. I told them they would not bin in that town long and to look the the Brazilians once they blew into Nicaragua. We wont we be there long “It is a tourist town, hi rise hotels, McDonalds, whores and drugs.

Tuesday, March 23
At 4:00 we hopped the gate in the front of the hostel. The gate swung as I attempted to raise my right leg over the pointed bars. The heel of my boot was too wide to fit between the uprights of the wrought iron so I had to turn my right foot 180 degrees from my left foot while swinging precariously, knowing that a stumble would cause me to get impaled in my ass or into my lower abdominal cavity through my testicles. Rodney, my traveling companion of the week, sorry for not keeping you up to date, mentioned that it rained for 2 hours last week. Hell, this trip is supposed to be difficult enough as it is. I opted for returning to bed. We reawoke at 7 and later that evening Steve the Clueless and Carlos the Columbian madman real estate mogul chef came to visit.

Wednesday, March 24

4:30 I was servicing the hot Columbian woman I met on the beach when there was a rhythmic vibration in my chest followed immediately by a rhythmic chiming. I rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth, splashed water on my face, and grabbed my bags. It is 4:30 in the morning and the sky is cloudless. We hopped the gate to the hostel and walked to the cell tower. We now await our chival, a covered 4 wheel drive pickup truck with benches in the bed running along each side. Chivals are used as transportation in Panama for very rural areas. The towns serviced by chivals probably have no cellular telephone service, no electrical service and one solar powered satellite pay phone. More on that later.

5:30 The chival arrived at exactly the designated time. There were two men already on board, one with a bicycle taking up the middle of the aisle. We stopped to pick up five more, three of which came in the back including the little boy who stood between my legs.

5:47 two more kids were offered the opportunity to ride by standing on the bumper and holding on to the covering of the bed but declined. The road became very rough very soon and holding on would be a chore.

7:42 One of the women removed the top of the shoe box she was clutching and out popped the head of a little puppy she was transporting.

8:19 We arrived and unloaded our bags. There is a “medical brigade” in town. People have walked up to 3 days to visit the clinic, having received the news that the brigade was in town over their battery powered radios. A line of several hundred people has formed and more people are arriving. I have no idea how these people are going to eat or where they are going to sleep.



9:04 Our horses and horseman are no where to be found. Louis Carlos, a tall English speaking gentleman from Santiago is going to inquire about our horses. I figure the guy couldn’t procure any horses and is not coming. He suggested we hire a guide to walk us there for $10 but we figured we were just walking on a road, how hard could this be?

10:14 We have been advised that there might be some horses in Ortiga, the next town down the trail.

10:46 I have finally convinced Rodney that we are not going to see any horses for rent and we started off on foot.

11:09 We are joined by a young Indian, Rogoberto and his mule. The mule is carrying two 6 gallon containers of diesel fuel and Rogoberto is walking.

11:58 We have arrived in Ortiga and visited with Padre Joe,

When we arrived at Ortiga, I ascended a hill on the side of the trail and took some pictures of the Catholic Church. “Padre?” I enquired and received and affirmative response. “Mi Llama, Jim.” “Me llama Jose”. “Mucho gusto.”

I asked if I could fill my water as I had already consumed the contents of a half liter bottle I figured I would be filling it from a tap but Father Jose went in an return with an opened bottle of cold water. I topped off my bottle and returned the remainder to the father who indicated that that I could keep it, but I had no room in my pack. Rodney came up off the trail, further pleasantries were exchanged. Rodney offered the father some peanuts, which he accepted. In exchange he fetched a bag the size of a small pillow case ready to burst its load of chocolate covered coffee beans. We didn’t want to breach the bag and declined his offer. We sat in awkward conversation alternated with comfortable silence and drank some coffee while looking down at the small village. People walk 3 to 4 hours to attend mass on Sunday. Finally we bid him farewell and proceeded on our journey. Just a short while down the road our new found friend stood patiently while his mule availed himself of the roadside greenery.

The sun burned off the cold as the day was warming up. The vigorous exercise and the sun heated me and I shed my rain jacket. I tried tying around my waist with a simple double overhand knot of the sleeves but the high tech fabric did not provide enough friction for the knot to be effective. I looped the sleeves several times through grab handle of my pack and we continued.

With each hill the road became increasingly muddy, the ruts deeper and the dry sections fewer and farther between. Following the test ground taken by the mule was the least problematic rout. At times the sticks, sideways in the mud were 18” to 2’ below the nominal road grade. Caterpillar tracks and huge tire tracks could be seen in the depressions, each of which was filled with mud.

The water was frequently used to wash off our boots, lightening them by several pounds apiece for a while until the next time we sank up to our knees and had to pull out our feed with a loud slurping and sucking sound glad to see that the food was extricate still bearing a boot.

Our travel became near sinusoidal, we covered nearly as much distance walking side to side in pursuit of the least muddy purchase.

Although we were descending to the coast is seemed to be an entirely uphill journey, the downhill portions ending much too quickly with a short level area which, which of course, being low, was muddier than the slope. Then yet another uphill slog. Sucking the boot out of the mud, slinging it high and resignedly watch the mud ooze around it as it sank to repeat the endless cycle.

Hour after hour after hour after hour we trod with no indication as to the extent of our progress. Finally we were told that we had but an hour left. A while Suzuki Samurai, lifted and fitted with chains at by the side of the road. We considered approaching the house and asking for a lift the rest of the way but decided that we should just tough it out so we could say we made it. The road became worse, far worse.

Rodney pull out a four liter bottle half filled with Tank. We lightened his load by sever al pounds as we emptied the bottle.

The road was always ostensibly downhill the rest of the way. We climbed yet another hill and I inquired, “ I thought this was all downhill from here, what did he says?” Rodney’s command of Spanish is quite possible worse than mine. As every question asked of Rogoberto elicited a response of “si” including “Do you scuba dive?” “Do you weld underwater?” Okay, affirmative responses mean nothing and our questions probably make no sense. The only thing we can ask is “Que hora mas?” (How many more hours?) But the response is always optimistic. Although the slightly built Indian takes short steps and not very rapidly his pace doesn’t very. This is no resting. He proceeds apace uphill at the same rat as on level ground or when descending. Like a bulldozer on tracks, the engine idling.

4:30 About 6 hours after we left we spotted the river, Rio Luis and we were on the outskirts of town. Rogoberto rand over to a small market and bought a couple of candies. We trudged on while he made his side trip. When he returned I inquired as to whether waster was for sale. I’m sure he understood “Aqua su vende aqui?” is pretty straight forward. Rodney did not want to walk back the hundred yards to the store. I wanted to send our guide. Rodney pointed out a store on the way an suggested that we buy it there rather than back track. I staggered like Christ bearing the crossbar on the way to his execution to the next store. Unfortunately they didn’t sell any beverages. Now I am really thirsty and more than a little pissed at Rodney. We made our way to the final store A cute woman sat in front of it. Like so many of these stores it was a small one room building next to the owner’s house. The woman was drinking a cold Pepsi ”Pepsi su vende aqui?” “Si” Well, no one was in the store, the house was closed and music was blaring This didn’t look good. I disgustedly said “One in the hand is worth two in the bush” After pulling out my emergency whistle I gave it a good blow and a shrill sound cut through all the background noise. The door was quickly opened and a girl stuck her face out



I blew my whistle and a lovely young girl appeared and I request a couple of sodas, she gave a disgusted look and shut the door. I sat down, sure I would not be standing again for a while and chatted with the lovely young woman in the dental frock adorned with dancing toothbrushes and dental floss. I said to Rodney, “A bird in the hand… fuck I need a drink.” Finally an old man came out and I ordered four Pepsis and then Rodney order two before I got mine. I guess the old man thought that we hand changed our order. I had ordered two for me, one for Rodney and one for Rogoberto. Whatever, this was easily fixed by “Dos Pepsi mas por favor”.

I asked the woman if she was a dental hygienist. She told me that she was a physician. With a little more conversation I found that she was the only doctor and town and ran clinic.

Rodney worked his phrasebook and Migdalia and Sabrina walked us down a path along the river and led us to the house of a middle aged Indian couple and left. I guess we were now their guests.

Our hosts were two Bugle booGLAY Indians in the early fifties. The house was a simple wooden frame structure on stilts, half in rooms and half sections of half walls.

In the corner of the kitchen was a large sandbox about 30” off the floor. A fire of wooden sticks burning in the center with the wood sticking out radially Large stones supported a pot which water was about to boil

Finally, ground coffee was stirred into a pot and added to the water which was brought to a boil and then pulled of the fire and rested on the sand. Smoke billowed out from around the pot, much of it rising through the thatch roof, some of blowing and wan and the balance wafting into the living quarters. After five minutes coffee was scooped out of the pot with half of shell of calabaso.

The only electrical appliances in evidence were small fluorescent fixtures in the kitchen and DC to AC inverter . What was probably a small television was on a shelf along the wall beneath a cloth. All electrical appliances seem to covered when not in use in these parts. The computer screens, computers and keyboard at the internet café were blanked when not in use. The floor was made of some sort of split wood about the thickness of lathing (maybe ¼” to 5/16”) and flexed when I walked on it. The joists were over two feet apart. I was sure I was going to fall through.

The first priority was to she the thick layers of mud that coated our lower extremities and launder the boots, socks and underwear. While Rodney scrubbed his boots in the plastic half barrel that constituted the sink I showered beneath the showed comprised of a hose bib.

After Rodney was done, Timotea washed my boots in a manner similar to Rodney. Unfortunately my boots had but drying mud in them but that could have been brushed out as my boots, being waterproof with gortex had been dry on the inside, now they were thoroughly soaked and would remain that way for days. The socks and boots were placed on the rocks to dry in the sun.

We were given a tour of the 5 hectare (about 12 ½ acres) farm. Our hosts lived on subsistence farming eating primarily high carb roots and green bananas and plantains.

Conversation was effected by our hosts writing down their questions in spanish. I then looked up each of the words and tried to translate it into English. Generally my translation elicited a nod from Timotea, he could understand some English, but not speak it.

Dinner was a bowl of white rice. We augmented the rice with some tuna and oil we had packed, hoping this wouldn’t be an insult to our hosts.


By 9:00 our hosts were ready to go to bed and we were shown to our sleeping quarters, small rooms over an open area used for church services conducted by our host. I hung my hammock diagonally in the 10 x 10 room and attempted to sleep; despite my physical exhaustion sleep eluded me for the most part. The pre-dawn hours were heralded by a cock that exploded outside the windows of my quarters. Breakfast was boiled yucca rendered slightly ore moist than kitty litter by the addition of one quarter the contents of a small tin of sardines in Tomato Sauce.

Thursday, March 25

This morning a rooster underneath the window of my sleeping quarters exploded in the pre dawn silence.

Breakfast was boiled yucca, boiled green banana with a very small portion of tinned sardines in tomato sauce, a fraction of an ounce.

The house is 9.68459 degrees north and 8122639 degrees west according to my GPS.

We inquired as to the cost of our room and board but the concept of charging somebody seemed to escape them. We set the rate at $8 per person per day and the money was graciously accepted.

I looked at the lovely grounds and inquired “Alguda Tierra su vende aqui?” (“is there land for sale here?”) Porrada! (insipid). Ok then, let’s pick another topic.

I strolled into town alone, Rodney had departed earlier. Every person passing issued a shy greeting. Every eye in town was on me. No other white man was in site. As I passed the school Rodney came out and called to me. He was observing an English class at the invite of the professor. I joined the class. Professor Riccardo Herrera had a terribly strong accent, I could barely understand him. He said that we were the only native English speakers he had ever seen in the town. The children were carrying on what I can only presume they consider standard English conversations? “Why is your mother so big?” Rodney looked at me quizzically and I in my not so quiet whisper say, “Muy Gordo.” (very fat). This cracked up the class and everybody relaxed a little bit.

Ricardo learned English from his wife, who learned it from a book. The pronunciation of much of it is barely comprehensible. “Wharre did chu larn aenglidsh?” There are only 2 English/Spanish dictionaries in the town, in the library. Everybody seems to have an English primer. All of the kids had machetes in class. They use them on the trails. You don’t want to step where you can’t see around here. This town of 200 residents gets poisonous snake bites per year. A phone call from the solar powered satellite pay phone, the only phone in town dispatches a helicopter to pick up the victim. Ricardo said their was somebody in the clinic that had been bitten by a snake and that he had the snake in a tank. The tank turned out to be a one gallon bucket with a sliced hinged door on it. I thought it contained a live fer-de-lance, but was relieved to discover that it was in preservative. The snake must have been 6’ long and would have been very dangerous.

After a morning stroll I attempted to launder my shirt. The red stains from the clay discolored the lower half of the back of the shirt. I had sat and fallen repeated during my walk.

Rodney ha d a bag of Guyava ,the one I was offered had the texture of plaster but it was not ripe yet.

The neighbor’s dog is all bones. When I asked why it was starving the explanation I received was “The dog is starving because it won’t eat bananas.” It ate every type of table scrap I gave it but bananas.

We swam in the river and Timotea caught snails and shrimp with which to fish but we didn’t fish much.

??? PM “Hoy a budcar Lena“. I am going to look for firewood. Timoteo put on his knee high rubber boots. I told him to wait. I put on my boots and followed him up the path over the barbed wire and along the muddy cow path then another fence and a slog up another hill. Down the other side we were looking down the tops of palms and he took his machete in his left hand and quickly hacked through thick branches of fallen trees. The branches were then planed end down on the ground. The section blows were directed in such a manner as to impart most of the energy into cleaving rather than bending the branch. Two bundles were secured through a modified truckers know with twine and a large branch was given to the six year old girl who followed us up the hill. On the way down the mountain I steeped in mud over the top of my boots and exclaimed loudly a four letter word that starts with the sixth letter of the English alphabet. After I got back I washed off my shirt the mud off my boots and legs and helped myself to a cup of coffee.

6:00 PM Finished negotiating a trip to the beach with Clemente. We will leave on Saturday and return Tuesday. Clemente is Timotea’s neighbor. He has a 7 meter cayuca (dugout canoe). The round trip cost is $60 per person. Consulting our notes later we realize that the rate should have been $50. Another man inquired as to whether we needed to be taken to the beach and without solicitation offered to take us round trip for $50 per person.

Now we are eating chestnuts while Paula boils green sweet bananas.

6:09 PM Professor Herrera came to visit while we were fishing and looking for somebody to take us to the beach. I charged my itouch on the small inverter and Timotea seem concerned about the amount of power I was using and said I could continue tomorrow.

7:36 PM Timotea hand grinds the coffee exceptionally fine. The coffee is then brewed hobo style then scooped out with half a giant shell from the pot. The coffee is grown on the farm and roasted here.

Tomorrow Timotea is going to his other finca to look for a lasso with which to catch a rabbit that is availing himself of the yucca. Remember this was a failure as it would have been easy for the rabbit to chew through.

5:30 Dinner of rice and beans is served.

7:57 Baby just got stung by scorpion. Timotea showed it to me, I photographed it. The women attended to the child who continued nursing. Then the baby started screaming and two women ran down the path to the clinic in the darkness. I gave Rodney my flashlight and eventually he caught up with them. There were 10 people at the clinic although with only one doctor in town these were supposed to be urgent hours and it was expected that they would have to knock on the doctors door. I went to the out building quarters initially attempting to use a candle but it was less than useless. It was easier to see by the nearly full moon.

10:38 As we are enjoying this little town and its environs we are chagrin to depart without further knowing its inhabitants and the varied land. As such we have schedule our departure following another full day here.

Friday, March 26
5:07 Lying in my hammock rooster crows occasionally. I just took out my space blanket as the heat has been dissipating all night. Writing on my ipod .

Regresso yo voy.

3/26 ??? 8:32 Ends of sticks charred together with drippings of plastic bags and a single match followed by the ends of the new sticks we gathered yesterday. Pot on the fire within 90 seconds. The pot filled with water and the grounds stirred into a bowl an the contents added to the pot.

10:11 Breakfast of boiled green bananas and a boiled egg. Timotea off to get a snare. Boots drying out from bleach wash.

I walked into town and the entire class was gathered around a large pond getting a lecture from the teacher. Later they shoveled off the grass growing on the bottom of the pond, heavily weighted down with, of course, mud. Rodney joined in with the shoveling, attending to the task barefoot. Afterwards Professor Maria Theresa offered him the use of her neighbors outdoor shower to clean up.

Professor Herrara was anxious to practice his English and we engaged in some banter. We advised him that we planned to proceed to the coast and we were advised that Coloveboro is not a nice town and that if we see fast boats or boats at night to take no pictures and to pretend not to notice. It turns out that the Samurai we saw on the way in is Ricardo’s (Professor Hererra). He walks the hour between Rio Luis and the car then drives the car to Santiago, where he lives, a drive of 5 hours. He stays in some provided housing right by the river on the night between the two days in which he teaches classes.


Relate later tale from Patricia about seeing the abandoned boat on the shore being emptied of flour and guards bearing submachine guns.

3:16 Lunch was heart of palm, omellete, fern and patacones. We gave up on our guide in getting a horse back he agreed to everything. Rafael thought that we had two horses back kon Thursday for seventeen dollars apiece but when I asked to see the horses I got the same yes with now suspicion that he had any understanding of what I was asking him. Fifteen minutes of trying to get him to show us the horses and I gave up. It seemed that we would have to walk back or take the long way around, taking a boat to Chirique Grande and bus down through Bocas, Chiriqui and back to Veraguas. We come back to the finca had lunch and wrote down our requirements to Timotea. Rodney is dealing with it. I have wash out my boots with bleach; but they are never going to dry. They need to be replaced.

10:02 PM Walked into town and got Spanish lessons while teaching English. Timotea is finishing a Protestant religious service under our sleeping quarters. I am sitting next to the generator about to read “Around the World in Eighty Days” on my ipod touch.


Saturday, March 27
At the appointed hour of 9:00 we went to Clemente’s house. He shouldered the 15 horsepower Johnson outboard and we walked to the river. I used dry bags to triple bag my electronics. Clemente’s two sons came with us. The older son was wearing black wing tipped leather shoes. I guess you take what you can get.

The uneventful boat trip took about and hour and a half. We pulled up to the shore at the end of the river and there was no village in site. I walked down the beach to investigate a large boat that had been abandoned on the shore, took some pictures and returned to our boat. We walked several hundred yards across a peninsula and stood at the shore. A young man across the bay noticed us standing there and entered a panga, a fiberglass boat design popular down here.


3/27 3:42 Just finished lunch no place to eat or sleep in this town. Lunch was chorizo, rice and pork and beans. My shoes are drying out and Rodney is in my hammock. I have about 30 dollars They said it was $500 to Chiriqui Grande. Sitting in the bar. Nobody is engaged in productive enterprise in this town.

9:07 pm We had five beers between us and lunch of chorizo rice and pork and beans delivered to the house attempted to sleep on the beach but were advised that it was a problem as there would be too much drinking. We were advised that we could have a room with hammocks, bathroom and food for two dollars a night apiece. We request our supper at seven and we thing we were told to return to the bar to get the meal. As it would then be dark and we weren’t sure of the location we asserted “comidas, Aqui” A whistle signaled the arrive of my food a meal of a one egg omellete, rice and beans.

9:30 pm a cry of “Hymie” and stepped outside to see a legless torso sprawled on the lawn. No it’s Rodney in a contorted yoga position. He needs help standing. “Whiskey” the man who brought him exclaimed. Rodney staggered into bed and I walked back into town.

9:46 pm One big amigo passing around whiskey. Boxing match on TV. Tipico stereo. Hymie Sombrero, much laughing and gesticulated sombrero, his son, which pictures near mi finca. Edgar.

600 people 400 women, 200 men 137 students 10 teachers.

Sol dos grings aqui pora annos. We are the only gringos that came in years and the only ones to walk from Guabal to Rio Lois.

Whiskey my friend pretend to take a big swig.

10:18 The moonlight is diffused through the solid cover of the clouds providing ubiquitous, sourceless light.

10:20 My front door is open, my window is open, the camera is on the shelf over my head and I am sweating my ass off about to return to the adventures of Philleas Fogg.

11:38 Hymie, Whiskey? JESUS CHRIST? Que? Hezoos Kristo. Much laughter.

12:06 Ate the rest of Rafael’s egg

March 28
8:05 Wooden building 14 meters by 7 meters atop a concrete slab of which full 200 centimeters were exposed. Along the front runs a full veranda on an attached bit thinner also protect by an extension of the thatched roof and supported by fluted trunks. The building is symmetrically trimmed in one by four painted white. The front is painted blue and green in equilateral triangles whose height matches the building. Each half is further halved with a door centered on its bisecting line and a window in the inner quadrant the doors are painted green, the right door does not open from the outside. The left door is secure by a massive padlocked attached to a flimsy stamped steel hasp. A hallway runs the front of the building. The left most portion is employed as a kitchen. The balance of the interior is divided into three rooms of equal size with internal walls a couple of meters in height. The rooms lack a ceiling affording good ventilation. A panelled window secure by a large shutter, The back wall of the room. Next to the house is a shower constructed of concrete block ms a very large single seat latrine. We have been provided luxurious accommodations..

9:42 am Borrows a pair of sandals from the room I am rending as my socks and shoes are not dry. I fear that these boots have seen their last journey. The soles are worn nearly through. I walked through the tropical forest of the village but found myself uncomfortable frequently in the yards of the locals engaging in their morning rituals and both trespassing and intruding on their privacy so I made my way to the beach and around the cove There I found a group drinking beer and displaying rubbing their enormous bellies. Their shirts were rolled up to the chest in some central American display of macho fatness. I inquired as to where I could buy hot coffee and was directed to a white house on the hill. I inquired at the store and then knocked an the house. The woman came down to the store and then went back to the house to make the coffee. I was invited into the kitchen to enjoy my two cups of coffee a large toast day in a plastic Noel ??? A has stove water running in the sink.

6:59 pm Finished with dinner domino playing etc Agree to meet with Edgar at his finca (farm). Edgar wore my hat at the finca by the pigs just up the river. We meet at here at 9:00.

7:10 Showing hospitality dinner, dominos lodging everybody knows where we are at all times

March 29
9:55 At 9 we are having coffee at the white house. We met a half Chinese Jehovah’s witness who was here on missionary work. This is his sixth time here . The first time he walk from Guabal to Rio Louis it took him seven hours. Now he does it in four.

March 30
11:00 While sitting on the stoop between the with house and the little store I receive a tap on the shoulder and saw the gentle countenance of Timotea of Rio Luis and behind him our pilot Clemente. Clement wandered off at procured some gasoline I double bagged all of my sensitive electronic equipment for the journey. During our prior trip to Edgars finca we had the portage the canoe twice dragging it over rocks at a couple of spots. This larger, heavier cayuca required more labor to achieve the same result As we worked our way upstream we had to occasionally pole vigorously to augment the 15 hp outboard in order to make progress. On dozens of occasion we had to pole or get out and drag the canoe either because the water was shallow or because it traveled with great speed and the outboard was unable to propel the craft upstream. The most difficult sections were against powerful deep currents. Standing waist deep in the current one had to lean upstream in order to avoid being knocked over. It was tiresome work
The river bottom is solid rock upon rock. There is no hope of seeing a foot hold in a sandy bottom.
It took nearly four hours to make the return journey, while our downstream journey lasted but an hour and a half.
March 31
Tuesday I walked barefoot to the white house and ordered two ups of coffee I was invited into the kitchen to consume my coffee. The woman was frying tortillas, thick corn patties, Breakfast to others also included fried canned meat, a ham/ spam linke tinned lunch mdath. This is a far cry from the Indian fare in Rio Lous but perhaps I need some calories to carry me through what promises to be a long day.

I just asked I think I I could buy breakfast. The giggling response I received was not reassuring. Desayunu su vende? Mi comprare Desayuno. Giggled response with hands kneading each other clutched to her ample matronly bosom I shall have to wait to seen another tortilla is placed in the pan. buit this is not necessarily an indication of success as she has been frying non stop as long as I have been consuming my coffee.

I have manage to buy a third coffee there was a bit of confusion as I offered her an additional 20 cents as she apparently thought that I was offering here the money for the two cups I had consumed my dollar was on the table along with my 60 cents change. I placed my 20 cents on top of the dollar. , pushied it in here direction and said “Uno Cafee mas Por favor” and then received another coffee my virtually nonexstan spaninsh caused the simples of trnastion to be complicated.

Tin after tin of meat is fried as a troop of people of all ages enter the kitchen one at a time following the serving of breakfast to the preceeding. Momma wanders out, brings in another and hands him a plate. The only cheese in sight is processed american not available in any store between here and Sana fee it it brought in from Colon by boat.

I sip my coffee very slowly and write hoping to stall long enough that my turn arrives and that I may get some nourishment.

The daughter we moved previously takes a fried corn tortilla and places a piece of processed cheese atop it. . She is very overweight and about 19 year so of age. A diet like this will produce this result especially in an individual apparently so sedentary.

My coffee cup is moved the sugar is moved am I to be served? Never has anything so unappealing look so appetizing.

Service!

The food though greasy was dry I poured a little salsa para concian which evinced shudder and giggles from those in the kitchen and was handed a salsa picante.

Ingrediatns, agua, vinagre, mezcla de especies achote, sal espeesant te exallanted de sabor y benzoato de sodia

Fat Girl is Sophia.

Rodney then sat up the porch as I exited the kitchen. I explained that many calories could be acquired for one dollar. He had no cash with him so I have him my last remain bill, a fife. The foud is coursing thoru g me I need immediate relief” What “ I need to take a shit right now. I walked back to our house still barefoot, along the beach, passing once to pinch my lower cheeks hoping I could make it in times of gastric distress. The urgency of the colon seems to be inversely proportional to the proximity of a latrine. Sensing relief it grows more impatient. I dropped the roll of hygenic paper and while inside the overly large outhouse and did not stop to pick it up. I made it to the stool in the nick of time.


9:35 Rodney returned and says that Edgar left twenty minutes ago Looking for a boat to take us to Edgar’s Finca. I mentioned twenty minutes ago that I had heard a boat. Why did Edgar leave without us?

Getting contradictory tales of Edgar. He is in this house. He is in that house. He has left. He is returning. He is not returning. I bought a tin of corned beef and six eggs and requested Huevos Revultos. I off $2.25 for corned beef $1.20 for 6 eggs. Change for cooking brought on a big smile.



Tuesday morning we connived a ride to Edgar’s finca. When we arrived there was no sign of life. We placed our bags on the porch and discussed our options. Edgar came out of the house half dressed and looking worse for the wear. While we got his permission to stroll the grounds and he retired into the house We explored multiple pastures and then walked over to the fruit trees. The bananas were green and the coconuts were unreachable. We swam for a while and then borrowed the cayuca. We went aways upstream and saw the boat that had transported us from the beach. Near the shore stood a palme replete with green coconuts as we had departed I stated that “I think I’ll bring my knife for no apparent reason. The knife was a solid 6” blade drop point Buck with resin handle and a substantial full length tang. I had use it this morning to cut saplings and branches with a single blow to clear the trail. I have used it to open coconuts so that I could drink the milk and and split them so that I coule eat the meat. Rodney indicated that we should ask the men gathered at the house before helping ourselves. Approaching the house I saw Edgar with his friends, trying to keep out of sight. He obviously had no intention of show us his land or selling any portion of it at $1,000 hectare.

As all conversation had ceased since our arrival I suggested that this was ackward and we went to return the cayuca and wait for a returning boat to hail for a ride to the beach. There were several spots where the cayuca had to be dragged across the shallow water. My tender feet couldn’t keep up with the pace. Rodney was setting so I swam, pulling myself along the bottom.

Our inbound ride started up and proceeded downstream in our direction. I pulled out my whistle and gave it a blow. It was heard by the pilot of the sounds of the outboard. He killed the engine and I yelled “Regresso playa” Return to Beach. He went downstream away and we docked our cayuca. We boarded the boat. Just before the last portage I noticed that my knife was no in its sheath. Inspection of the boat revealed that it was gone for good. After arriving beach at the beach we walked back to the market at the white house and then to the closed bar at which I am writing these notes. This is banana country.

There is little to do here. We got the keys to the house . We had turned them in to the lady at the white house along with $2/pp/day for room and board,. We obtained the keys agiain
=====

I left to look for Rodney. He was at the white house sitting netxt to two cans of beer looking sheepish. “I found cervesa.” “Well done my good friend” “”But then I drank them both, I am not a good friend right now.”

Where did you find them” “At the house next to the telephone.” Like many other towns there is but one telephone and no cellular service. The telephone is connected to a parabolic disk. Which I am guessing is a satellite disk as there is not receiving town in view and due to the topography if it sis not in view their can be not terrestrial complement. I shall have to ascertain the orientation of each of these dishes.

Fuck horse flies. Fuck Chitras. Fuck Egyptian mosquitoes.

I opened the building put my bags on my bed and resecured the building and we to for a stroll around town At one point I spied the garb of my traveling companion at a small store. The owner/clerk started to point me out to Rodney as I execute an abrupt about face and continued my meanderings in another direction. I now have six dollars in my picked. The nearest places to get more cash are Santiago 13 hours of travel away and Chiriquii Grande, three hours by fast boat. Yesterday we were quoted $500 fare to Chiriequ Grande an absurd amount of money an amount that could readily get me to Thailand from here. The Jehovah’s witness with whom I talked this morning said that he was going to Chirique Grande for $10. The boat departs once a week anyway and communal orders are placed in a school book bound path.

The alternative is to Santiago via Boat to Rio Luis and the questionable transport from Rio Luis to Guabal via horse. We were disappointed on our outbound journey by the failure of the man providing the horses to show in Guabal. which gave rise to our arduous and strenuous walk. From Guabal it would be a $3 2 hour Chival ride to Sand Fen and then a $2.5 bus rid e to Santiago lasting an hour.


Raining no ride, no horses, just hung out at the house. Timotea announced that we could put our bags on the back of his horse and walk back in the morning. He wanted to depart at 4:00. It is already dark. I hate packing in the dark, what am I going to leave behind?

Last night I tossed in my hammock finding sleep elusive. Negotiated to pay Timotea on the 9th of April when he comes to Sante Fe. He will pick up for Clemente. Breakfast of Patacones.

It is 9:00 we were walking to town and were advised that the truck will not be coming from Santa Fe One of them is ostensibly having mechanical problems They deny that the condition of the road is the cause. It is possible that a constriction truck will be coming today. If not today then maybe tomorrow. The we can walk tomorrow . We both fee that it is unlikely that we could make the trip in a today. Tomorrow Timotea will ride his horse to Guabal by a gallon of gas and return.

Schools are all closed for the holy week. The teachers have left for the city and the town is very quite.

11:45 Just ate tow sour oranges and ten minutes later my lips are sting tingling. I can just trying to wile away the hours. My shoes and socks are soaking. I walked in the fiver in them. Then I washed them and hung them out to dry but it rained last night.

Fuck Microsoft, I just lost 4 pages of typing as I was not watching my screen and affirmed a reboot to install upgrades.


11:45 Just ate two sour oranges and ten minutes later my lips are still tingling. I am just trying to wile away the hours. My shoes and socks are soaking. I walked in the river in them, then I washed them and hung them out to dry but it rained last night.

Lunch of lentils, rice and cat foot (mashed sardines)





April 1
Left at 6:30 No glasses packed in the dark. We walked back from Rio Luis to Guabal. We left around 6:30 and arrived at 11:30. The return trip, though with a significant increase in elevation was a significantly easier walk. At Ortiga we left the road and took the trail through the jungle which was much more scenic. We grabbed our bags from Timotea and ran to catch the Chival, which returns at 12:00.

2:00 The boys are back in town (Santa Fe). Off to Santiago to get some cash and then back . Charged camera. Glasses. Locals are quite impressed. One person in town has walked from Guabal to Rio Luis, nobody has walked both ways. We are like cult figures. Somebody at the hostel asked if it was possible to make the walked and were told that we had just finished it. They wanted it described. The more difficult the trip the stronger the appeal. Of course this was from a kid who intentionally stung himself with a bullet ant the day before. Bullet ant stings have been described as feeling like “walking barefoot on hot coals with a rusty spike in the foot.”