An Eco-Resort from Scratch

Just notes, but I'll never have a chance to actually write up.

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It took me two years before I bought a house in Bocas.  I've fallen in love with Loma Partida.  A friend of mine told me there was a lot available at a very good price.  Hell, it's worth 10 times the asking price, but the seller is desperate and needs the money in a week. "Walter, as soon as you come back from David, can you go with me to check out this lot?"  First day back we headed out.  Last night I met a "De La Luna" volunteer on a run into town.

"Hey, Sam, want to crash at my place with Maggie and catch a ride to Michelle's tomorrow?  I'm delivering a dock construction water pump anyway.  So they went back to the hostel, grabbed their bags and I dragged them home. :  Sam, 24 and Maggie 23 hit it off with my son Mark and his friend Danielle.

At 4:30 I woke up.  Not unusually early for me.   Ahh shit, guests asleep in the living room.  I sat on the deck with my Kindle Fire.

7:30 Headed out with pump, Sam, Maggie, Mark, Danielle and Walter.

Dropped off Sam, Maggie and Pump.  Went to pick up seller.  Off to the land.

The kids could not imagine walking through 150 feet of muck to see the land.  They stayed on the boat nestled in the mangroves and fed the chitra (sand flies).

Walked through 150 feet of mangroves, up to the knees in muck.  A dock is in order here.  Up a hill, what a view, over the top of the mangroves, we trod left several hundred meters hacking our way through the jungle.  More ocean views. Spectacular mountain views.   Up the hill, down into a valley up another hill.  Deep jungle.  Are we higher than the first hill, down to the end. The land was staked with wood.  A fence here.  I swapped my sandals for the seller's size 8 rubber boots.  My size 12 feet managed to get in, but it was not comfy.

Drop off kids at Michelle's while we chase down more people and make my own documentation on land ownership. Danielle and Mark met the monkey. Danielle thinks he is sweet and wishes she could take it home. She has no idea.

Neighbors, men in canoes.  Houses.  Chasing down illiterate Indians in their shacks and dugouts to have them sign a document they would never understand.

Into town.   Write up purchase agreement.  Walter read it to the seller, he can't read. I gave seller $100 just because.  Off to notary.   Of course the guy is not there.  Asked seller to stay overnight, we'll notarize in the morning.

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6:00 This morning. What the fuck? Why are my water tanks empty? Where is the water going? Yesterday I needed to replace the hot water heater. Hot water is a luxury, at ambient temperature one can shower in it. Water is not. I have to pick up a new refrigerator today. Nothing like seas with a refrigerator on the deck of the boat. Water's usually calm in the morning, but I can't pick up a refrigerator by myself. No dolly's, pick up the refrigerator and place on boat. Then up 100 steps to the house and carry the one that is waiting on a part back down to the dock.

Forget getting volunteers, I'll get a boatload of Indians out from Loma Partida on a 42' dugout canoe. They can clear all the land in a day at my house. No time for dicking around.

Boat Tour - Dolphins and Beaches

You want to see some dolphins? That can be arranged. I woke the kids up at 7:30 whipped up a quick breakfast and we headed to Isla Carenero to fuel up at the gas dock. Six miles later we were in a bay in Isla Cristobol with about 30 tour boats. Dolphins, pairs of dolphins, threesomes, pods. Mother and calf. Dolphins everywhere. The kids had their little pocket cameras; ff you want to catch pictures of dolphins breaching you need a camera that takes at least three shots a second. By the time you see one start, react and the camera reacts, the dolphin is back in the water.

Ok, a few hours of that is enough. Next stop, Playa Estrella (Starfish Beach) on the north end of Isla Colon. Every time I've gone there before I was heading out from Bocas town. Just follow the shore until you get there. Now from 10 miles away I had to guess where it was. The point is so close to the mainland that from any angle except from the mainland it looks contiguous. I was spot on, never corrected my course other than to avoid shallow water. The kids went swimming for the first time since they got here. I ran into a bunch of friends, some who had come by car, some by collectivo (shared van ride) and some by boat.

Next stop? Boca del Drago. Not much there, but it's a stopping point and only a five minute ride. We got out, looked around and went back to the boat.

Bird Island? I headed south on the eastern side of Isla Colon in the open Caribbean. The seas were relatively calm but the four foot swells disconcerted Danielle so I headed back. The previous owner of my boat flipped it once on the way to my intended destination. The engine was replaced before I bought it.

Back to town, burgers at Casa Verde.

The kids wanted to find accommodations for New Year's Eve in town. This is a hopeless cause. We walked every street inquiring at every hotel, hostel and pension. Nobody had a room nor knew of anybody who did. We had already experienced four or five hours of intense tropical sun now we were walking the streets of Bocas. The sun is no more intense but with buildings blocking the breeze and asphalt streets its a whole heck of a lot hotter. We were all beginning to melt down. Finally I asked somebody to call Ola's and check. Yes, they had one room left. Mark set off at a fast jog while Danielle and I trudged. He found that the room rate was $85 and didn't want to pay that much. A local came out and started to talk to them about finding a room for them. I turned around and looked at him, “Oh it's you, you're like a father to me, Senior Jim.” I have no idea who this guy is. He suggested some hotel off the top of his head had a room. Ok, call it. No, we have to go there. This is the scam, they show you to a hotel and get a commission. Last frigging time. This time we went on the boat and as expected, they had no room he was just hopeful.

We provisioned and headed home. By the way, rehydrating with Cuba Libre is not a great idea.   

Cocoa Plantation

I was donating a USB cellular modem to the Peace Corp for use in a Cocoa Plantation in the hills over Almirante.  I had been asked to drop it off in Bocas, but I decided to take the kids to the plantation.  A boat ride to Bocas, a water taxi to Almirante.  We went grocery shopping as groceries are much cheaper in Almirante but ended up buying nothing more than a box of Oreos and a quart of milk.  A twenty minute taxi ride later we were at Rio Oeste Arriba a cocoa plantation of over 100,000 trees owned by sixty families.  We were met by Sam who directed us to Adam Armstrong, a Peace Corp volunteer who has organized tours of the facilities, with all proceeds going to the natives.


We walked by a preparation area, a woman was hand grating bars of prepped cocoa into powder.  They have no electricity, they don't even have rain catchment systems, they drink water out of the river.    Women in one area were measuring out tiny hundreds of tiny bags of sugar while across the room women were pouring in these hundreds of bags of sugar into the ground cocoa mixture to which condensed milk had been added.   "Hey, Adam, why don't they just measure this by the cupful?"  "I've been telling them that since I got here, this is they way they learned it eighty years ago.  Strange.  Very strange.

We tried out the cellular modem on a relic of a computer without success.  This is in a slight valley over a big hill.  Do they even get a signal?  Adam didn't seem concerned, they'd find a spot where they could get a signal.  Mark pulled out his Oreos and milk.  Adam, who probably gets a huge percentage of his calories from chocolate eagerly accepted some Oreos.  Mark cut the top off of the milk and we dunked directly into the carton as there were no glasses available.


We trekked up muddy slopes into the jungle, all sort of hardwoods shaded the cocoa trees, some plants fixed nitrogen, all husks were composted and returned.  No fertilizer, no pesticides.  Many trees had some sort of disease that resulted in a huge percentage loss of pods.   Trees with split trunks one trunk diseased and one trunk fruitful.  "Why don't they fell the diseased trunks?"  "They should, they don't."

The pods were of every color, red, green, purple, yellow.  These were not phases of development and different colored pods appeared on the same tree.  Adam reported that the different colors have slightly different flavors, but that they don't separate them.  He pulled a pod from a tree, banged on the trunk and listened, pulled it open and offered us some.  Inside the pods are seeds covered in a white viscous material.  If you pull out a seed and suck the material it is sweet and pleasant.  Danielle reluctantly tried one and made a strange face.   Seems she was just surprised by the taste.  The seed is spat out.

Back down through the muck to the kitchen the chocolate was done.   Hmmm. Delicious.  We called our cab, walked down to the road with Adam.  An Indian joined us, he pointed out a sable tree and said that was the tree they used to make cayucos, dugout canoes.  I told Adam that I wanted a couple, he talked to the man and we walked by a cayuco.  The man said it was big enough for two.  I replied that it didn't look big enough for me.  He pointed to another tree and said I needed one that size, about twice the size of this one.   Well, we shall see, I've ordered one before and nothing materialized.




http://www.thebocasbreeze.com/current-issue/december-diciembre-2011-v.shtml
http://panamajournal.blogspot.com/p/grant.html

Christmas Day

The kids slept late after a grueling trip down here.   By the time they had gotten up the daylight was half over.  After a spectacular morning the weather turned from bright and sunny to cloudy.  We popped over to see Clyde and Verne.   Verne has gone to the states.  Clyde was in the shower.  We walked the grounds and Clyde came out clad in nothing but a towel, the most amount of clothing I had ever seen him in.

Mark had an urgent need to use a toilet.  Too much hot sauce, me thinks.   He was directed to the toilet.  There is no front door, the window is low and Mark is a big boy.   As we stood looking at the Caribbean Danielle got a grin on his face when Mark dropped his trousers.  The bottom of his ass cheeks, was higher than the bottom of the window sill.   Things are different out here.

We started to head to Red Frog beach but it started to rain again so we headed home and installed some hammock hooks.   You need some oversized pilot holes when screwing into Nispero, one of the hardest woods on earth.

More work on the refrigerator, I took every component of the fuel system apart and tested them individually and then end to end.   This thing should be working.   Tomorrow I'll try a tank of Panagas which everyone tells me is far superior to Tropigas.  I much prefer the Panagas regulators.   Hell, I've got a Panagas tank and regulator, so I just need to exchange it for a full tank.   If that doesn't work, I'm out of ideas.  A guy had a refrigerator just like mine for sale.  New they are $1,200 he was selling an eight month old one for $400, I almost bought it now I really wish I had.  I don't remember his name.  

I sorted through all of my tools and filled my tool bag.  I had lots of duplicates and some pretty exotic tools that I wouldn't want to carry around all the time as there is probably nothing here that would require them so all I could do is bear the weight, get them rusty and lose them.

Off to the Cosmic Crab for dinner.  Ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, crab bisque, salmon patties with caviar, stuffing, etc.   We sat on the dock and ate way too much then walked down to return the torch we borrowed, back on the boat to town to return the drill we borrowed.   Back home to an early night.   We can't be sleeping all day.

Christmas Eve

I picked up my son Mark and Danielle at Casa Verde, we had wonderful burritos at Gringos then headed off to the hardware store.  I picked up some fittings to work on my propane, but there were no torches, flux or solder.   A guy I had never met before told me to swing by his house on Carenero and he would set me up.   A bit later we headed off with hundreds of pounds of luggage (most of it in tools from part of my collection Mark brought with him, that's another story he will blog separately, quite the adventure) picked up the plumbing equipment and headed to the house after filling a five gallon tank of gas for the generator.   I can't keep up with electrical demands when there is no sun.

Bliss, sweet bliss, my son and sockets and wrenches and screwdrivers, top end wire strippers and crimpers, special wrenches for stripped nuts, a black vanadium metric and english socket set, files, nut drivers, a lot of stuff.  Not enough, but this will get me started.

I fixed the stove, ok, it's a cludge I just moved a tank an regulator into the kitchen, cut off a section of hose and verified that my run was too long or the pipes are clogged between the bodega and the kitchen.

An Indian, who had stopped by yesterday to help me with my boat returned at five o'clock as I requested. Although he hadn't asked for any money, it seemed the appropriate thing to do.  He called out my name from the dock and for the twelfth time or so I descended the steps.  He sat in a little cayuca, laden with a substantial generator and what were obviously Christmas gifts.   I offered to take him home.  His little boat had but a few inches of freeboard, the height of the gunwhales above the water line.  He accepted, we transferred everything onto my boat and tried to pull the cayuco, on the side of the boat and behind the boat but it wouldn't track and took on water.   We hoisted crosswise across the bow of my boat and headed to his house.   A guy saw us and came down, there was no dock so the stuff had to be carried through the water.   Then girl after girl came down, very pleasant, extremely well fed Ngobe offspring, calling out to me in English.   To them this would be like hooking up with royalty.   The Indian told me that he was a carpenter and that he could build me a boat house in three weeks.   This could be good.  Although I could do it myself legally I need a local builder.  Besides, you always need to have a helper and he already has all the wood working tools.

We headed out and had a wonderful dinner at El Ultimo Refugio, I had pork tenderloin with mango sauce, veggies and rice.  The kids had chorizo stuffed chicken, veggies and the best mashed potatoes on the island.  Find our way home in complete darkness was an adventure.  Glad I left the porch light on.

Christmas Eve - Part 1

I woke up, got out of bed actually as I didn't sleep all night.  Ok, what was going in with that bilge pump?  I couldn't make coffee as the propane is blocked.   Out on the deck.  Trash knocked over, cushions missing, one cushion torn up.  The puppy was just finishing chewing the power cord off the fan.   Mud everywhere.  

Ok, let's see that volt ohm meter.  I took apart the seals and rusty water poured out.  Total loss.  Well, I have another one coming.  I hope my son is keeping my tools in plastic bags.   Speaking of which, I got a message at 8:30, they were just about to board the Caribe Shuttle after I'd sent a long detailed message on how to get to Bocas from Puerto Viejo by bus, clearing customs and immigration in two countries, walking a long wooden bridge over crocodile infested waters, catching a van, catching a water taxi and then catching a Taxi.  

Down to the boat.   A lead had gotten disconnected to the float switch for the bilge pump.  This should be easy.   Nope the wire strippers had rusted to the point of being worthless.   10 minutes later I had spliced two frigging wires.  I hooked it up, threw the switch.  Nothing.  I checked the fuse, it was ok.  No volt ohm meter.   Finally as I stood there the pump kicked on and smoke started billowing out.  I grabbed the pliers and cut the hot wire.   The other connection, the one I had not fixed had been seriously strained and had a bad connection.  Ok, fix that two and then secure the wires.  I should not have hired a professional to do the job.

Picked up more cushions on the way back up.  I give up.  I'll just put them in storage.   Thought I'd make a run to return a gas can.  I had borrowed Stephen's as mine had been floating in water and I didn't want to risk my engine over $25 worth of gas.  As I had predicted, I had pulled the boat up so far that I couldn't get it out at low tide.   I waited an hour and headed out.

A guy a know gave me a lead on six acres of ocean front property in the jungle overlooking the mountains for $3,000.  That's what I paid in legal fees to buy this house and they are both right of possession.   This time I won't be using an attorney, I've got copies of all the documents, I can draft up duplicates.   Jesus attornies are overpaid.

So I wait, my son Mark and his friend Danielle should be pulling up to Bocas in an hour and a half.   This girl is going to have the time of her life and stories to tell for years.

Nearly Sank the Boat

Last night it was raining in torrents.  I posted on Facebook at 3.  "Rain, torrents of rain, thunder that rolls for 10 seconds, so loud it shakes the bed, creates ripples in the water on the glass next to my computer. No way to sleep, no way my bilge pump can keep up with this. My four inch gutters can't keep up. It's going to be a long night."   Then I went down to bail the boat.  I pulled it as far forward as I could and put the engine down hoping that in the event of calamity it would hit in the muck and keep her afloat.


I bailed it again at 5 o'clock and finally fell asleep around six, still raining, raining hard.



Around 8 I went to make a run to town and found the boat filled with water the stern below the water line.   This could not be fixed with any amount of bailing.  I hailed a passing Indian but we couldn't move the boat.   If I started to raise the engine, the stern would sink.  Fortunately at this time the water was only up to the very bottom of the cowling.


I called a friend, Stephen and asked him to bring a come along and some able bodied men.  Less than an hour later he rode up with three strong young guys.   As the four of them pulled the boat forward I slowly raised the engine.   We were finally able to get her far enough forward that the stern was barely above the water line.   While one guy bailed with a five gallon bucket Stephen hooked up an 1,100 gallon per hour bilge pump to a battery he brought.  Forty five minutes later the boat was floating.   Ok, up to the house, fetch the keys.   If it doesn't start right away salt water has taken its toll.

She fired right up and I headed to town running her hot to dry her out.   My son Mark and his dear friend Danielle will be here tomorrow.  It would be a whole different trip without a boat.

Damn

The stove is out.  The refrigerator is out.  I walked down the steps to to the dock.  My waterproof toolbox on the boat wasn't.  The tools? I'll need some steel wool and lithium grease to restore them.  The volt ohm meter, double wrapped in ziplock bags was soaking, dead. Five cushions from the deck furniture scattered on the hill on the outside of the fence.  It's muddy and slippery, hard to negotiate.  Thanks dogs.

I replaced the regulator on the propane system that I borrowed from my grill.  The dogs had chewed through the hose.  Why?  Why do you do this to me? Not a fix, now to backflush with compressed air.  Do I have to buy a compressor?   Ahh, what a pain in the ass.

Beyond the Pail

I've covered this already, the cayuca, suspended from the ceiling to catch the runoff from the roof that would otherwise pour into the kitchen, kind of a gutter for a thatched roof had one problem not addressed in its design. A pail had been set underneath the Cayuca but it overflowed too.  Eventually it will fill with water unless there is a drain hole. Unfortunately, the only logical place for a drain hole is at the low point of the little canoe which would put it square in the middle of the walkway. We already have to duck under it. I grabbed a hose and siphoned it dry but that is not a good long term solution.

There is no toilet paper left in the house, nor paper towels. Down to the napkins. The house is a wreck, dead bugs everywhere, dog hair, monkey shit while the monkey beats a metal bowl on the floor, I guess the rest of the main house crew will be up soon.

Stove installation complete at 10:30.

Canoe problem how to protect for tonight, I've got a spare bilge pump and a float switch, installation should take but half an hour.

Five kinds of hummus, home made bread. Tomatoes, peppers, carrots and cucumbers. Give me this and a salad I could it every day for lunch.

Eight aboard a boat. Damn that reef sucked. I swam back from the second reef “You can't swim that far.” Sure I can and I will. The boat beat me back.

3:39 Back from snorkeling. Why can't we eat eggs? Well, every time a chicken lays an egg the monkey breaks it. So we went to the store and bought four dozen. The monkey broke into the cabinet and smashed them on the floor. Fuck you. Good bye. I have something else to dick with now.

The monkey takes a conch shell off the shelf and fails to break it so he pushes it across the floor scratching it, then went off to rape the cat, well not rape necessarily, the cat is in heat and is presenting itself to the world, not even looking back.

Keep your computer closed, two have been destroyed by the monkey pissing on the keyboard. Don't leave the dongle in the computer. The monkey will run away with it.

Out of toilet paper, paper towels and napkins. Ok, I'll take you to the store. The boat ride, Amanda, the shore. “How hard can this be?” Driving a boat in calm water is not a difficult task but with the aid of some seco she was doing her best to turn us into the shore at top speed.

5:50 The monkey knocked over a can of paint thinner, it dripped through the floor and soaked the bedding and mattress in the room below the kitchen, on Alicia's bed. “Cover it with laundry powder and flush it with water until it is soaked. Take the mattress cover and sheets and soak them in a trash bucket with detergent overnight. Wash the kitchen floor with detergent before it strips the varnish.” Yeah, these kids will be ok by themselves. Shock the monkey.

“Jim, I'm so glad you are here, without you we wouldn't have food or toilet paper.” “Without food you wouldn't need toilet paper.”

Green Leafy Vegetables

As I write this, at 6:45 on Saturday morning, Sierra walks up 187 steps to the house to use the toilet. Apparently she thought using the outhouse that dumps directly into the ocean was not her style. The propane refrigerator stinks, I'll give it a cleaning in a bit. Great, the flame box is off and a plastic bag is sitting inches from the flame. The Cayuca, strapped to the ceiling to catch the run off from the roof in a valley over the kitchen is overflowing. I'll bail it and we'll have to drill a hole and put in a drain pipe. Didn't anybody think of a drain pipe on something designed to catch water? Bail it out and use the water to flush the toilet. The cayuca has developed a large crack due to the weight if this isn't fixed soon it will just break under the load and crash to the floor. Am I going to find a drill and bits? This bailing is gonna take forever. Can I find a hose and siphon it out?

Three minutes later the siphon is draining the cayuca. Now to attend to the refrigerator. No, it's not urgent, I'll wait until a volunteer is up and show him how to do it. Coffee. Must have coffee. This thing needs a drain, right in the middle of the boat, in the low spot, in the center of the walkway. We already have to duck to get underneath the thing.

Michelle had to leave the country for 72 hours. It's a visa thing.

“And who is going to watch over the kids?”

“They can take care of themselves.”

“And if they need to get to a hospital?”

“They have Ken's number.”

“Great, maybe both phone services will be up, Ken's phone will be working and turned on and he'll answer it. Then he can make his way from Isla Popa. I'll stay until you get back.”

“You don't have to do that.”

“Yes, I do.”

So I took Michelle to town, I had to go pay the balance of the generator to Clay anyway. Rain wanted to stay at Red Frog for a while and Amanda just wanted a change of pace. “Well girl, you're going to do some shopping. If we don't get some leafy green vegetables we are either going to die of malnutrition or mutiny.” The crowd roared. “SALAD!” Ohh, my god!” “ Sure let's get some meat and some garbonzo beans too, maybe we can have a fit meal.”

Michelle please call Clay and tell him I'm coming to finish paying for your generator.

“Jim here's 40 dollars can you pick up a mattress from Charly and bring it back for me?”

“Sure, call Charly, give her my number.”

“I don't have Charly's number, it's on Facebook.”

WTF? I should send Charly a Facebook message and hang around until she replies to it?

Off to see Eleene, Clay's wife, maybe she can find Clay. The door at her office is locked. I have no idea how to get hold of her. This was the only reason I was going to town. Failure after five attempts. Never paid, well damn, I tried.

No internet at Camp Crazy. I'll pick up a dongle. I've been told that both Claro and Movistar work. I tried Michelle's Movistar. Working is a stretch. The service is frequently out and when it is not it is so slow as to be next to worthless. I bought a Claro dongle from the Claro shop in front of Christina's Supermarket. “Don't I have to buy $15 worth of credit to get a month's usage?” “Yes.” Shit, you should have told me. “Well, I'd like to buy the credit.” “We don't sell the credits, go to Super Isla Colon.” WTF? Over to the supermarket. Can I buy a $15 credit? No, they don't sell them. Umm, do you sell Claro Carga? $5. Ok, give me three.

I return to Claro with my credits in hand. I had the foresight to ask if I could enter the credits over my computer. No, I have to use a Claro phone? Can you enter it for me? Sure. She entered it. Just call this number, type in these digits, then send this message to this address. Why in the name of all that is unholy after entering my charge up information do I have to send you a message to the effect of yes, I paid for it, yes I want it. I mean, truly, I do.

We purchased veggies, eight pounds of garbonzo beans and whatever Amanda felt appropriate at the supermarket. “It's what fucking time?” Damn, I have to go to my house and get a bunch of shit before that long ride to De La Luny. To the boat girl. We tore off to my house, I grabbed what was needed and full bored it back. Great ride, calm seas, direct shot, bearing 180, 17.2 knots. Forty two minutes, no mistakes this time.

“Karl, your dad is so cool.”

Off to the cow pastures to inspect the patties. The dung was disappointing but the view on the way over the top of the main building was spectacular.

Dan caught 10 fish off the dock in my absence. Good man.

Dinner awesome, greens, oh my god an orgy of salad, fish, rice, stir fry. Underpowered stove. Gotta fix that, tomorrow. One of the girls went into the kitchen to get the cookies she had baked and put in a Tupperware container. “Oh, my God!” We all rushed in. Topo had opened the container and taken one bite out each and every cookie and then threw them on the floor when he was done.

What is this? He broke into the Johnny Cakes and bit one bit into each of them, carrying them around and throwing them onto the floor of the living room. A monkey “Fuck you, again, assholes.”

Return of the Spawn of Satan

Some source of protein is required. Get a bunch of chickens and you'll have poultry and eggs. The chickens here now are free range and roost in the lemon tree. When they lay eggs, the monkey searches them out and breaks them before anybody can find them. You need a lot of chickens. No coop? What is that? Put the tin laying on the dock on top of it and add some roosts and brood boxes and fill with chicks and you'll have chicken in six weeks. Put the chickens in there at night and you can have eggs starting the next day. I guess the chicken coop will have to be kept closed at all times and the eggs laid at night can be salvaged. If the coop is left open it will only serve as a central point for egg stealing, egg smashing mayhem.

I tried to fix the ballcock on a toilet but grew frustrated when the water service kept coming and going. The cisterns are going to be relocated up the hill then gravity feed will provide water. This makeshift boat pump is completely inadequate and runs near constantly, with the slightest flow of water. An air tank is in order.

Food and water. Need food and water, then work on the other stuff.

Making Coconut oil.

The first phase of making coconut oil involves husking coconut. The technique employed here is to bang the coconut on a pointed stick. The stick was soft, rounded, not working well. Why don't you use a coconut splitter? Never heard of it? I drew a picture, a simple device that looks like flat jawed pliers with three foot handles, crafted out of rebar.

Ok, I'll go get some nispero and make a new stick. Nispero is ironwood, so dense it doesn't float and so hard a nail cannot be driven into it. I walked down to the dock, crafted one and walked back up stairs.

Amanda in a black dress and Rain in a tank top and gym shorts. cracking open coconuts by smashing on a stake. Once cracked, the core is drilled to remove the coconut water after which it is cracked with a machete a task Amanda was undertaking, “I love doing this.” Please stop swinging that machete in my direction. Must have said it twenty times. Each time she complied followed by more attention to the task than any regard for others by.

Once the core is split the meat is extracted and grated, then pressed to extract the oil. I discovered a far faster way.

Building a stone wall

Karl, Sam and Dan walking down a steep hill to the beach to get some aggregate and cement, carrying up to a flat spot to mix in a wheel barrow and then carrying down the steep hill in five gallon buckets. Quite a change from the seventeen year old cursing the task of raking the lawn.

Topo, The monkey is back. Who knows what he has been up to? Over to the other side to commune with other Capuchins? No black eyes, so he hasn't been fighting with the much larger howler monkeys. Maybe just eating bugs and raping small mammals, but that seems a little tame for the hellion.

Michelle: “I'm so glad Topo is back.”

Me: “I'm so glad that rash on my ass is back.”

The Ngobe workers are on the dock tearing down what remains of the original house.

I'm too sick and weak to be of much help.

Monkey jerked off and emitted some thick green fluid, licked it off and went on his way.

12:03, Why is there no power? The generator pull cord was broken. Why didn't anybody tell me? I searched the bodega for tools. What a sorry collection and what an amazingly disorganized lot it is. Still it took but about 10 minutes to fix, but having to resort to polypropylene means it will have to be properly fixed after I secure some braided nylon cord.

It's been raining like hell, there is but little water left. What the fuck? The concrete mixing takes but a few gallons a batch. I'll have to look into that.

Visitors

While we were gathered for lunch Michelle saw a boat approaching her boat house. “TOM!” “TOM!”

It wasn't Tom, an anticipated volunteer but three people dressed to the hilt in “I think I'm Jungle Jim” garb. Michelle yelled, “Did you talk with the owner before coming here?” “Yes, we did.” “Well, I'm the owner and you didn't talk with me, come up here and let's discuss.” The threesome started up the hill. There was a quick change of heart. “I don't want people just entering my sanctuary.” They were greeted by Michelle and me, both casually carrying 30 inch machetes. “Who are you and why are you here?” The guy flashed some plastic from a distance of 50 feet and said that he was with some research institute here to take photographs and some samples of frogs. C'mon, that compact camera is not what a research institute would use. Frog poachers. These little frogs, so abundant here, exist only on this little island and go for $400 apiece on the black market. “You need to leave now.” They headed down but veered off near a large patch of dead leaves, the preferred habitat of the frogs. “Go directly to the dock, do not walk off the the path.” These guys had no shame, they continued but after repeated orders made their way back on the path and returned to their boats. Damn Michelle was pissed and went off to her office to do God knows what.

Topo jumped over the deck, swung through the hammock bit Dan on the leg and returned to his perch on the railing. Dan went batshit, “I hate that little bastard.” The monkey started screeching and causing a huge ruckus. Dan responded by holding his hands over his head with a charge. Topo hopped back on the railing and perched on the thatched eves. Another job well done. “What can I dick with next?”

We had lunch, I think it was a small bowl of otoy, yet again. Damn I'm hungry. In the boat with a couple of girls. Let's go see if we can find a market that sells some vegetables, if I continue eating nothing but starchy roots I think I'll die. One little wooden shack on the water after another. No we don't have fish or vegetables. I dropped everybody off and went on a quest finally buying out the last of the chicken that will be available around here for at least a week.

We had chicken for dinner and for the first time since any of the people have been here, we were finally sated.