Friday, May 4, 2012

Day on the Water

My latest guest called to tell me that he had arrived having hiked from Boquette in the highlands of Chiriqui, across a national park, to Almirante.  He, his guide and his porter walked a long cattle trail, so worn that the bottom of the trail was eight to ten feet below the grade.  The trail was muddy and he regretted not having warmed to the suggestion that rubber boots were in order.   Mud sticks to traditional hiking boots making them weigh a lot more, additionally being waterproof doesn't help when fording rivers over the top of the boots.  They had been stalked by a jaguar, found its scat and repeatedly found fresh prints.  I know I wouldn't like to be stuck in a slippery, muddy canal were the skies of Chiriqui to unleash its proverbial torrents.

We lunched at the Pickled Parrot; Adrian concurred that Bocas Town's appeal increases with distance.  Off to Isla Christobal to check on a dugout canoe for sale.  It needed work and I am not interested in additional projects at this time.  We walked next door to visit a friend of mine, sat on the deck and chatted.  A worker showed at the end of his shift and followed me to my house.  He claims that he can rebuild my dock at my house in three days.  We shall see.  I paid for the posts,which are to be cut on Saturday under the full moon.

A vine snake showed himself three times on my stairs.  I often find him in the same spot.  I am sure he lives in a little hole on the side of the hill.  I wonder if my freshly trimmed lawn has anything to do with his more frequent appearances of late.

Time for dinner, we dropped by to visit a friend.  I had dropped off some filets a couple of days earlier and we were to dine there.  He was mourning the loss of a friend who had drunk himself to death by doing the same.  We left him to stagger back and collapse on his bed at five in the evening and headed out to Roots, a Caribbeano over the water restaurant on Bastimentos.   My whole snapper was enormous and wonderful.  We were joined by a local kid who asked how my farm was coming along.  I mentioned that I was looking for fruit tree saplings.  He suggested that I drop by tomorrow and he would show me the wonderful finca just outside Bastimentos town where I could buy a wide variety of plants.   After killing some time on the dock on the point, listening to the surf we headed home.

Well, I can see Timon is half way here and another dugout approaches with a couple under power.  Hmm... they are going to the house next door.  I guess his wife won't be cleaning my house today.

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