Sometimes I feel so uninspired

Tuesday

Bored.  Nobody in town.  What to do?  Mel, my most reliable adventurer had taken off to Red Frog Beach.  Bored.

Half an hour later she sent me a text message asking if there was anything to do there other than swim and hang out.  Hmm, you were just there.  I offered to pick her up.  Off to Red Frog, back past town, we headed, seeking a canal that was dug at the turn of the last century for transporting bananas from Changuinola to the sea.

Sixteen miles in and the engine seized then popped. I took off the cowling.  The upper unit was a total loss, oil and pieces of metal were everywhere.  I made a phone call and a friend and... oh, I have already told you this.

Wednesday

I hailed a passing water taxi and caught a ride to town.  A buddy had a couple of used 15 HP for sale.

He towed me to his house and I selected one of the motors that looked less hard worn, but that is a kind statement as they obviously had a rough life.  A worker was dispatched to get some gas from a village.  I have no idea what he was up to.  Near two hours later he returned.  In the mean time there was a coup in Egypt.

When he finally returned he placed the motor on the boat.  The things are light and I would normally have been able to do it myself but with my bandaged hand I was more than ready to allow someone else to do it.

I entered the boat and tried to start it.  It wouldn't pull.  I pulled the cowling.  A cog that engages the flywheel preventing it from being pulled except in neutral was blocking the flywheel.  A piece of mangrove was duct taped into place.  I looked at the mechanism.  The cable from the shifter had been bolted on at the wrong place.  The stop lever was on the wrong side of the stop.  Why am I even bothering?  This thing was worked on by a hack.

I started it and took off.  The motor almost fell off the boat.  The bolts which secure the motor to the hull were broken off, the base plate for the bolts was missing.   Nope, I need to get a motor that I can rely on.

My friend pulled me back to another friends boat where I tied the skiff off and then he dropped me off back in town.  I priced some new outboards and made a few calls.

One cannot walk more than half a block down main street before running into somebody one knows.

I dropped alongside Lorie, of the Floating Doctors and we made it just a few yards when we passed Tropix.  "Weren't you looking for new sandals?"  Yeah, I was and of course she knew.   So I popped in for a few minutes.   Most of the models topped out at size 8.  One must have been size 16.  WTF?  I found one pair in size 12.  I am not much of a fan of flip flops.  I do a lot more than just walk down beaches.  I never know when I am going to encounter knee deep mud on land or in the mangroves or find myself ascending a steep hill.

 I could stay in town at a nice hotel for the price of a round trip water taxi to my house so I did.

Thursday

I bought a new outboard for my skiff.  

Friday 

Broke in the outboard, long ride, tried to find the river to Changuinola, failed miserably. 

Saturday

Dolphin Bay with Mel.  Didn't see a single dolphin.

Picked up Kivia a Brazilian who had recently finished hitchhiking from Patagonia to Iquitos.  We visited the neighbors and went home.  This girl had never cooked.   I showed her how to sautee some mahi mahi I had in the fridge.

Sunday

It rained in the morning, then off to Dolphin Bay and Aguacate.

Monday

Town, Red Frog, home.

Tuesday

Dropped off Kivia.  To resort and Aguacate with Cuba.

Wednesday

I need a change. Just sitting on the deck with my dogs with song lyrics running through my head.