Author Archives: Mark
Pacing in Panama
Why do credit cards have an expiration date? It isn’t like they are going to go stale, moldy, lose their nutritional value, or crumble because of age. Imagine the money the card companies could save if they abolished the expiration date or considered tripling it to extend years into the future. They would no longer […]
Sloths, Bus Stops and Air Conditioning
A visit to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort proved to be a fun day. The resort is a favorite for eco-tourists. As you would expect by the name, it is set in the rainforest on the Chagres River. The hotel offers all sorts of tours for guests and visitors. The attractions that really got our attention […]
Puttering About Panama
I think Panamanian people are born with an umbrella attached to their hand. The few times we ventured off without our umbrella, we’ve been forced to pay the price. Most recently when we went shopping at a massive shopping complex called Albrook Mall, we found ourselves stranded inside for a couple of hours due to […]
Boquete – Panama
The five and a half-hour drive to Boquete treated us to panoramic vistas of the lush green mountainous Panamanian countryside. The main road up and down Panama is the Panamericana Highway. Once away from Panama City the road becomes much less congested and the four-lane blacktop smooth highway makes for an easy drive. In Panama, […]
I Guess We’re Going to Gamboa
It’s funny how sometimes even the best-laid plans go awry. And then, as if by magic, things work out and the day is one to remember. The rain here in Panama has started to become a little more frequent as we progress deeper into the rainy season. Having to look at the weather for any […]
Mystery Solved!
We have been stumped by something recently. Every time we go to a fast-food restaurant, a manager has come to the cash register and enters a code. The total price goes down a little bit. At first, we thought we might be doing something wrong when we placed our orders. But, how can we be […]
Visa Renewal in Panama
Panama has become a top destination for expats. There are good reasons for this. The cost of living here is very reasonable. Healthcare is excellent and affordable. Gaining a visa or residency permit (not the same thing as a citizenship) is not very difficult. And, there are tons of special benefits for expats and retirees. […]
A Geography Lesson
Moving from the Caribbean closes the book on a chapter of our wacky sailing adventure. Our passage through the canal wasn’t exactly an easy decision to make. The decision mostly evolved from a lack of wanting to continue to cruise the Caribbean islands. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you already know […]
Transiting the Panama Canal – Part Two
Link to: Transiting the Panama Canal – Part One 5 am came too soon. This is it. This is the big day. I quickly brushed my teeth and got dressed. Going into the main salon and peeking in the forward cabin I see the line-handlers completely zonked out. I’ll make the coffee, I thought, that’ll […]
Transiting the Panama Canal – Part One
Absolutely feakin’ awesome! Wow! We went through the Panama Canal! I won’t say this was a dream of a lifetime come true but it’s pretty darn close. Because there is so much to talk about, I am going to have to divide this post into two parts. I’ll begin with the preparation and take you […]
Panama City!
Shelter Bay Marina is a brief stopover for us. The marina is nice but it is in the middle of nowhere. It is a 30-40 minute bus ride to the closest grocery store in Colón. The marina is located on the old US Army base Ft. Sherman from pre 2000 when the USA controlled the […]
Goodbye San Blas
The canned ham is gone and the rains are here. We have absolutely loved our time in the San Blas Islands. The Kuna Yala region of Panama is a little slice of heaven on earth and every day was like a dream come true. The San Blas are exactly what we dreamed about when we […]
Croc Watch at Green Island
After our visit to Sin City and still sailing in the San Blas Islands, we found a fantastic spot to anchor behind aptly named Green Island. I felt a little bit bad since there was one other Australian flagged boat in this spot and my intuition was when they saw us coming they probably thought, […]
Sin City
We went to Sin City. I’ll explain in a little bit. We have been having an absolutely awesome time in the Coco Banderas Cays. Our ear infections cleared up and we spent about 5 days snorkeling in the area. Lucky for us, we discovered one of the best snorkel spots since Bonaire (9°30’35.2″N 78°36’50.9″W). Water […]
San Blas Islands – Coco Bandero Cays
Cream Puff is anchored in a really sweet spot. We sailed to a small group of about 12 islands called the Coco Bandero Cays. We are anchored between three islands that are an easy swim from the boat. When we looked at the guidebook we are using for this area we were amused to see […]
