Duck, North Carolina - Relaxing Chaos

Practically a year ago we planned a Sadowski family trip to the beach.  The process included trying to find a kid-friendly beach, a house big enough to accommodate everyone and amenities that would keep everyone occupied should there be rainy days. We found the perfect beach house in Corolla, North Carolina.

The family quickly filled with excitement and anticipation of a whole week at the beach!  About one week prior to the trip, Mandy received a phone call while we were in Greece.  The call was from North Carolina with news that our beach house was struck by lightning and no longer available.  Within days of the trip we must now find a new place.  What are the odds of that????  There is a joke in here somewhere about why something like this only happens to the Sadowski clan. I am sure that each of them know the joke or can make up the perfect reference much quicker than I can.

Change in Attitudes home in Duck, North Carolina

The realty company helped us to quickly reserve a new home in Duck, North Carolina, just 15 minutes closer from our original destination.  After a whole 48 hours at home in Columbus we pack up the car and we are back on the road.  

Travel was easy through Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.  North Carolina was good until the last 40 miles.  Forty miles should mean we only have about an hour before we arrive, right?  Well, not on a Saturday afternoon into the Outer Banks.  If hell were to ever be called anything else, it should be "The Last 40."  It took a grueling 4 hours and 30 minutes to get through the last 40 miles.  It was so grueling that at one point Mandy jumped out of the car and walked along side of the road to stretch and move her body. I picked her up when I finally arrived in the car.  Brutal.

We were the first to arrive to the house and it was beautiful!  Three floors of living, open concept design, wrap-around decks, a pool, a hot tub, a volleyball court, basketball hoop and bathrooms off of every bedroom.  This is the moment we KNEW it was going to be a good week.

As family members began to trickle in, the relaxing chaos began.  The week was chaotic because there were 16 people, but in a relaxing, beach vacation kind of way.  Here are some of the highlights of the week:

Dusty forgot his license and we couldn't go karaoke, but this didn't stop the fun.

Sibling karaoke in the living room on a downloaded app.  The Apple store doesn't need to see your license for that!

Megan almost died when her and Jordan got caught in a rip tide

Megan, are you ok?

Mom was taught to pee in the ocean by her kids

Four hours of family volleyball

Volleyball champions

Dusty and Megan beat Mandy and I in 2 on 2 volleyball because I had a laughing attack and then lost all capabilities to play after that

Kids had their own fridge of pop in the basement.  Parents turn a blind eye for the week

Mandy and I have the girls for the night.  Team Elsa and Anna battle in a game of memory.  Team Elsa is victorious!  (Mandy and Sadie). Sadie now calls Mandy "Team Elsa"

Megan shattering a glass bowl in the kitchen.  She was juicing and I am confident that anyone who juices doesn't have the energy to hold a bowl of that size

Blake's catch of the day

Fishing with the boys and catching 2 stingrays (skates actually) off the pier.  Blood worms are messy. Skate barbs are poisonous.

The profound study findings linking the biological dependency between sunshine and drinking beer

The joy obtained by seeing true happiness on everyone's face

No drinking before 11 am...unless it is non-beer

Dad won't get off the beach.  Megan thinks he looks like a bacon wrapped skeleton

Family time is awesome.  So is breaking away for more intimate moments with just a couple of people

Having the deep end during pool volleyball spells doom for that team

Mom spilling her daiquiri all over the picnic table because she was overcome by an uncontrollable hot flash

Jordan fighting off the waves

Dusty braiding his girls' hair...including his wife's

Naps, naps and naps.  Everyone loves naps

Saw a pod of dolphins from shore

Everyone getting knocked over by a wave at least once 

The boys asking if we can replace annual camping trips with beach house trips every year. This request is making bank accounts cringe.

Dad planning his next meal just after eating

Pruned rugrats 

Castle coming along nicely

Curling up on the couch in the evenings

Duck Donuts are the devil...but, sooooo good

Now, reflecting back on the trip, I have a feeling that this is a week the entire family will talk about for years to come.  We loved it.  If you Sadowski's are reading this, we love you.  We are also glad we don't live with the 15 of you everyday ;)

The whole Sadowski clan.  What a bunch!

Louisville, Nashville and Mammoth Caves

During our travels west, we did lots of hiking mountains and riding bikes along the coastline.  The more we did this, the more we became intrigued by the mysterious landscapes around us. Several signs for caverns in the area made us wonder about possibilities in visiting some caves.  When searching for some of the best caving in the US, surprisingly it pointed us to Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky.

Kentucky could easily be a weekend trip for us, so we decided to wait until we were back east. As a matter of fact, it isn't that far from Nashville, and we had not been there either (but wanted to go).  You see, this is how we make decisions about traveling.  We pick a spot that sounds interesting or exciting and then we add five more things to the trip.  When we realize that it isn't humanly possible to do all the things in the time allotted, we scale back to something reasonable.  Ok, back to Kentucky...

Louisville 

No game the day of our visit but got to see the field

Our plan was to hit Nashville first, then make our way back to Kentucky since we will be camping at Mammoth Caves National Park for a couple of days.  Might as well have city and hotel fun before being camping stinky!  As we headed south, and about the time we felt as though we couldn't stand being in the car anymore, we found ourselves near Louisville.   We parked near the Ohio River front, with the city as a back drop, and took a little walk through the park and the streets of downtown.

The city may make many think of Louisville Slugger baseball bats, but as we made our way into downtown for lunch, we found the heart of its livelihood...bourbon.  Bourbon stores and bourbon drinks were everywhere.  Since neither Mandy or I like bourbon, we stuck with something much lighter before we got back on the road towards Nashville and stayed the night in Bowling Green.

Nashville

Large guitar on the edge of Broadway St displaying some of country's greatest!

We rolled into Nashville around noon.  This was just in time to catch a walking historical/music tour of downtown Nashville to kick start our time there.  I have to say that the tour was fantastic!  It was 3 hours long, included a lot of history and exposed us to a lot of parts of town.  I am not a huge country music fan, but even I thought the tour was great.  It not only talked about country music but also the evolution of all types of music that originated in Nashville.  The tour also included the town's role in the Civil Rights Movement, key players in music industry, and neighborhoods that continue to have a major role in music.

The tour dropped us off on Broadway Street, the epicenter of daily activity and nightlife.  The strip was full of bars and restarants.  You didn't even have to go inside to hear the latest bands playing.  A simple walk down the street was like a full  country concert.  The only thing missing was a drink in our hands, and we did have to go inside for that.

Printer's Ally.  Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are inside shooting their latest video together. 

Just about any place we stepped into had autographed photos, graffiti and decades of wear and tear that told stories of those who made it big and those who crossed paths in these same bar stools.  Nothing in the downtown area seemed to scream over-the-top "old twangy county" until we got to Opryland.  Ahhh, there it is...mile-high bouffants, diamond-studded belt buckles, cowboy boots galore, deep Paula Dean southern drawls and gold-plated everything.  

When in Rome, do as the Romans do!  So we purchased a couple of tickets to the Grand Ol' Opry.  On this particular weekend, the show was to be dedicated to those who serve or have served in the US military.  Although there were no major acts performing that day, the highlight of this variety show was the band, "wounded Warriors."  This band was made up of soldiers who were wounded in war and they definitely stole the show with their renditions of some of the most infamous US patriotic tunes.  At moments, the respect level for these soldiers were so great that you could hear a pin drop in the theatre.  Their message that day was piercing to the heart.

Another unexpected highlight for us was the Pancake Pantry, a long-established restaurant near Vanderbilt University.  It was so good that it was worth waiting 2 days in a row in the line that snaked out the door and along the sidewalk outside. 

Night at the Grand Ol' Opry

Mammoth Caves

Our humble, yet indestructible abode

Mammoth Caves National Park in Kentucky is the caving adventure we were after. We camped in the national park for a couple of days to explore its caves and take a few days to become one with nature.  In fact, we braved a fair-sized thunderstorm in our tent our first night.  We escaped the storm with only the smallest puddle of water in the corner of our tent.  We were fairly certain that we were going to be swallowed by a sink hole that night.

You can take Mandy camping but can't take her away from the latest newspaper 

Earlier that evening (before the storm), we were able to do some exploring.  We opted for a 3-hour lantern tour of the caves.  Here, we were able to hike the 3 miles of caves by lantern light only.  We learned a lot of crazy things about these caves.  For instance, did you know that Kentucky has nearly 400 miles of discovered caves underground?  The national park used to be owned by a doctor who kept tuberculosis patients underground?  A lot of these caves used to have underground rivers.  Kentucky is littered with sinkholes. Billions of years ago, Kentucky used to be the tropics of the US.  It, along with southwest US were under water.  This is what created these caves to begin with.   Is anyone else concerned about the whole state of Kentucky?  The history of these underground caves was mind-blowing. We were even able to ride a boat into one of the caves with a river inside.  It was amazing to think about living your daily life above ground while all of that activity was happening below ground.  One example of these two worlds colliding was at Kentucky's corvette museum:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/27/photos-corvette-museum-finds-greater-fame-in-sinkhole-theyre-going-to-keep-it/

Here, you can experience a collapsed sinkhole in the middle of the museum.  Crazy to think about a sinkhole swallowing up a piece of earth at any moment. Whoa.

View inside the caves without our lantern

A Million Other Things

In between travel adventures, we are spending time at home in Columbus, Ohio.  Being home is filled with associations and emotions that we take for granted when we do it every day.  

14 yrs old and 20lbs of love

The feeling of sleeping in your own bed, the reminder that your 14-year-old cat likes to sleep on your head, the comfort in knowing where everything is located in your home.  The responsibility of scooping cat poop and attending to litter.  The convenience that everything we need is within a 10-minute drive.  Being close to friends and family.  Overall, we find ourselves quite joyful about being home and, at times, downright giddy.  It can also be mixed with boredom and mixed emotions of feeling unproductive (like we should be working).

We get this a lot: "What are we doing with our time when we are back in Columbus?" I like to answer that by posing my own question: "Have you ever had a moment at work where you thought to yourself that there were a million other things you'd rather be doing?"

We are doing those million other things!  Whether it be rehabbing our front porch, taking golf lessons, or biking to a nearby town we never bothered to stop in before.  The point here is that there are numerous enjoyable and interesting ways to easily fill your time.  At the same time, however, it is also easy to fall back into old routines and responsibilities when you are at home. We have felt a sense that we should be doing things such as laundry, mowing the lawn, etc.  And we happily do those things.  But we often remind ourselves that we don't have to cram everything into a weekend because we have to get ready for work on Monday.  After five months, this is still a strange feeling we have to fight.

We return from our trips and hear of marriage proposals, break ups, announcements of new babies,  and bought/sold homes.  All great examples of life events that keep the world turning whether you are actively a part of them or not.  To keep up, we try and make sure to reach out to both family and friends in an effort to remain in their lives and schedules.  Below are some of the experiences we've encountered.

Recent/upcoming moments to be remembered: 

Happy birthday Meg! 

1.  Meg, your birthday was great! We were much overdue for the reconnecting that happened that day.

2. Taking Paula to a baseball game for Mother's Day.  She bruised her shin climbing over the bleacher seats, but the pulled pork and the "snagged" bag of Cracker Jacks helped her smile through the pain.  What a pleasant surprised to be joined by Meg and Steph.

Happy Mother's Day.  Go ketchup! 

3. Attending a family member's 80th birthday party where I was told, "I have to take half a Viagra a day just to stop piss'n on my shoes!"

4.  Being able to attend our nephew's baseball games.  There is nothing like the reaction of an eight-year-old who just hit a home run.  Also, the joy and pride it brings to them when important people in their lives attend.

5. Jamie, CJ, Beth, Hollis, Donna Stacie & Anna, we loved bowling for Anna's birthday!  Buckets of beer and a basketball shot competitions.

6.  Kickball and baseball in the yard with the kids.  The neighbor will never notice the dent in her siding.  I may not be the best person to field the ball.

7.  Hosting our yearly Polish Party for my family.  The kids claimed it was the "best day ever." Perfect weather, pool fun and lots and lots of food.  I think Jamie and Grace are now Polish.

Ready for a ride! 

8.  Beer on the front porch with my retired neighbor...at 2:00 in the afternoon.  Dwight has an interesting perspective of the world and is a fan of our adventure.

9.  Exploring many miles of Columbus' bike trails with my beautiful wife.

10.  Having lunch at Phat Daddy's Pizza in London, Ohio.  We never had a reason to stop in London until the bike trail ended there.  $5 lunch and we took much longer than the allotted one hour work gives you.  A woman walked out of a business building next door and said, "That is what I rather be doing" when looking at our bikes.  We thought, "that is exactly our point!"  Lunch was perfect until we sat too long and our legs felt like lead and we still had about six miles to go.

Flip off cancer fundraiser for Pelotonia

11.  Flip cup fundraiser for cancer research.  We had more time to make this a fun event for a good cause and just enjoy the moment.

12.  Volunteer at a food bank.  Why haven't we ever done more of this?

13.  I was amazed to learn that our dentist is following our blog.  A simple reminder that our year off is special and we should make the most of it.

Still upright while kayaking  

14.  Chatting for hours after spending 3 days apart from my wife.  One would think we were already sick of each other.  Apparently not.

15.  Lunches with old colleagues remind us of what we are missing...or not.

16.  Being the only 2 people on a kayak trip in the middle of the day.  I never realized that Big Darby Creek had any time without drunk teenagers.

17. The excitement of going grocery shopping on Wednesday morning when everything goes on sale at Giant Eagle.  Who cares if we were the youngest people in the store.

Porch painted in time for annual Polish party

18.  Helping your mother landscape because you want to, not because you have to.

19.  Being the youngest people in Red Lobster on a Wednesday afternoon and paying with gift cards.  Some lady was celebrating her birthday.  I am not going to guess her age but, let's just say that her entourage looked suspiciously similar to the Golden Girls.  The birthday girl seemed to be the Betty White of the group.

20.  Home projects together.  The house never looked so good and we share in the pride of doing it ourselves.  

Pacers house, Pacers pride

21.  Game one of Pacers vs Wizards game in Indianapolis randomly on a Monday night with family.  Thanks for suggesting it Dusty!  It was an awesome time.

22. The "this should be quick" 6-hour project putting together Blake's basketball hoop. 

23. Chasing Lea in the yard.  Boy is she fast! 

We still don't have enough time for these million other things but we will continue to chip away! 

Why are we doing this?

In between our trip to the Southwest USA and our next major adventure we have spent some down time at home in Columbus. We discovered that many people are perplexed with how we are filling our time.  Some ask out of curiosity  just to make small talk.  Others are skeptical and ask about finances.  Nonetheless, the volume of inquiries led to our own personal discussion on the topic.  All the sudden, we are asking ourselves (again): Are we crazy for doing this?  Is this entirely irresponsible?  Why are we getting this reaction? Why from so many people? 

What will happen if we jump off? 

What part of life did I miss while I was worrying about retirement? 

When we thought about it and looked deep into ourselves, the answer is that we still have no regrets about what we are doing.  Here we are, we have stepped off the hamster wheel of corporate America.  This is something that nearly everyone dreams of doing at some point, but usually not until retirement. Of course many simply can't do this because of very real and very practical reasons. Yet, when someone actually does it -- like us, where the situation can work while we are young and able -- there are such extreme mixed emotions towards it.  "Is one of you terminally ill?" Or "Did you win the lottery?" My personal favorite is when I was asked if I was having a mid-life crisis.

It's understandable in a way.  We're all bombarded daily with reminders.  "Work until you retire!" "Build that nest egg!" Is it large enough? Just ask any of the major banks.  I think they do the best job of inserting fear into your future with their commercials.  "Keep investing with us and we will ensure your safety net is secure." 

This decision -- our personal decision -- was many years in the making.  We planned for this and made sure that we were at peace with it prior to doing it.  There are things in this life that we want to accomplish while we are still physically capable of doing them.  We know that it's different and can be difficult to understand in our culture.  In fact, we get why people don't "get it."  

Keep asking us questions.  We love them!

 

Big Sur to Santa Monica Beach

Many people suggested Big Sur when hearing of our plans to drive down the west coast so, we definitely added it to the list of "must sees".  Driving down the coast, we anticipated a lot of ocean and mountains, but I don't think we knew just how remarkable this area of the state was going to be.  I can fill this blog post with discriptive verbiage and tell you how we felt in this area but I think its beauty is best described in the pictures we captured along the way. 

We knew there would be some fantastic views, that we would stop in one of the many parks to hike  and that we would stop along the way to grab a bite.  What we didn't anticipate was all the wildlife we would encounter...whales, dolphins, seals and zebras.  Yeah, zebras!

As we almost were to LA, we hit Santa Monica and its is three-mile long beach that draws people from all over the world.  It is just outside of LA and has plenty of activities to keep you at the beach all day long inckuding sand volleyball, bike rentals, walking paths, restaurants and hotels along the beachfront.

Santa Monica Pier view of a kiting event on Santa Monica Beach

Random beach off Hwy 1 where elephant seals occupy the beach.  These seals are much larger than Harbor seals and almost became extinct at one point.  This beach is one of the only places you can see them in the entire world.

Elephant seals: Huge, stinky and fun to watch.

The house of a wealthy couple used to sit here near Julia Pfiffer Burns State Park.  Could you imagine waking up to this view every morning?  The next picture is the view seen from its bedroom.  Remnants of this home's foundation can still be seen today.  This is the couple who named the state park in memory of their friend, Julia Pfiffer Burns

Mcway Falls drops 80 feet into the Pacific Ocean.  Well, it used to drop directly into the ocean before a historical storm changed the landscape.  It now drops into the sand first.  Technically.

A difficult view from the road but, at the top of the hill, Hearst Castle can be seen.  We also had the pleasure of seeing many of Hurst's zebras along the hill side.  As a matter of fact, it was a zebra sighting that stopped us dead in our tracts along the highway.  "Did I just see a zebra?".  We saw about a half dozen of them.  Never saw one outside the confines of a zoo.

The view around every corner was beyond breathtaking.  We must of pulled off the road 30 times to get out of the car, look around and challenge ourselves to find a bad view.  We never found one.

Santa Cruz & Monterey

Leaving San Francisco we knew that we wanted to drive Highway 1 along the coastline.  Not knowing exactly where we were going to lay our heads for the next few nights, we kind of had our minds on the Santa Cruz area.  In the console sat the list of "must sees" from the patrons of Red Jack Saloon.  First on our list was a bowling alley just outside of the San Fran area.  Our drive started too early to experience this alley. Time to move on.  

Best lobster rolls on Hwy 1

Next, we drive by a place called, "Sam's" and it is absolutely packed.  Checking to see if it is on our list, we notice someone tried remembering the name of a restaurant that was a guy's name.  This has to be it, so we stop.  Since we had just eaten sushi lunch for Mandy's birthday in San Francisco, we couldn't bring ourselves to eat there even though they claimed to have the best lobster rolls.  Instead, we ordered a beer and sat on a couple of Adirondack chairs out back.  It is sunny but still cool enough to need a light jacket.  Our view is of a small bay with a few sailboats sprinkled throughout.  Both ducks and seals frolicking in the water and after a couple of sips of our beer, I can see the smiles beginning to grow on both of our faces.  It was one of those moments where you would find yourself saying, "This is the life!".

Every turn was picturesque  

A drink was plenty knowing we still had a full day ahead of us.  As we move down the coast, we are in complete awe of the beauty created by the meeting of mountain and ocean.  So much land, so much ocean and both looking untouched by mankind.  Again, reminders of just how small we are in this world.  Without a word said, we slowly hold hands as if we knew what exactly the other was thinking.

After several stops to enjoy powerful views and take pictures, we finally make it to Santa Cruz to have dinner and decide if this cute little surf town will be the place we rest for the night or two.  The feeling here is extremely laid back and it can be seen by people playing beach volleyball, laying out on the beach or just strolling the pier.  We walk around a bit to check things out and stretch our legs.  We walked the pier and noticed an amusement park and arcade on the other side of the beach.  What a great time Santa Cruz could be for a family!   There seemed to be a little something for everyone.  Next, we make our way into the downtown area of Santa Cruz.  This is when we discovered that most shops were closed and there wasn't much to it.  All the action seemed to be left at the pier but it was starting to get late and we still haven't eaten nor found a place to stay.  Looking at the prices, activities and places in Santa Cruz, we decide to move on.

Next major stop geographically down the coast was Monterey.  Although it was 80 percent booked, we managed to find a place for the night.  Apparently, we were on the front end of a large bicycle race weekend.  At our arrival, we go check out Fisherman's Wharf to find a place for dinner but also to see if this is an area in which we would like to spend more time the next day or two.  Although we didn't eat at the Wharf that evening, the area looked promising for a couple of days of outdoor activities.

We finally made our way into town to have a birthday dinner for Mandy since she only got birthday lunch on her actual birthday. (Believe me, this is better than her demands for an entire birthday month.). This is where Mandy deemed celebration with beer and pizza!

Claiming to want to breathe in the views.  Really just resting her legs. 

The following day we drive back toward the Wharf area.  I took a small run while Mandy enjoyed a cafe beside the bike path.  Along my run, I saw several things I wanted to show Mandy so, upon my return, we rented bikes and began to explore.  Monterey consists of many beautiful homes along the bay, bike trails, parks overlooking the bay.  Along our 8-10 mile ride we learned that we were there during seal birthing time.  We were able to see several babies on the beach but some areas were completely closed to provide both privacy and protection to the seals during this time.  It was heart warming to see the babies curled up against their mothers and the mothers instinctively take to her pup.

The bike rental shop provided a map of several points of interest along the way and we nearly tried to see all of them before our legs began to tell us that they have had enough.  Along the way we saw sand dunes, seals, stunning ocean front, golf courses, a light house and many million dollar homes hugging the coastline.  We could tell why so many people who could afford to live here would want to.

Cypress tree has been on this rock longer than we have been alive. 

Day 2 included a return to the Wharf area, but this time we went to check out the neighboring area of Cannery Row.  Long ago in this area existed a canning company where sardines were canned and distributed.  After closing of the plant, it was a pretty run down area until a famous writer (John Steinbeck) mentioned the area within one of his books.  The area has since revitalized and now consists of shops, restaurants, bars, antique shops and cafés.  While in Monterey it was recommended that we also do the "17 mile drive" which was said to be beautiful.  It turns out that the drive is one through an extremely prominent neighborhood that hugs the coast and also includes the famous Pebble Beach Golf Club (where events like the US Open and the Masters have been held). Money can buy the best of views in Monterey!

Views never get old.  Unfortunately, Mandy turned another year older. 

We stopped off at moments to enjoy spectacular views before making it to the golf club.  When we rolled up to the club, it was immediately evident that we didn't belong there.  When we got close to the entrance to the greens, Mandy pulled over quickly so that I could get a picture.  As I stood at the entrance, I snapped a picture quickly as I saw someone coming toward me.  It was a caddie so I snapped another picture of him on his motorized club carrier and I begin to walk out of his way.  After a couple of steps of moving back to the car, I hear someone say, "Hey Chica, let me help you".  It was the caddie who was offering to take my picture in front of the sign.  Quickly thereafter, he looked around and told me to get onto the motorized club carrier but to not touch anything.  A couple of more pictures snapped.  I could tell that he shouldn't have been doing this.  I thanked him profusely and walked back to the car.  

What happened to carrying bags on your back? 

There, I sat in silence while I held back my tears.  Mandy wondered what the heck happened and whether or not these were tears of hurt or joy.  After a moment of composing myself, I showed her the pictures and told her how kind the caddie was to me.  I suppose that I was so touched because it was obvious that I was not the type of person that was a member of the club (by my attire that day) and this caddie went out of his way to make it a special moment for me.  I guess I just saw it as such a high display of kindness that all I could do was cry...and I don't even like golf!

Monterey was one of the most enjoyable places on this trip.  Outside of the 17-mile drive that I would never be able to afford, it's comfortable bay and areas along the bay just "felt good".  The combination of beautiful coastline, water activities, the marina and a great little downtown area made for an enjoyable stay.

Highway 49

Surprised by the interruption.  I am going to strike it rich! 

Instead of continuous driving on major highways to get to Lake Tahoe, we decided instead to take a leisurely drive through Gold Country on old highway 49.  This road drives through many historical towns that were created by the California Gold rush in 1848.  Now, many of these towns have historical museums, saloons, preserved and restored buildings, vineyards, wine tasting and little antique shops

Highway 49 is a pretty drive along the mountain range and our goal here is to stop in Coloma near Sutter's mill where gold was originally found during the gold rush in the American River.  Here, they still offer tourists the opportunity to try gold panning and you can keep anything you find.

Intense panning

We enter the very small town of Coloma and try our hand in gold panning.  This is when we discover just how manually intensive this process really is.  It entailed scooping, shaking, brushing off excess and a lot of straining to actually distinguish real gold from fools gold.

Biggest piece of Fools gold found by us

Sequoia National Park

On to the next major destination of our trip, Sequioa National Park.  As we got closer, Mandy kept asking if I wanted to visit Visalia, California.  The reason for her question is that my family lived there for a couple of years, about 30 yrs ago.  Wow, has it really been that long? Yup.  At first, I didn't think that I wanted to make the trip because it was about 30 minutes out of our way.  As it turns out, we ended up staying the night in Visalia.  I didn't think I had many memories from the time we lived there until we visited some familiar places.  All the sudden, street names sounded familiar and I knew we were close to where my family lived.  My brother helped me remember the exact address so we went there the next day.  After seeing the old apartment, my elementary school and one of the lakes that we boated and learned to ski, a slew of memories came back.  It is amazing how the human brain works.  Thank you, Mandy, for encouraging to do it.  I realized that even those two years were instrumental in shaping me into who I am today.

Love, love, love hiking sticks

Ok, back to Sequioa.  We enter the park and discover that access to the park is limited due to weather and snow.  We can't get to the Sequioa trees without snow chains on our tires.  Where the hell are we going to find those and which one of us is going to put them on and take them off?  Yeah, we did't even bother.  Now we are tremendously sad that Mandy will not see these giants.  Instead, we opt for a hiking trail recommended by the park ranger.  The hike is called Marble Falls and it is supposed to be a beautiful time of year for this hike.  All we know at the beginning point is that it was roughly an eight mile round-trip hike.

As we make our way to the foot of the path we begin our 2-hour hike up the side of a mountain.  The path we are following is about two feet wide and is a constant uphill the entire way to the falls.  We dress warmly as it is quite cold in the mountains and we stop to take breaks along the way.  On each stop, we take a couple of moments to just look around.  The views are indescribable.  We are disappointed with every picture that we take because it never seems to capture the beauty, All the while, we have not yet seen another human being on this path.

Mid-hike lunch and photo op

Lunch consisted of a couple of sandwiches on a rock overlooking a valley amongst three mountains.  The air is brisk, the sun is shining and only the sounds of wind and birds are around us.  About two-thirds of the way up, we began to really feel the strain from the constant hike upwards.  Determined to actually see the falls kept us pushing forward.  Nearing the falls, it began to rain and our path was getting cold and muddy.  It was necessary for us to start really watching our footing.  Finally, we made it to the falls and then understood why it was called "Marble Falls".  The granite in which the falls washed over looked just like marble.  At this point, there was nothing left to do but relish in the beauty of the falls and celebrate our arrival to our destination.  One more mountain defeated!

Kasia wondering if her legs are going to fall off

Coming back down the mountain, we finally did run into some other people on the trail and now it was raining even harder.  What took us two hours to hike up, took one hour to hike down and the constant and steep downhill was beginning to take a toll on our knees.  I am not so sure that we would have finished this hike without the assistance of our hiking sticks.  By the last 10 minutes of our hike, we were sore, tired, wet and ready for it to be over...longing for a hot tub.

Back in our car, the look of defeat crossed both of our faces but neither of us would have done it any differently.  Experiencing the sheer beauty of the mountains and conquering this rigorous hike with a loved one simply cannot be matched.

Marble Falls

Laughlin, Nevada

I now prefer Laughlin, Navada to Vegas!  Mandy would argue that it is because I am old but, truth be told, I think she preferred it too.  After hiking and biking our asses off at the Grand Canyon, we were looking forward to a little R&R.

Beautiful Colorado River

Laughlin is lined with casinos along the Colorado River.  There is a scenic boardwalk where you can take a leisurely stroll and see water taxis, jet skiing, kayaking and boating.  My guess is that the average age of patrons visiting was older than what you would typically find in Vegas.  The place we stayed our first night was called "Colorado Belle" for goodness sakes and every room came equipped with a walk-in, handicap-accessible shower and shower caps for all the ladies who may have gotten a perm or their hair set for the week.  Ok, so it was a little bit of an older crowd, but it was quite enjoyable and lacked all forms of pretentiousness.

The view from our Colorado Belle room

This little town reminds me of what "old Vegas" used to be like.  It is walkable, laid back and there is plenty to do.  Now, just add a river and you have Laughlin, Nevada.  A fun fact shared by Mandy's mom is that Bullhead City, on the other side of the river from Laughlin, is the hottest place in the US.  Laughlin was so far the warmest weather we experienced.  

The next two days were spent by the pool of the Golden Nugget Hotel and soaking up the sun and overlooking the river from our chairs.  Well, except for the guy who was smashed at 10 one morning and tried picking us up.  I don't understand why we tend to be a magnet for weirdos.  We were saved by his sober friend who took him away.  Ahhh, back to the sun.

Golden Nugget was good to us and included a $700 win on a "Hot Shots" slot machine. 

Easier?

Starting our second adventure out west immediately feels very different than Costa Rica.  When we try to put our finger on what is so different, we come to the conclusion that it is accessability and convenience.  From the beginning, we have access to a car.  This within itself provides a tremendous amount of freedom.  We don't have to worry about scheduling nor figuring out transportation to our next destination.  Secondly, the US is the land of excess.  If you need anything on the road or forgotten anything, you can find it around every corner.  In Costa Rica, depending on the town, you may simply have to do without or until you get to a town that has what you are looking for, and if/when you do find it, you are overpaying for it because it is an imported product.

Lastly, it helps that everyone speaks English.  I would recommend that everyone visit a country in which you are barely familiar with the language or culture.  It is quite a humbling experience and definitely provides a new-found respect for those who have migrated to our country and what their daily life is like. Needless to say, being surrounded by your native language is just easier.  You don't have to try as hard or think about it.

Saying good-bye

​March 1-2: 70ish degrees

Path to boat taxi to Monteverde

We get up early and get packed to catch a shuttle to Monteverde to finish out our time in Costa Rica.  We get into a jam-packed shuttle and drive about an hour to catch a boat.  Upon our arrival to the boating doc, we were quite surprised with what we were seeing.  We arrived in a dirt parking lot overlooking a hundred yard foot path to the water.  The foot path was also a dirt path but going down a fairly steep hill.  There is no sign of any boat crew to help carry bags nor help anyone down the hill.  As a matter of fact, I don't see a captain either.  It wasn't long before we discovered that our shuttle driver was also our boat captain.  All that was left to do was to throw our bags on our back or head and start toward the boat.

Once there wasn't another seat left on the boat, we begin a casual boat ride across a lake amongst mountains, nice sunny day and a view of Arenal Volcano behind us. Now we just sit and enjoy the ride.

Upon arriving to our destination, again, we have a short hike uphill with our bags to another shuttle.  This time, at the top of the hill, we are passed by hundreds of mountain bikers on the dirt road.  We were dropped off in the middle of a mountain bike race amongst these Costa Rican mountains.  Now, those are some "MF'n Champions" racing like that!

Kasia dominating the second longest run of the trip

We still have about an hour drive on a dirt road through the mountains to get to Monteverde.  The drive is quite slow since there are many potholes and sharp turns along our path.  When we arrive in Santa Elena, we literally hear cheers from passengers as we finally meet a paved road near town.  Dropped off at our hotel room, we discover why our hotel is named "Tree House Hotel". There is a huge tree in the middle of it.

Our mission in Monteverde is to take on its mountain top zip lining and anything else the town has to offer.  This turns out to be zip lining and a coffee, cocoa and sugarcane tour.

Completion celebration picture

Zip lining first!  We have done this before but here, the last line is approximately 1 kilometer or 3,000 feet long from mountain to mountain.  This took about one and a half minutes of zipping from one side to the other.  We were required to go tandem to create enough weight to make it to the other side.  It is often windy at this elevation and no one is guaranteed to make it all the way across.  Off we go!  We had plenty of time to look around the valleys during the ride.  It was stunning!  As you would have it, Mandy and I were the only two who made it all the way to the other side.  Thank goodness!  Otherwise you must turn yourself backwards and pull yourself to the other side.  After this long run of zip lining, we don't believe we will ever do it again.  We just don't believe that a one kilometer run can be beat.  An awesome way to finish out our Costa Rica trip!

While in the area it is also known for its coffee plantations.  We have a little time to kill before our flight back to the States so, we book one final tour.  Don Juan coffee plantation that also grows cocoa and sugar cane.  One final tour to learn about Costa Rican farming.  Here, we get to meet Don Juan himself and tour his farm in which he built most of his life.  Now, a thriving and long lasting production of coffee and cocoa throughout the country.  Learning that Panamanians are hired here for a short period of time to pick the ripest of coffee beans for $2.00 for 20lbs of beans.  Difficult manual labor but well worth it amongst average Panamanian wages.

The infamous Don Juan at his coffee plantation

Adios Costa Rica, thank you for an unforgettable journey!

Active volcano

​February 28-March 1: weather in the 70s

With a week left in Costa Rica, we begin to think about how to finish this amazing trip.  Do we stay comfortably on the beaches of the Caribbean or explore the inland attractions that a lot of other travelers recommended?  We head inland.

Our cabina overlooking the Arenal Volcano

It is a five hour shuttle trip to La Fortuna to see Arenal Volcano and luckily, we are the only ones on the shuttle.  When we finally get to La Fortuna, it very much feels like driving into the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  The streets are lined with souvenir shops and tourists fill the streets.  As we climb the mountain side to get to our resort, (yes, we splurged on this one.  We got sick of the surprises that come with budget rooms.) we can see the volcano.  It is massive and active.  We didn't think we would much care to see the volcano other than to just say we saw it.  It isn't until you are right I front of it that you are in awe of its enormity.  We have a picturesque view from our cabin and we share several moments of silence to take it all in.  It seems as though every time we experience things so monumental, we are overcome with gratitude that we are able to embark on this journey.  Also, it reminds us just how big and powerful the world is, how much it should be appreciated and rich perspective of what is truly important in life.

The active Arenal Volcano.  Yes, that is steam coming from the top.   Two years ago, lava could be seen coming down the mountain side.

The resort grounds also include several pools and hot springs heated by the volcano.  We take no time at all to get into one of these mineral filled pools.  It feels like a hot tub but lacks the smell of chemicals.  It feels so refreshing after a long day of travel.  Not to mention it is warming us up as it is much cooler in the mountains.

Mineral hot spring

Wildlife up close

February 27-hot as balls

All I wanted out of this entire trip was for Mandy to take me to see the world's largest sloth sanctuary.  Since I never get what I want, I settled for the Jaguar Rescue Center.  We tried one other time to see the center but there are only two tours a day and we missed both of them.  Now we are ready.

We chose to rent a couple of bikes to get to the center that is a couple of miles away near Playa Chiquita.  But first, we must eat breakfast. The problem is that the restaraunt is out of power (the entire town is), and we notice how quiet town is without this power.  It also means no hot shower anytime soon.  Walking through town, it's clear how this power outage has shut down most of the town.  Good thing we don't need power to rent and ride bikes!

Tucan wasn't afraid of anyone.  No, his name was not Sam. 

The Jaguar Rescue Center started out with a couple of Biologists trying to rescue a jaguar years ago. They then opened up their efforts to helping any and all wildlife that needs rescuing.  Today, people from all over the country call them to report or deliver animals in need.  Here, we were able to see numerous wild animals in one place.  We saw crocodiles, owls, forest frogs, deer, an eagle, monkeys, tucans, parrots, ant eaters, a margay and a sloth.  Most of these animals were within an arms reach and the tour groups were kept small for an intimate experience and in order not to overwhelm the animals.  I will definitely recommend the rescue center for anyone visiting this area!

Anteater just walking around by our feet

We topped off the trip with the freshest hummus plate and veggies imaginable at an organic restaurant paired with my rental bike breaking on the way back.  Only one thing to do while your bike beaks down on a small Costa Rican road...find some shade until the bike company can come pick you up.  Thank goodness it is our last day in the Puerto Viejo area.  At least the broken bike waited for our last day and wasn't our first.

Croc in the pond

Panama in 2 days

February 16-17: still hot down here

With only a couple of days in Panama we try to maximize our activities to see as much of Panama as possible.  We booked a boat tour that included dolphin sightings, a visit to a national park, snorkeling, lunch and star fish sightings in the mangroves.  On the tour we quickly saw dolphins but nothing like the hundreds in Golfo Dulce.  The trip largely included boating amongst the Panamanian islands.  The islands are lush green and easily accessible by boat.  As a matter of fact, you can pay $1 for a water taxi to any of the islands, day or night.

Size of boat for our day trip

Snorkeling included some of the most colorful corals I have ever seen.  They also looked like they were outlined in neon lights the way the sun shined on the spiral caterpillar-like animal that attached itself to the coral.  The star fish were also incredible.  I have never seen so many in one concentrated area.  We were able to see them from the boat in shallow water and it felt as though we could just reach down and touch them.

Panama view from our hotel

On our tour was a gentleman who was traveling alone, Steve.  Steve is from Vancouver and reminds me of most of the linemen I worked with at the electric company.  He proudly wore a hunting cap, talked sternly about the work that he does and is confident that his workplace would be better if everyone just " did it his way".  You could tell that beyond his eggshell exterior, he was just a pussy cat trying to impress two youngish ladies.  He annoyed the shit out of Mandy.

After a half of our day spent on the water, we were looking forward to drying up and having a nice dinner on the water.  Most of the restaurants in Bocas Del Toro are on the water overlooking the other islands.  We were told that Lemongrass was one of the best around.  We gladly make decide tonight will be a date night.  This is also the night I found my love for raspberry Vodka and lemonade.  Dangerously yummy.

A perfect spot for a night cap was Dave's bar on the roof of the hotel across Lemongrass.  Here, you can enjoy 2 for 1 mojitos.

Marcella's daughter and her friend Isaiah

Time to head back to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.  This time, we know what to expect in our travels across the border and we board a shuttle with two other women.  One is an architect from Rome and the other is an expat originally from Connecticut who we later named "Crazy Nancy".  Nancy was full of drama in her stories, told us how to get across the border without paying by faking a disability and ranted and raved about Costa Rican law and tax evasion, all the while, calling someone called "Jose" to help her carry her bag up her stairs when she got home.  Jose hung up on her and she claimed that she would get her things up the stairs by carrying each of the contents one by one...and all by herself.  She obviously was looking for our sympathy.  We might have been guilty of fueling Crazy Nancy's pity party and story telling.  "What the hell?  Why not make the most of our time on the shuttle.  By this time, Ms. Rome joined in as well.

One more night in Cabinas Larry and we meet up with Marcella and her 3 yr old daughter.  Today is Marcella's birthday and we have agreed to meet up for English/ Spanish lessons for both of them.  Just before our session, Mandy and I make a quick trip to a bakery down the street to get some sweets for the birthday celebration.  A wonderful and humbling end to a long travel day.

English-Spanish lessons between Mandy and Marcella

Extreme sports

February 20- Hot degrees

Now rooming with three Canadians, our top priority for the morning is getting up at 6 a.m. To watch USA vs Canada hockey.  We intended to do this at a bar called, "The Point" but, needless to say, none of us made it past the luxuries of our rental home that included free coffee and breakfast.  Sadly, the Canadians won again.  Time to get out of the house and stop the bragging before it gets too far out of control.

About a hundred yards down a dirt road from us is Banana Azul Hotel. Here, we can rent boogie boards as long as we stay on/near their beach. The waves here are pretty unforgiving.  As a matter of fact, it is pretty damn brutal.  For the next four hours we had the time of our lives trying to keep our bottoms up, fighting harsh sand-abrasions to our nipples and allowing the sea to serve as a Nettie Pot to our sinus cavities.  What a great spot for boogie boarding! The sea threw us around like rag dolls.  So much fun but need a nap.

Cooking & Canadians

February 21- 26: hot o'clock

I'm resorting to combining the highlights of several days so as to not bore you with little details of mostly hanging out, doing some yoga and figuring out how and where to finish out our Costa Rica travels.

Together, the house pitched in to do a Carribean style cooking class.  This is where the chef comes to the house, brings all the food and shows you how to cook it Caribbean style using a coconut milk base.  The process of squeezing coconut milk and cooking the rice and beans is a long process but it was well worth the wait.  We also had chicken that was cooked in this base as well.  The trick is not over cooking the rice in the milk because the rice can become too hard.  At the end of the night, we all enjoyed a delicious Carribean feast and were able to hang out with a couple of locals to ask questions and compare cultural notes.

Within this timeframe we had to say good-bye to our Canadian friends who we enjoyed so much in three separate towns across the country.  It was a very sad moment watching them pull away in a shuttle.  We already miss them.  At least they are going home Olympic gold winners in both men and women's hockey!

Now, Mandy and I have the house to ourselves for a couple of days and discovered that Dave left his swim trunks over the upstairs banner.  Now, anyone who knows us knows that we can't let him live this down.  Instead, we kindly wash them for Dave but not return them without taking them out for a night on the town!  Mandy puts on Dave's swim trunks and I have camera in hand.

That day, we take the shorts to all of the places they have been with us in both Playa Negro and Puerto Viejo.

1.  The Point- where we watched hockey together

2.  The beach house gate - where they walked out of every day

3.  Bread and Chocolate restaurant - where we met Katrina's mom

4.  Drinking rum

5.  Chewing rice - Dave so kindly offered to chew our rice for us to soften our leftovers.  I think it was the rum talking

Otherwise we hung out and enjoyed our last moments of beach time.

​

Cahuita

February 19: It is 90 degrees every day

When we first decided to visit the Carribean coast, we thought about staying in Cahuita.  This are was recommended by many people that we met as more laid back and beautiful than the busier Puerto Viejo just south.  Instead, we screwed up our reservations in Cahuita and ended up staying in Puerto Viejo for quite some time.  Today, we will give the town of Cahuita a try.

A quarter-mile walk down a dirt and rocky road from our house in Playa Negra lands us at the bus stop.  It is hot and humid and there is not much of a breeze coming from the Caribbean Sea to our left.  Looking around we don't find anything that looks like a bus schedule.  Instead, we sit and wait.  Ten minutes pass. Then 15 minutes and still no sign of a bus.  Mandy bravely starts a conversation in her best Spanish with a local beside her.  Here, she discovers that the bus should be coming in about 10 minutes.  Assured a bus is coming, we are still not sure it is the right bus ...the one that will take us to Cahuita.

Sloths seen in Cahuita National Park

A bus comes around the corner and starts to slow around our stop but then, the driver gestures to the local standing with us and drives on.  "What the hell just happened?"  "Did we just miss the bus?"  "Where is the sign on the bus stating where it is going?"  Feeling hot and confused, we sit back down and ask the local how he knew this wasn't the right bus.  Understanding about every third word we finally understood that the motion from the bus driver is that he will be turning left ahead toward Chiquita and not straight passed Cahuita.  How the hell would anyone who couldn't muddle their way through the language ever figure that out???  This was one of many examples of the importance of knowing the language, or enough of the language to get by.  There isn't the luxury of well positioned signs, routes and schedules posted for our convenience.

After that little life lesson we finally board the right bus to Cahuita and adhere to the advice from an expat we met along the way.  Don't get off the bus at the first Cahuita National Park sign because at that entrance we would be subject to entry fees.  If we get off in the town of Cahuita we can enter the park from the beach for free.  So we did.

Cahuita was a quaint and quiet little town with souvenir shops, restaraunts and a grocery store.  We shared some overpriced but fantastic homemade ice cream as we made our way into the park.  The park path ran just behind the sand of its beaches and in a mile walk we came across lizards, monkeys, a sloth and some raccoons.  The trek combined with the weather called for a dip into one of its beautiful beaches.  The waves are much calmer here and more ideal for swimming than in Puerto Viejo.  Although, I didn't stay in the water long because of all the seaweed touching me. What a p?@'$y!  Es verdad.

Travel tips

The following is a compilation of our travel tips and lessons:

Ask many people for directions. It was amazing how many people are incapable of saying, "I don't know" and they just make up something.

Ask about the frequency of bus schedules before you take a taxi.  Minor communication gaps could lead to expensive decisions.

Ask about the drinkability of water BEFORE you drink it!

Alcohol drinks are ALWAYS cheaper at the convenient stores.

Show respect to locals by at least trying.  You will be rewarded for your efforts.

don't be afraid to try.  What is the worst that can happen? 

You are not entitled to anything.  Remember you are in someone else's country.

"I will only have one more drink" are ALWAYS famous last words.

Balance equals consideration for finance, human kind and the environment.

Mother doesn't always know best but she is still your mother.

You can warm up pizza in a frying pan.

Always carry a lighter and flashlight.

A visit with nature is always fulfilling.

Don't go in the mountains without a car and a jacket.

Always question whether a want is a "need to have" or a "want to have".  Do you really need the want?

Use natural resources to expand your creativity and help with daily problem solving.

Mutual respect goes a long way.

The more laws and rules, the more you kill human creativity and spirit.

Finding ones own being and self worth provides rich perspective.

You can only control intention, not perception.

Just because he is wearing speedos doesn't mean he is gay.

Work to live rich not to get rich.

Your situation depends on your perspective more than anything else.

Be kind.  97 percent of people will return it.

A banana leaf makes a perfectly good plate for dinner.

Question everything...respectively.

The hardest choices are some of the best you will ever make.

Sometimes the lack of a plan is a good plan.

Milk doesn't have to be cold, neither do eggs. Make them last.

Doing nothing IS doing something.

Knowing how to fix a bike chain is something you will use later in life.

If someone offers you natural unprocessed chocolate say, "yes".

Do all the things today that you will not regret tomorrow.

Genious is packing one bag. 

Go in with no expectations, you will never be disappointed. 

You get used to it

Things that seemed so culturally different when we arrived are now becoming our everyday norm.  Here are some of those differences:

Unpaved roads

Waiting for service

Cold showers

Hot nights

Broken stuff (fan)

Toilet paper in waste paper basket

Fruit trucks driving and yelling

Walking, walking and walking

Hiking is part of travel,  even if you have reserved a shuttle

Hitch hiking is ok

Perspective about problem solving, there is always a way!

Free drink refills are hard to come by

Function vs comfort.  Comfort doesn't win at the end of the day

Lack of 24x7 access to anything

Waking up and sleeping with the sun

Not always having a plan. 

Getting "ready" is as simple as brushing your teeth putting in your contacts and having coffee.  

Conserving all things...water, electricity, plastic bags, clean clothes, sugar & other portable foods

Wearing same clothes over and over

Putting our lives in the hands of "crazy" drivers every day. 

Hearing multiple languages around us

Responding to "where are you from?"

No routine is our new routine

Efficient packing

No itemized receipts just hand-written totals

Tips included in all bills

Most bugs and spiders can't actually hurt you but fire ants can sure ruin your day

Bridge to somewhere

February 15: 95 degrees

Yesterday we booked a 3-day, 2-night trip to Bocas Del Toro and this morning we start our travels.

Picked up by shuttle at our hotel, we make a few stops in town to pick up other travelers before we head south to Panama.  The drive is on a paved road that is surrounded by many banana farms.  Banana trees can be seen for miles.  We pass through many small towns but we know that Sixaola is the last Costa Rican town before we hit the border.

In Sixaola, we stop near the border.  Our driver stops, gives us our bags and motions us to cross the border and check in at customs.  We take our backpacks and walk through what feels like a checkpoint for semis.  We see a small building to our right and we are motioned to get in line and fill out some customs paperwork.  We can only enter one at a time into the building and hand the guard our paperwork and passport for a stamp to enter the country.  There is a sign on the door that reminds patrons to "remain calm and don't slam the door".  We both get stamped and then we were told to cross the border.  Didn't we already cross the border?  The answer is "No." We now must now walk across a bridge and then go through customs again on the other side.

Border crossing into Panama

The bridge is a set of railroad tracks with old planks holding it up.  Someone at some point laid boards perpedicular to the planks to make it more walkable.  Walkable is laughable at this moment because we are dodging large holes in the boards, all the while holding all of our belongings.  I begin to laugh nervously and it causes Mandy to laugh as well.  If nothing else, we broke the silence of wondering if this really could be the actual border crossing into Panama.  Mandy asked how might someone handicapped actually cross this bridge?  It was proving challenging for a couple of youngish-something's and only 2 bags.  My only answer as I watched my footing was, "I have no flipp'n idea." We both stopped about halfway across the bridge to look at the river below.  It was a beautiful sight of lush green foliage hugging each side of the riverbanks.

Finally, we make it to the other side and into Pamana.  Don't worry, the adventure doesn't end here.  We are approached by a guard to enter a small office with just one employee and a desk.  Here, Panama is collecting an entry fee of $3 per person.  This is where we realize that Panama's currency (in these touristy parts) is the US dollar.  We then climb down a steep dirt hill to where we think we are catching a shuttle.  A gentleman grabs our bags and puts them in a taxi that is built like a pick up truck.  He then tells us which shuttle to board.  But first we must visit the immigration office on the Panama side, located behind a large duty-free store.  We get in line and get our passports stamped once again.

Our shuttle has 16 people packed into a vehicle that certainly was made for 12.  Everyone is quiet as we begin our trek.  Not exactly sure how we are going to make it being packed in like sardines, we drive through the towns and mountains of Panama.  Here, you can see a visible difference in the community.  There is a lot more poverty than we saw Costa Rica.  I feel sad inside when I see the volume of make-shift housing and women laundering clothes in the river.  The landscapes are beautiful but the communities appear depressed.

All the sudden, our driver turns on the radio and Mandy indicates that she isn't feeling that well.  There're lots of turns and hills and again, we are packed in like sardines.  Suddenly, we look at one another.  Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" is playing on the radio.  Next, George Michael's "Careless Whisper."  What is going on right now?  We slip into one of our tired giggling fits and begin to sing.  All the sudden, we feel like we are in an SNL skit: we are packed into this vehicle, 16 people trying to act like they are comfortable, a treacherous border crossing and now this...listening to 80s hits. Is this really happening right now?  We try to make the most of it, and I can tell that Mandy is trying hard to be ok.

Shaved ice vedor that saved Mandy's life

We finally stop where we are to catch our water taxi to Bocas Del Toro.  We unload our bags and try to figure out what boat to catch.  Today, a small vendor is there with some sort of shaved ice and flavoring.  Mandy feels as though she needs to get something in her stomach so she buys some.  It is shaved ice with coconut flavoring and shavings.  It is delicious and Mandy seems to be starting to feel a little better.  Mandy still claims that this little treat saved her life that day.  Dramatic.  Since I ate about half of it, Mandy bought another one.  This time pineapple. She is once again a little happy traveler.

Local homes and outhouses

Finally we board the water taxi with our bags.  This is the last leg of our trip.  As I sit in the boat, I look around at the housing in front of me.  They are all wooden homes on stilts in the water and amongst the mangroves.  Mandy points out their little out- houses as well and asks me where I think that waste is going.  Hmmmm, right into the water.

As we make our way down what feels like a river, the water opens up and we are now amongst many Panamanian islands.  The water is relatively calm and the islands are plentiful.  Lush green islands poking their heads out of the sea.  About 30 minutes later we arrive in Bocas Del Toro.  We were instructed to head out of the port and follow the road to the left to find our hotel.  With our bags, we head left while looking at our surroundings.  Initially, Bocas has a great vibe and we are excited to be there.  Of course Bocas is touristy but we are excited by our initial impression.  It too is lined with bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.  We walk to the opposite side of Bocas Town to find our hotel room.  Finally, we find it, check in and walk into our room.

There might as well have been Olympic opening ceremony music playing when we walked into the room.  Look!  We have a beautiful bed!  The pillows aren't lumpy! We have air conditioning!  The room is clean!  We have hot water!  No mosquito nets!  Breakfast included?!?!

We had the best night's sleep in a long time.

 Tough travel day.  Time for a drink with this view from our hotel.