INTO THE MANGROVES & ISLA CANAS (DAY TWO)

Ray and I woke to a bright and sunny Tuesday morning, and enjoyed a wonderfully delicious and filling breakfast that started with coffee, brown sugar (odd, yes), light brown milk (not condensed, but some sort of sweetened milk), creamy peach yogurt, fresh pineapple juice, watermelon, and ended with scrambled eggs, sausage, peppers and onions, and toast.  We had checked our email while waiting (Wifi only in lobby), sent our daughter a message of our plans for the day, took pictures along the beach, and were ready to start day two of our vacation.  We were to meet up with the group at nine am at our hotel.  We then drove in separate cars through Tonisi and to Isla Canas.  We were first to take TC and Emmet's fishing boat through the mangroves in some body of water, but not out into the Pacific Ocean.  I misunderstood Emmet from the night before when he said we had a twenty four minute (yes, 24 which is the part I understood) drive on rough road.  We had a twenty-four minute drive TO rough road, and then the road (although much better than it had been even two weeks ago) became rough, dirty, full of craters and potholes to avoid, and dusty here and there.  We arrived to the garage where they keep the boat locked up, parked our SUV in the garage, hitched the boat to their pickup truck and threw the three men in the back of the truck.  TC then drove us to the water at Puerta Canas. When we arrived, we were told there was a boat that had to remain where it was (by the ramp), because it was part of a crime scene.  There were several people sitting on the railing nearby that appeared to be.......waiting.  It was low tide, and the water was extremely low.  We wouldn't be putting the boat in the water just yet.

Very low tide

Discussing change of plans (TC and Emmet)

Fishing boats

Driving to Isla Cana area--random phone booth

The walkers don't really move out of the way (this girl did finally shimmee over a bit).

Everyone squeezes by.

TC and Emmet came up with Plan B.  We would go over to Isla Canas, walk the island, grab some lunch and then try to take the boat out with high tide.  The guys jumped back into the pick up truck, and TC drove us to a parking lot.

This is what I have learned about Isla Canas.  And the pictures will show what I saw while walking to the island and on the island.  It is west of Pedasi and Playa Venao (famous surfing beach).  It is a nine mile (14km) long island.  On its main beach, five of the world's eight species of sea turtles come to lay its eggs.  And over 20,000 turtles will hit the beach in two or three nights to lay their eggs.  They only lay their eggs at night, and the best time to see this event is September to November (OR the best time can even be in May--just never know).  We were told we might be about ten days too early for what is called "arribadas" (arrival).  This is when the bulk of the turtles lay their eggs.  About nine hundred people live in the small village on the island.  There is a church, school, police station, small store,  pay phone, hostels, small restaurants, and four cars (along with an ambulance).  The island is separated by the mainland by a mangrove swamp.  If the tide is low, you walk.  And TC had prepared us by telling us to bring muddy, water shoes.  I did sink to my right knee in one instance (I went off the path a bit, if you can imagine this!)  If the water is high, you can take a boat all the way to the island.  http://www.pedasi.com/content/?cid=20&cat1=151&cat2=121&cat3=0&level=2&id=121

Here is how we made it to the island, and what we saw on the island--

The tide was low, so we walked about fifteen minutes to the boats.

A video taken by Clyde of our walk through the muck and mudd.

Others were walking back with food.

We arrive to catch a boat for $1/person.

Hundreds of shells around.

Welcome!

We heard the band from across the water.  Children at school.

We asked the owner of the hostel nearby about lunch (not the geese)--I just didn't want to see what she would put in between those two cut tree limbs with the knife stuck nearby.

Chickens, roosters, geese and dogs wander aimlessly.

Man on bike.

A closed restaurant (notice the pretty woman painted next to the bathroom on left, the sign for urinal--learn a new word every day--and the green jukebox on the right).

The beach.

TC and Ray start walking the beach.

Low tide.

Cute little orange crab.

An ambulance.

Our lunch (again that whole fish thing, and the rice had mussels and clams in it--not my favorite)--the fish was very good!

We wait for lunch at the Hostel.

The building itself.

Our funny chef, Mama Jita, in her kitchen (back of the house).

Another random pay phone on the island.

There are four cars on this island.  Here is one of them.

Here is the water we saw when we looked across to the island.

There's the island.  Have to get ourselves over there.

Wish I could grab one of those!

 Arriving at Mama Jita's Hostel and Restaurant, we pushed Clyde into the task of speaking to the hostel owner about our lunch and what we were "ordering", he asked that she speak slowly.  We have been told by our Spanish teacher rather than ask "please, speak slowly" or "please, repeat it", we should ask back something that we had just been told--this isn't always that easy.  Especially when we are hungry.  Clyde asked her to speak slowly, and she slowed herself to 16rpm's like the old time record players used to offer as a speed.  She was a funny lady!  Amazing what you can understand when you can't speak the language all that well.  Everyone gets comedy!   We sat on the front porch of her house while she cooked in the back.  Ray and I thought we ordered white fish as opposed to some other kind of fish.  We did, and it was tasty (unlike what the other's had ordered that we shared a little bit of), but the rice all came out the same.  Ray also thought we were ordering white rice--meaning nothing in it.  He gets concerned that a random shrimp will be thrown in the mix, of which, I am allergic to shrimp.  Instead, the rice had chewy clams and mussels mixed in it, and it wasn't exactly my favorite.  The rice--great.  The mix ins--no thanks.  We drank a lot of water sitting there at the table waiting for our lunch, Emmet pulled limes off the tree to drop into the water and flavor our fish with, and he also walked to the small store and bought some Balboa for the group to drink.  After our $4 meal (the portions were so large, we shared plates), we walked back to catch the boat.  By this time, high tide had arrived.  CRAZY.  We took the boat the entire trip to the parked car.  Where we had walked earlier in low tide now had fourteen feet of water (I think this is what Emmet said), and the boat was able to carry us through the mangroves (where the swamp had been hours earlier) the entire distance.

This was how high the water was after we toured the island.  We took the boat straight into the mangroves one mile to the parked car.

Climbing back into the truck (guys in the back), we took the boat to where we were hoping to launch it into the water.  The Criminal Justice investigator was at the scene (it was now around two pm).  The engine to the boat had been stolen at nine am that morning.

High tide now.  The boat ramp has disappeared for the most part.

The white boat is part of the a crime scene.

He was wearing blue booties and gloves for his inspection of the crime scene.

Straight ahead we could sail right out into the Pacific Ocean.  We chose not to.

The Panamanian flag is a  must--for gringos apparently--along with flares, life vests, and two oars (none of this was seen on any other boat).

The crew

Ray on the lookout.

Small house among the palm trees

After the boat ride, we will all ready to stop by Villa del Mar for "Jugo Naturales".  And this is what we saw at the restaurant.  We also made plans to take a waterfall tour the next day.  Rain had us canceling the tour though.

This is the restauarant and hotel (AC in the rooms).  And the road we traveled on to and from TC and Emmet's house.

Lots to see.

Grab a board.

Nightly music in the outdoor living room.

A Barbie house, cats, planters, and some laundry.

The stocked bar.

Laundry drying all around us.

Passionfruit and pineapple juices $2

Back to the hotel for a quick clean up (our feet were in mud all day), TC had made arrangements for us to have dinner at a restaurant in Cambutal (few minutes from the hotel on the same road).  While driving home, we found the owner and her family out walking their dog.  They asked for us to come by thirty minutes later.  When we showed up, they turned on the lights, and offered us shrimp, fish, pork or chicken.  They also offered us alcoholic beverages.  I had just enjoyed a Tequila Sunrise at the hotel, so I was trying to keep with the juice theme.  TC said that they surely had juices and other alcohols besides beer in the kitchen, and she suggested we take a look.  Off she and I went into the kitchen (did I say that she and Emmet are friends with everyone).  We found Seco and pineapple juice.  Perfect.  While waiting for our dinner (at a very relaxed pace), the owner brought over a delicacy plate of smoked turtle eggs.  Sea turtles are endangered.  Apparently not to the Panamanians, since 20,000 of them are laying 10,000 turtle eggs nightly.  The owner's mom brings them to him daily.  We all politely tried one, and while we never would have ordered this off a menu, we felt familial with him in that he was sharing this with us. Once the peel was unwrapped, the egg was soft and crumbly.  It was also very salty and fell apart in my fingers.  Under the large bohio, we ate and drank and chatted with the owners.  A younger crowd showed up for a little Balboa as well.  And it was then the end of another "who knew what we would see and do" kind of day!

Our group in front of the kitchen

Large beer to wash down the turtle eggs (these are the finished product of wrappers).

The following day we had a big deep sea fishing adventure.  We were to be up and ready by eight am!  Little did we know how the next day was going to go, but we were ready for anything...well, just about anything.