Our Last Supper

Monday, April 24, 2017, 4:45 a.m.
Panama City, Tocuman International Airport

My alarm was set for 3:55 a.m. but as is usual when I travel, I woke up well before then. I was out of bed around 3, killed some time before heading down to the lobby at 4:00, 15 minutes early. My driver was already waiting for me. Alriiiight!!!
We were at the airport by 4:30. After giving the driver a $10 tip on a $30 fare (he almost fainted), I went inside, checked my bag, breezed through security (full water bottle and all), and headed for the Copa Club, where I am now sitting outside the door, waiting for its 5:30 opening. There's a young traveler across from me, lying on the tile floor, head propped up by his sleeping mat, snoring like a grizzly, clutching his backpack as if it's full of uncut diamonds. It's probably just his dirty laundry.
I have a 7:15 flight to Miami where I will have a couple hour layover before flying on to Boston. It's been a great trip but I'm looking forward to getting back. There's no place like home.
We arrived in Panama City early Saturday night. We were dropped off at our modest (I'm being nice) hotel, took a quick shower and headed out for dinner. We walked along the Malecon to a loud, outdoor, fenced in seafood restaurant a couple of miles away. The Malecon, just like the one in Havana, Cuba, is a wide walkway along the waterfront near the city center. There is a stone wall where friends and lovers hang out. On Saturday nights, it is mostly families; strolling, sitting, eating and hanging out. There were vendors selling food, chiclets, flowers, lighted gadgets, souvenirs and almost anything else you can think of. It was well after dusk and the modern skyscrapers illuminated the sky, their colorful reflections glistening in the Gulf of Panama.


I could have hung out there all night but the others were famished, walking at a brisk pace to get to dinner.
I was a bit put off by Fredder's restaurant choice. I told him that I didn't eat seafood, but he lost sight of that in his excitement to have some himself.
There is a back story to Fredder and his restaurant selections. Early in the trip he made a big deal of the fact that he stood his ground against Intrepid Travel, saying that he wouldn't work unless his compensation included three paid meals per day.
Despite Fredder's paid meals, throughout the trip, he has selected restaurants, many of them quite drab, on the basis of whether his meal would be comped for bringing in the group. I'm fine with him making an extra buck, especially when he makes just $40 per day. However, I'd rather he research the restaurant options better or allow us in on the decision-making.
At the seaside restaurant, while the others ordered large plates of king shrimp, red snapper and seafood platters, I nursed a couple of Balboa beers and a Diet Coke. It didn't have to be like that. We could have easily found a restaurant with a wider menu.
Moreover, I wonder whether Fredder has been pocketing a portion of the snack budget. Other bike touring companies are extreme in their snack offerings with their vans frequently setting up tables of fruit, crackers, cheeses, candy, juices and lots of other stuff. On this trip, we usually have a snack stop once, for a piece or two of fruit. Sometimes its bananas. Other times it's watermelon, papaya or pineapple. Yesterday, because he didn't go to the grocery store beforehand, Fredder stopped our van so he could run in and buy us each a granola bar.
I would expect, in these hot and humid conditions they would provide lots more sustenance along the way. I'm told that other Intrepid tours do. Why not this one?
Yesterday, Sunday, we had another early start. We were picked up by the van and transited 30 minutes to the Soberania National Park, a huge wildlife reserve south of the city. We were planning on taking a leisurely 20 mile bike ride through the park but as bad luck would have it, it was closed. It was Earth Day, they were having their annual celebration and weren't allowing cyclists in.
Instead, we ventured up a two lane road for about 45 minutes to the Rainforest Discovery Center. It was a nice ride albeit with some occasional, manageable car traffic.
We turned on to a short, two kilometer rocky, dirt road and made our way up to the registration area where we dismounted. Fredder spent some time adjusting Bill's gears. He then hopped on the bike and took off down the road. We thought he was testing the gears but in fact he was retracing the route to the tarmac road where the van was parked. He wanted his trusted telescope and tripod for our bird exploration. 10-15 minutes later he was back, sweating profusely from his round trip sprint to the van.
Upon his re-arrival, Margaret declared that she wanted her iPhone camera, which also, was back in the van. It was an odd declaration, one of unabashed entitlement. Not for a nanosecond did she consider how Fredder would feel about making another round trip to the van or about us, who would have to wait again, in the stifling humidity.
As you can imagine, her demand didn't go over very well. Fredder politely resisted. Margaret had a bit of a tantrum about it. Her husband, John, had his compact Canon camera with him for her to share. For Margaret, that wouldn't suffice. She wanted her own three year old iPhone and she wouldn't back down.
As we've seen before on this trip, John's mild protest to Margaret's behavior was met with a harsh counter-blast. Ouch. As someone else on the trip said, "That man has qualified for sainthood ten times over".
We all remained quiet to the drama. Good ol Fredder, hopped back on his steed for another trip to the van. When I quietly whispered to John, "Why can't she use your camera?", he simply replied; "Don't ask." It was the only time I ask him about her. I would loved to have learned more. OMG.
After Fredder returned the second time, he caught his breath, bought a Coke and then set off to the trail. We followed for what ended up being an hour avian tour.
Fredder's bird knowledge far exceeds that of anyone I've ever met. It's his passion and he lights up when he talks about the various species and their unique habits. Birding, if that's what you call it, is not my thing. However, I am happy to go along, appreciate the color and sounds and watch Fredder bask in his jungle glory.
I must say, Fredder has this incredible knack for being able to see small birds and animals, unmoving, through dense brush, at great distances. It's uncanny. When he sees one, he whips out the scope, sets it up and focuses it, so that we can enjoy parts of the Central American animal life that we otherwise would never see.
Before we were done, we saw a variety of hummingbirds,


toucans and blue crown mot mots. 😊 We also saw a few anteaters, monkeys, sloths and butterflys. The best part of the tour was climbing the tower that rises above the tree canopy. The view of the surrounding area was spectacular.


When back on our bikes, we retraced our route back to the national park where we got on the van and departed for the Panama Canal.
The Canal was out of this world, just like you would imagine. Three huge locks and 48 miles connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.


This engineering marvel saves ships 6,000 miles of extra travel, significant expense and probably countless annual lives, avoiding the dangerous straights around Cape Horn below South America.
We stayed at the Canal for a few hours, had lunch, toured the museum and waited for large ships to go through the locks. Simply amazing.
Last night we had our "Last Supper". Most of us ate steak, prepared in different styles. The beer flowed, once again. David presented our group tip, with some generous remarks. Fredder responded in kind, acknowledging each of us with a personal antidote. Both acknowledged that mistakes were made along the trip. Appropriately, the mistakes were described as learning opportunities, a nice way to position them.
Another great adventure is now in the books with new friends, rich memories and an sprouting excitement for my next adventure, wherever that might be.
Thanks loyal readers for following along and for your notes along the way.
Adios amigos.
-Jorge


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Location:Panama City, Panama

Bambuda Castle for dinner

April 22, 2017, 2 p.m.
Somewhere on the Road to Panama City


Another couple of nights in paradise. Yesterday we did no cycling. Instead, all of us, except Fredder, paid the $65 to join a bunch of mostly young international travelers on a white water rafting trip about a 75 mile drive from Boquete, just near the Costa Rica border.
It was a fun adventure but the river wasn't as challenging as we'd hoped, mostly class 2 and 3 rapids, with just a few exhilarating, people ejecting swirls.
We were surrounded by exquisite beauty and paddled beneath overhanging branches inhabited with monkeys, exotic birds, colorful butterflies and more.


We paddled for two to three hours down the sparkling, twisting waters. Halfway, we stopped on the river bank for a picnic feast of fruit, chips and sandwiches. The food was good and the meal provided time to chat with others, many of whom, like the other young people I've described, are out exploring the world. One British couple was five months into their six month honeymoon. Last night they were leaving for Corn Island (many young travelers have that on their itinerary) for a few weeks before finishing up in Cuba. Oh to be young again.
David and I shared one of the smaller rafts with a boat leader and Tom, a 35 year old Catholic priest from Bristol, England. When I mentioned to Tom that I was from Boston, I could see a flicker of a recognition in his face. It was unsaid but he surely understood that Boston was the center of last decade's Catholic Church scandal. It wasn't until later that David, an Irish Catholic himself, and I gently broached the subject with him. It was a brief conversation, mostly about the new church procedures aimed at curbing future child abuse.
We were back at the Marita by 4:30. After quick showers, all of us, except for Margaret again, met down on the balcony of David and Bill's cabin for beers and snacks. The time flew by until 7 p.m. when we went to the castle next door for dinner. The castle is actually a hostel, maybe the nicest one I've ever been in. It's new, spacious and clean and has a variety of private and dormitory rooms. It has a bar, a dining area, an indoor pool, a jacuzzi, a spectacular view, and more. If any of you plan to be in Boquete, I highly recommend it; the Bambuda Castle.
For dinner we were seated at the single large table on the balcony.


There was a nice cool mountain breeze. The six of us (Margaret remained in her cottage for the second straight night) had a lovely dinner delivered from an Italian restaurant in town. I continued to be the food contrarian. I had the vegetarian pasta. The others had the beef pizza. It was two-for-one ice beer night so we consumed quite a few of them.
Throughout the evening we were joined by various people including Dan, the owner from Calgary, Helga, the bartender/manger from Iceland and Ana, a volunteer employee from France. Ana had gone on the rafting trip with us and recommended we go to the hostel to eat. I'm really glad we did.
The men in our group mildly flirted with the Helga and Ana. It was hard not to. Helga, a beautiful 25 year old, spoke impeccable English, bantered with us about which rum drinks were most manly, drank a shot with us, and shared her story about how she came to work in this remote corner of the world. Ironically, Helga also knows Greta, one of Northeastern's former Icelandic soccer players who I know well. I connected with Greta on Facebook to share the coincidence. Small world.
Ana is a bookkeeper, restaurant server, yoga teacher and masseuse at the hostel. She was attentive to our group, pleasantly offering advice, inquiring about our cycling adventure, inviting us to her 6:50 a.m. yoga class (we couldn't attend because we needed to depart at 7:30) and participating in our many splintered conversations. We finished the night with a couple of rum drinks, something that I severely regretted this morning. It was another great evening.
We began today with a quick breakfast followed by a ten mile van ride. From there we hopped on our bikes, turned on a side road and immediately started pedaling uphill towards Baru volcano. The incline wasn't horribly steep but it kept going and going and going. The incline was ten miles long, without respite.
I pushed myself hard on the uphill to clear the cobwebs from the beer and rum. It worked. After an hour I was soaked in sweat but no longer felt foggy. I chugged lots of water, chowed down a few bananas and kept on pedaling, hard. Once I even turned around and rode back a mile just to punish myself further.
In total we road 30 mile, ascending 2,400 feet. For a ride that Fredder had billed as flat, 2,400 feet was a lot, or so it seemed in the hot, soupy humidity.
After dismounting, the bikes were loaded into a pickup truck and taken back to Boquete. We boarded the van for a six and a half hour ride to Panama City where we will get our fourth set of bikes tomorrow.
We stopped in the town of David for lunch. As usual, most of the group had a full plate of rice, beans, plantains, chicken or beef and an assortment of other stuff.
I opted for a yogurt (I broke up a health bar and mixed it in), a Fresca and a coffee negro (I wonder when I get home whether I'll stay with black coffee or switch back to coffee with milk). I also pulled a jar of peanut butter and a small box of crackers from my backpack. The yogurt and peanut butter was just what I wanted but everyone gave me crap about it. My food and internet habits have been a frequent topic of conversation since the beginning. Usually I take the ribbing in good fun, but not always. What I eat and how much use my iPhone can be a sensitive subject for me.
We are slated to arrive in Panama City at 6:30 p.m.


I imagine we will have a fun night on the town.
Tomorrow we will circle the city on bikes and finish up at the Panama Canal. The canal has always been on my bucket list. I can't wait to finally see it, one of the great man made wonders of the world.
Until tomorrow.
Jorge


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Location:Boquete, Panama

Day 13, Boquete

Boquete, Panama
Friday, April 21, 2017

It's Day 13. We are in Boquete, a well know travelers stop in the Panamanian mountains.
We are staying at the Villa Marita for two nights. Today is the second of our two "off" days. It's early morning. I'm on the dock of the main lodge,


watching the sunrise illuminate the volcano before me. A sight to behold. I'm enjoying another jungle concert of various wildlife; multiple species of birds, crickets, monkeys and more. I'm sipping my strong Panama coffee, black. It's the only way to drink it here. A rooster is crowing, a dog barking in the distance. I am as contented as I could possibly be. My favorite time of day, in this serene setting, overwhelmed by God's finest. I couldn't be more appreciative. A special thank you to Margot for her supportiveness in allowing me these long adventures without her.
Yesterday ride was a tough one; 23 miles in the heat up and down long steep low trafficked roads. I paced it well, going much slower than usual. Despite the conditions, I could have kept going for quite awhile. The quarts of water, bananas and pineapple helped a lot.


We were slated to go around 35 miles but Fredder cut it short. A couple of the others were struggling. A smart decision on his part.
We began riding around noon after a morning ferry and a three hour van ride on steep, tight winding roads. Thankfully, David had motion sickness pills (he's thought of everything). I get motion sickness quite easily. The pills really helped. Thank you David.
We arrived at the Villa Marita around 4:30 after stopping for lunch in Boquete town center. Rather than another big greasy meal, I went to the supermarket where I bought a yogurt, a health bar (if you can call it that) and a jar of peanut butter and crackers.
It was pouring rain so we didn't walk around much. I'm so happy that Intrepid Travel arranged for our accommodations to be outside the noisy center. The town was interesting but not a place to spend a lot of time.
The Marita only serves breakfast. Last night, all of us, except Margaret, hung out on the lobby balcony. We ordered out for pizza and drank the case of beer that Bill had bought in Boquete. It was a fun night of storytelling and laughs.
Though unspoken, not having to tiptoe around Margaret was evident to all.
I have a two room cottage to myself. The shower has hot water, a rarity on this trip. The view outside my sliding glass doors is incredible. Being in the mountains, it was cool at night. I left the windows open and listen to the wildlife. It was my best night sleep yet.
Today's off day was intended for everyone to do whatever they wanted, alone or in subgroups. Like our off day in Bocas Del Toro, we opted to do something together. At 9 a.m. we are being picked up for an all-day white water rafting trip. Should be fun. Bye for now.


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Location:Boquete, Panama

No biking today

Bocas Del Toro
Wednesday, April 1, 2016

Today was our first day without biking. Instead, we chartered a boat and went snorkeling. We began by visiting a dolphin habitat. It was fun to cruise the area with them circling around us.


Next we cozied up to the mangroves where lots of big, fat colorful starfish dotted the sea floor six feet below us. I'd never seen them that big before; a far cry from the dried up dead ones on the beaches of the outer Cape.
By mid-morning we were diving off the boat in the first of two coral reefs. The fish weren't as colorful or plentiful as I expected. Nonetheless, if you dived deep, you could see plenty of sea creatures living amongst the shelves. The water was bathtub warm and it was a gorgeous day. It was a nice change of pace.
We docked at a small island restaurant for lunch. From there we went to Bastimentos Island for a swim and quiet at Red Frog Beach. A beautiful beach that cost us $5 apiece.
Unfortunately, I had heard of the island before for all of the wrong reasons. In February, the 23 year old daughter of a childhood family friend was attacked and murdered on the trail to the adjacent beach.


It was a difficult place to visit. I couldn't stop thinking about the terror and pain she must have experienced during the attract. I'm told that she was an accomplished, adventurous, spirited soul with a zest for life. The world lost a beautiful soul that day. My deepest condolences to her loved ones.
We got back to our hotel around 4 where we had some down time before dinner. The dinner might have been my favorite yet. The restaurant was a run down


shack of a place but its pork burger with avocado, coconut, ginger and an assortment of other goodies was to die for.
We ended the night at a nearby bar where a couple from Minneapolis, maybe in their early forties, joined us. I sat next to the woman who had had way too many beers. At one point she referred to the story of the American woman being murdered on Bastimentos. Her hypothesis was that the story was fiction, created by the locals to keep tourists way. When I assured her that it was real and how I knew so, she turned ten shades of red. She profusely apologized. Within seconds however, I swear she forgot the conversation ever happened. She was quickly rattling on about hockey in Minnesota, wanting to buy a place in Panama and a bunch of other random stuff.
Tomorrow we head to Boquete. It's supposed to be amazing. Google it.
Getting there will involve a really tough 50K ride ending with a 1,700 meter ascent over 7K. Yikes.
Until then.




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Location:Bocas Del Toro,Panama

A day of snorkeling

Wednesday, April 19, 2017, 7 a.m.
Pocas Del Toro, Panama

Here is where we are for the next two days (see map); Pocas Del Toro, Panama,


an island about a 45 minute boat ride off the coast. It's another funky destination spot with beautiful beaches, restaurants, live music and lots of people, travelers and locals, wandering around. It's in places like these that you see 20 something backpackers from Europe and Australia. They tend to be out on the road for many months at a time, sometimes years, staying at hostels, meeting up with each other, exploring the world. A nomad existence that looks fun at times, aimless at others. I could see doing it for a few months but would probably wear out after that.
Today is a non-riding day for us. Everyone is free to do what they want but we are sticking together. We have hired a boat to take us snorkeling. We'll be going to a couple of different reefs and stopping at a couple of other islands. It's stifling hot so it will be good to be out on the water. Of course we'll need to be relentless in our sum protection. I'll need to buy another hat. Somehow I lost mine, along with a few other things along the way.
We arrived last night after a night in the seaside town of Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo had the same "vibe" as this place, artsie, a bit touristy, full of young travelers with a population of poor natives trying to get by anyway they can.
During our sweltering 35 mile, challenging, mostly up hill ride yesterday, we stopped at a local cocoa farm where we were able to take turns making chocolate. Chocolate making is a more intensive process than I had anticipated; roasting,


shucking, grinding, and more. The end product, without sugar, was still pretty good. We sliced open bananas length-wise, wiped the chocolate on the flat sides, put them back together and


enjoyed the banana/chocolate treat. While there we also got a nature tour, seeing poisonous red frogs and shooting a homemade bow and arrow. They tried to sell us pottery but the stuff was too fragile and honestly, was pretty unimpressive.
We then continued to the Panama border where we said goodbye to our driver, dropped the bikes, paid Costa Rican exit fees, filled out departure forms, walked across a long bridge into Panama (it felt like we were crossing a DMZ), waited in long line to get through Panama customs, filled out more forms, walked across the road to pay an entrance fee, and then found our new driver and bus. What an operation!
Monday's riding was nearly 40 miles, but it was nearly all tarmac, a nice reprieve from the rocky, dusty dirt roads of the previous week.
Upon our arrival, David and I walked two blocks to the beach for a sunset dip in the Caribbean. Beyond gorgeous!
Lunches along the way have been sketchy.


We tend to stop at places that have glass sneeze protectors above pans of chicken, pork, beef, fish, beans and rice. The stuff usually looks like it has sat there for days, grease coagulating around the sides, flies buzzing about. I usually refrain and opt instead for some crackers, or the like. Others are more adventurous with their eating. No one has gotten sick yet. Thankfully.
I'm off to snorkel. Have a good day everyone.


.


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Location:Bocas Del Toro, Panama

A Massage and a Facial

Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017, 11 p.m.
La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Pretty much an easy recovery day today. It started with another breakfast with Sandra and her two daughters. This time, Maripessa, the three year old, hopped on a stool next to me,


nibbling on her fruit. She begged her mom, Sandra, for coffee and after some half-hearted resistance, Sandra caved and gave it to her. Coffee is a staple in Costa Rica but three might be a tad young for it. At least that is what my American sensibility tells me.
After a long set of thank you's and farewells, we left to pick up the others. Once again we were late. I felt bad about it but there was little I could do.
After an hour bus ride we were dropped off at a roadside cafe where we got the bikes off the top of the bus.


It was still raining and knowing that we had only 20K of tarmac riding, we decided to sit with a cup of coffee and wait it out. A smart move. The rain stopped shorty thereafter. The sun came out. The humidity skyrocketed. We road for about two hours and after some extremely steep climbs, we pulled into La Fortuna.
Along the way I saw my first sloth.


Odd looking creature that barely moves.
An unimpressive beast.
We waited for check in time at our hotel by having a big lunch down the road. It was about 1:30 when we arrived at the hotel. A quick shower and then we met in the lobby to determine next steps. Chrystal, Margaret and John opted to go zip lining and the hot baths. Dave and Bill picked up a six pack of beer and headed for their room. I went for the supreme massage package next door which included a 75 minute massage and a facial ( my first facial ever). Though the facial was nothing special, the massage was terrific, well worth the $35. I returned to my room where I intended to read and nap. However, I heard Bill and Dave out on their balcony so I decided to join them for a couple of beers instead. There is plenty of time to sleep when I retire.
We met the others at 7 p.m. for dinner and headed out to a restaurant for a decent meal, a mango rum drink and a weird but tasty pistachio, coconut cream cake.
Dave, Bill, Crystal and I went out for a couple of beers afterwards at a "craft beer" place. We were a bit gossipy and I felt bad about it. However, I think some venting was necessary. We were back to the hotel by 10:45 and I was in bed a few minutes later.
There is a large group of high school kids from Milbury, MA at our hotel. They are a little noisy but as these things go, not too bad. Luckily the white noise app on my iPhone blocks out almost anything.
Were off for the Caribbean coast tomorrow. It's supposed to be gorgeous. I can't wait.
- George



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Location:Calle 468,Fortuna,Costa Rica

Happy Easter, Everyone

Sunday, April 16th, 5:45 a.m.
Juanilama, Costa Rica

Happy Easter, everyone.
As I said in my toast to the locals after the dance last night, I miss being with my family on Easter. However, if I can't be with them, there is no place I'd rather be than spending it here in this beautiful country with these wonderful people. These folks have been incredibly welcoming. We've eaten together, washed dishes together, prayed together and danced together. Four nice ways to interact, don't you think?
I'm lying in bed with the window open listening to the pouring rain. It rained hard overnight and the forecast has more in store for the next few days, at least here in Costa Rica. I'm not sure what the conditions will be in Panama.
Last night was the second I spent at the home of Sandra and her family. It's just Freddie, Antonio and me here. Antonio is sleeping and eating on the bus. He prefers it that way. The others are staying with a family down the road. How lucky am I. I'm in this nice house and getting to talk with Sandra, via Freddy, enjoying her children, and having a bedroom to myself.
Oddly, Sandra's husband disappears whenever we arrive home. He wasn't at the dinner-dance on Friday night, he wasn't at breakfast yesterday and he stayed home when we went to the Saturday evening Easter Mass, the community dinner and the night time party. It seems strange but is not for me to judge. The husband at the other house has been the same way.
We had a leisurely breakfast yesterday, just Freddie, Sandra and me. She served fresh mango juice, eggs, bananas, plantains and fresh, hand-dripped Costa Rican coffee. Delicious. We had such a nice meal together that Freddy, Antonio and I were 30 minutes late in picking up the others.
Mid-morning we took an hour bus ride to the Cano Negro Wildlife Reserve. The Reserve is home to monkeys, sloths, birds, caiman, alligators, crocodiles, "Jesus Christ" lizards (famous for their ability to run on water for extended periods of time before sinking.) We took a 90 minute tour and saw all of those things and more.
It was amazing. Bird watching is Fredder's passion. He pointed out dozens of species along the way and not once did he refer to his book. He knew them all by name.



There were dozens of caiman and many alligators and crocks. Our little boat pulled along side many of them. We were way too close for my comfort, a mere few feet at times.
Afterwards, we had a nice lunch at the local restaurant. From there we biked a short 20 kilometers back to the main road.



Given the short distance, John and I aired it out. He is an animal. I biked as hard as I could, staying with him for five miles. Then he kicked it into a another level. I couldn't respond. He finished well ahead of me. Hopefully I'll get another shot at him this week. The road was extremely rocky. I think my brain is still rattling around in my skull.
When we returned, I took a shower and then Sandra laid out some coffee, pancakes and sour cream for a late afternoon snack. She's an angel. She also did my laundry (for a tiny fee). That was an act of true altruism. Not even I would have touched that putrid stuff.
An extra bonus; I've never seen underwear folded so nicely.
The 90 minute Easter Mass was simple but lovely. I didn't understand a word of it but that didn't matter. It was heartfelt. I felt connected spiritually, thinking mostly of my family, Molly's impending wedding and how lucky I am to lead the life I do.
The church is a single room structure with a corrugated tin roof, half height iron rod walls with crosses painted white, and a cement floor. There were 16 pews, mostly filled with restless children.
The kid's art donned the walls. A solo guitarist played Central American folk music and a camp fire crackled just outside the door. Very peaceful. Juanilama is a tight knit community and the church plays a big part in it. None of the others in the bike group went to the service. It's too bad. They missed something special.
The service was followed by another communal dinner and then two more hours of dancing. John, David and I danced most of the night with our ad hock dance instructor and with local women who's husbands, like the others, were elsewhere.



We learned some more salsa steps, the moranga and a couple of other dances. Our shirts were sopping by the end of the night. It was a blast. I wish we could gave persuaded Bill and Crystal to join. Margaret stayed in her room all night. Something was clearly bothering her on the bus ride back from the Wildlife Reserve. I hope she can resolve it and let it go. This place is too special to spend time stewing.
I have lots of packing to do before breakfast so adios for now.
It will be sad to bid farewell to our wonderful hosts but it's time to move on.
Happy Easter everyone!



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Location:Juanilama, Costa Rica