Nessy, go home!

Day 18, Tuesday, July 24^th

Another day, another dolla... spent. Well, it is Tuesday morning here in sunny ole Panama, but it could be the weekend for all we know. Beth and I are taking the “take it easy” policy of Panama very seriously. Today we have a tour at 9:30, so we do have to wake up a bit earlier than yesterday. Beth’s stomach is still bothering her, so I break my fast on some maní y jalea con galletas. Then it’s off to the boat docks!

Our little tour group consists of two older couples, a young couple from Spain, a young Mexican man, and a woman a few years older than us from Chicago. The older couples are quite the interesting pair: the men are from Georgia, while one of the women is from Panama, the other from Colombia. They seem to have discovered Panama on their own, but love it here. The older couple of the two actually owns the restaurant where Beth and I have eaten twice. How crazy is that?

Our first stop on this adventure is dolphin watching. Our boat idles out of the way while a boat that came before us motors around in circles. Every once in a while, the dolphins will just jump right behind the boats. When our boat goes around though, I don’t see any jumping for us. The experience is not as amazing as Heather had said, but it is nice. I like dolphins. Though a couple do jump pretty close to the boat, I am only able to get one very fuzzy shot. You can only see the top of their fins, giving the appearance of a Loch Ness kind of photo. Fun stuff.

Next we head to the dock where we will have lunch so we can place our orders. Here Beth and I get to talking with the girl from Chicago. She’s pretty interesting. She is a teacher and traveling on her own, which right there makes her amazing in my book. After this week Beth and I have admitted that while traveling is lovely, we may not have what it takes to go at it alone.

Then we are off again, this time to Zapatilla Cay where we are going to do some down and wet snorkeling. I have only been snorkeling once, and that was in a stingray enclosure in Jamaica, so this is a completely different experience. I am immediately overwhelmed by the extreme variety of fish. I see so many types – big fish, small fish, ugly fish, pretty fish. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish! After observing for awhile, I find myself noting the different mechanisms the fish use to survive. There is camouflage: I see a small group of fish the same color of the coral that are in an almost vertical line. I can not tell they are fish until I am right over them. I see many fish that blend right into the coral – stripes and strange fin shapes allow them to float without being seen. And then there are those who throw caution to the wind. Sweeping down over the coral I see two very small but very sparkly blue fish. It reminds me of the book Rainbow Fish. There are schools and tiny little minnows, all the way up to a huge fish I see move far below the coral that must be the length of my arms. That causes me pause.

Despite all the wonderful fish, snorkeling is not so easy... or maybe I am just good at getting water in my nosepiece. I blow out and do all the stuff I am supposed to, but after the twelfth or so time that my nostrils fill with sea water, I decide to take a break. I go out a couple more times, but soon it is time to move on.

Now we go to the beach. This was Beth’s first time to snorkel, so we discuss. I think we both really enjoyed it. Yay cool fishies! The Chicago girl tells us that she saw a bottom feeder shark up in front of the boat. Beth and I did not see that.

After an hour long walk around the island (a decision I immediately regret because my shoulders are already so burned, and the sun is hot today), we spend the next hour in the water. We talk with Chicago girl and float in the crystal water, simply soaking up the beauty of the day. It is so lovely here.

We go back to the dock for lunch, where I have ordered red snapper. I receive two whole fish, cooked to delicacy, heads intact. It’s pretty fun. The fish is delicious, as are the rice and plantains. Oh how I love plantains. After lunch, the driver offers to take some people out snorkeling again, but I know I’ve had my fill of the sun. So I sit it out and talk with Beth and take pictures for the next hour until he returns to pick us up. Then we are on our way back to shore.

It is about 4:30ish now, and we’re pretty hungry. Okay, I’m hungry; Beth’s stomach is still messing with her. So we go to the grocery store and pick up some bread and Té Frío before I leave Beth to go look for souvenirs. I find myself really missing Hannah’s positive attitude and inquisitive nature as I walk through the stalls searching for gold. She would have been a welcome addition on the boat, where she might have shared my excitement about what we saw. It’s hard to get a lot of excitement from Beth. And she would listen to me and laugh at my stupid jokes. Maybe Beth and I have just been friends a long time, but it still starts to hurt when she never laughs at my puns. No, I’m just stupid.

For example, when I am looking for souvenirs, I run into this older man who introduces himself as Sergio. We talk for a bit, and he seems elated that I know Spanish. This is not surprising; most of the vendors will speak English to you, but they are glad if we can speak Spanish. So I glance at his merchandise as we talk, but I don’t see anything I want. I am looking for a polite way to leave, but that is always impossible. Finally, as it seems I will escape, he captures my hand and tries to kiss me goodbye. I turn my head and can’t quite stop him from kissing my ear. I can barely restrain myself from running back to the Hospidaje. Way to go me; the most action I get is from an old man. When I tell Beth, she just smiles and says “Yeah, that’s creepy.” I’m pretty sure Hannah would have laughed me back to the States.

Back at the room I shower and settle in for some dinner of PB&J and Ritz cheese crackers. I read and eat until it is imperative that I repack my bag. We have to get up early tomorrow to catch the boat back to Changinola. Another border crossing. Yay. Okay then, I’ll pull my tired self to bed. Night!