The Pacific Side

THE FAR SIDE..............A/K/A THE PACIFIC

Always an enjoyable treat is having dolphins swim along the side of the boat.  On our way to the Las Perlas Islands, southeast of Panama City, we were surrounded by at least 100 dolphins.  No joke, 100!!!  AND, for at least 45 minutes!  Everywhere you looked, they were jumping , frolicking and just having a damn good time!

 The sail was easy and only several hours.  Our destination was Isla Contadora, the main and most northern island.  Even though it's the dry season, there was still a lot of healthy vegetation.  Looks like a pineapple tree, right?

 After anchoring, we realized our friends Pepe and Big Bear from BeezNeez were also anchored there.  Now what's that about?  They were supposed to be in the Galapagas!  Well, it's that "plan" thing.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't!  I hailed them on the VHF, and Pepe said she would swim right over......and she did!  We spent a few days with them and we did the proper amount of giggling!!  It was great to see them.  The day we left, they did also - finally on their way to the Galapagas islands, a 7-10 day sail - determined by Mother Nature.   Love you two.

 Because the Perlas islands are only 30 miles off shore, the islands are obviously the "weekend" destination for the rich Panamanians.  There were MANY awesome homes there, hanging to sides of this hilly island.  Think these folks have a nice view?

Our anchorage beyond the breaking waves.

 Our next port of call was the LeCoiba National Park for  few days and Easter Sunday.  The onto the Las Secas.  We were the only boat there.

 Beautiful water.

A full 24 hour sail then took us to Golfito, where you check in to Costa Rica.  Cute little marinas and a nice village - though somewhat busy.  The first thing I noticed was the cleanliness, and the bright colors used to paint the homes and buildings.  The Costa Ricans, known as Ticas, are very friendly and helpful.

 Bright paint for their boats too!  Modern and traditional here.

 Checking into this country was quite the ordeal, to say the least.  First Immigration, then Customs, and of course to the Capitano de Puerto.  Bring your passports, boat registration, crew list, and your zarape.  What's a zarape, your ask?  It is the document issued by the country you just left, indicating you properly checked in and checked out.  Which in most countries means you paid all the fees.  This process isn't any different from other countries, except in Golfito you are running all over town.  You'd think they could all be closer together, but no............so cab a ride here then a cab ride there!

 Paddy sipping iced tea from a baggie while we waited an hour at Customs. ( An hour wait because their computers were down, so they had to send the clerk to another location with a working computer!)  You bite the tip off one corner and start sucking.  Once you start, you have to finish it because you obviously can't put it down without losing the contents..............kind of like those paper water cones with the pointed bottoms.  Now that's a balancing act.

After leaving Golfito, our next stop was Drakes Bay, with Isla del Cano about 12 miles offshore.  History is that Sir Francis Drake came to the area and then buried his treasures on an island off the coast - and that's Isla del Cano, a/k/a Cane Island.  Over the years, treasure hunters have ruined the island with their diggings, so a group of ecologists talked the government into taking it over to preserve the pristine waters and healthy surroundings.  We went for a 2-tank dive with James and Enrique our dive master.  The water was very murky making the visibility @ 8-10 feet most of the time.  It was eerie.  But we could see enough to know we were swimming with sting rays @ 4 to 5 feet in width.

 The guys set the table on the boat for lunch.....note the lovely tablecloth. 

 Oh yeah, we could see well enough to see this @ 20 foot whale shark.  Talk about BIG!