Spring Break 2007 - revisited, originally posted on Blogspot

We just had a family of four leave after a stay with us of ten days. I have been communicating with this family, mainly the dad, for almost a year now as they planned their Spring Break 2007. This vacation was different than they normally take and so they asked a lot of questions in advance to make sure they were getting exactly what they wanted in their vacation.

We helped them find a hotel in Panama City and also arranged for a guide to take them around the city. This makes the transition into the vacation so much easier as it is one less thing for one to have to deal with.

Once they arrived in Bocas del Toro Panama – in the rain – we got them fed the first of many meals and took them to their cabana. They got comfortable and the sun came out. They walked around the grounds to get a feel for everything, spent some time down at the dock and then came back up for lunch. After a round of questions and a great pizza, they were pretty sure they had made the right decision for their vacation. The adventure was about to begin.

Over the next ten days, they took numerous trips to the beach. They went fishing. They found dolphins. They made friends and most importantly they made memories. I am certain that the memories of this trip will last a long long time.

Water

Water. I have been thinking about it quite a bit for the past month or so. You see we are experiencing an unusual draught these days. We haven’t had much rain for some time now. The town closest to us actually ran out of water for about three days. Not having water is scary stuff. But it is the kind of thing that you really do not stop and think about most of the time in a developed nation. Water is just there. You can turn on the tap and out comes the water.

The only time I remember being concerned in the least bit about water and access to it was when Houston was hit by a hurricane. I remember filling the bathtub with water so that we could be assured we would have water in the event the municipal utilities were harmed in any manner. We didn’t have power for several days following that hurricane but I do not remember actually losing access to water.

Life on Isla Bastimentos requires that we constantly monitor our water consumption. We have to make sure that we will have water to support our guests. Each of our cabanas is self sufficient with regard to the water supply our guests actually use. We never run into issues with consumption at the cabanas. And if we did, we can divert water from the main supply to a cabana. Instead we monitor our usage in the main building and in all of the support buildings. We have all learned to wash our hands and brush our teeth with a limited use of water.

I have learned to ration my use of water. I still have a long way to go. Water is very important to us all and yet we use and abuse it day in and day out. Where would we be without water? Exactly not a question one wants to answer.

Dining options

When you eat dinner on your vacation do you want to eat by yourself with just your party or do you want to dine with other people staying at the same lodge? We can set it up either way. If you are on a family adventure vacation, you may want to share stories of your adventures with others at dinner each night. Or you might want to share a meal with just your family.

We can arrange it either way. We frequently sit at communal tables and invite our guests to decide where they want to sit. The resulting conversation is interesting. To hear about an adventure from a variety of viewpoints broadens the experience. One person may notice fine details that others didn’t expressly remember but once they details are brought to the forefront then they become a part of the experience for the whole group. A different person may have noticed an unusual landmark and point it out to the group. The photographs that each person takes during the excursion also provide input into the discussion.

Then there are those who are celebrating their family time. They may enjoy the group dynamic during the cocktail hour and then prefer a private table for dinner itself.

We try to read our guests so that we can give them what they want. After all it is your vacation – make it what you want it to be.

Popcorn on the porch

Simple pleasures. Today, on my porch here in Bocas del Toro Panama, I shared an afternoon treat with a very special young man. He educated me on the finer points of popcorn. He went on about which animals could and couldn’t eat the different parts of the popcorn.

You see when popcorn is fully popped just about anyone with teeth can eat it. It doesn’t require extremely strong teeth at that point – just that one has them. Thus an infant who does not have teeth cannot eat popcorn. Birds can snack on fully cooked popcorn as it makes a yummy meal for them.

However, the kernels that do not pop should not be eaten by humans or most animals. Monkeys are apparently equipped with teeth that can make easy work of an un-popped corn kernel.

I also learned there was an exact way one was to carry the bowl of popcorn and how to select the finest pieces when you decided upon the next bite. The popcorn should be nice and fluffy and preferably have just the right amount of butter and salt to bring out the flavor of the corn.

Who was this special young man? My three year old son. He has apparently gleaned all of this popcorn wisdom in his short years here on this earth. Lucky for me he is here to educate me about such issues.

Global Warming

Why do we protect the environment? Each person has his or her reasons. I just read an article about how some of the ski slopes, Aspen, in particular are working to reduce global warming and do what they can to protect the climate. Auden Schendler, Director of Aspen’s Environmental Division said something that I believe to be extremely accurate. “If we protect the environment out of greed, that’s even better,” laughing “Greed works.” The entire ski industry loses if we do not learn to control our climate.

I read in another magazine a story about a woman who left her SUV running the entire time during an hour long yoga class. When questioned about why she left it running it was because she didn’t want to return to a cold car. When further questioned about whether or not she thought about how she was contributing to global warming, she replied that she didn’t believe in that stuff.

Across the globe, there are people and places which are feeling the effects of global warming today and are learning what further problems we will have in the future if we don’t do something about it. Each of has to determine what we will do and how we will do it to help reduce the speed with which global warming continues.

What will you do?

My family wasn’t sure what I would be doing when I moved to Isla Bastimentos here in Panama. My aunts found it very hard to believe that anyone would want to move to a very secluded island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. What does it take to run an eco adventure lodge? How will you make sure your children are educated? Where do you go to do your grocery shopping?

All kinds of questions are thrown at you when you tell people you are moving with your family to an island. There are those who believe you must be crazy to throw away a perfectly good life in the city: a great job, a car, a nice house, etc. What do you gain by moving away from all of that?

I gain all kinds of special time with my family. Each morning my husband and I spend about an hour with the kids before our day gets started. We just hang out together and talk and play. I gain remarkable sunrises and sunsets. I gain children who are bilingual. My son translates for me. I lose out on so many things in life that do not matter: traffic, sensational journalism, violent crime. So really I think the most important thing it takes to run an eco adventure lodge is a dream – the dream for a different life.

Can I do this?

Can I really match my appetite for eco adventure with my hunger for maintaining balance in my life? Can I really let go of corporate America as quickly as I put on my flip flops? Is it possible to embrace living on a island and losing the “freedom” of driving a car? Can I make new friends on regular basis and feel as if I have known them for a lifetime? Can I free myself in this process?

Oh yes – all of this is possible. My appetite for eco adventure is really no different than the appetite I used to have for excitement in my job. My job now is eco adventure and sharing it with many other people. Do I maintain balance in my life? For sure. As I sit down to do my work each day I am interrupted by the ebb and flow of my children’s daily activities and those of our guests. I will admit that losing my Blackberry was difficult in the beginning, but now the thought of giving of my flip flops to go back to corporate America is laughable. I am trapped in paradise if you will. Our island has no roads. To go anywhere you must get in a boat and head to another land mass. I can’t drive a boat. So if there are no boat captains around the only way I could get somewhere else would be to head out in a kayak – self propelled transportation. New friends. We have the good fortune to meet so many different people here. I meet people from all different walks of life. Oddly enough you learn quickly that there is some interest you share which then spurs interesting conversation and quite possibly a friendship which will last a lifetime. Am I free? You betcha.

base camp or temporary office?

Area: Zapatilla Cay, Bocas del Toro, Panama
Activities: Snorkel, kayak, swim
Weather: Sunny and clear and glassy seas

Sunrise this morning was incredible and the Caribbean’s surface was like a mirror. I could see my reflection in the water while driving 30 Mph over its surface, beautiful. The air was crisp and the Talamanca Mountains were crystal clear, backed by white streaks across a blue sky. Neil and Sue arrived in Bocas del Toro on the morning flight at 8:00 AM; their flight must have been beautiful. Their mission was to escape fall in Birmingham, England, and enjoy a week of adventure in Panama. I am sure they were admiring the clear panoramic view of Panama’s mountains and beaches during their flight. I would have been scanning the oceans surface for schools of tuna, or whale sharks.

We arrived to Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge at about 9:45 AM and Neil and Sue were ready to “get on with it”. We had our lunches prepared and packed for the beach, and then loaded the boat with kayaks and snorkel gear. We made it to Zapatilla Cay, a small island in Bastimentos National Marine Park, about 10:30 AM.

We unpacked the boat and set up our temporary office for the day. Three chairs and two igloo coolers, under just about any shade tree, makes a great office. Once base camp was fully operational, we wasted no time getting in the water to snorkel. Neil and Sue instantly fell in love with the water temperature. We chose to snorkel a wall section just off the Eastern tip of the Island. The visibility wasn’t perfect, but the fish were sure cooperating. We saw several big schools of snapper, and one of the biggest yellow tail snapper I have ever seen. There were blue schools of doctor and surgeonfish, neon blue spotted yellow tailed damsels, purple and gold Spanish hogfish, parrot fish, angelfish, butterfly fish, and wrasses. It was a great swim.

Snorkeling for about an hour and a half can work up an appetite, so we returned to the office to eat lunch. On the beach picnic menu today was a roast beef sandwich with mozzarella cheese, lettuce and tomato on fresh baked olive focacia bread followed by homemade peanut butter cookies. From under our carefully chosen shade tree, we ate our lunch while looking across the beach and over the turquoise hued Caribbean, to the Talamanca Mountains in the distance.

Feeling rejuvenated, we decided to circumnavigate Zapatilla Cay by kayak. The leeward side of the island was calm; we paddled through several schools of feeding Bar Jacks, who appeared to have fresh glass minnows on their lunch menu. A few hungry hound fish also decide to jump in on the buffet. We saw brown pelicans, black hawks, kingfishers, magnificent frigates, terns, and humming birds feeding on the blooming sea grapes. The almond trees were also in bloom and attracting birds of all sorts. On the windward side of the Island we paddled further out over the coral reef shelf and watched schools of brilliantly colored tropical fish scurry for the safety of the ledge.

Our return to base camp, to tap the igloo for some ice cold drinks, was just in time. For the next two hours we just sat in the water and watched an electrical storm brew in the mountains far away. The lightning bolts were spectacular and a rainbow aura of the full color spectrum blew off the tops of the highest clouds. What a befitting ending to an incredible day.

Celebrate the unique

We set out to change our lives. We wanted to be able to spend more time with our families and to work for ourselves. We have attempted to build an eco adventure lodge which allows others to do the same even if only for a brief period of time.

We selected Isla Bastimentos for our location as it was an ideal location for people to experience nature at its finest. There are so many different eco systems on this island and the other islands in Bocas del Toro Panama. Multiple eco systems translates into lots of options. It allows us to present our guests with opportunities to see and experience the natural world in a sustainable fashion.

We like to celebrate what makes Bocas del Toro Panama unique. It has such amazing biodiversity. It has an interesting history. It has beautiful islands and waters. It has its own challenges and occasional discomforts, but it remains relatively undeveloped due to these limitations. If it was easy to get here or it was easy to build here then there would be a McDonalds, a Starbucks and a Marriott. Thankfully, for now, we leave those familiar brands behind when we come to Bocas del Toro Panama.

Bad day in paradise

What do you do when you have a bad day? Do you dwell on it and let it get you down? Do you try to turn things around as quickly as possible so that you do not have to deal with the sunken gut feeling any longer than absolutely necessary? Do you have a favorite place that you go to help you get out of the doldrums? Do you eat something special?

I try and get over it as soon as possible. I remind myself that even in paradise there are bad days. I take a walk and absorb the beautiful tropical sunshine. I look up into the sky and watch all the different cloud formations across the deep blue sky. I peer up into the trees to see if I can find a sloth or a monkey as I walk beneath them under the jungle canopy. I take deep breaths and I peer out onto the view of the Caribbean Sea and the mountains in the distance. I find one of the quiet spots with a hammock and take a nap.

Generally my routine makes it a bit easier to give myself the push to try and make it a good day instead of a bad day. I work to formulate solutions rather than focus on my current problem. And if all else fails – I eat a piece of chocolate.