Green Living Project - Austin Premier

Just a quick reminder to any of you living in Austin, Texas - the Green Living Project is doing an Austin Premier of its Best of Global Sustainability program in Austin on March 24. See here for more information. Tranquilo Bay is included in Green Living Project's Central American Expedition. We will be represented onsite by Panama Boutique which is a subsidiary of JB Journeys. Panama Boutique will have information about Tranquilo Bay and why you should choose Panama as your next vacation destination. Have fun!

Holiday Plans? Space is limited.

I am amazed that I need to write this post during the first week of March, but in all fairness to any interested parties it is necessary. What am I talking about? Well, for any of you who are considering a trip to Tranquilo Bay over the December holiday period, you need to take action. We are answering quite a few inquiries on a daily basis with regard to the holidays and the week before New Year's is down to just two cabanas. A trip down here is a great gift to both you and your family so if you are thinking about it - give us a call.

Girl time

Looking for the green eel that lives in the coral by the dock.



Walking into the shade



Enjoying her vacation



Smiling for the camera

Birthday party at the beach

Here are a few of the photos that Marilyn and Greg got the day that we went to the beach. It was a great day off for all of us. Neither Jim or I took any pictures so we are grateful for the ones that Marilyn and Greg snapped of the day. It was Marilyn's idea to take a photo of the Kimball family since it was Jim's birthday. We would have just gone on playing in the water. Thanks guys.

Grandma Marilyn

This is Marilyn's third trip down in as many years. She came the first time right after Boty was born. She has been talking that entire time about taking a trip with both Victoria and Greg. This year it came to fruition. It was neat to see Marilyn in action with all the kids. Here she was down on the dock with Boty.

Passport - check

This is our niece, Victoria. Her trip to Tranquilo Bay was the impetus for her to get a passport. She hasn't ridden on a plane since she was about 18 months old. Now, many years later, she managed to make it on three flights in one day to make it out to see us. We had a great time with her here. She came with her Dad and her Grandmother. They took some amazing photos during their stay.

Vacation Begins

So, technically we are on vacation beginning today. Jay is onsite taking care of things. Jim and I and the kids are on our way to Panama City and then to Houston later in the week. Stefanie and the boys head to Houston later in the week as well. You can still get in touch with us. We live in a virtual world. We will be back onsite before you know it.

Vacation Excitement

What is it about a vacation that excites a child? Is it going someplace new? Different? Seeing people or places that are different than everyday life? Is it riding on an airplane? I think it is something different for each person. Our children have been counting down the days until their vacation begins. They are excited about going to Texas to see their extended families. They have certain traditions that exist only in Texas (or so they think). The countdown to the trip is about each and every one of these things. It is about a break from school. It is about trying out new things.

It is really no different than when you, our guests or future guests, are preparing for a trip to come here. There is a spark of excitement in a change from the every day. Our every day is wonderful. Ask our kids, they will tell you the same thing. Yet they are excited about a trip to Houston, Texas. Arguably, Houston is not a vacation capital. But it works for us.

This year it is interesting to watch Scott and Tres as they calculate the number of days until we arrive in Houston. They are doing it on their own this year. Once they designate the number of days for a given day, Boty follows suit and will repeat it several times throughout the day letting anyone who comes within her zone know that she is going to Texas in X number of days. Children's excitement is like a virus - super easy to catch. I am happy they gave me this infection.

Internal struggle

Right now I am struggling with really understanding the concepts of sustainability and geotourism. This is a good struggle. I believe one should constantly be learning and improving. I have had the good fortune to be in a position to work on two different efforts relating to sustainable tourism here in Panama.

APTSO (www.aptso.org) is the Panamanian Sustainable Tourism Association. APTSO is a non-profit association directed by a group of pioneers in the fields of tourism, science and development that intends to spread sustainable tourism across both the private and public sectors in order to improve the environmental and common development of Panama. It is open to any person, company, institution or organization that wants to support our commitment to conservation of the environment, preservation of our cultural heritage and local economic development across tourism.

The second effort is the development of a destination management organization (DMO) for Bocas del Toro, Panama (www.discoverbocasdeltoro.com - not active). As of yet it does not have a name, but it is guided by National Geographic's Center for Sustainable Destinations definition of Geotourism. Geotourism is tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place - its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and the well-being of its residents.

In order for Bocas del Toro and Panama to really succeed in the long term as a tourism destination I believe that we must be guided by both of these principles. I haven't found that either principle actually competes with the other. I believe them to be complementary. We must conserve and protect all of the cultural and natural resources within this country.

One set of resources is predominantly national. The other is facilitated by an international group but will ultimately belong to local players. We need to learn from the experience of others throughout the world and apply what we learn to our local and national situation. This is not easy. It does not happen overnight. However, it is necessary. We must begin and continue making improvements little by little. The benefit of doing so is huge. So we press on...and we do it together.

Wise Words

We had several groups of wonderful families here over the holidays and right into the New Year. Each of the families were truly spending time together. They went on excursions together, they ate meals together, and the spent time together in close proximity for their time here. Some of the families were traveling with older children and had more than one cabana. Others were traveling with younger children and all fit into one cabana. We had couples here amongst it all as well. Just because you don’t have children doesn’t mean that you aren’t a family. Two things come to mind when I think about how our little piece of paradise affects people.

First, a loose quote from one of our guests.

She said that even though all five of them were in one cabana and it was a bit tight, this vacation allowed them all to pull together again. At home, her husband travels and works long hours. The two older girls are in school all day. The baby has her moments to do her own things. Mom manages the house and the family. Here they were just together. No other responsibilities to manage. We took care of their meals, their transportation, and their lodging. The only thing they had to do was be together. They truly reveled in being together.

The second is a portion of a dialogue by George Carlin.

Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say,

"I love you"

to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

We all live busy lives. It is difficult to remember to just “be” with our family in our crazy every day lives. Sometimes a vacation is a great time to reground your family, whether it be you alone, you and your spouse or partner, or your entire family unit. Happy Saturday!

What happens when...

What happens when you take one very funny retired high school government teacher, one of his fraternity brothers, one of his former students, all of their spouses and a few of the kids and toss them into the Panamanian jungle on an island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea?  Oh yea - they are all Texans tambien. A rocking good time :-) 

We ended up with a group of friends (who have come together over time) vacationing here at Tranquilo Bay last week.  It was great fun.  I had an idea of what we might be in for as I communicated with them via email, but my expectations were exceeded.  We have fun with all of our guests, but this group seriously tickled our funny bones.  They began by playing jokes on us the first night they arrived and ended the week with us being in on the jokes as other guests arrived.  

One of the things I am truly appreciate about our clientele is that they REALLY are on vacation.  They kick back, have fun and forget about the every day.  Our location definitely helps people to enter this zone, if you will, but I continue to be impressed by people who can turn off and tune in to nature so that they re-enter their day to day lived recharged.

Here are some photos of one of our porch sessions.  


Singing and joking


Hook Em Horns


Chicken foot dominoes


And look at what they did to Bimini!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Exciting, Exhilarating & Exhausting

Our little business is growing tremendously this first quarter of 2008. Our occupancy rate for the first quarter is up over 100% over last year. This is exciting, exhilarating, and a little exhausting.

Exciting because this is the business we came down to Panama to have. Watching our business grow and keeping it running smoothly gives us all a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

Exhilarating because we are participating in a group of special memories for our clients. While our clients all share a love for adventure and nature - each one experiences it differently and comes here from a different place. We are fortunate to be exposed to all of these wonderful people. It is really cool to have the opportunity to enrich their experiences while at the same time we gain insight and perspective from the encounter. We experience our place with a fresh set of senses each time a new guest arrives. To hear the way they describe things and see the delight in their faces is truly rewarding experience.

Exhausting, yes, but in a good way. We work seven days a week for many hours out of each day. As with any business as you continue to learn what it takes to make it great it takes a bit out of you. However, the upside of what we are learning and how it is getting easier each day for us and for our employees is that we are building a business that we believe will stand for a long time.

Heaven on Earth

I consider Tranquilo Bay to be a slice of heaven on earth. There are few places in this world where a group of people can end up and have the opportunity to participate in a dream. Obviously Tranquilo Bay is our dream. We are grateful we get to live it each and every day. However, when we get to watch other people enjoy themselves doing all of the different activities we have to offer while immersing themselves in nature it is so rewarding. It is wonderful to have a lively discussion at dinner amongst the guests we have from all over the world sitting at the table.

Here is an example of the different kinds of "thank you" we get from our clients once they return home. This one came to my Dad's house along with a favorite book of our guests' children when their boys were Tres and Scott's age. We will be reading it to Scott, Tres and Boty for many years to come.

Dear all - A belated thank you for a wonderful time at Tranquilo Bay. We loved EVERYTHING. You did an amazing job and despite the weather we had a fabulous time. Thanks for the biscotti recipe. Mine won't be as good because the atmosphere just isn't the same. For the kids, I am enclosing one of our favorite books. Hope they like it. Love and hugs to all: R, N, E, G & I

Opportunity

We are a fortunate group of people. We try to make the most out of every opportunity. We have found that opportunity presents itself o us on a regular basis.

One day the opportunity may be to put our guests onto the best waves Bocas del Toro has to offer that particular morning. To rise to meet that opportunity we need to be prepared - we have to know our available options, judge based upon the conditions and then make a call.

Another day our opportunity might be to make every one of our guests feel welcome. One family might want to go snorkeling and another couple might want to go kayaking and then a third group may want to hang out, while one child would love to go fishing. It is our responsibility to make all of these things happen. We do so with a smile upon our faces because it is completely within our abilities to make each of these things happen for each of our guests.

The best quote I have found which sums up how we approach our business and our lives is this one:

The thing that we do is hope for the best and plan for the worst. We always hope for the best weather and conditions for our guests' experiences, but sometimes it rains. So we always have a plan for how to deal with the rain. It may be as simple as wait 30 minutes and the skies will clear or a bit more complicated where we have an excursion where everyone will have a good time rain or shine.

Kid Friendly

There are those hotels and those destinations which are not a good fit for people traveling with children. We are neither of those things. We love kids – we have three of our own on site. Bocas del Toro Panama has plenty of places where the kids can have a fun and safe day.

This morning I was trying to help a former guest find another place in Panama to visit next year as he and his family want to return to stay with us, but they also want to explore a few different parts of the beautiful little country. We both happened upon a few new lovely places which look great but they are not appropriate for children. One place is completely over water which is not the best location for children. The other place does not accept children under the age of 13.

There is a reason that we are right for people with kids and for people without kids. We live here on site. We have our own kids living here with us. So we know what it is like to make sure both the kids and the grown ups have a good time. We send our kids to bed early or to the library downstairs to watch television while the adults enjoy a delicious meal with white tablecloths up stairs.

So, bring the kids and have some fun.

It all began with a dream

I was a senior at the University of Texas when I met Jim. He had a strong vision of what he wanted in life. He knew that he wanted to do something different and that it would be great if it could be near salt water. So you could say that I knew very early on that I was in for an adventure.

We met Jay through one of Jim’s cousins and as it turned out he had an interest in a different life as well. The three of us began talking, saving money and planning for what the future might hold. During the following years Jim and I got married, I attended law school part time, graduated and began practicing law, Jim and Jay bought a boat together to test the strength of our friendship, Jim was transferred out of Houston and we all traveled throughout the Caribbean and Central America to further solidify the dream.

In 1998 we moved back to Houston about 5 minutes from where Jay was living. Our planning took up almost all of our free time; however, Jay met Stefanie and began dating her in spite of his self-avowed bachelorism. Over time, Jay and Stefanie’s relationship grew and she was invited to learn a bit about our crazy plans.

Stefanie and I sent Jay and Jim to Bocas del Toro, Panama in October 1999 to see if it was a good fit for our plans. Upon their return from Bocas, the guys informed us that it was the right place but that it would take a bit of time to find the exact location. Panama had so much to offer: land at a reasonable price, currency on par with the US Dollar, an infrastructure much better than other Central American countries, a biological wonderland, an extensive national park system, it was beneath the hurricane belt, its people seemed to be so welcoming and a fair number of them spoke English. The four of us decided to proceed with Panama. Jim was the best person to keep the process moving. Jim resigned from his job at about the same time he had been informed that he was to acquire his dream job – business development responsibilities throughout Latin America.