Panama, San Blas Islands, Holandes Cays, Eastern Holandes – It is a hard life, but someone has to live it

Sunrise over the boats moored in the popular anchorage called the Swimming Pool in the Western Holandes Cays.

Of course my humans are being sarcastic about having a ‘hard time’.  The biggest hardship they have suffered is no internet for a day, running low on fresh fruit and veg and “worst of all’ running low on beer again.

If that is the worst they have to worry about, it really is not hard living!

The boys discussing how they can conserve their meager beer supply.

The cruising community is so wonderful out here.  All the humans had to do was ask on the radio if anyone had anything to spare and ‘MAGIC’ they got loads of offers of help.  You would not find that in the Eastern Caribbean!

Me watching the humans run off and ‘mooch’ internet coupons off another boat.

So really, the only hardship the humans have is:

DECIDING WHERE TO SNORKEL NEXT

Off in search of the ‘elusive’ caves in the reef wall.

I know that ‘happy days’ and ‘having fun’ is boring to read about.  You want a little intrigue and controversy, don’t you?

Here is a little something to laugh at.

What happens when you spend too much time in the tropics?

Blankey at night when the thermometer dropped to 26*C and a breeze picked up!

Here are a few pictures of the Western Holandes area.

Taking the humans for a walk.

With so many islands to explore you are bound to find something interesting.  We found this giant whale bone on Ogoppiriadup Cay.  Of course you have to get the ‘guest’ to pose beside it.  Doesn’t he look enthusiastic about that?

At first you do not succeed, make him pose again!

More whale bones on display at BBQ island.  Steve all dressed up for the Easter Sunday pot luck.

With supplies running low the humans tried to get imaginative with what they had.  Some one told them fish head soup was good.

But just when all was looking grim the ‘veggy’ boat showed up with fresh supplies.

They may call it the ‘veggy’ boat but he brings more than veggies from the mainland.  He also brings CERVEZA!

So the humans have been saved from near disaster.  So life is not so hard any more.

Sun rise in the Western Holandes.  Get your rums out because you know the next photo will be the set for a SUNDOWNER.

VISITORS VIEW

Well while we continue to enjoy ‘San Blaze’ I could not help but notice that some folks take things far more seriously out here, especially on the radio system that keeps everyone in contact.

Every day, at a set time, there is a controlled broadcast between the boats that are in the area. They do ensure that there are no medical emergencies or any other issues that boats need assistance with – its how many  folks get things sorted and is really useful but it does bring forth some interesting and varied discussions.

The first that threw me was Mike announcing he was calling in ‘from the hot tub’ – that must be one hell of a boat I thought for him to be sat foaming in there; turns out the ‘hot tub’ is an area right next to the swimming pool near to where we currently are anchored.

Other ‘hot’ topics have included the following –

How to correctly burn and dispose of rubbish; not to purchase out of season shellfish from the locals; how to enforce the apparent local turtle fishing ban; how to behave correctly and in accordance with veggie boat etiquette and so the list goes on. I was curious about the veggie boat etiquette – apparently some people had displayed very ‘bad form’ in taking their dinghy to the boat rather than waiting for the boat to come to them and there was no shortage of radio traffic to very clearly put them right. Still, when your days this busy, woe betide any person who takes their pick of the tomatoes out of turn.

The latest discussion has just involved a surplus of purchased wine and how to ‘deal’ with this issue. Needless to say the crew of Spirit of Argo were able to offer some practical disposal advice! As they say in Turkey – sharife!!!