We Made It!

Well after 26 hours of traveling we made it to Cerro Velero.  We spent our first night in Panama City after a smooth 6 hour flight.

 We stayed in the same hotel, Sevilla Suites, as 2 years ago when we were here because we liked the location and it was pretty comfortable.  After checking into our room we went for a quick dip in the roof top pool to, as my husband says, "rinse the travel juices off".  After our swim we went across the street to a quaint little Italian restaurant and had pasta and red wine.

The next morning, Saturday, we were up at 5am to catch our 6:30am flight.  The hotel was only about 15 minutes from the airport.  After a quick 55 minute flight we landed in Bocas town.  The current house-sitter, Graham, met us at the airport and re-acquainted us to Bocas since it had been 2 years since we were last here.  Not much has changed.  The main street is still lined with hostals, local cafes and little markets.   We had breakfast at a little cafe then headed to the market to grab a few supplies (beans, rice, tortillas, watermelon, a few veggies, water and beer).  From there we headed back to the boat, named Cricket, and Graham drove us to Cerro Velero.   We got the turn over from Graham & Rachel, then took them to a neighboring island called Carenero for their next house-sitting job.  Alex, the kids & I went back to town to cruise around, get a few more supplies and a bite to eat before heading back to the house.

Navigating the Cricket around the waters of Bocas can be tricky.  There are many soft coral reefs, mangroves and tons of turtle grass.  We are figuring it out though and have had a blast cruising around.
Yesterday, Sunday, we went to a little local restaurant called Rana Azul.  It is only open on Sundays at noon and Friday nights.  Most people come on Sundays because navigating in the dark around here is virtually impossible.  We followed our neighbors (we only have 2) to the restaurant.  Dave and Linda were kind enough to introduce us to everyone at the restaurant.  We ate homemade pizza fresh from the pizza oven, salad with what few local veggies they have here, and cold Panama's (our favorite of the beers).  The kids romped around out in the grass catching crabs while we socialized with everyone.

We are falling right into place with our new routines...it is VERY mellow here and we are loving it so far!