The longer we stay at the La Playita anchorage, the fewer boats remain. Our friends on “Quantum Dink” Dale and Justin (who are crew “Quantum Dink’s” owner, Kevin) left for Australia. They will stop at the Solomon Islands which will be over a 50 day sail. They are young, energetic, kind, and fabulous. Check them out on YouTube channel “DJsDives”.
Dale and Justin from DJs Dives
We had a very sad farewell to our good friend Barry known as “Adventures of an Old Sea Dog” who is heading to a new marina. His boat “White Shadow” will remain safe while he heads back to Europe for several weeks. Not sure when we will meet up with him again, but we hope it is soon. We’ve had many a good laughs, lots of beer, and great times with Barry!
Barry Perrins from Adventures of an Old SeaDog
Lots of people had told us about a huge veggie market in town. So, we took “Uno Mas” on an adventure to find it. We picked up dozens of fruits and veggies all for under $25 (see Facebook post on details).
Fresh Veggie and Fruit Market
Fresh Fruit & Veggies from Market $25
Matt trying to make new friends. Unfortunately, the shop owner was not too happy with him so close to his lady. We might not be invited back to the La Playita Anhorage after today….
Matt making friends…
Easter in Panama was a little different. They celebrate Good Friday as their Holy day and consider it far more important than Easter Sunday. In fact, they have a law that prohibits the buying, selling and consumption of all alcohol from 12:01am Friday morning to 11:59pm Friday night. That law also includes the prohibition of sex and boom boom music. We stayed on the boat to avoid temptation. I spent Easter Sunday at St Mary’s Catholic Church, behind a very imposing non-denominational church called Balboa Union. It was a bit confusing as everyone pointed to this big church as the Catholic church, but after walking around, up the hill and in the back, you will find this lovely little Catholic church nestled in the trees.
Balboa Church posing as my Catholic Church, but in reality, just dwarfing it.
Spring is here and Panama is blooming! You can find red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple blossoms all around town. And yet I desperately miss the beautiful blue bonnets of Texas.
Blooms in Panama
We had several beautiful sunsets and sunrises to pass the days away…
Sunsets at the Anchorage
We have been waiting on two deliveries. One package arrived which contained our windlass spare remote and new foot controls. The other package is a pallet of our house batteries. We learned that they will not be here until mid-April, so we are out of here…off to Las Perlas for a week.
La Playita Anchorage Pros:
- Great dinghy dock
- Wifi (sort of “borrowed”)
- Lots of cruisers
- Access to several restaurants, transit system, and chandlerries
La Playita Anchorage Cons:
- Dinghy dock costs $52 per week
- Water is really, really dirty
- Anchorage is rolly
- Lots of traffic from fishing boats, ferries, and charter boats