Panama Update #43
September 6, 2008
Nikki called last night from a satellite phone on the ship last night because the internet on the ship is not working for outgoing emails, and she had a change of plans. Originally she was supposed to return in 2 weeks (Sept. 14), but the director of the project requested this change: Could she return to Panama City for 3 days, from September 11-14, then go back to the boat for an additional week and then return on the Sept. 21. So she will come back earlier than expected, but then return out there for an additional week. They fly to and from Panama City on Panama Air, which runs smaller planes in that area. She couldn't talk long but she said the geology was amazing and the project was going well, but they needed more time to finish whatever they are doing.
I forget to mention in the blog a couple of days ago about a guy (Billy) I met in the Yacht Club in Colon while we were waiting to catch our train back to Panama City. He was sitting at the bar drinking a beer when we came in. He knew the names of the few people in the bar and of the bartender. I could tell he was a native English speaker so I asked him where he was from. He said he was from Indiana and planned to return there for the month of October to rake the leaves in the yard of his house. He said that he missed the fall season. He is a retired electrician and travels around the world (so far mostly in Central Americal) on a $30,000, 35 foot wind powered boat by himself. At first it sounded exciting, but then I thought that it must be lonely. But I noticed that he knew all the people coming into the bar. There is a whole community of people like him out there and they all know each other and visit each others boats. They have internet access either on the boats or at the wireless Yacht Clubs in each port. He said he had satellite radio on board and a very comfortable living area, kithen, and bed. He buys a cell phone and minutes in whatever country he is in and calls his grown-up kids often back in Indiana. He was excited to meet me, from Minnesota, because I understood how nice the fall season is in the Midwest.
