Writers Block

It’s been over a month since I have updated my blog, and I hardly know where to start.  So many things have happened since my last post this will have to be a brief summery.  After I finished my fifth trip from Cartagena to San Blas toward the end of June I took a little less than a month off for some traveling.  The Stahlratte was on holiday as well sailing around San Blas for a month.  I started north with two passengers from our last trip.  After a night out in Panama City, we headed north up to Bocas del toro.  Bocas is known for its beauty, beaches, and…partying.  I would have been up to skip it, but the Canadians I was trying to meet up with were there, and it was one of their birthdays.  Bocas is where I met my lovely Irish ladies.  After two nights of madness in Bocas a few of us headed to the Lost and Found lodge near David for the recuperation.  It’s an Eco hostel nestled deep into the cloud forest.  No town, and very little people.  We had to lug our backpacks up the mountain to the lodge.  Once we arrived we realized their “general store” was scarce so Alex and I made the trek back down to buy some supplies from a food stand.  We spend the next few days hiking in the mountains and laying on rocks by the river.  The only downside to this place was the mosquitoes.  The only other place I have seen them this bad was in Palo Verde in Costa Rica.  As we hiked on the trails we would each have a whole swarm of mosquitoes the size of golf balls flying around us.  After three nights at the Lost and Found we headed back toward the Caribbean cost and over the border into Puerto Viejo.  I spent a whole week in this town a few years back and loved it, but it was not quite the same this time around. 

The main reason I have not blogged in so long is that I’ve had a major case of writers block.  We didn’t have any Internet while at the Lost and Found, and the first time I was online in a few days was at a pizza shop in Puerto Viejo on my iphone.  This is when I learned the news of TJ Reed Passing away from a long battle from Leukemia.  Even just typing that sentence my eyes are starting to swell.  It hit me like a ton of bricks, and took me a long time to figure out how to put my feelings into words.  At first, I did not know how to feel.  Of course I was distraught, but I was also on vacation in paradise.  I have never felt so much cognitive dissidence.   Basically I had to conflicting feelings going on inside of me, and it drove me nuts.  I knew TJ would want me to enjoy my time, and not waste is crying and being sad.  A big theme of my trip so far has revolved around the phrase “Live you Life”.  It is important to me because so many people waste their time worrying about the future, or the past.  Thinking things along the line of, “When I have this…then I will be happy”.  It’s not about planning happiness, it’s about being happy right now, in the moment.  I know no better example of someone living his or her life to the fullest than TJ.   He was really a different breed; he saw life differently than everyone else.  The four years we were friends he was already a survivor of leukemia.  He always worked three or four random jobs, coached high school wrestling and baseball, yet still had time for his friends.  TJ was always only a phone call away from going on a hike, getting a drink, or just hanging out.  He was always spontaneous, smiling, joking, and the glass was always half full.  I’ve never met anyone quite like him, and he will be missed everyday.  For me, the best way to grieve his passing is to use those qualities I admired him for in my life.  When I was in San Juan del sur, Nicaragua I was sitting on the beach all alone watching the surfers and thinking of TJ.  I was sad at the time, and I thought to myself, ‘what would he TJ do if he were on a warm sunny beach in Nicaragua?’ That’s when I started learning to surf.  It was always something that kind of scared me, but I knew that might be the only chance I get to surf in Nicaragua, and why waste it?  Life is precious, each day is a gift.  Use them wisely. 

After two nights in Puerto Viejo we charters a van to take Matt (my amazing Canadian friend) and eight crazy Irish to San Jose.  We were trying to get all the way to San Juan in one day, and chartering a van seemed that fastest way.  As we were arriving in San Jose we asked the driver is he could just take us all the way to the border, and he obliged.  I met up in Kara (my twin I met in Panama City) at Hostel Pachamama and stayed for 10 days.  Oh San Juan, I really don’t even know where to begin.  For one, it was ladies night every night a block away from the hostel.  Free drinks for ladies from 10-12.  And three nights a week was double ladies night, where the bar across the street had free drinks from 9-10.  Needless to say I didn’t spend a penny on alcohol in this town.  The last weekend we were there was the equivalent of Nicaragua’s Fourth of July.  There were parades, parties, and DJ’s everywhere.  Kara and I won twisted twister at the hostel and received a free night and a pair of sunglasses.  What is twisted twister you ask? Twisted is some energy drink along the lines of a four loco.  You have to chug a drink with your partner at the beginning of each match.  It was a rowdy good time.  The Irish girls were at the hostel as well, so there was always madness to be had.  After ten days of abusing my health in San Juan I started my trek back toward Panama City.  I spend about 8 hours stuck in San Jose and was able to catch a bus toward Uvita, Costa Rica.  My next five days were spent at the Flutterby House hanging with the ladies and surfing everyday.  The beach was about a two minute walk from the hostel.  It was a huge stretch of beach with hardly any people.  Uvita is a tiny, tiny town south of Dominical and North of Pylons.  The Flutterby house is owned by a Californian outdoor’s lady named Pam.  There are tree houses, hammocks, and it all semi-outside.  I look forward to going back and visiting again when I am done at the Stahlratte. 

Upon leaving Uvita It took me five different busses and about 16 hours to get back to Panama City.  I arrived at Luna’s Castle around 9 pm and they were full.  I told the receptionist that I was being picked up there at 5 am and needed somewhere to sleep.  She directed me to the “movie theatre” right behind the bar when the send people to sleep when the beds are full.  Even though it was a Sunday night, the bar was raging, and loud.  I hardly got any sleep before my 5 am transport to San Blas.  I was so happy to be back on the boat, I cannot even explain it in words.  It was a huge feeling of relief when I made it back.  The very day we loaded six motorbikes onto the boat, along with eight passengers.  The rest of the passengers arrived the next morning.  We had twenty-five in total, which was out biggest trip so far this summer.  They ate and drank a ton!  We went through a serious amount of rum on that trip.  The second night of the trip we were in Coco Bandera, it had been raining so we had the rain tarp up.  We cooked a feast that night and the crew and I were in the kitchen listening to reggae, drinking, and cooking.  Floyd went upstairs for a moment and came back down.  He say’s, “Ruthie…go upstairs…it’s funny!”  I go upstairs (before dinner, around 7:30 pm) and everyone is just absolutely wasted.  People are hanging from the ropes, pouring straight rum down each other’s throats, and best of all…paddle dancing.  We had an oar supporting the tarp in the middle of the table and an Australian guy was giving it his best in the stripping department.  It really was a scene, and it made for quite an interesting dinner. 

We have been in Cartagena for almost ten days at this point.  Our days have been filled with nothing more than grinding, painting, and cleaning.  I won’t go into detail, its too boring.  We leave on my sixth and final tour tomorrow morning, and load the motorbikes today.  We sail all day tomorrow, and half the day Wednesday where we arrive in Coco Bandera early afternoon.  Conveniently, it’s my birthday that day so I am praying for good weather.  We usually have our beach party that night so this time it’s going to be extra big.  I’m going to make crazy amounts of rum punch!  Unfortunately there is no Internet so I will not be able to talk to any friends or family.  My next time online I will be back in Panama City yet again.  Wow, feels good to finally get all of that out.