VERY excited about the big ‘pour’ this week. We’ll be attempting to use two mixers, five guys, and the biggest amount of materials ever, to put the ceiling over the kitchen & living room! Then we will start getting ready for San Blas…..
Tesoro Verde from the air…..
Panamaze from the air, my photo of the year so far
maze bottom left, house site top right
Tesoro Verde has been our home for a few years now so Heather and myself are getting fairly well aquainted with the resident wildlife. That said, the hillside that we live on still has plenty of secrets to discover, and we love having our daily tasks interupted by what we term a “wildlife moment”, when we get to share one of those secrets. It’s rare that a day will include more than one new discovery so Tuesday this week was a day to mark in the diary as we had three new sightings to record. First off was the little gekko that quite literally crawled out of the woodwork as Jim and Danny were working on the new roof for the Bamboo Bothy. Strictly speaking that should read “crawled out of the bamboo work”!
As you can see from the photo he’s a colourful fellow and we are sure he belongs with the Least Gekkos although we can’t decide on a specific species. It’s between Sphaerodactylus lineolatus, homolepis or possibly argus, any gekko experts out there?
At least we managed to narrow down the choices for our four legged friend, for the other two we are open to suggestions. First off is an insect or more correctly, lots of insects which we noticed 
gathered en mass on a tree near where we were working that day. Shiney metalic green as you can see and happy in their own company but what are they? The last and strangest question mark is a fungus. We noticed it on the ground in the bamboo forest where from a distance we thought it was a flower. It’s not obvious from the photo that they (there were three examples close together) are
formed in an open cage like structure and they were all connected to the white root network you can see in the soil. More difficult to tell is that they all smelled strongly of feces! Answers on a postcard to ……And for those who are wondering, yes we did manage to get a little work done that day too!!
Finally the long awaited and much antici……..pated post from Mia. Although we have had it for some time it’s taken this long to get it on the site because we have been computerless for over two months. Here it is then and what a lovely compliment she has paid Heather and me. We don’t have kids ourselves and although we seem to get on pretty well with our friends kids there is always that nagging doubt that the memory of a great relationship some time ago was either a freak event or that in the intervening time said young person will have grown past us. In the event all was just fine and we had a great time with Mia and her sister Frankie but it seems that it’s not just the oldies that were harbouring feelings of angst pre-visit.
Tesoro Verde by Mia
As a teenager I am naturally afraid of leaving the warm and internet-connected confines of my bedroom and therefore, I, as the cool and experienced individual I am – 13 and a half whole years of walking this planet – was reluctant to venture half way across the globe, away from familiarity, friends and my idea of normality.
I was worried about many things: the bathroom (What were the ceiling-less showers going to be like? Would the water be clean to wash in?), the beds (Were they going to be too exposed? Too close to nature for my taste?), the climate(How much was the change from the standard 10° of the daily British overcast sky to the intense Panamanian sun going to affect me?) and the food (Was the food safe? Would I like it? On a similar note – was the water safe?).
However, I needn’t have worried. The bathroom had tall walls ensuring privacy and the water was beautifully clean and clear. Although it’s unlike the generic bathroom I and many others are used to, it’s beautifully built with idyllic feng-shui curves and rustic furnishings, and most certainly no harder to relax in whilst surrounded by the stunning rainforest. The little hut my bed was in is made of bamboo and is on a safety ensuring raised platform. The bed itself is surrounded by a mosquito net, somewhat providing security against the jungle as well as keeping all insects out. I had very good night’s sleep every day, despite being woken by howler monkeys most mornings earlier than one should even contemplate rising.
The lovely bamboo huts for sleeping, surrounded by jungle and a protective mosquito net.
The Howler Monkeys we were often woken by
The climate for my coldly accustomed body was hot at times, but was mainly manageable. We never did too much in the middle of the day and I always had the hammock, which I claimed on the very first day as a comfortable retreat, improved by my book and the beautiful view (obviously).
MY hammock (with my sister in for some reason)
The food was absolutely delicious, with Heather and Jim both proving to be EXCELLENT cooks. One of my particular favourite meals was “Full Moon Pizza”. This is an event held at Tesoro Verde every full moon in Jim’s home built pizza oven, where Heather and Jim slave over preparing dough and toppings all day and invite friends along to share pizza with them. In the course of 2 hours, I believe I roughly had a slice of (at least) 12 pizzas, each one delicious and prepared and cooked unbelievably fast in the super-efficient oven.
Water was not an issue, as big 5 gallon bottles were provided and sufficiently quenched my thirst all holiday.
I had many crazy and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities whilst staying at Tesoro Verde. One of my favourite experiences was horse riding and snorkeling at Playa Blanca, a breathtaking secluded beach with excellent snorkeling and right next to the raw jungle. The horse ride was the right length and temperature and great fun – at one point we came almost face-to-face with a wild capuchin.
The snorkeling was great not only at Playa Blanca, but the Kuna island of Banedup in the San Blas.
The stunning island of Banedup
During the course of just an hour in the water, roughly 100 meters off the shores of Banedup, we saw more fish than I could have ever imagined, and an abundance of beautifully coloured and vibrant fish that made the manky seaweed and grey fish of the UK look even more manky and grey. Some of my favourite sights under-water whilst snorkeling of Playa Blanca and Banedup were the Porcupine Fish, a Green Moray Eel and more starfish than I even knew existed.
Another great experience was our trip to Jungle Land, a floating hotel in the Panama Canal. The hotel was great to swim off and they had a platform especially to jump off which was hilarious. They offered many experiences as part of the stay. One of which was a “Night Safari” where we went hunting for crocs and caimans. As part of the trip we stopped at a little island where we had a bonfire and, after many minutes of looking we at last found and caught a baby crocodile to hold.
The Floating Hotel that is Jungle Land
The crocodile we caught on the “Night Safari”
On the next day of our stay at Jungle Land, my family went off fishing and caught numerous Perch whilst I stayed at the hotel and swam. Later that day, we went kayaking along the river to a waterfall that we could jump off and swim in the pool at the bottom – another hilarious and brilliant experience.
One of my favourite parts of the holiday was waking up to see a sloth up a tree right beside the hut. Throughout the stay we saw numerous sloths and after a few minutes of deliberation we have decided that they are the most chilled out animals, with their “whatever” persona and incredibly slow actions. Another highlight of the trip was meeting Dooger, a local tame sloth who was sadly being moved away the day after we went see him. Dooger was very cuddly and adorable and one animal I will never forget stroking.
Dooger the Sloth
By the end of the holiday, my opinion on Panama had completely changed. It is one of the most exciting places I have ever been and certainly housed the most exuberant wildlife. The experiences I have listed, alongside many others (like zip lining 80 ft up through the jungle canopy and trekking through the rainforest) ultimately equated to a stunning and unforgettable holiday. Heather and Jim were excellent hosts and always ensured we had what we needed and looked after us brilliantly, as well as showing us the hotspots of the local area and showing us all the coolest stuff. Tesoro Verde was a beautiful place and truly was, a slice of green treasure.
The sad news is that we will have to wait three years for the next blue moon, the good news is that our Blue Moon Pizza event was a great success!
For the first time we kept the “smoking pig” fired up the entire day and, despite good intentions, completely lost count of the number of pizzas we and our guests produced. There were many new combinations that we will definitely come back to, and enjoy again. Austin’s cheese stuffed crust was a hit, the only dilemma was how to translate it into Spanish. With the help of Silvio from Nicaragua we finally settled on Corona rellena. Little Chloe needed to stand on a cooler to reach the rolling table but once in place she produced pizza like a natural pizzaiola.
With a break to let food settle our guests then enjoyed the nature walk that we arranged for the day with the adventurous ones climbing up the stream bed next to the pizza oven, emerging from the jungle further up the hill, and continuing with the rest of the group up to the lookout point, for a view out over the Caribbean.
Despite threatening rain a couple of times the weather continued fair and as night fell and the oven’s red glow deepened in the darkening jungle, the pizza making got into full swing once more for the evening participants. As bellies filled the atmosphere became charged with anticipation. Finally the pizza making stopped, and everyone put on their headlights and made for the maze and the promise of surprises within. 
We’ve never made use of the maze at night before so it was great fun to hear squeals and giggling in the dark, noises associated with discovery and frustration as the hibiscus hedges were navigated and the beer and cocktail stations hidden within were tracked down. I can’t remember if the final recipe of our Blue Moon cocktail was ever agreed upon, perhaps we’ll have to have a re-run. Or should that be a re-rum!
Once in a blue moon there’s a blue moon! OK, that sounds idiotic but stay with me please. When there are two full moons in the same month the second is called a Blue Moon, and there is one at the end of this month. July 31st to be precise. So what does that mean for us at Tesoro Verde? Since we already run a pizza night every full moon we wanted to make this Blue moon event something special so in addition to pizza in the evening we are going to cook during the day too, and whether you choose to attend in the day time or in the evening there will be fun things to do as well as eating the finest wood fired pizza outside of Naples! As a further inducement we have kept the price of each to just $15 pp
Daytime
The smoking pig pizza oven will be fired up in the morning to be ready to cook in the afternoon but you are welcome to come around any time after midday and take some time to wander around our property before we eat. There are paths to hike and lots to see in the surrounding jungle . We will gather to cook and eat around 1pm and you will get the chance to get your hands into the dough if you like and as with our regular full moon pizza nights a free beer or soda is included. When everyone has had enough and your meal has had a chance to settle we will take you on a guided jungle tour where you will learn about the fascinating plants and wildlife in this corner of the Portobelo National Park.
Nighttime
For the night owls the format follows the popular pattern of our normal full moon pizza night where we start cooking around 6pm and continue until everyone has had enough, eating family style with the chance to create your own masterpiece. Your extra activity comes in the form of a “cocktail hunt”. Down the hill from the pizza oven is our hibiscus labyrinth, the Panamaze. You are invited to enter if you dare with the flashlight you brought with you and track down the cocktail stations within. The maze is on a slope so to help with the dry work of navigating it’s puzzling paths you will be given two complementary tokens to “pay” for your drinks. For the adventurous or just plain thirsty there are additional tokens hidden within the maze! Alternatively cash works too!
Good friends Sally and Mark Fulford visited recently from Devon in England and brought with them their daughters Mia and Frankie. We had a great time with them all and thoroughly enjoyed taking them to our favourite places. Frankie was a great hit with us since it became apparent after only a couple of days she was what we call a “nature magnet”. Seldom seen animals and birds presented themselves on a regular basis when she was around and although she was seeing many species for the first time she frequently spotted the wildlife before we did! After the family returned to the UK Frankie was kind enough to send us a post about her stay at Tesoro Verde for the web site. She called it Panama Best Bits, here it is. Thank you Frankie!
“Writing about my best bits at Tesoro Verde, Panama is very hard because it was all so brilliant, from waking up and seeing the beautiful sunrise in the jungle to jumping off the top of waterfalls. It was AMAZING! Though somehow I have managed to shortlist it down to the top three.
At number one is horse riding, snorkeling and a boat ride all in the same trip! We started by driving a short distance to a little village where we got our beautiful horses and began the ride to Playa Blanca. On the hack we went through different terrains and saw many interesting and fantastic sights. When we reached the beach, Playa Blanca, we tied off the horses and went snorkeling. When we were snorkeling I saw a golden spotted eel. Cool! After that we had some delicious food and started to play a little game of piggy in the middle, after about ten minutes it had somehow turned into an intense game with 3 teams of 2. As the day started to come to an end we got a lancha back to the village and then headed back to Tesoro Verde for another amazing night in the rain forsest.
At number two is zip lining! The zip course had 9 different lines weaving through the forest canopy. The veiws you got when in the air were beautiful, it felt very special interacting with the jungle in this way. On one of the lines you had the option of going upside down, all of us wanted to try it but when it came to it we all whimped out! When we finished the course we went for a little walk in the forest and discovered an ant motorway -there were several different little roads leading on to one big road, there were a few tunnels and seperate lanes. Proof that ants go to school!
At three is fishing! When were staying at Jungle Land (on the beautiful Lake Gatun) we had the option of lounging about and swimming in the lake or fishing, I quite obviously chose fishing. We rode in a lancha for about ten minutes before settling down and casting out our lines. It wasn’t long until I got my first bite and then 11 more, it was like the fish were queuing up to be caught! My Mum got 3, Dad 2 and Jim 3. When we stopped getting so many fish we packed up and went to a different spot, unfortunately we had no success so we called it a day and went back to the floating hotel. When we came back we gave the kitchen the fish and had them served up for lunch.
All in all I had a great time in Panama and was really sad when it all came to an end. Thank you Jim and Heather for making my time in Panama truly special, I really loved it!”
I find myself often making lists. Lo-priority, hi-priority, with subheadings like daily/weekly/monthly. It’s got worse over the years, more things added as I become a/ more forgetful and b/ there are new things I want to try every day. I periodically set myself rules. Nothing new may be added until something is ‘done’, but what if I forget some wonderful new idea before I am ‘allowed’ to add it to the list? Does brushing your teeth and doing the breakfast dishes really count? It IS two ticks and can get you going in a positive mode for the rest of the day. If something is top of the list for three days and remains undone, should I accept I don’t really want to do it – what is my strategy – delete or somehow inspire or browbeat myself into doing it first thing on day four??
I find myself making a ‘to-do’ list to delay making the decision of what to do first. Sometimes that’s because the list is vast and overwhelming but often it’s because I am avoiding what I know I should do, in favour of what I’d like to do . There is a virtuous smugness in crossing off things I’d rather not do – clean the stove top, clean the fridge, but a sense of cheating or being lazy if I surf the internet (doing strictly research of course) or repot a favourite plant.
I am supposed to do yoga everyday, a morning walk, a weekly blog – and somehow, mysteriously, it doesn’t happen.
Which kind of links in to something else, resolutions, usually limited to !st January or 8 weeks before a holiday ( vacation). This is my first promise to myself – NOTHING goes into the freezer minus a label ever again!!
….and then immediately felt pressured :-).
It’s been a crazy week. Full Moon Pizza last Thursday, Jungleland Friday thru’ Sunday. Panama City Monday to finally collect those elusive new passports and pick up Josie and Mesha, super new hike to Playa Blanca Tuesday and dashing back to prep the barbecue for old friends and new the same night. Then this morning two massages…. Guess I need another holiday in the San Blas, so roll on AUGUST?????
We didn’t manage our annual trip with Charmer in 2014, just the two trips with TEA, ( photo courtesy of Taylor Simmers ) so feel I MUST get there this year. The San Blas really does feel like paradise. Every second there the clouds shift, shadow the ocean differently, and green turns to azure to mercury. The moment we finally drop the anchor I feel like I’ve never been away and all the frustrations and complications and to be fair, the excitements of ‘normal’ life slip away like shedding a skin. And our only goal is to relax. Beach-combing, snorkeling, swimming, bonfires and barbecues on the beach, fishing, reading, the time goes way too fast.
To get there seems very stressful, prepping the boat, provisioning for five to six weeks, packing all that food away so that the boat can function, anticipating breakages and the spares required to fix them. The last ounce of diesel and water we can possibly cram into the tanks. And I never want to leave…….. Roll on the holidays!
Last month we visited the local town of Jose Del Mar to enjoy the atmosphere of their annual seafood festival. Its a typical Panamanian feria or fair with the chance to catch up with the local gossip from locals you haven’t seen since last year. It is a great people watching event but no matter how much you might feel like an outside observer it won’t be long before someone engages you in conversation. It’s more than likely your new friend will have had a drink or two even if it is just after breakfast time since the hard core feria goers don’t waste any time getting into the party spirit. As the day wares on you will want to get something to eat and since Jose Del Mar is a costal village and this is a seafood festival I would recommend some of Maria’s octopus stew or perhaps the conch. Both are wonderfully rich and are prepared by one of the very best cooks on the coast. Don’t forget to wash it down with a beer or two. This years major sponsor was Atlas, but to a Scotsman all the local beers taste much the same. Refreshing but not that interesting. A pint of eighty shilling anyone?
Heather with Nentio Vargas 2011
The big band this year were the same as last and although not in the same class as other “tipico” acts like Sammy y Sandra or Nenito Vargas they certainly earned their fee playing well into the small hours. We made our way home around midnight but the party was really just getting going…
STRI guests travel in style
We survived! What’s more we enjoyed it and would even do it again!!!!
As always we were running around like headless chickens prior to their arrival and continued in the same mode more or less the whole time they were here but although it was fairly tiring it was also rewarding and we had a good time. Now we have to get back into work mode and it’s proving difficult. Just a little decompression time is needed I feel.
So to the trip..The first half of the group arrived at Tesoro Verde (we used the name for them to see how it felt) early afternoon Thurs the 8th. Steve had taken Heather’s advice and they all stayed in the city the night before since their flight landed after 9 o’clock and would have had only a few hours sleep before half of them needed to be roused for their visit to Barro Colorado. As it was, it was apparently still a struggle to make it to the dock at Gamboa for the 8 am pickup even though they only had to travel from the Radisson. Since Barro Colorado could not handle them all the same day, half of the group was able to sleep a little longer and they were the ones that arrived first on the Thursday. Poor Steve, who drove them through, then had to retrace his steps with the mini van to pick up the other half and bring them through some hours later. We arranged a BBQ that night and they went to bed sweaty and tired but at least well fed! Following day the group who made it through first, headed back to Barro Colorado and Heather went with them to help Steve with shopping. Meantime the first class was taking place underneath a tarp (for shade). Poetry!
And so it continued, visits to Portobelo and the Miraflores locks, the International School, interspersed with lessons amongst the palm trees and jungle scenery. As we were to learn, this was the school’s first international trip and given that they were coming from high country in May the heat was a major hurdle. The kids coped very well and there was very little moaning. We found out later that counter to our guesses their usual fare on field trips was rather basic so our (in our opinion) modest menu planning met with approval. “wow, no-one ever warmed the tortilla’s for burritos before!” With this discovery Heather and I could relax a bit. The only problem diet issue was a very bright boy called Florian who was unable to eat gluten. I felt sorry for him when the others where enjoying some freshly-baked bread but he appeared to be resigned to his fate and had fun making “pizzas” by loading a corn tortilla with sauce etc and popping them in the oven the night we ate Italian-style down by the wood-fired mud oven. Everyone else was happy with our arrangements and didn’t even complain when faced with the schools regularly occurring lunch plan of crackers with peanut butter and jelly. Good grief, we ate better over open fires at Scout Camp!!
Our fears over our water supply on the hill sadly turned out to be justified. It took only two days to run our tank dry, so science teacher Nate not wishing to miss a lesson opportunity took the whole group to the tank where they proceeded to work out what the meagre flow rate related to in terms of gallons per day. Or showers per day if you prefer. Thus was born the one minute shower rule! It stood us in good stead for the trip to San Blas.
This was the part of the trip with we were most apprehensive about. Not only had we never made the trip from Miramar to the lslands before but we had never worked with the lanchero Alexi before either. He had messed us about with the price just before the group arrived so he was not high on our Christmas list when we arrived at the dock to load the gear. However he was there and at least one of the two other lanchas was there also. So while we waited for other boat to arrive we donned life jackets and packed all the backpacks etc into Alexi’s lancha. Then the heavens opened. And stayed open full bore for about an hour and a half. By this time the other lancha had arrived so we squelched aboard, ten to a boat, and set off along the coast in water made dirty from the river’s outflow. The overcast day steadily improved and it was starting to get sunny when we checked into Porvenir and by the time we got to Tortuga Island (BBQ Island as was) it was as beautiful a day as you could wish for. Principal Taylor was blown away. He really seemed to be struck dumb for a while as the reality of what he had been promised sunk in. The kids were in the water in a flash and the deal was done. San Blas had worked it’s magic. Anyone who has ever been to Kuna Yala will certainly remember their first sight and watching the smiles we were taken back to our first landfall in ’99.
Of course that heavy rain was the beginning of rainy season on our coast and the following days were a mixture of sun and sullen showers. We got soaked on the Wednesday night and didn’t sleep too well but it made the porridge we ate for breakfast the next morning taste good. The lessons continued and included a raft building morning spent on Bug Island after the entire party swam the channel from Tortuga. The raft then provided wood for the bonfire that night. Heather and I pretty much took over the cooking even though it was supposed to be largely done by the kids. I felt they could do with the extra time to enjoy the island and we enjoy cooking. There was a bit of hunting and gathering with conch being prepared with coconut milk and garlic and lots of snorkeling which for most was their first experience of seeing a coral reef. We played football and volleyball with the Kuna who were kind enough not to try too hard. There was a preformance circle on the Thursday night with poetry, dance, sketches and readings. The standard was extremely impressive. On Friday morning bang on ten Alexi and the others arrived at the island. I was speechless. To the minute, in Panama,in San Blas. Amazing! However within half an hour the skies opened once more and the islands disappeared. I was glad I had our hand held GPS because the lancheros had no idea of where we were once their landmarks were gone. Through the pouring rain we ploughed, Go Pro’s recording seas flattened by the rain until Porvenir appeared out of the gloom. Once again the weather cleared and we arrived back at Miramar without any problems. Actually we had the waves behind us and occasionally we were surfing down the back of them. Over 20 knots a couple of times!
Back on the land the tents were pitched for the last time and most of us headed for bed after supper. I was tired. Saturday was the last day for us since they had decided to spend the night before their flight in the city at the Riande. I ran the treasure hunt which went down well and then we all went to Don Q’s for an early dinner. A few group photos in the car park, hugs all round and then we went our separate ways. We have heard that they all made it back safely although I don’t know how many turned up to school on Monday morning. Three flights and a bus ride getting home around midnight doesn’t make for very happy kids the next day!
We must have enjoyed the experience since we haven’t stopped talking about what a great bunch of kids they were since they left. Even if it’s not the best paid job in the world working with kids and their teachers is pretty interesting and definitely leaves you feeling like you have done something worthwhile.
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