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<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nBefore<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came the d\u00e9j\u00e0-vu<\/em> of our boatyard days with a long list of arduous tasks to make the house habitable and reasonably comfortable: appliances, paint, flooring, plumbing, decking\u2026 Tiling the shower in particular solidified our relationship: if that didn’t kill it, nothing will. Even though we are still not done (are you, ever?), the (tiny) sofa and (tiny) closet that we got just a few weeks ago made all the difference to make it look like the cozy, tidy and inviting place we wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the end of 2019 approached it was time to execute our plan of dodging the cold months and move to warmer latitudes. We chose to start in Panama, not because \u00d1and\u00fa was there, but because Kathy wanted to go to Chile first and, well, Panama is more or less half-way between Chile and California. More importantly, Kathy bought a ticket with Copa and it was very cheap for her to add a Santiago-Panama leg. So Panama it was, and we don\u2019t regret our choice for a rendezvous point. Coincidentally, it was during our stay in Panama that \u00d1and\u00fa got sold, and to our knowledge, she’s now in Florida. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Panama City<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bocas del Toro<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our last accommodation in Panama was our good friends\u2019 boat, Anahita, in Bocas del Toro. From Red Frog Marina we took a water taxi to Isla Colon, then a Ferry to the town of Almirante, then a bus to the border with Costa Rica. We then crossed a bridge by foot to Sixaola, where another bus and a transfer to a van finally got us to Puerto Viejo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From there we rented a car and drove across half of Costa Rica to the lush Arenal Volcano area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, a flight and a ferry took us to the island of Utila in the Caribbean, where Ada and a friend of hers joined us. We spent a month and a half freediving almost every day to get our master’s certificate. We reached new depths (4om or 130ft) and breath hold times (4m40s hers and 5m30s his\u2014she held the family record for a few, agonizing hours). Those numbers make me proud, but not nearly as much as getting an official picture id with my religious headwear<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nPanama<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nCosta Rica<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nHonduras<\/h2>\n\n\n\n