Finally got my butt out of Boquete, for a little while.  

For those of you who wondered where I went to after my last entry in March: I decided to apply for residency in Panama, mainly so I could get cheaper health insurance while traveling outside the U.S. This required a trip back home, a trip to Panama City (Panama), and several trips to David (from Boquete). Not to mention all the waiting. First I had to find a residence. That took a while. Finally found this little apartment on June 1st (see pics below) for $270/mo, everything included, even internet, but not cable.










 
































































 
 
































 







  I couldn't leave the country while waiting for my application to be approved. Next I worked on getting insured. First I had to get a cyst removed, wait for results, then wait for insurance approval, then wait for insurance card. Finally received my card in Nov. An aquaintance was getting married on Dec 10, so I stuck around for that. And my permanent residency card should be ready soon, I hope; I'll have to go to Panama City to pick it up, so I don't want to be too far away (waste of time and money to return just for that). I want my next stop to be in Guatemala, where I'll finally learn Spanish (cheaper there), and be there, or around, for at least three months.  


 
I've been needing some sun, and some warmth; although the lowest temp I've seen in Boquete is 60F, I get chilled when it drops below 70, so most mornings are cold to me. The rainy season seems to have lasted longer this year: in the past day, we've had 4 hard showers, in Bocas del Toro just off the NW coast of Panama, where I decided to spend Christmas 'vacation'.
So the first thing I did was set off to visit the beaches so I could pick out my spot to sunbathe over the next few days. I knew it was like a 30 min hike to the NE side of the island; what I didn't know is that is was over several steep hills, and, because of the continued rain, it was quite muddy and slippery. After an hour of trudging up and down and through the mud, and looking at another steep downhill (which i would have to climb again), I was nearly to the beach when I decided it wasn't worth it, turned around, went back to the hostel and cleaned the mud off my shoes and pants. Washed my shirt and hat too, in the sink, because they smelled a little from all the sweat. Then went and sat down in the deck area with a rum and coke. Came back to my room and worked on the blog until dinnertime.  

I opted for a bunk in a 6-bed dorm, but right now it's only me. There are about five couples here, all in private rooms. Haven't met or talked with anyone yet, other than the 18 yr old hostess from Amsterdam.  

Went out for dinner at about 6:45. Came back to my room. Went back to the restaurant/bar to check out the live entertainment. Then back to my room to read and go to sleep.  

That's it for day1 in Bastimentos.