Spearfishing Panamanian Style

We went to visit a beach on the other side of the island-

Starfish Beach

it was about a 20 minute taxi ride 

through the interior of the island. 

But it was well worth the time- 

Nothing commercialized about this beach.

We grabbed our spears and started snorkeling.

Starfish were huge and plentiful.

So were the dolphins 

 A few thatched huts were on the beach 

where the locals ran the 

boat taxis on and off the beach, 

but other than that there was not much going on.

We went around the island 

a bit and found this great rock jetty-  

the fish were plentiful on the reef.

Bleus first spear of the day.

Can you tell what this is?

He speared 7 of them 

in about 30 minutes.

The smallest stingrays I have ever seen.

As I look at this picture I think I must be the Worst Mom Ever.  

Not only am I letting my boys swim around 

with sharp spears in their hands

 but one is spearing multiple stingrays 

and the others are still snorkeling.

Have they lost their minds???

On the Road again....

I wasn't going to blog this trip. 

I didn't want to go on this trip.
Our family has been in a state of chaos since January. 

I am tired, overwhelmed,

 sad and more than a little in need of a daily chill pill- 

.... thankfully Will puts up with my  daily panic attacks,
he coaxed me into packing,
even scheduling a counseling session so a professional could back him up
and tell me that we were 

INDEED heading to Central America for the summer with the family.

Will is an optimist, but he also knows when our family needs to rest,
regenerate and let God do a work in us as we refuel.

I am grateful for Will leading our family and hopeful our boys will learn to lead like him.

No South America this time.  

My beloved Ecuador- nothing can compare you.  

Those mountains and their beauty. 

The people we encountered  stole my heart and 

I will continually long to return. 

But this year we needed to stay closer to home. 

So we are off to the tiny archipelago of Bocas Del Toro, Panama 
 The the island of Isla Colon to be exact.

Where you can't touch the frogs because they are of the poison dart frog variety 

and the monkeys in the trees will swing down and grab your food as you are walking.

And don't touch the sloths as they carry a flesh eating parasite.  

A little boys paradise

 “it was the furthest point west that Columbus reached off the coast of Panama, and perhaps because the South American Handbook stated with its habitual frankness, ‘No tourist ever goes there.’ ” 

This is what the Conde Naste journalist Steve Stevenson 

penned about Bocas that made it a 

MUST SEE on the Bannister Boys list.  

http://www.cntraveler.com/islands/caribbean/2013/01/bocas-del-toro-panama-islands-caribbean

So after 4 days of travel. 

 Spending the night in the Miami airport during a tropical storm.

ALL our luggage gone missing for 2 days.  

2 missed planes and a 

4:30 AM hopper plane we are finally here, 

 all boys are safe and sound asleep.  

In their new Casa by the sea.