Bocas del Toro, Mi Amore...

 Hello Blogsters!  Welcome back, and thanks for following!  Since my last post, there have been some good times and bad... but mostly good.  Marquitos and I just left Bocas del Toro, Panama.  It's in the Caribbean and its beautiful.  We stayed on a couple of different islands.  We left two days ago, though not before the Full Moon Party tonight, which ended up being pretty fun.  Bocas in general was amazing, but the trip there was not...

 To get from Santa Catalina, to Bocas it took us two taxis, four buses, and 13 hours to get to Bocas del Toro.  And these aren't cushy buses with air conditioning.  And whatever the capacity of the bus may be, they try and pretty much double it.  Bathroom breaks you ask?  Hahaha... that's funny.  Though, you don't really NEED to pee because you are sweating for 6 hours straight, in a 122 degree bus with people all over each other.  I now know what a sardine feels like... except they get water in the can.  Well, there are no shortcuts to any place worth going, right?!
 

 When we finally made it, we checked into a hostel called Mondo Taitu.  Immediately when we walk in we can tell its a party spot, everyone looks hungover and haggard... game on!  I actually got to know the owners of the hostel pretty well.  These two guys, TJ and Jack, 25 years old, who went to Princeton and bought this place and just live the dream now... crazy.  Awesome.  They offered me a job.  Don't worry, I didn't accept...yet.

 Any way, we have hit up some amazing islands and basically just relaxing in paradise during the day.  Swimming, reading, a little surf, trying to rip open coconuts...

Even though there are all these clubs and young bars, our favorite spot we found on Isla Colon was this bar called The Riptide.  It was just a boat that was turned into a bar/restaurant.  And it was the saltiest spot we found - old guys yelling at each other and hitting on young girls, smoking, drinking, fish stories, arm wrestling for beers/pride, good food, and great drinks.  Mark and I want to start one.

Another awesome thing we did was a catamaran party cruise.  Pics are below.  SOOOO fun!  We sailed around, all you can eat sushi and drink, doing flips off the bow.  Super fun.  Before I left I bought a new camera, its really nice and compact, but the main reason I wanted it is that its waterprooof up to ten feet.  So, on the catamaran I get the idea that I want to take a video of me doing a backflip... while I hold the camera.  It starts out great, but I hit the water and come up for air and realize I dropped the camera.  Mark is looking down from the catamara - "Mark! I dropped my camera!!!"  He yells  "GO GET IT!!!"  Logical...

So I breath deep and dive, opening my eyes under water, I can see a silvery glimmer getting smaller and smaller.  I swim as fast and deep as I can.  Still going, and actually gaining on it!  Finally, as my lungs set on fire, I grab my sinking camera and shoot for oxegyn.  I breachthe surface and extinguish the flames in my chest.  Holding my camera in the air above my head, Mark yells "No Way!!!"  Yes way.  I'm not losing that thing...  The best part of the story is that its all on video!  The camera was sinking lens-side up.  So I have the flip, the splash, the stall at the surface, the rescue dive down, the grab, and finally the triumphant return to the surface... all on video!!

Playin' some coconut catch...

The Riptide

Catamaran backflips...

Makin' some sushi...

Some of you may have already heard, but I was in an eating contest (YES Eric, Josh, and Adam - I'm FAT - OKAY!? And I enjoyed every minute of it!!!)  Any way, Mark and I met this Isreali guy named Uri.  Easily has 100 lbs on me.  The Beeeaar Jeeew.  He's super cool though, a gentle giant and funny as hell.  Any way, we start talikng about how we can eat.  Long story short, on the catamaran we set a time for the next day to have an eating contest.  I have to eat one pound of beef with cream sheese in the middle, and he has to eat two...

Hangover cure?  We'll see!

Needless to say, after the day on the catamaran and going out that night, I wake up hoping this guy has forgotten all about it.  Nope.  No way.  HE is all smiles and ready to go.  I tell myself "Whatever, put your game face on and man-up Towery." So Uri starts making these Heart Attack Specials, and my stomach starts to sink...  this is a lot of food, and a handful of cream cheese in the middle.  Bring on the meat sweats, its's not like I havn't had ém before.  So we finally sit, shake hands and its on.  No water, just meat.  I take a huge bite and realize its over cooked and super dry... swallowing is gonna be hard (say it Josh...).  Well, I power through and keep going, and at first I think I got him, I'm halfway through and he is still on this first pound.  But then I hit the "meat wall" and cant swallow.  Here come the meat sweats...  Whatever, MAN UP!!!  I battle through to the bitter end, but this guy Uri is a machine.  I'm sad to say he took me down Blogsters, but the crowd of the hostel is impressed by both efforts and there's high fives and meat hugs all around.  Yes, high fives are allowed on the meat box... and no, I didn't puke.

Okay boys and girls, that's it for now!  Stay tuned for the next installment.  I'll try and post sooner rather than later.  Mark and I are currently in Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.  We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner tommorrow for about 15 people, we spent the day riding bikes aroud town buying everything we need... including a frozen and a LIVE turkey that we are gonna slaughter tommorrow.  I'll take pics.  Sorry vegetarians, carnivors rule.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!  Until next time friends and family... -Jefe

Aqua Lounge Hostel on the water... giant trampoline and swings.