Bocas Bound Part II

        Conor and I were disappointed that our perfect day had coasted to a stop on the side of the road.  We were optimistic though.  VW's are notoriously easy to work on, Con had a VW step-by-step "what could be wrong with your bus" manual, and we still had a few hours of daylight to fix the problem.  First thought was that we had run out of gas.  An embarrassing problem, but an easy fix.  We hoped it was as simple as that.  Con hitch hiked to the nearest gas station while Elwood, the pups, and I stayed with the bus.  We were stopped by a plantain farm and there were quite a few indigenous workers coming and going so I explained our situation more than a few times to a curious and friendly group of Indios.  Con came back with the gas, we held our breath while he tried to start the bus but unfortunately that did not fix our problem.  Next thought was that a coil had gone bad.  This had happened while we were in Costa Rica looking at the bus to buy and that was also an easy fix.  Con left for the parts store while me and my crew stayed with the bus and a growing number of intrigued workers.  Con came back via taxi, installed the part while our taxi man joined the crowd to watch the broke down gringo show.  We all crossed our fingers while Con tried to turn over the engine.  The coil was not the problem.  The audience and I let out a murmur of disappointment.  We were getting a little frustrated, more than a little sweaty, but still keeping our cool about us.  Con read through his VW manual while I held a ridiculously good Elwood in the shade.  I felt fortunate that the weather had turned from a typical Central American sunny hotness to a rare overcast, mildly breezy day.  After Conor read several chapters in his VW manual and had finished mentally troubleshooting all the possibilities, he came up with a different diagnosis.  That entailed another trip to the parts store with our willing taxi driver to pick this part up.

        While Conor was gone, the owners of the farm showed up.  Thankfully they were a kind couple who were not irritated that not only had we stopped blocking the entrance to their small road side fruit stand but we also stopped a lot of their workers from being productive.  They were just as interested in us as everyone else was.  We were stalled seemingly in the middle of nowhere so we were hot news to the group of people that worked and lived near the farm.  Con returned with the next new part, installed it, tried the engine and again the growing crowd let out sighs of frustration when the engine did not turn over.  We were surrounded by a very empathetic group of people.  It was now 5pm, we were out of options.  We needed a mechanic, we were over an hour away from the nearest town, and both of us had some pretty serious B.O. kicking.  Con talked with the owner, Enrique, and asked if we could spend the night in our bus on their property and call a mechanic in the morning.  Enrique would have none of it.  We were not sleeping in the bus.  He and his wife insisted on welcoming our dirty, sweaty little family into their home.  Enrique's wife, Marilyn, ushered us into her home, made up a bed for us, and cooked us a delicious dinner of fried chicken, patacones, and rice.  Conor was holding Elwood when dinner was ready and Marilyn sat Conor down in front of his steaming plate of food, took Elwood from his arms and rocked him while we ate at her table.  The warmness and genuine hospitality this couple showed us is something we will always remember and appreciate.  It makes me want to be more kind and open to strangers.  We all hear so many negative stories, it can start to harden your heart.   This experience started to melt the cynical, defensive, unfriendly nugget in my heart that I cautiously had held onto while interacting with potentially shady looking people.  Con and I were looking as dirty and unprepared as they come, traveling with a newborn in an apparently unreliable vehicle and these people took us in as if we were family.

        After we finished our generous portions of home cooked food, we were hoping the kindness would next come in an offer to use their shower as we were grimy from our day but after dinner we were invited to sit down and watch TV.  We watched the news and The Simpson's in spanish, received lots of unsolicited baby advice from Marilyn, and then it was time for bed.  I do have to share the most urgent baby advice from Marilyn, as it is the most common advice I have received from adorable older Panamanian women since Elwood has been born.  The advice is that every time Elwood makes a noise, a squeak, a grunt, a hiccup, whatever, he is telling me that he is cold.  Even in 90 degree heat earlier that day, while Elwood's face was red and sweaty, Marilyn asked me more than once if I had a hat to put on him.

        Our bedroom was separated from Enrique and Marilyn's bedroom by one very thin wall and both of our "doors" were drawn curtains so I hoped that Elwood did not have a rough night.  Elwood was such a team player that night!  He barely let out a whimper, let alone a You aren't using cold wipes to change my diaper, are you?!?! screams or a I am so hungry I can't get to the boob fast enough yells all night.  He nursed and slept like a champion. The next morning we were served an awesome breakfast of eggs, boiled plantains, plantain oatmeal, and fresh papaya.  The mechanic arrived at 8am, telling Conor that the taxi driver had called him last night and informed him of our situation.  (Cynical little nugget in my heart melting further.)  The mechanic messed around a bit with the engine, took a few parts off and back to his shop to try and fix what he thought was the problem, came back and almost got the bus running.  It started a few times which really led to us getting hopeful but the bus just wouldn't stay on.  The mechanic explained the only place to get the parts that we needed was in David, a three hour bus ride away.  It was our only option so Con packed a back pack and put his now two days worth of dirt, grease and stink self on the bus to David.  He called from David several hours later to say he was trying to figure something out but he wouldn't be able to get back tonight so he wanted to get Elwood and me to Bocas.  He wanted us safe and clean and not by ourselves at the plantain farm in the middle of nowhere.  I asked Marilyn to call me a taxi so I could get to Almirante to catch the water taxi to Bocas.  Enrique overheard my request and immediately offered to drive me, Elwood and the dogs the hour to Almirante.  I threw a few things into a bag and hopped in my gracious hosts car for our trip.  We arrived just in time for me to to pile myself, Elwood strapped to me in a sling, the two bewildered dogs, and my back pack into the last water taxi of the day.  Enrique helped me out of his car and I couldn't help but give him a huge good bye hug and kiss while thanking him for all the help.  He grinned back at me, his eyes smiling, and bid me farewell.  My little crew made it to our cabana in Bocas with no problems.  We were tired and dirty but everyone was excited to be back.  Elwood and I took the best shower with hot water and then we all, including the dogs, crashed out for the night.

         Meanwhile, in David, Conor was unsuccessfully searching for our needed part.  While he was checking in the last part store in David, a costumer overheard his situation, remembered randomly talking to me about VW's in a grocery store parking lot, and offered help to Con.  Con was surprised this random guy knew me but was grateful for the no longer dead end he had found himself in.  Our new friend owned several VW's and knew of a mechanic in town that might have the part Conor was looking for.  This guy drove him to the mechanic and Con was able to get the needed part, only it was a used part off a bus this guy was working on.  Well, it was better than nothing.  The following morning, Con caught the bus back to the plantain farm and with high hopes he installed the "new to us" parts into the bus.  He tried the engine, anxious to meet me and our little family in beautiful Bocas, but again, the engine would not turn over.  Frustrated he decided to get himself towed to Almirante, into a mechanic shop and just get whatever parts we need shipped from Panama City.  A Chiquita Banana truck passing by offered him a tow.  Hearing the commotion, an indigenous guy appeared out of the bushes and offered up a thick tow rope to use.  He only asked for $1 as payment for the rope but Conor had just been to the ATM and only had $20's.  His lucky day.  Just two more kind souls helping us along on our trip. (nugget practically completed melted by now.)  The hour or so to Almirante is a mountainous, curvy passage and the Chiquita truck was doing its best towing our little bus but the hills proved too much for our brakes.  Brake fluid sprayed all over Con's feet as the brakes gave up the fight about half way to town.  Did our Chiquita Banana man throw in the towel? Nope, he towed Con up the hills and then untied him from his truck and let him coast as far as he could get.  Then he would drive to where Con and the bus made it to, tie the bus back up to his truck and pull Conor up the next huge hill.  They repeated this pattern until the bus was pulled into a mechanic shop in Almirante.  The Chiquita Banana man refused the thank you money Conor offered, wished him luck, and drove off to deliver his bananas.  The mechanic told Conor he would look at the bus the following day so a weary Con grabbed a water taxi and met his family in Bocas.

         We all took a walk on the beach together and let the warm salty breeze blow away our frustrations.  Con and I held hands while Elwood slept peacefully in the sling.  The dogs ran on the sandy beaches, chased coconuts, wrestled each other, and crashed through the waves.  We all felt good to be together and in Bocas del Toro, even though it was without the bus for now.  Things in life had been going quite smoothly for us, we decided we were over-do for a hiccup.  All things considered, the drama with the parts and the bus weren't too bad, they were funny now that we were all together.  We felt such appreciation and gratitude towards the local Panamanians.   We were graced with the kindness of strangers more than once.  It made me feel proud that we brought our child into the world in a country where that seemed to be the norm, not the exception.  Our experience has encouraged me to remember that we all need a little help sometimes and to always buy Chiquita Bananas.

Post Script:  We were able to order the parts we needed from Panama City via a courier service.  The mechanic in Almirante worked with Conor and they installed the new parts together, furthering Con's knowledge of the bus for future projects.  Conor and the bus took the ferry to Bocas and now our family is cruising the Bocas streets in style.

Marilyn holding Elwood

Enrique is a true lover of animals and had quite a few on his property.
 He proudly gave us a tour in the morning

These Pekinese ducks were way down the stream and they all started swimming towards Enrique when he called for them

They were rewarded with feed when they arrived

This pet deer is named Sandra, and she also comes when Enrique calls

Walking the beaches of Bocas once again

Once the VW was up and running again,  

Conor and the bus made the trip from Almirante to Bocas on the car ferry

Leaving Almirante

Arriving in Bocas