San San Pond Sak

Saturday we went to our new friend Roberto´s church. He´s the president to the boatman´s assn on Bastimentos and an Elder in the church. The sermon was given by a youth group leader. it was a good word. about God´s People right after their first big victory. beating Jericho. The next challenge was the little town of Ai. Thinking they were pretty big stuff and forgetting their recent win was totally God, they said to themselves "we can beat them with one hand tied behind our back". " it's a little town, we'll just send 3000 soldiers". Well Ai kicked their butts. We fall into the same kind of thinking. We forget that living victoriously means keeping up our spiritual discipline( forgiving/confessing, praying, meditating ,etc), remembering that we are totally dependent on God, and following God's orders as best as we can.

In this little town ( no roads just one sidewalk that runs along the waterfront and another that runs up the hill) the evening hang out is a little park above the public dock. We sat with everyone else looking out to sea which was lit now and again by distant lightning. pretty quiet ... that is until the kids got 2 dogs worked up and a dogfight got going.

Sunday 10/6 up early. Goodbye to our "tree-house". As we approach the dock, Roberto's son pops his head out his window. "Heading out?" quickly we are led out to the boat and climb aboard. It's a 10 minute trip to Bocas town. from there we arrange a water taxi to the mainland. We are headed for the nature preserve of San San Pond Sak, which is managed by the environmental group Assn of AMigos y VEcinos de la COsta y la NAturleza or AAMVECONA. we negociate  passage on a couple of diffierent buses through Chiquita's vast banana plantations.

When we arrive at the visitor center all is quiet. I'm hoping I was clear in my telephone communications, especially since it was all in Spanish. Soon a big canoe with an outboard pulls up at the dock. It's our guide, Erick.