Nov 2007
You are invited
Friday, November 30, 2007
What if you received an invitation to inner peace?
Would it be the ultimate indulgence for you? Would it
be nice to have a consoling sense that you were no
longer part of the outside world (at least
temporarily)?
Here in Bocas del Toro Panama you can go to any number of beautiful white sand beaches and lose yourself in the beauty of the moment. The clear blue water set against the deep blue sky is an amazing sight. One could spend hours lost in such a spot.
Each day you can escape from the every day of the outside world. The biggest decision you need to make each day is what time you want to start your day. After breakfast you can head over to any of the different Panama Islands and begin your day of relaxation. You arrive at the beach armed with everything you need for a perfect day on a secluded beach. Picnic lunch, cold beverages, beach chairs, beach toys, sea kayaks, snorkeling equipment, etc. are all carried over to the island for you and placed in a perfect spot where you have access to both the sun and the shade. The time in the water will soothe your body, calm your spirit and feed your soul.
Here in Bocas del Toro Panama you can go to any number of beautiful white sand beaches and lose yourself in the beauty of the moment. The clear blue water set against the deep blue sky is an amazing sight. One could spend hours lost in such a spot.
Each day you can escape from the every day of the outside world. The biggest decision you need to make each day is what time you want to start your day. After breakfast you can head over to any of the different Panama Islands and begin your day of relaxation. You arrive at the beach armed with everything you need for a perfect day on a secluded beach. Picnic lunch, cold beverages, beach chairs, beach toys, sea kayaks, snorkeling equipment, etc. are all carried over to the island for you and placed in a perfect spot where you have access to both the sun and the shade. The time in the water will soothe your body, calm your spirit and feed your soul.
Banana republic
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Bocas del Toro Panama is in the middle of the Banana
Republic. For many years the area was supported
strictly by its banana production. So, here are a few
facts about bananas that you may now know:
Banana plants are not trees. They are a giant herb of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms. The rhizome is planted and gives a first growth three or four weeks later. After nine or ten months the cluster of flowers from the circle of leaflike cusps can have a diameter of up to seven meters which is the beginning of the fruiting process. Three days later a bud hangs from the plant. On the fifth day following the initiation of the fruiting process, the bud turns red and starts opening. Seven days following the initiation of the fruiting process the leaves which covered the cluster of flowers begin falling down. And then finally two days later you can see the first banana hands. The best way for the bananas to ripen is for them to be cut at about this time and the stem is hung upside down.
Each banana stem has ten to 14 hands. Each hand holds about 18 to 20 bananas. Bananas prepared for export are cut green. There are twenty days from the time they are cut green to the time they will be ripe. In this time period they must be processed and shipped.
We are fortunate here in Bocas del Toro because our bananas are left to ripen at least partially on the plant which allows them to develop a much richer flavor.
Banana plants are not trees. They are a giant herb of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms. The rhizome is planted and gives a first growth three or four weeks later. After nine or ten months the cluster of flowers from the circle of leaflike cusps can have a diameter of up to seven meters which is the beginning of the fruiting process. Three days later a bud hangs from the plant. On the fifth day following the initiation of the fruiting process, the bud turns red and starts opening. Seven days following the initiation of the fruiting process the leaves which covered the cluster of flowers begin falling down. And then finally two days later you can see the first banana hands. The best way for the bananas to ripen is for them to be cut at about this time and the stem is hung upside down.
Each banana stem has ten to 14 hands. Each hand holds about 18 to 20 bananas. Bananas prepared for export are cut green. There are twenty days from the time they are cut green to the time they will be ripe. In this time period they must be processed and shipped.
We are fortunate here in Bocas del Toro because our bananas are left to ripen at least partially on the plant which allows them to develop a much richer flavor.
Bocas del Toro Food
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Breakfast in Paradise. We serve breakfast each day
beginning around 8:00 am until around 10:00 am. We will
start breakfast early for any guests leaving on
excursions early in the morning or for an early flight
departing from Bocas del Toro.
Yummy French toast
Delicious breakfast tacos
Tasty banana pancakes
Fresh baked muffins or cinnamon rolls
Savory vegetable quiche
These are just some of the items we serve for breakfast here at Tranquilo Bay. We offer one breakfast entrée and one breakfast meat each day. We serve Panamanian coffee, a variety of fruit juices, tea and a selection of fresh fruits. You can always get eggs any style with toast or a various flavors of yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal.
Lunch – Home or Away. We prepare lunch for our guests departing on excursions each day and pack it into an igloo for whenever they are ready to eat. Generally our picnic lunches include a sandwich, fresh fruit, freshly baked cookies and a variety of beverages. We also will pack salads and other items as requested by our guests. Lunch on site frequently includes a salad with grilled chicken or a typico lunch with chicken guisada, rice, patacones and a small salad. We always have freshly baked cookies available. All baked items are made fresh daily in our kitchen.
Yummy French toast
Delicious breakfast tacos
Tasty banana pancakes
Fresh baked muffins or cinnamon rolls
Savory vegetable quiche
These are just some of the items we serve for breakfast here at Tranquilo Bay. We offer one breakfast entrée and one breakfast meat each day. We serve Panamanian coffee, a variety of fruit juices, tea and a selection of fresh fruits. You can always get eggs any style with toast or a various flavors of yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal.
Lunch – Home or Away. We prepare lunch for our guests departing on excursions each day and pack it into an igloo for whenever they are ready to eat. Generally our picnic lunches include a sandwich, fresh fruit, freshly baked cookies and a variety of beverages. We also will pack salads and other items as requested by our guests. Lunch on site frequently includes a salad with grilled chicken or a typico lunch with chicken guisada, rice, patacones and a small salad. We always have freshly baked cookies available. All baked items are made fresh daily in our kitchen.
Clean Living
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
We do all that we can to preserve the
land we inhabit and places we visit on a daily
basis. We have purchased about 110 acres of land
much of which is covered in secondary forest. We
only use a small percentage for our facility. The
rest is maintained in reserve for nature trails,
wildlife observation, reintroduction of native
species of flora, and native habit for fauna.
We are involved on several levels with the province of Bocas del Toro, the local people and Panama in regards to environmental issues, sustainable development, sustainable use of natural resources, local tour development, and the future of the archipelago.
We work with several indigenous communities developing touristic products that accentuate their natural culture, use of sustainable resources and environment. Several of the tourism projects we are developing now involve conservation organizations working in the area, local research scientists, indigenous communities, ANAM (Panamanian environmental agency) local NGO's and private sector eco-tourism companies. We feel that all parties that have a stake in the local community need to be involved for the projects to be successful. If all parties don't "buy in" non-sustainable practices will continue. Everyone needs an economic benefit for this to work long term.
We are also currently involved in conjunction with Salt Creek village (indigenous Ngobe Bugle) ANAM, and the Defensora de los Pueblos (Panamanian Govt. Agency) to secure a reserve adjoining the Bastimentos National Marine Park. This area is a refuge for flora and fauna, and also an important area for the harvesting of Penca's (palm leafs used for thatched roofs).
We are involved on several levels with the province of Bocas del Toro, the local people and Panama in regards to environmental issues, sustainable development, sustainable use of natural resources, local tour development, and the future of the archipelago.
We work with several indigenous communities developing touristic products that accentuate their natural culture, use of sustainable resources and environment. Several of the tourism projects we are developing now involve conservation organizations working in the area, local research scientists, indigenous communities, ANAM (Panamanian environmental agency) local NGO's and private sector eco-tourism companies. We feel that all parties that have a stake in the local community need to be involved for the projects to be successful. If all parties don't "buy in" non-sustainable practices will continue. Everyone needs an economic benefit for this to work long term.
We are also currently involved in conjunction with Salt Creek village (indigenous Ngobe Bugle) ANAM, and the Defensora de los Pueblos (Panamanian Govt. Agency) to secure a reserve adjoining the Bastimentos National Marine Park. This area is a refuge for flora and fauna, and also an important area for the harvesting of Penca's (palm leafs used for thatched roofs).
Panama Rainforest
Saturday, November 10, 2007
How often do you get to experience silence? I mean
complete lack of city noises: barking dogs, car alarms,
sirens, etc. We experience it here all the time.
The sounds we hear are those of animals, birds and rain. Each morning the parrots fly overhead as they head out for the day. The Majestic Oropendola are also in residence. Each bird has its own special sound that it makes. These sounds are a far better alarm each morning than the buzzing of an alarm clock.
The jungle is alive with sound. Frogs create their own special sound. Plants rustle in the breeze. Lizards swish the leaves of the plants as they scurry about the rain forest floor.
On the days that it rains, we can either experience the soft patter of a drizzle on the metal roof or the drums of a downpour when the rain is crashing down. We can have storms that are so intense that you believe you have never heard anything like it before and then as quickly as it started it stops.
All of these sounds merge into a soundtrack that many people buy to play as white noise to block out the noises of the city. We do not need to purchase the soundtrack – we have it live each and every day.
The sounds we hear are those of animals, birds and rain. Each morning the parrots fly overhead as they head out for the day. The Majestic Oropendola are also in residence. Each bird has its own special sound that it makes. These sounds are a far better alarm each morning than the buzzing of an alarm clock.
The jungle is alive with sound. Frogs create their own special sound. Plants rustle in the breeze. Lizards swish the leaves of the plants as they scurry about the rain forest floor.
On the days that it rains, we can either experience the soft patter of a drizzle on the metal roof or the drums of a downpour when the rain is crashing down. We can have storms that are so intense that you believe you have never heard anything like it before and then as quickly as it started it stops.
All of these sounds merge into a soundtrack that many people buy to play as white noise to block out the noises of the city. We do not need to purchase the soundtrack – we have it live each and every day.
Funny Rumours
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
I was just reading my March 2007 issue of Coastal
Living (again) and it included an article that
referenced a rumor about the founder of a resort in the
Caribbean wielding a machete to cut through the banyan
trees or was it a guide wielding the machete? I of
course found the article humorous because I definitely
know of two guys who wielded machetes and worked
without heavy equipment to carve out a piece of
paradise in the jungle.
To have a dream to create something from nothing and then to share that dream with those who happen upon you is a special thing. We have done just that here. We wanted to walk away from the day to day life in the big city and make a different life for ourselves. However, we didn’t want to be stingy and keep it all to ourselves. We knew that not everyone could walk away from the big city for good but that there were a fair number of people who wanted to leave it behind while on vacation. So we have built a place that is magical in that you are both disconnected and connected right on an island in the Caribbean Sea in the midst of the rain forest.
Take a break from your reality and come see ours.
To have a dream to create something from nothing and then to share that dream with those who happen upon you is a special thing. We have done just that here. We wanted to walk away from the day to day life in the big city and make a different life for ourselves. However, we didn’t want to be stingy and keep it all to ourselves. We knew that not everyone could walk away from the big city for good but that there were a fair number of people who wanted to leave it behind while on vacation. So we have built a place that is magical in that you are both disconnected and connected right on an island in the Caribbean Sea in the midst of the rain forest.
Take a break from your reality and come see ours.
