Bet you didn't know you could catch these in Bocas!
Sailfish caught by Arturo Boyes on the north side of Isla Colon.
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100-Year Anniversary!
by Annette Preston The Bocas Breeze, along with a few other long-time residents of Bocas received an invitation to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hotel Bahia with an historical talk and discussion by Tito Thomas, current owner of the hotel, Guillermo Sanchez, former politician, literary prize winner and distinguished author, and Bobby Eisenmann, successful businessman and promoter of the Panamanian newspaper La Prensa. I was thrilled when Melody asked me to go with her, however, I didn’t know she was going to ask me to write about it. So, here I am doing the unimaginable, but we all have to pitch in and enjoy making this newspaper a great success!
Sr. Thomas started the evening with wine, hors-d’oevres and history lesson of Bocas del Toro. He told us that the United Fruit Company started here in 1899. People from all over the Caribbean arrived to work in the banana fields as well as starting other types of support services. Many of their ancestors are still here today. By 1920, Bocas was booming with over 25,000 people, many businesses, and 3 local newspapers.
I was surprised to learn that many “firsts” for Panama took place right here, such as the first lottery, ice making plant and international racetrack in Guabito.
According to Mr. Thomas, the United Fruit Company first built its headquarters in the late 1800’s right near the police station. The building burnt down in 1904 and a second one, now known as Hotel Bahia, was built in 1905. The United Fruit Company ships were serviced in Boca del Drago on the north end of the island and their machine shop was located at Macca Hill, which is now the Bocas Yacht Club and Marina.
In 1915, the banana disease hit followed by the 1929 Great Depression. People were soon leaving Bocas to find work elsewhere in Panama. When the railroad arrived, the United Fruit Company abandoned their headquarters here and moved to Almirante. It was a grave time for Bocas. The only operation remaining in the building was the Tropical Radio and Telegraph station. In 1967 Sr. Thomas bought it and turned it into Hotel Bahia.
We then had the very great pleasure of meeting Srs. Sanchez and Eisenmann. These brave and distinguished men from Bocas del Toro thrilled us with their stories about Panama and their courageous days as newspapermen running the Panamanian newspaper, La Prensa. Sr. Roberto Eisenmann started the La Prensa in 1980 along with 750 small shareholders including the employees. They shared harrowing stories of running a newspaper during the times of dictatorship; stories filled with tales of unthinkable courage.
Sr. Guillermo’s famous column was filled with humor that exposed corruption and murder to the government. During the reign of dictators the column’s “claim to fame” was, by their own courage, to expose the government, which in turn, gave courage to the people of Panama, enabling them forget their own fears.
Even though the newspaper was temporarily closed three times, major players jailed or exiled and having been shut down for 2 years during Noriega’s reign, some protection was provided by the support of the international community and institutions such as the N.Y. Times, who picked up Sr. Sanchez’ column. The dictators did not necessarily have a sense of humor, but by having a public image to maintain, unintentionally provided additional protection.
It was quite an incredible evening listening to these gentlemen, who somehow bravely stood up to their life’s most challenging and dangerous times and made a difference. I was personally spell bound by their exciting tales too numerous to tell.
We would like to thank Tito Thomas and distinguished guests along with all others who contributed to the success of this evening. In addition, we’d like to thank Sr. Guillermo Sanchez, well-known author of “In the Time of the Tyrants,” and “The Drowning One (El Ahogado)”, who was generous enough to supply the group with several copies of his various books.
Magic is afoot in Bocas! Yes, times are changing and we can be part of the problem or part of the solution.
For example, let’s talk about garbage. We moan and groan and complain to the local administration, awarding them with total responsibility. Maybe we should ask, “What can I do to help?” I’d like to make a proposal. Why don’t we as local business owners make a contribution to our community by putting a garbage can on every corner of downtown Bocas and paying for the disposal? The Bocas Breeze volunteers to sponsor garbage cans, and if your business is willing to participate, please contact our office on the main street or at 683-1369, or email us at BocasBreeze@yahoo.com.
A word about advertising. The key to successful advertising is consistency. Name-recognition is what will send customers to your door. A one-time ad may not bring immediate success, but after two or three months in a row, people will start to remember. In addition to Bocas, the newspaper is distributed in every major domestic airport in Panama, plus many hotels and businesses in Panama City and David. If people see your ad before they arrive, they will be more likely to notice your business when they walk down the street.
Again, the Bocas Breeze is looking for article contributions from its readers. Pull those funny stories and tall-fish tales out of your hats and send them in! And articles with valuable information are always welcome. We need information for the Events Calendar, so if you know what’s going on around town please let us know. A successful newspaper benefits the entire community, and remember, this is YOUR community.
Have a great month!
Melody Burt
Pole-Building Construction
By Mack Robertson
I’m not an expert on building or tropical woods, but over the years quite a few newcomers to Bocas have stopped by the resort to admire my designs and buildings. Some have even urged me to write about my building techniques and about the woods that are available in the area, so here it is.
Having grown up in the tropics, I’ve lived in many fine tropical homes. They were invariably built out of hardwoods and all featured a living area that was elevated high above the ground for ventilation, security and isolation from varmints and vermin. The view is nicer from up there, too!
If you’ve been to our place on Careening Cay you’ll see that I’m a great fan of pole building designs. They offer a very quick and economical solution to tropical construction. The internet has some information, but it’s mainly advertising for services rather than plans or comparisons. Some of the more exotic sites have excellent pictures of lodge houses from New Guinea and other Polynesian locations, all good for stimulating the imagination.
Finding suitable poles can be a challenge. For my first few buildings I used a local tree called Spanish Elm, locally known as Pamichela, which is fairly common in pastures of the islands and mainland. This tree grows very tall and straight and is extremely hard, so it must be pre-drilled for any fasteners. Sapwood is white and Heartwood has a beautiful dark red color. I paint the buried parts of the pole with equal parts of creosote and tar, and then treat the base of the pole where the post meets the soil up to 3 feet above ground with used diesel engine oil to keep away bugs and fungus.
Now that treated pine pilings are more readily available, I’ve begun using them. There are many grades of treated pine from which to choose and their durability directly relates to the volume of pressure treatment used. Most pine siding is treated to 0.3 lb/cu. ft., telephone poles are treated to 0.6 lb/cu. ft. and marine grade pilings are treated to 2.7 lb/cu ft.
Marine (salt-treated) pilings are guaranteed for 15 years when used in the sea and should be used if building a house. They should outlast all of us when used for house pilings and need no treatment on their buried parts. These poles are imported from Honduras with applicable certificates, and are available from our good friends at Popa Lumber (757-9115).
One of the characteristics of pole building construction is that the roof is supported directly on the poles. The walls are not load bearing. This is a great advantage where the soil is “gumbo” or sand, like on Careening Cay. The poles are set on individual footings rather than a foundation and it’s very similar to the concrete construction techniques used by local builders. The only difference is cost and time to set the poles. In both cases, the savings is about 75%.
Another important consideration is the seismic resistance of pole building construction because the building and its members will flex during an earthquake instead of crack. Bocas del Toro is a seismically active area, so this is an important benefit.
Since hardwoods are still quite readily available here, and they are considered a luxury where most of us come from, it only makes sense to avail ourselves of the beauty and warmth inherent in their use.
I’m not a building contractor, but anyone interested in looking at my pole building designs are welcome to come by Careening Cay Resort & Marina. Look for a discussion of available hardwoods in a future issue. Creative Cooking in Bocas
By Christin Roberts
The first time I ate papaya I thought it tasted the same way the jungle smells. Later, with more papaya eating experiences, I realized that the particular one I had eaten was overripe. So, how does one pick the perfect papaya? It needs to be orange with some mold spots, but no holes and soft to the touch, but not mushy.
Papaya is native to South America and is considered both a fruit and a vegetable. When green, it’s used in stews, soups and stuffing. When ripe, its fruit is used in desserts, drinks and jellies. The leaves can be used as greens. Boil them in water until tender, changing the water twice to get rid of the bitterness, and then add seasonings to taste. The little black peppery seeds can be used as garnish and adds flavor to salads etc. Papaya seeds contain beneficial digestive salts and the papaya flesh is sold as a digestive enzyme in most health food stores. It contains papin, a protein-splitting enzyme used to tenderize meat. Juice the fruit, pour it over the meat and maybe add some garlic and pepper for added taste. My favorite way to eat papaya is to cut into cubes, squeeze lemon over the top and chill. Papaya Sherbet
4 cups papaya pulp
2½ cups sugar
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup orange juice
3 egg whites
Combine pulp, sugar and juices. Beat egg whites stiff and fold in carefully then freeze.
Enjoy this great refreshing dessert on a hot Bocas afternoon!
 ANOTHER YEAR – ANOTHER RECORD! The Bocas community’s annual fundraiser collected a record $5,100 at the dinner/auction in March for Bocas community projects!
The Liki Tiki made a great venue and the floral decorations were terrific! 85 guests enjoyed a sit-down gourmet meal before the auction and 20 others, who were unable to buy dinner tickets, arrived later to participate in the silent and live auctions. Malcolm Henderson was our most able auctioneer and kept the bidding at a brisk pace!
The highlight of the evening was when the final live auction item, (the same carved wooden chair that is re-donated and auctioned every year,) was sold and then immediately re-donated and re-auctioned, raising an incredible $1,100!!!
Funds generated at this event are dedicated to ongoing educational programs. The schools that received aid during this past year are doing so because new property owners in the area became aware of their needs and are actively involved in supporting their schools. If you live in an outlying area and would like help with your school’s project, then contact us. We would like to see aid given to more schools and we welcome your involvement.
On behalf of the committee chairpersons Dorreene Reynolds, Jan Williams, Pat Hermanson, Sumayyah McCarren, Marilyn Johnson and Malcolm Henderson, thank you all for helping to make this evening the best fund-raiser yet! 
"Princeton Surfer Girls" - waiting for the surf competition at Bluff Beach
"Monkey Crossing" - on the road to Boca del Drago
©2005 Clay Blaker
"Bocas-portation" - the only way to go"
©2005 Melody Burt
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Rainy Days and Mondays
by Tennille Dinon Considering how much it rains in Bocas, you would think there would be more indoor activities for the tourists to enjoy, and especially, some place to bring our kids, now that so many families are moving here.
With all the many people moving to Bocas to open up businesses and fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams, think about this for a moment. What we need is a movie house, a big comfy cafe type lounge where you can see a movie. A bowling alley and roller rink would be great! Or, how about a jamboree fun house for kids, mini golf, arcade, arts and craft workshops, photo developing store, bookstore and educational workshops.
Activities! Let’s not let Bocas turn into a retirement retreat hideaway where all the folks with the bucks just curl up and hide when it rains.
For those on their way and for those already here, take whatever strengths you have, (maybe you’re a painter, pottery maker, writer, retired teacher, dancer, ymnast, whatever) and give something back to the community that we’re trying to build here. Life's too short. Create activities for our kids, for our future. Make a difference!
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 Mayor’s Message Moving forward has been challenging for all of us. Although small steps, we are marching ahead. The road ahead is clear to me and it looks bright for Bocas. I am certain that with the continuous support of the community, the future of Bocas is in our hands.I assure you that I am looking into the issues that currently are plaguing Bocas. Unfortunately, it’s just like it is when doing repair work and you remove one piece of wood and end up finding out that everything under it is also deteriorated and needs replacement. There is no doubt that we are building from the ground up. Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.
Composting Latrines
by Mike Gaffney  Since June of 2002 Peace Corps volunteers have built nearly 250 composting latrines in more than 20 indigenous Ngobe communities on the mainland. This project has involved several Panamanian government agencies, the Peace Corps, a Changuinola non-profit, Ngobe communities, and individual families. The goals are, 1) to improve the health of the Ngobe population, and 2) to diminish environmental contamination associated with human waste disposal. Throughout 2005, volunteers will continue to monitor, educate and promote the use of the composting latrine.
What is a Composting Latrine? The composting latrine has its roots in Asia, where farmers have been composting human waste for centuries. Over the years, the composting of human waste has become safer, more sophisticated, and more popular. The composting latrine that Peace Corps is introducing is an environmentally friendly non-contaminating human waste disposal system. It consists of a 2 X 1.5 meter above-ground box made of concrete or cement block. Wood can also be used. It is one meter or 4 levels of cement block in height. The box is divided in the center to create two chambers. On top of each chamber is a floor with a specially designed toilet bowl that separates the urine and solid waste. Urine is carried outside the box with PVC plumbing and allowed to filter in the soil. The solid waste and used toilet paper fall into the dry chamber below, where it is covered manually with dry organic material. The dry organic material (saw dust, rice hulls, dry grass or leaves chopped fine, ash, dry soil, and/or lime) covers the waste, eliminates odors and insects, and helps in the decomposition.
Only one chamber is used at a time. For a family of 8-10 adults it will take roughly six months to fill the first chamber. Then, the empty second chamber is used while the first one is in a state of decomposition. Harmful pathogens that may be present in the first chamber are killed off by the combination of heat and time. By the time the second chamber is full, the first chamber is opened and its contents (organic compost) are harvested for use as plant fertilizer.
Why the composting latrine? Among all its beauty, Bocas del Toro is also known for its heavy rains, high water table, and nonporous clay soils. All of these combined factors conspire against the use of septic systems and pit latrines. Bad design and poor location of these types of human waste disposal create serious health problems and contamination of our seas, rivers, creeks, and subterranean waters.
On the other hand, the composting latrine does not use water and will not contaminate the environment. Of course, it must be cared for and used correctly. Moreover, the composting latrine closes the recycling loop by providing the user with safe organic compost as an end product.
Interested? If you are interested about learning more about this technology or even constructing your very own composting latrine contact: Jessie Frazier, the Peace Corps coordinator in Bocas del Toro, at 576-1241 or jessiecfrazier@hotmail.com.
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Another Day in Paradise
by Allene Blaker Apparently most everyone in Bocas has met the new mayor Señor Eligio Binns. Anyone I run into these days is on his way to see the mayor, or has just left the mayor's office, or has scheduled an appointment. Everyone knows the mayor except me.
Where I come from, a meeting with the mayor is a huge event. In Houston it is planned for weeks or months and there are media folks about, and flashbulbs going off, and when the meeting is over the mayor's guest is presented with a Texas flag that flew over the courthouse that very day (there is a small charge for this though -- I think about $5000.). But so far, the people I've talked to who have met with the Honorable Señor Binns didn't have issues of major importance. There are the usual folks who file complaints against their neighbors simply because that is what they do wherever they go. And then the neighbors are forced to meet with the mayor to explain their side. And back and forth, and so on.
Lorelei had legitimate business to discuss with the mayor but was refused admittance to the courthouse because she was wearing shorts. Fortunately there is a kiosk nearby for this very reason. They sell clothes, and possibly rent them by the hour. Lorelei found a nice retro lime-green skirt that could only have been improved upon if she had also donned tangerine-colored fishnet hose.
Even my husband has met with the mayor when he had to pick up a building permit. He wasn't asked to wear a skirt though.
I'm trying to plan a meeting with the mayor myself since I feel kind of left out and unimportant. So I'm putting some issues together that I feel could be of enough significance that I'll be admitted to that inner sanctum.
My rocket-scientist cousin at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab has been mission manager of the last few Mars landings and is now coordinating the 2006 mission. He and his fellow nerds are always looking for challenging places to test the Rovers and I think it would be a diplomatic gesture if Mayor Binns offered the streets of Bocas, specifically between Las Brisas and the rodeo grounds, for JPL's use. If the Rovers can navigate the craters on these roads, they can certainly handle the potholes on Mars.
I would also like to address the stray dog issue. I see bicycles getting rounded up all the time by the Transitos and the police compound is often a tangle of wheels and handlebars. Town folks pay the ransom, get their little license plates updated and suffer the shame of having to bail their bikes out of jail. But I have yet to be bitten by a bike, or yanked out of a dream by a barking bike, or chased down the street by one, nor have I watched a bike knocking over trashcans and pulling rotten food out for dinner leaving behind cans, bottles, paper, foil and expired bicycle license plates.
And speaking of trash, I might bring up two problems that seem unrelated but might have a connection somehow, somewhere. These are the issues: 1) Too much trash on the streets and beaches and, 2) Prisoners who need exercise and fresh air.
I'm still working on a solution but I think I know the man who can help. When you see me next I will probably be on my way to a meeting with Señor Binns. Wish me luck!
I hope Lorelei will lend me her skirt and I hope the mayor gives me a Panama flag.
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