Sloths, Toucans and an Incredible View

We left Portobello on Friday for the short trip to wait for a weather window in Linton (also known as Puerto Lindo). It was just a few hour trip but it wasn't a very pleasant one. The seas had high swells as well as lots of wind chop and the wind was right on the nose. So we crashed into it (and everything below crashed about as well) and finally arrived to a very crowded anchorage. The weather hasn't been good for anyone leaving for at least a week – so that makes for an anchorage that is pretty full. We found a spot, but unfortunately it is pretty far back towards the entrance into the harbor giving us a not so pleasant roll. But, we'll make do.

Got fueled up – an adventure as well. There is now an actual place in Linton to get gas or diesel – but they were out of diesel. So we ordered it to be delivered by Tito (who only speaks Spanish so its a good Spanish lesson practice). He was 90-minutes late on the designated day. But he came with good diesel that, even delivered, was cheaper than the gas station price.

Had a nice dinner out at Hans' and Endina's restaurant with some folks we met on a catamaran Kokopelli. That is always a tasty treat and reasonable. Can't beat ice cold 75 cent beers.

Then on Sunday, we got invited to join a group on shore at Binnie's house. This was an incredible place. The view was remarkable and the piece of property exquisite. It was like a jungle with a stream running through the large, verdant plot. The main house has an amazing large porch with a little stream running through it with a tiny bridge as well. Binnie, who owns it, is also building some guest rooms on a piece of the property.

We saw three toucans flying in the wild, very close by and landing in a nearby tree. Way cool. Their bright yellow beaks and dark bodies are quite a sight in flight. Then, we went on a tour of the house itself which had these beautiful dark wood walls and ceilings. There was beautiful carved art throughout and a wonderful collection of shells. But the best part on the tour were the three sloths in the house. (Not counting Michael). There were two three-toed sloths with beautiful designs on their backs and very long toes to hold onto the branches.. One of the two was climbing above us on the wooden rafters and putting on quite a show hanging upside down and right side up by one arm. There was also one two-toed sloth in the bedroom – a very different looking animal with a different face, different colored fur and she was much larger. The two-toed are a bit more aggressive than the mellower three-toed variety. This one was named (or miss-named) "Lightning" - not exactly a perfect name for a sloth. Molasses, one of the other sloths was more aptly named. It was very cool seeing them up close and touching them (you could hold them but after seeing their toes and teeth, Barbara opted to pet but not hold).

This is one of those outings that is always memorable. You meet some local folks and get to see a piece of property we've walked by but hadn't gotten past the big wooden gate at the front. It was a fun afternoon and it was nice to get off the rolly boat and away from the steady wind.

Michael did fix (hopefully) the dinghy by epoxying on the end-bits on the floor. Hopefully that will give us a few more months on our aging dinghy. (Want to contribute to the dinghy fund???)

We're ready for the trek north – just waiting for weather to cooperate.

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