Yes, I’m a little late this year with my list, which has become a Thanksgiving tradition since this Andiamo thing started. This last Thanksgiving, I was incarcerated in a Bocas del Toro hospital, getting treated for a nasty leg infection. With NO wireless internet!! For almost SIX DAYS!!! It’s a miracle I survived.
So on to the list of the people I want to thank for getting me through 2007 (as always, in no particular order):
The staff at Bocas del Toro Hospital – Ok, this is a public hospital. And in most places in Central America, you stayed away from public hospitals as much as possible. If you could crawl, limp or drag yourself to a private hospital, that’s where you would have to go. I’ve heard a couple of horror stories about the hospital here in Bocas, so I was enormously apprehensive about going there when my leg infection flared up a couple of weeks ago. I had no choice but to go to the emergency room one night, and the doctor on duty admitted me immediately. They kept me there for six days, administering antibiotics via IV, nursing my infected wound, and more.
Yes, the food was pretty ghastly (even though the ladies who served the food were very sweet and friendly), the water was off half the time, and you had to bring your own pillow and towel. But the hospital was kept clean. The nurses were professional, caring, and competent. The doctors, while rather aloof, were also attentive despite their overall lack of bedside manners. And in the end, my six-day stay cost me a whole $50.00. If I were poor, I would have paid nothing.
It’s disheartening to me that a country like Panama can provide this kind of care to its poorest people while a country like the US makes it almost impossible for their poor or uninsured to get decent, affordable medical care. I can only say that I’m glad I was here and nowhere else when I contracted this injury, and thank the Minsterio de Salud (Ministry of Health) for doing what they do.
Aaron and Lyla of “Blow Me Away” – These people are the best, they’ve helped me out countless times. Lucky for me they carry dozens of spare parts onboard, or I’d be screwed. But also thank them for all the fun rum-filled nights of conversation, company, and great food to boot. I’m sure I’ll run into them in Cartagena, at least I hope so. I have a bunch of parts of theirs that I owe them. So many thanks Aaron and Lyla!
Mietsie Truyers – Our relationship has been rather turbulent and difficult at times. But she has always been there for me any way she could be, and I appreciate it to no end. She was thankfully there for me during the loss of Aretha, and I couldn’t have imagined going through that alone. So thank you Mietsie, your friendship is important to me, always remember that.
Sarah Miles and Jenni Tuomiivara – These two girls, Sarah from UK and Jenni from Finland, crewed on Andiamo down from Honduras to Panama. We became a fun team despite some crew setbacks we experienced at the beginning of the trip. They handled themselves well during the crazy weather too. It was a very entertaining trip, and I’ll always remember the fun times in San Andres and the Albuquerques, eating lobster while anchored in a most incredible setting. They are also the very first Andiamo crew on record to swim naked off a bar dock, thus making history. They are welcome on Andiamo anytime.
Luigi and Luisa Bellotti – As always, they’ve been a big help to me and Andiamo. They particularly came through for Sjelle when I was dealing with getting her boat sold off earlier this year. And I so miss Luisa’s crostata!!!
As always, there are so many other people that have contributed to my experiences and helped me get through the crazy times and crises, and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart.