[Above: A dramatic crucifix in the surf off of Isla Grande.]

Journal by Pancho Sanchez (a.k.a. Neil Dana)

As the morning sunrise started to fill our room, I awoke, put on my reef booties, grabbed my surfboard and started to walk along the edge of the island towards a beautiful surf spot. It was very quiet out, with a light breeze and overcast gray clouds filling the sky. Jesus Christ was chilling out in front of the island as well. He was standing about 12 feet tall, in a solid statuesque state and holding his hands out in his classic pose, letting the Caribbean Sea tickle his toes. As I walked on, I also saw some huge crabs running across the pathway to the sea. These were the lucky ones, the fortunate little crabs who decided to cross the road early in the morning. I am sure they had no idea of the horrific slaughter their comrades were a part of the previous night!

Their poor buddies the night before were dumb enough to try and hang out in the middle of the road by the park where all the local island boys were playing. And what did the little boys do when they saw senor crab trying to cross the road? Well, what any island boy does, they all chased crabbie and kicked him a few times, then picked him up and chased the local girls with him. Now at least Crabbie had some fun chasing girls in his last moments. For what happened next, he even probably enjoyed as well. The sensation of flying is usually only know by birds and some crazy humans, but in this case Crabbie was flying too! He flew straight up into the air and was loving it, ascending at a rapid pace, like a rocket ship -- sshhhewwwwwwwwww!! Then he must have gotten the weightless butterfly stomach feeling near the top, and then enjoyed the breeze through his claws on the way down. What a ride! He really must have enjoyed it all the way until the bitter CRACK, when he reached terminal velocity and smashed the road. Oh well, fate has it out for some of those crabs.

So it was really pleasing to see these crabs in the morning cruising across the road and knowing that they were going to survive, at least for a little while longer. As I continued on my walk, I passed a few cabinas and restaurants, all very colorful, and very empty. It was just before Christmas and not many people were traveling to the island yet, which was a blessing for us. There were also many boats along the shore, some for fishing, and some for taking people to and from Isla Grande and the mainland. The shore was lined with palm trees and many other tropical flora and fauna. The birds were singing and it was extremely serene and peaceful.

After walking about 200 meters, the small town ended and a path along the rocks and shore began, which wrapped around a corner and into a small cove, which is where the waves were breaking. It was beautiful, and just as I rounded the corner, the wind picked up and it started pouring rain. And this was no ordinary rain, this was a slamming downpour! I went and tucked myself under a nearby roof on an uninhabited porch and sat there, stretching and watching the surf for a while. I waited for about ten minutes, and then I went and walked down to the shore. There wasn't a soul in the water and I hadn't surfed this spot before, so I was trying to figure out the best way to paddle out, since it was a reef break and you could see the waves pounding onto reef, and just inside of the impact zone, was the entire part of the reef that was only six inches to a foot deep. So I had to walk on the reef, as lightly as I could and try to avoid puncturing my feet with sea urchins. So the reef dance began. I danced my way out to a deep enough part of the reef where I could jump on my board and paddle quickly before a wave came and pushed me into the shallows.

As I paddled out into the waves, I was overcome with the joy of the scent of the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean Sea has a very unique smell, and I adore it. I have surfed many places all over the world, and whenever I come to the Central American Caribbean Coast, the unique smell is a wonderful dose of nostalgia for me. Man, life is good when you are paddling out into the beautiful ocean, smelling the sea, and all around you are tropical hills and breaking waves. There is nothing like it in the world. And then to actually catch a wave and perform with it is truly heaven on earth. It is really hard to describe, since no matter how I describe it, it will really give no justice to what it is like. You really have to know how to surf to understand. But I guess I could say it is like dancing with Mother Nature. You are moving your entire body in motion with the ocean, exerting all your physical energy, while being completely mentally focused on every detail of your movement and the wave's. You are expressing yourself with unbridled joy and ecstasy. It is so amazing! You are in tune with natural energy. People harness the energy of moving water to create electricity, and we all use energy in different forms. But imagine being able to actually ride natural energy that has not been tampered with by man. And not only just ride it, but be able to move along with it gracefully and dance. It is ridiculous. And the coolest thing is that the better you get at surfing, the better surfing gets. I have been surfing for over 15 years, and to this day it is still getting better and I am more stoked that I have ever been. I have tried many other sports, but there is something extremely unique and special about the ocean's energy and being able to share intense pleasure with it. It isn't even a sport to me -- it is a way of life and meditation. It is healthy and exquisite to be able to step off of land and enter a completely natural surrounding. I mean, how often do you get to go and surround yourself with nature, filled with wildlife? And being surrounded by wildlife is amazing alone; however, when you are surrounded by it, submersed in it, AND, you can actually ride it and flow with it, that is truly the most real, intense, and beautiful experience I know.

So I paddled out and ended up catching tons of waves and had the time of my life. It was awesome! The surf itself wasn't the best I have seen, but it was overhead and super fun. And to be surfing on this tranquil island was just a very relaxing experience.

I ended up surfing for two days, all day both days. Adam came and joined me for much of the surfing as well. We had a great time. The tropics are really fun to surf in as well because the weather is so erratic. It would storm and throw down heavy rains, then the sun would pop out and brighten up the hills into a bright lime green color. The water changes color dramatically when the sun comes out as well. It becomes a lighter blue and you can see down to the reef. It is wonderful. Rainbows always find themselves amongst the surroundings as well. Truly paradise.

Now as a group, we are traveling, on the road and working most of the time, yet every once in a while, we have time to split up and just do our own thing for a day or two, and that is when I try to head to a surf spot. So this trip to Isla Grande was just that, a nice little relaxing getaway. Nancy, Colin, Adam and I went to the island together. We ate fresh octopus and drank tasty pineapple juice. The people on the island were very friendly as well. We ate at a Carlos' restaurant the first night and went back for each meal. He was an African Caribbean Islander and a wonderful person, we were lucky to find him. Thank you Carlos.

Well, back to Panama City and then onward to Quito, Ecuador for Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone, I send a huge hug to you all.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, this is Pancho Sanchez (see below) writing to you all. I took Neil's spot a few days ago.

Ciao,

Sanchez

[Above: The suave Pancho Sanchez, formerly known as Neil Dana.]

Logbook for December 22nd, Day 52
Start: Panama City, Panama
N: 8* 58.204'
W: 79* 32.085''
Finish: Panama City, Panama
N: 8* 58.204'
W: 79* 32.085''
Mileage: 000
Notes: Day Four without our vehicles. The team has been reunited in Panama City. Tomorrow, we fly to Quito! South America, here we come! (N.O.)

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.