We headed out of the Shelter Bay Marina in a taxi to venture into town to do some provisioning for the boat. Colon, the nearest big city was a 40 minute cab ride, so we opted for the closer store, only a 25 minute ride away. We drove through long stretches of jungle and were able to cross the river where the first lock we will enter is located.
After the shop, we stopped alongside the road where a local fisherman was selling huge fresh water prawns. Mike picked up a pound for the boat that we could enjoy that evening for dinner. All was going well, until we heard a strange noise coming from the right rear side of the taxi. We had blown the rear tire. The driver stopped to get out a look, the wheel was beyond repair. Luckily, there was a spare in the back, but it was under a weeks’ worth of food, soft drink cans, paper towels and of course some frozen goods.
We had to pull all the provisions out, put them on the side of the road and wait as the driver changed out the flat. We believe this wasn’t the first time he had to make a quick exchange, as it took him a matter of minutes to make the switch. The flat was stowed, the spare in place and the groceries were back in the car, allowing us to get back on our way. (photo soon to come)
The Wind Dancer Crew