After only a few short years, our little community of titled oceanfront real estate properties for sale located on Dophin Bay, Bocas del Toro, Panama, has collected many new neighbours. The latest of which is a fine young couple from Georgia who have just purchased Lot 6, Phase Three - an entire hilltop of land for sale, totalling 12 acres with some spectacular views out over Dolphin Bay, Bocas del Toro. Their purchase within this low key real estate project brings our lots sold total to 60% of the 26 plots of land available.

The selling season down here in Bocas del Toro, Panama is nearing the mid-way point and if recent email inquiries are any indication we are set to meet or surpass last year’s number of sales - not bad for a sales team of one who never imagined himself being referred to as a developer…but I guess my interest in creating a life less ordinary in a laid back beautiful place by the ocean has garnered some consistent support.

Both Luna and I fell blessed to be supported in such a project, with such fine neighbours coming on board to be a part of it’s manifestation. Thanks to all who have become a part of the neighbourhood and a big welcome to the newest members!!! maybe you’re next….

I don’t usually post all the amazing nature photos we capture here at our residential real estate project on Dolphin Bay in Bocas del Toro, but this event is exceptional. An entire rainbow, end to end, vibrating vividly with every colour in the spectrum.And if that weren’t enough there was also another fainter rainbow in it’s entirety above it. A double rainbow stretching from the waters of Dolphin Bay to the meadow lots of land for sale in our farm. What a way to start a Sunday!

I start digging for the pot of gold this morning after checking emails. Wish me luck.

Good news for many would be buyers of land for sale in Bocas del Toro, as well as the rest of Panama. For the first time in the history of Panama, an American bank will be giving US citizens the ability to purchase real estate and land for sale in Bocas del Toro, Panama City or any of the other provinces with a US mortgage.

Mortgage International Brokers (MIB) has opened an office at the World Trade Center in Panama City, Panama. They plan to take applications and process them in the US exactly like a US loan application would be dealt with.

This is excellent news for those looking to purchase real estate or land for sale in Panama City, Bocas del Toro or any of the other provinces, but who also require some financing.

Real estate brokers are happy that they can now be sure that a US bank will offer a US mortgage to their US clients looking to buy land for sale or other types of real estate in Bocas del Toro, Panama City or the other provinces.

Contact Mr. Ernesto Garuolis of MIB at 011 507 205-1617 or ernesto@mibpanama.com

I am writing and sending this post with the energy of the sun. So long generator hum… After too long in coming, the retreat centre is officially running entirely off solar energy!! While we are still in construction mode, we will be obliged to run the generators during tool and machine use. But bring on all those gloriously quiet, pollution free days to come.

We have 13 solar panels charging 1300 amps of battery power through one Xantrex 1500W charger/inverter and two more Xantrex 1100W charger/inverters.

With this we will operate the restaurant and lounge, three seaside cabins, the workshop and our house. It has grown to quite a system with the 220v distribution network and the three seperate mini 12v systems. And it’s exciting to finally see it running entirely on the sun.

I don’t think there is much call for search engines to find ‘cacao flesh’ but if there is someone out there looking for that instead of say dolphins or perhaps land for sale Bocas del Toro, then here’s a hit!

We all enjoy the flesh of a ripe cacao pod down here on the farm, but Zuul’s cute as hell, two year old face seemed to be the best spokesmodel. I threw in one of Luna too as it’s a funky shot…and of course after the boys, she is prefered spokesmodel no. 3

It’s a great taste that is both sweet and sour and a nice version of both. there’s not much flesh on each bean, but it sure is yummy and easy to get to!!

With some cooperative weather and excellent work on the part of the road crew, we are very close to completing the road to the Phase Three ocean view lots of titled land for sale. Within two weeks a lesiurely few minutes walk to the top of the hill overlooking Dolphin Bay, Bocas del Toro will become a reality.

With much trust in my vision (which I will never forget) Jim purchased land for sale in the back corner of the proejct, long before the roads to the lots of land for sale were even started. But on Friday past the road crew reached his lot line and is now mid way along his frontage on the new road. He is very close to beginning construction on his new tropical house and since he is living in Bocas del Toro, Panama full time he has been continually working on landscaping…

Below are some pics of the road building as it pasted by Colleen’s land and house. It is really exciting and very rewarding to finally connect all areas of the 102 acre residential project of 24 titled lots of land for sale.

Construction on the health and wellness center is progressing well and the dam project is amost complete.

Tropical homes in the FBV neighbourhood are sprouting faster than the jungle! Hot on the heels of Philipe and Natalie’s move into their new home on Lot 2, Phase Two in late July,

above: Phil and Nat’s place

Colleen (Lot 8, Phase Two) has officially moved into her new 2-story jungle bungalow at the edge of the meadow…very fine little house she’s created for herself.

above: Colleen’s bungalow in the jungalow

But wait, if two new neighbourhood homes wasn’t enough, there’s even Will and Sandy, next door to Philipe and Natalie, building what will become a guest cabin for their family and friends, but for now is spoken of as home sweet home!

above: Will and Sandy’s future guest cottage

I’m not going to give away Will’s age here, but I’ll be a very happy camper if, when I am his age, I can whip up a tropical hardwood cabin with the ease and grace with which he has been engaged in building his home. Gray Power!!!

Now I know what you’re thinking…yeah, swanny three tropical houses under construction is a pretty good sign,but doesthe project slice and dice? Well, sir it’s does. Because in mid November Chris arrives, the first buyer in the Phase Four oceanfront properties for sale. And he is coming armed with the most complete set of custom tropical home building plans you’ve ever laid eyes on, ready to erect his tropical dream home. I’m very much looking forward to seeing his imagined dream home come to life at ocean’s edge.

So, indeed our little neighbourhood by the sea is blossoming. And the roads that will connect everyone in the hood are actually ahead of schedule! We should be completed to the top of the Phase Three hilltop ocean view lots before the end of November… barring any major rain delay. Stay tuned for photos of the road construction, as well as the dam building that will fill the Big Dig with water.

And I will keep posting photos of all the different styles of houses that various neighbours come up with to build on the land for sale that they’ve bought.

Well, after many months here in Bocas del Toro, trying to prod the building construction schedule along with many starts and stops, we are really firing on all cylinders now. We have a great crew of carpenters and helpers now and I just finished the rest of the plumbing for the retreat centre. Now all that’s missing is a gravity fed pipeline from the Big Dig (see below) we did in the valley down to the retreat area on the shores of Dolphin Bay.

above: the lagoon - before
below: the lagoon - during

The final elements of the solar energy power system that will electrify the retreat centre are almost complete and the kitchen addition at the back of the seaside lounge is ready for sheetrock.

Beautiful turquoise paint with deep violet accents now adorns all of the retreat buildings and we are preparing to lay up the damn that will hold back nearly 200,000 gallons of fresh water held in a deep water reservoir we created this summer near the grandfather trees.

By late this month we will have returned to construction of the road to the Phase Three hilltop and completed much of the retreat center and common areas landscaping.

I will post photos of the progress we have been making here on Dolphin Bay, Panama soon and I will post a neighbourhood update shortly too - Houses are sprouting up all around the project!!

this post is mostly for family and friends who keep asking for pics of the boyz…well, here’s a fine one of Zuul and JensenBlu that’s only a week old or so.

and here’s a great one of JensenBlu  - he’s about 6 weeks old here.

another year of saving and slaughtering has come and gone. I’ve no hard statistics to back up my claim, but it appears that the slaughterers are outpacing the savers. And now some of them are on our doorstep, looking to capture wild dolphins to put on display for the profit margins of the few… Read the rest of this entry →