House Sitting Magazine Issue 8: March 2017

CUBAN TRAVELS We're back.

You may have noticed that it has been a bit of a longer gap than usual since the last issue of House Sitting - The ultimate lifestyle magazine. That's because we took a break for a month to visit Cuba.

Vanessa and I have both had Cuba on our travel list for a long time, and as we are currently based in Mexico, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take time out, and enjoy some travel adventures.

Cuba certainly didn't let us down in terms of adventure, and we had some amazing experiences.

Some were great, some were challenging, some were downright disappointing!

We were looking forward to meeting up again with Jane and Duncan, who produce baby boomer travel and house sitting website ToTravelToo.com - we first met up with them in Ajijic in Mexico.

Here's Duncan enjoying a touristy snapshot moment in scenic Cienfuegos:

For me the cars are the most amazing thing about the country. There are thousands of old 1950s American cars varying from absolutely pristine condition, to "barely-held-together-butstill-running-somehow" One of my major highlights was being allowed by a taxi driver to drive a 1954 Chevvy from Santa Clara to Remedios, a journey of about 50 kilometres. Only a cigar in my mouth could have made me feel more Cuban!

Vanessa's highlights included climbing to the top of one of the ricketiest church towers we have ever seen in historic Camaguey, and looking out through the face of the clock across the whole city. She also enjoyed eating lobster and prawns on an almost daily basis at very affordable prices!

We enjoyed the challenges of figuring out two different currencies, of limited internet access, and travel timetables that could confuse a rocket scientist.

But we were a little disillusioned by the growing greed for tourist money that seems to be dividing the country deeply into the "haves" and have-nots".

We'll be telling you more about travelling to Cuba in next month's magazine, and we'll probably post a few articles on the HouseSittingMagazine.com website too, so check in there occasionally too.

Now we're back in Mexico, in San Miguel de Allende, for a third sit at the same property, looking after our six cats once again.

This is our final sit here for the foreseeable future, and we are certainly going to miss it. It really is beginning to feel like home.

What's in this month's issue?

This month we are taking an in-depth look at off-grid house sitting and why you might want to consider this as a house sit assignment option.

Our destination this month is Panama, a country rich with house sitting possibilities, as so many expats have chosen to live there. We also have a reader story from long term house sitters in beautiful Bocas del Toro.

Boat handling is a skill that, once learned, can be added to your profile, making you much more likely to be picked for those desirable, remote, water-based house sits.

We'll also be discussing re-positioning cruises, looking after birds, jungle dogs and more... oh, and we have a GREAT map resource for you too.

Hope you enjoy it!

As always we look forward to your questions or comments.

Ian and Vanessa (currently house sitting for a third time in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico)

ian@HouseSittingMagazine.com vanessa@HouseSittingMagazine.com Here's Vanessa, about to take a truly traditional taxi ride from Trinidad to Cienfuegos, Cuba.

You'll find extra news, reviews and snippets throughout the magazine!

The challenges and rewards of off-grid house sitting Ian Usher

How we secured our island based dream home in Bocas del Toro Lara Plogman

What to expect when looking after jungle dogs Vanessa Anderson

An introduction to caring for birds while house sitting Nat Smith

Destination Panama City Amy Rutherford

Destination Bocas del Toro Any Rutherford

The simple lifestyle Ian Usher

Changes to entry requirements - Canada, Panama and Costa Rica Vanessa Anderson

Low cost cruising between house sits Jane Dempster-Smith

An introduction to small boat handling Ian Usher

Boat handling for dummies Ian Usher

Log jam Ian Usher

Laid back house sitting in Panama Jane Dempster-Smith

Resources - MapsWithMe In the next issue...

THE CHALLENGES & REWARDS OF OFFGRID HOUSE SITTING

by Ian Usher

Global warming and the state of our environment are current "hot" topics (pun intended), so it's not surprising that more of us are becoming conscious of our impact on our habitat. This is one of the reasons that some people decide to go "off-grid".

By producing energy from natural sunlight, and collecting rainwater, it is possible to dramatically reduce our eco-footprint.

Another reason people build or live off-grid is out of necessity. In more remote locations there may be no access to the grid-provided water or power services.

Others may just choose to live a more simple lifestyle, closer to nature. There is great pleasure to be had from escaping the rat-race, and living at a slower, more natural pace.

Whatever the reason, there are many people living off-grid. Because of the specific maintenance requirements of off-grid homes, there are now many house sitting opportunities to take care of these interesting, challenging and rewarding properties.

What exactly do we mean by "off-grid"?

The definition of "off-grid" is as wide and varied as the people who live in off-grid properties.

Every off-grid home will have its own individual "personality".

From true back-to-nature enthusiasts, through to those who simply need to find alternate ways to power their homes, there is a broad spectrum of what is referred to as "off-grid".

A person who wants to really live "wild" might cook over an open fire, collect water from a stream, and have little or no contact with the outside world. They may not have any phone or internet connection at all.

UK TV documentary "Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild" offers some fascinating insights into the lives of people who have escaped the rat-race to live a simpler lifestyle.

Editor's note: In 2013/2014 Ian and I lived on a small island off the Caribbean coast of Panama. The header picture for this article shows our off-grid home.

Ben Fogle and his crew came to film our lifestyle there, and we featured in episode 4 of the second series of the show. You can watch our episode online here: http://ianusher.com/stories/new-lives

At the other end of the scale you might find a very modern, comfortable property, with great internet connection, and easy-to-maintain off-grid power and water systems.

Off-grid power Without access to mains electricity, there are several options for powering a home. Most systems involve having a bank of batteries which have to be charged up regularly. These batteries then provide power over a period of time, until they need to be recharged.

Solar power, wind turbines and generators The most common way to charge a bank of batteries is with sunlight, collected by solar panels, often mounted on the roof of the house. The batteries and panels, along with a solar controller and power invertor, make up the basic parts of a simple solar power system.

When the sun falls on the solar panels they create electricity, which is fed into the battery bank.

The rate of electricity production can vary widely over the course of the day, and depends on the level of sunlight, the angle of the sun, cleanliness of the panels, size of the panels, etc.

Because of this wide range of power production, the input into the batteries needs to be controlled, to avoid damaging them. This is the job of a solar controller, which monitors the battery charge level, and regulates power input accordingly.

Battery banks can be arranged in various configurations, and usually operate at 12 volts, 24 volts, or for some bigger home systems, 48 volts.

To make this power useful to the home it has to be changed to 110 volts, or possibly 220 volts.

110V is an American standard, whereas many other countries use 220 to 240V appliances.

A suitable power inverter performs this task, taking the power from the batteries, and outputting it to the electricity outlets around the home.

Batteries can also be charged by wind turbines, or by a generator run on petrol or diesel.

Some systems may have a combination of solar and wind power generation.

Most systems will have some sort of generator backup for cloudy days when the solar panels can't produce enough power.

The battery bank The bank of batteries is the heart of any off-grid power system. They represent a significant financial investment, and they need to be looked after properly to ensure a long-trouble-free life.

Maintenance of batteries is generally easy and quick, but it is absolutely vital that it is done on a regular basis. Depending on the type of battery, acid levels may need to be checked, and perhaps topped up. Terminals need to be cleaned and greased, and all cables inspected regularly for loose connections.

Regular maintenance will avoid the occurrence of expensive problems.

Power use is also an important consideration for your bank of batteries. Most systems use "deep-cycle" batteries, which are designed to be charged and drawn upon very regularly. They deliver power at a steady rate over extended periods. They are very different to a battery which starts a car, which is designed to give a huge boost of power over a very short period to crank an engine in order to start it.

If solar batteries are drained too low they are easily damaged, and on the next charge they will be able to store less power. Therefore monitoring power levels is important, as is sensible and conservative use of the power available to you after the sun sets.

Automatic vs. manual systems Different solar systems have different levels of automation. Some will have a backup generator connected to the system which will start automatically when the battery charge drops to a preset level. Other generators will need to be turned on or off manually.

For systems without a backup, very careful monitoring of your electricity us is vital to avoid damage to the batteries.

Generators Generators need care and maintenance too. Fuel and oil levels are important, as is the battery that starts the generator, if it has one. Some are simply started with a pull-cord.

In long periods of sunny weather the generator may not be needed for weeks on end, but it is a good idea to run it occasionally, just to keep it in good shape.

If you are house sitting a property where a generator is in regular use, you should be aware of the continual background noise that you may be able to hear if it is positioned close to the house.

Looking after a solar system Perhaps this all sounds very complicated, but a good system that has been set up to provide a suitable power supply for the size of house and number of occupants, will need very little work to maintain.

Sensible use of power is crucial.

For example, charge laptops, phones, flashlights, etc. in the middle of the day, when the sun is high and the solar panels are providing an excess of power. The same goes for other power intensive tasks, such as running a washing machine, or power tools. Don't leave these tasks until evening, when you will be drawing power directly from the batteries.

Keep an eye on the battery bank power level. There is often a separate gauge which will give an accurate reading, or the solar controller will show this too. Really good systems have a panel in the house that you can see at any time for easy reference.

Regular basic maintenance will uncover minor problems, and catching them early will prevent them developing into major, and potentially very expensive issues later on.

None of this is difficult, but a good understanding of the basics is important:   

The internet is a good place to start building your knowledge and understanding, but there is no substitute for hands-on experience.

Maybe you know someone who has a solar system, and they could spend some time with you, explaining how it all works.

Or perhaps you could volunteer at an eco-property for a week or two, spending time to learn how their systems work.

We recently stayed in an off-grid Airbnb property in Mexico, and I spent quite some time quizzing the owners on how their particular solar, water and composting systems worked. Every home is different, and you will always learn something new, adding to your knowledge and skills.

Off-grid water systems Usually, if a house is too remote to be connected to the electricity grid, there is very little likelihood of connection to a water supply either, or to waste water and sewerage services.

Like solar systems, off-grid water systems come in a wide variety of configurations, each with their own challenges and maintenance routines, but the basic promise of all is the same collect water, store it somewhere, then dispose of it after use.

Let's take a look at each part in a little more detail.

Collection The simplest form of water collection is taking the rain run-off from the roof of the house, and diverting it via pipes into a holding tank. This is obviously much more effective in climates where there is a regular rainfall.

Pipe systems can be very simple, direct from the roof to a single tank. Or they can be much more complicated, to allow redirecting water flow to different tanks, flushing of the pipes, or moving water from one storage tank to another.

Storage Plastic water storage tanks come in a variety of sizes, and bigger houses may have several interconnected tanks. Other homes may use concrete storage tanks, often built under the house.

Tank location is an important factor when considering how water will be delivered to the taps and showers in the house.

Use Like any house, a network of plumbing - usually plastic or copper - takes the water to all of the outlets.

If the water is stored below, or at the same level of the house, then a pump will be needed to force the water under pressure up to the point of use. This pump will usually be run by the solar system, and will have a pressure sensor which will switch the pump on when a tap is opened and the pressure in the water pipes drops.

Some systems have a pressure tank which helps maintain an even pressure in the plumbing system. When a tap is opened the pressure tank provides the initial flow of water, and as the pressure falls, the pump kicks in. A pressure tank helps provide a smoother flow of water, and hence puts less strain on the pipes when the pump starts up.

Water can be provided to the home by gravity feed. On a property with some higher land, tanks can be placed above the height of the house, and water will flow to the taps via gravity alone.

The water may be collected at the same location as the tank from a roof in that location, or it could be pumped up to the tank on a daily basis.

Some houses might have a small header tank built on to the roof of the house. This might or might not be supplemented with a pump.

Filters Water that has washed from the roof into a tank is generally fairly clean, but small debris such as leaves and insects can be an issue. Usually water will be strained through a mesh as it enters the tank to remove larger debris.

As water is drawn from the tank for use it is usually filtered by one or more filters and purifiers.

Some houses have ozone systems which purify the water to a very high standard.

Hot water Hot water systems vary too. With a good solar power system electricity can be used to heat a hot water tank, or to provide instant hot-water via a small in-line heater unit. However, these usually draw a lot of power, and bottled propane gas powering a gas-fired water heater is a common choice.

Solar hot water is also an option, and in sunny climates can produce great quantities of hot water at zero cost. A solar water system consists of a water tank and a series of pipes positioned to catch direct sunlight. The water from the tank circulates slowly through the pipes, being heated as it does so You may also encounter geo-thermal hot water heating systems in some countries, especially if the property has a lot of land.

Waste water disposal Waste water has to go somewhere, and once again there are several options. Some homes have a waste water tank, and if there is vehicular access to the property, a water service company can come an pump out the tank on a regular basis, disposing of the waste water professionally.

Properties further off-grid have to deal with their own water, and a leach field is a common way to let grey water (shower, sink and washing water) drain naturally back into the land.

Many properties will use grey water from showers and sinks to provide water for the gardens, thus not wasting precious fresh supplies to water fruits and vegetables. Therefore it may be required of you to use natural, non-chemical cleaning and toiletry products.

Looking after an off-grid water system As with solar systems, simple basic maintenance can prevent major problems, and an understanding of how everything is set up will help with any minor issues that you do encounter.

As a house sitter you will need to spend time with the home owner to ensure you have a good in-depth understanding of how everything works, where all the valves and cut-off switches are, and what they do.

Some practical ability will be a great advantage too, as if anything does go wrong with the system, it may be days before you can get someone to help you. At a very bare minimum, you need to know how to access water from the tank if the pump fails. Even if you have to use buckets for a while until things are fixed, you would still have water available to you.

Of course, you also need to be much more aware of your water use. In a dry spell of a couple of weeks it is all too easy to run the tanks dry if you aren't frugal.

Simple things, like not leaving the tap running while you brush your teeth, or flushing the toilet fewer times each day, will make a significant difference to your consumption.

Toilets Some off-grid homes have a flushing toilet complete with its own septic system for "black water" waste. Flushing toilets can have a significant impact on water consumption, and you may need to adjust your habits to avoid over-use of water resources if you are in a dry climate.

TOILET PAPER WASTE: You will probably be directed NOT to put your toilet paper waste into the system. This is common in many countries in Central America, even in water connected areas. In Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua etc., all toilet paper waste has to be dealt with separately.

Many off-grid properties use dry composting toilets. Composting toilets need a little bit more "hands-on" maintenance, but a well set up system can be clean and efficient. A well run system should not smell!

As a house sitter, make sure you are clear on all the requirements of the system you will be using and looking after.

Propane gas Bottled liquefied propane is very common in many off-grid properties, and can serve many purposes. It can be used for heating the house, for hot water systems, for cooking, and even for refrigeration.

There is little to do with these systems, but there are a few safety considerations. Gas burning appliances need to be well-ventilated, and most items have a flue, or chimney. These need to be kept clear to avoid potentially lethal gases building up.

In my own off-grid property several years ago, I noticed that my hot water heater wasn't working very well, and upon investigation, discovered a complete birds' nest inside the heater, right on top of the burner. There were even some eggs in the nest, cooked solid by the heat.

How the nest hadn't caught fire I will never know.

I had to dismantle the whole unit, remove the nest, and then build a small protective grid (using a small metal pasta strainer from the kitchen) over the end of the flue to stop the birds getting back in. Had this gone unnoticed I could have very easily burned down the whole house!

Your first off-grid house sit Before making any off-grid house sit applications, read some off-grid handbooks - there are plenty available online - and build your knowledge.

Gain some hands-on experience wherever you can, and start applying for assignments you think will be within your abilities to cope with.

Don't accept anything that you think might be too difficult, or too far out of your comfort zone, as this might result in an unhappy and potentially expensive experience for both you and the home owner.

It sounds like there is an awful lot to deal with when fully off-grid, but in a well set-up house there is often little to do. Following a regular, simple maintenance plan will usually prevent most issues.

A good off-grid home owner will have a "house manual" which should explain all of the house systems, routines and quirks. You may even be provided with schematics for plumbing and electrics to help locate problems.

Extended handovers With so much to consider, the handover period for an off-grid home is often longer than a regular house sit. Don't be surprised if the home owner wants to spend two or three days with you before they leave, as they will want to be confident you know everything, and are able to deal with any potential issues.

And as a house sitter, your role, as on any house sit, is to ensure you are comfortable with how everything works. Ask plenty of questions, and go over in detail anything you are not sure about. It is often a good idea to video any complicated procedures.

As your confidence grows, and you develop and hone your skills, you will be able to apply for some truly amazing opportunities in fascinating, wild, remote places, like this beautiful waterfront property we recently looked after in Panama:

This property also came with a boat, as there was no road access at all. We take an in-depth look at boat handling skills later in this issue.

We will be house sitting a property in Botswana, Africa, later this year. The property is totally off-grid, with a swimming pool, on the edge of a wide river in the Okavango Delta, complete with hippos and crocs!

We also have use of a house-boat with a bar and a bedroom. This feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity that we could only apply for because of our extensive off-grid living experience.

HOW WE SECURED OUR ISLAND BASED DREAM HOUSE SIT IN BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA

by Lara Plogman

An unconventional start There are several ways to begin your house sitting career, and ours was definitely unconventional.

We began by house sitting homes with the people still in them!

Sure, there were times before that when we had helped friends with their pets and homes, but that’s what friends do, so we didn’t actually think of ourselves as ”house sitters". But In 2012 we accepted a position as professional house parents at a children's home just outside Amarillo, Texas.

We moved into a home with twelve teenagers and became full-time parents to them. In total we had the privilege of helping to raise 47 kids during our two years there. And by way, teenagers are much higher maintenance than pets!

On occasion, we would swap houses with other parents for a few days to change the routine, but "routine" really did become a key word in our lives. We were not only responsible for parenting the teenagers, we also had to strictly adhere to health, safety and maintenance guidelines in the home.

Cruising on the river in San Antonio, Texas

Transitioning to house sitting As much as we loved working with the kids, we chose to move on after two years. We headed to San Antonio, Texas without even having jobs, and quickly started part time acting careers.

But we needed other part time employment to make ends meet, and we needed to have time flexibility to work around our acting schedules.

Ron started his own pest control company, and I worked as a nanny and part time caretaker for the elderly and disabled, often staying in their homes overnight. It wasn't long before the people I worked for began asking me to house and pet sit for them whenever they left town. I was already familiar with their routines, their homes and their pets, so it was an obvious transition.

I began charging for these sits since we still needed to maintain our own residence, and was thrilled when people happily began paying me.

It was in San Antonio where the travel bug really hit us hard and we started looking at the possibility of retiring in other countries. Places where the cost of living was lower. We needed to be able to make ends meet with Ron’s military income, and that wasn’t going to go far.

A plane on its approach to the small island airport at Bocas del Toro

Selling up and moving to Panama After a year of research we decided to sell or give away everything we owned and we moved to Bocas Del Toro, Panama.

Bocas Del Toro is a group of islands in Panama near the Costa Rica border. To my knowledge only one of those islands has roads, and the rest are only accessible by boat.

We had never been to Panama, but decided it was a good place to start. We now knew that house sitting was a viable option for us, but we had no idea what opportunities we would find in this particular location. I wasn’t finding much in the way of assignments on the international house sitting websites, and I wasn’t sure people would want us knowing that we have a small indoor dog.

We figured the worst-case scenario would be that we would need to find an inexpensive rental.

And that's how we started, by renting a place for the first month so we could become familiar with the area and assess our options.

Buying a boat made all the difference We started visiting and meeting with other house sitters in the area and noticed that homeowners were very particular about allowing sitters to use their boats. This was understandable since boat maintenance is so important, and boat theft is prevalent here.

We decided to invest in our own boat with the hope this would open more opportunities for us.

And it did!

It wasn't long before one of our new friends asked if we would be interested in house sitting for a couple who had put their house on the market to sell, and were moving back to the United States. We jumped at the opportunity and moved in one week after meeting the homeowner.

Even though I had lived in off-grid homes, this was my first time house sitting in one, and we were excited. It was a beautiful three-bedroom home in a private community overlooking the ocean and right next to the pool. The unfortunate side was that it was very difficult to communicate with the homeowners once they left, so most of our communication came through the realtor. While we understood the reason for the lack of communication, it did make it very difficult to discuss repair or maintenance issues.

Bocas Town

A chance encounter We stopped at a restaurant in town one day for lunch, and as we entered a couple at a table stood and greeted us. We didn’t know who they were or why we were shaking hands, but we always love meeting new people. It turned out that they were there to interview potential house sitters and thought we were the couple they were supposed to meet!

We laughed it off, but exchanged contact information in case they wanted to consider us after we finished the job we were on. We found out a week later that the homeowners in the house we were staying at had received an offer on their home leaving us to start looking for a new opportunity.

It took just one email to the couple in the restaurant and our new adventure began. One month later we moved to a home on a different island. The home is a vacation home for an American couple who are only here three or four weeks out of the year. So when they are here we take a bus to Costa Rica for a visa renewal run, or find somewhere else to stay so they can have their privacy. And we are here the rest of the time.

Lara in paradise with husband, Ron

Why this has turned into our dream job The property has the most amazing ocean view and we love it. The last house sitter had been at the house for four years, and it had fallen behind on some cosmetic maintenance. But we worked with the homeowners to arrange for someone to repaint the exterior of the home and do a few repairs, and we agreed to repaint the interior.

This was the second house in a row that had required the house sitters to provide their own transportation, so having our own boat moved us to the top of the list. While owning a boat has cost us more than we anticipated on maintenance and repairs, it is still far less than what we would have been paying in rent or mortgage, and it gives us the freedom to spend our days on the water as much as we want to.

Editor's note: Often if a boat is included with a water based house sit, the usage is restricted, in order to maintain the life of the engine. Boats are expensive, as are their repair and maintenance, so this is an understandable limitation.

Why we started a new Facebook group for Bocas del Toro House sitting offers began coming in faster than we could turn them down, and we have no intention of leaving the home we are in now until the homeowners ask us to. There are no real newspapers or online advertising forums for this area, so we decided to create a Facebook group called Bocas Housesitting The group is for homeowners and house/pet sitters to connect and discuss availability. Even though the group has only been active since September it has grown rapidly. Hopefully it will continue to grow and be a valuable tool and resource for people in this area.

Becoming house sitters was not really a conscious decision for us at first, but it has turned into a great lifestyle choice. It is affording us the lifestyle that we would have had to keep working hard for in the United States.

At the age of 48 I get to spend my days being retired instead of stuck in traffic jams or dead-end jobs. And the best part is the friends we get to meet along the way that have become family to us.

Lara and Ron met and married in 2009 and began house sitting in 2010. They have been in Panama for just over a year. Ron is former military and a retired elementary school teacher.

Lara is a retired paralegal and operations manager.

They are currently working remotely part time on their online business My HCG Wellness

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN CARING FOR "JUNGLE" DOGS

by Vanessa Anderson It's common for expats living in Panama to own one or more "jungle" dogs. These are usually unwanted puppies, or older dogs that have been abandoned or abused, or left with injuries that the locals simply can't afford to have treated.

It has to be remembered that in some poorer communities of indigenous Indians, in Bocas del Toro for example, that these people have an extremely difficult time feeding and caring for their own "human" families. They have dogs generally for security and often don't have the same compassion for animals that many of us have.

It's important to also remember that many jungle dogs are fearful of humans to some degree.

Most locals won't think twice about throwing stones, or even kicking a dog that is proving troublesome. You'll often notice cowering on first encounters, so it is very unlikely you will ever be attacked. There may be a lot of nervous barking that sounds quite scary, but there are simple and effective ways to deal with this.

Rosie and Turbo waiting on the dock - our recent charges while sitting in Bocas

Outside dogs Because dogs are used for security in many homes, they are often "outside" dogs. Of course, they may come into the home from time to time, but often they are happy to live, eat and play outside the house, acting as a deterrent for any possible intruders.

When we lived on a small private island in Bocas del Toro, "Campesino" was our "Head of Island Security". He came to us as an unwanted pup and consequently knew nothing other than the 2.2 acres of land that was his home. His friends were us and the chickens, of which we had many, and sometimes we were convinced he was more chicken than dog! He was so gentle with them, including new born chicks. Eggs, however, were fair game!

One thing we discovered was how intelligent jungle dogs can be. Campesino quickly learned commands and tricks, and developed cunning methods to supplement his diet. Our weekly shop by boat in Bocas Town meant we returned with many shopping bags that had to be taken in relay from the boat dock to the house.

Ian with Campesino when we lived on the island

On more than one occasion we neglected to take the meat or chicken directly to the house and would return to the dock to find Campesino had doubled back to retrieve his bounty and hide it from our view!

Night time barking Of course with outdoor dogs you can expect some night-time barking. There are many nocturnal creatures that roam in the jungle throughout the night and early dawn, so it's likely you will be woken from sleep several times (especially if you are a light sleeper).

Of course, the dogs are just doing their job, and it is usually just a quick warning to any interloper.

On the odd occasion that barking persists, we would get up and check out the situation. Again a quick "well done" and some reassurance silenced Campesino - he was often just alerting us to passing night-time fishermen.

Only once did we have to intervene when we found him with a coatimundi (jungle racoon) attached firmly to his leg. Sadly it didn't end well for the racoon who was on a stealth mission to steal the chicken's eggs.

We have house sat other jungle dogs in Panama and find they all respond well to praise and reassurance, and desist from barking once they know their "pack leader" is OK with the situation.

Dietary concerns Jungle dogs are made of sturdy stuff, especially when it comes to what they will eat. They will happily live on a diet of kibble or other dried or wet food, but their natural hunting instincts mean you'll often find them munching on the bones of some recently deceased jungle critter.

Our most unpleasant experience was finding a recent charge grinding through the skull of a sloth.

We found it best to have distinct feeding times and not to leave food available throughout the day. As much as anything this deters the ants and other critters that live around the property, terrace or balcony.

It's quite easy to pick up bags of bones at local butchers and these provide a good way to help with dental hygiene. A useful tip we found at our last house sit in Bocas was to add a spoonful of coconut oil (easily and cheaply available in Panama) to food to keep our dogs coats glistening.

Bananas are in plentiful supply too and we've found the dogs we've cared for have enjoyed a banana or two.

Water is obviously important and should be left accessible at all times. The heat and humidity is relentless and so a shady spot with a big bowl of water will keep your jungle dogs comfortable at all times.

Missing or injured dogs It's not unusual for outside jungle dogs to disappear from time to time. Whilst it can be very worrying (especially as a house sitter), you will often find that your charge reappears with a happy wag of the tail a day or two later.

He/she has possibly been off hunting or looking for romance! Generally there are no fences or perimeter boundaries to properties, so it's easy for a local bitch in search of love to come roaming onto your land.

That said, at any time your charges disappear for longer than normal, it's wise to check around the property or at the neighbors. Snake bites or injuries from fights may mean your dog has sloped off to a quiet spot to nurse his wounds.

It may be necessary to administer basic first aid, or to get the dog to a vet. This is not always an easy task when you are house sitting in the jungle or in a remote location.

It's always a good idea to discuss this in depth with the home owner before they leave, to see how they would handle any emergency situation.

Turbo and Rosie

Fleas and ticks It is virtually impossible to have a jungle dog that is always free of fleas, and particularly ticks.

Monthly flea treatments can keep infestations at bay, but you'll often find a small bump harboring a feeding tick on outside dogs. These ticks should be removed as quickly as possible to avoid infection.

Here is a good article from the American Kennel Club about how to deal with ticks. http://www.akc.org/content/health/articles/how-to-remove-tick-from-dog/ Jungle dogs can also suffer from worms and parasites, especially if they have been rescued or taken from indigenous communities, so some de-worming treatments may also be necessary.

It may also be necessary to have seasonal vaccines against distemper and other viruses.

Make sure outside beds are shaken, aired and laundered regularly. Also give your dog's coat a good brush outside to help prevent problems.

Cuda, Coco and Zoe - 3 beautiful Jack Russells who have become jungle dogs (photo credit Lyn Fryman-McClelland of Panama Construction, Bocas del Toro)

Socialisation Jungle dogs can often be more wary of strangers and your initial interaction with them is key to your ongoing relationship.

Our advice, when you first meet a jungle dog, is to simply ignore it. Don't give it any attention but instead focus on communicating with the owner. The dogs will very quickly leave you alone and stop barking (if they are).

Locals are very good at this but western dog lovers find it hard not to immediately interact with a dog. Remember that to a dog, a smile can be interpreted as aggressive (bared teeth look like a snarl) and a pat on the head may result in a sharp retort, or worse, an attempt to nip you.

Dogs sense nervousness in humans and are more likely to bark at or hassle a fearful person. Try to stay calm, focus on something else and don't attempt to interact or placate the situation.

A jungle ambush This would be my advice too if wandering through the jungle and coming across one or more barking dogs that are unknown to you. Don't make eye contact, give the dogs a wide berth and

either retreat (especially if you have accidentally ventured onto a neighbors property), or pass as quickly and calmly as possible.

There have been situations, when hiking in countries where wild dogs roam the countryside, that I've carried a hefty stick. I've never had to use it but it's made me feel more secure and therefore calmer.

Jungle dogs are invariably allowed to roam freely and are seldom tethered. No-one will try to control them - it's up to you to behave in such as way that doesn't send the dogs into a frenzy.

Usually this means simply ignore the dogs and under no circumstances try to "make friends" with them. In any case, as mentioned, it's usually all bark and no bite, and just the dogs own fearfulness that is making them agitated.

Our own experience has always been that even badly treated jungle dogs, have always adjusted extremely well to their new homes, and are both loving, loyal and intelligent dogs.

Where is Campesino now?

If anyone's wondering what happened to Campesino, he's still happily living with the new owner of the island, and he retains his post on the security team.

We went back to see him last year after two years away, and it was a joy to find he still remembered us and enthusiastically responded to our short visit.

Campesino has only ever known island life - he's never been on a lead or visited a populated area, so whilst it was difficult to leave him, we were happy to see we'd made the right decision.

Information about vets in Bocas del Toro Bocas Vet Clinic is an invaluable service to the communities living in and around Bocas del Toro.

As well as providing veterinary care, they also hold spay clinics and outer island visits. Check them out here on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bocasvetclinic Another Panamanian charity that has sterilized many animals all over Panama is: https://www.facebook.com/SpayPanama/ Spay Panama are always looking for volunteers to help with their mobile service.

Reader story - jungle dog provides protection from crocs!

Owner of Nomad Tees and long term house sitter Martin Gray was recently in Bocas del Toro, on Isla Solarte.

On this particular assignment, the home owners left their own dog with neighbors across the island, and left Martin with Skeezy (image above), their great, low-maintenance jungle dog.

Martin was told not to get overly concerned about any issues with him.

Skeezy came and went on the property as he wished and was no hassle. He pretty much did his own thing and had a welcome pastime of chasing the 4ft long Caiman crocodile back into the pond !!!

AN INTRODUCTION TO LOOKING AFTER BIRDS WHEN HOUSE SITTING

by Nat Smith

As house sitters, we are sometimes confronted with pets that we have little or even no experience of looking after. Or we have experience with a type of species, but no great knowledge about a particular breed.

This can very much be the case for the birds we find in our care.

With such a huge variety, all with different needs and care routines, it is nice to have some general information about bird care when first arriving at a house sit. It will also help reassure the home owner if you know what type of questions to ask.

What to ask the home owner One of the most important things to find out is if the home owner's vet can look after the bird if needed. Vets need specialized training for birds, so not all of them automatically have knowledge in this area.

Other questions to ask include:       

Does the owner cover the cage at night?

What words can the bird speak?

What commands does the bird understand?

What is the best way to get the bird out of the cage if needed?

Does the bird get free flight time out of the cage?

If yes to the above, how often and for how long?

Any there any special requirements during flight time - rooms to be closed off or will you need to provide constant supervision?

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What is the bird's diet? What type of food? Treats? When and how often?

How often does the home owner clean the cage?

What cleaning products do they use?

How do they clean? It's always a good idea to be shown the cleaning procedure if possible before the home owners leave.

Does the bird like to play? What games?

Is the bird receptive to new people?

Does the bird respond well to handling by strangers?

Where are the carriers kept in case you need to transport the bird to the vet?

Bird care routine The care routine will vary by bird species and how tame the bird is. Your home owner will instruct you on their own routine for the bird, and it is important you stick to this as much as possible. This will keep the bird settled and content.

Whether they live indoors or outdoors, all birds need tending to at least once a day, when it will be necessary to replenish water and food.

Indoor birds in particular will also need entertaining in the form of play or interaction time. This is important for their socialization and to keep their minds active.

If you are caring for birds in an aviary, your main duties will be to supply fresh food and water.

Birds naturally tend to eat in the morning and then again in the evening before settling down to roost for the night.

Birds need regular baths and especially appreciate this for the cooling effect it has in hot weather. Birds bathe in different ways. Some have a bird bath in the cage or aviary; some are misted; some go into the shower with their owners; and some even bathe on wet lettuce leaves.

Find out from your home owner how their bird bathes and how often.

Feeding your charges Most cages are built so you can reach the food and water bowls from the outside. If, however, access is through the cage door, be sure to close it after removal of the bowls. Birds learn very quickly how to escape their enclosures!

To avoid contaminating bird food, you should always use a scoop to take it out of its storage container. Make sure you never dip dirty bird dishes into a container of food.

When replenishing food, completely empty, wash and then dry out the container before refilling it. If you pour new food into a bowl containing the dust or residue from older food, you could cause spoilage.

Refill seeds or pellets at least once a day. As seed-eating birds hull the seeds, what looks like a full dish, may actually only be empty husks.

Most birds love fresh fruits and vegetables, but make sure you check first with your home owner to see if this is OK. Then ask how they prepare and serve fresh food products.

Birds don’t eat the same foods all year long. They not only appreciate seasonal variation in their diet, but they also need additional protein and calcium when they are molting, laying eggs or feeding chicks. Follow your home owners guidelines regarding this aspect of feeding.

Cleanliness when feeding is imperative!

Birds are messy eaters and the removal of old fruits and vegetables is important so they do not spoil or cause contamination.

If you’re worried about whether a bird is eating, check for droppings on the cage's lining papers. The existence of droppings means that a bird is eating. If, on the otherhand, droppings turn tarry and black, this is an indication of starvation and tells you that a bird is not eating as it should.

Cleaning up after birds A clean environment is essential for bird health. Birds with their extensive respiratory systems are sensitive to dust, mold, bacteria and also cleaning products.

Make sure when cleaning out the cage that you do not use products that have strong odors.

Good cleaning agents include diluted baking soda, vinegar, salt, lemon juice, and household bleach. Make sure you also clean the cage in a well ventilated area.

Each day, change cage papers, wipe down messy cage bars, wash and dry food and water dishes, and vacuum or sweep around the bird’s main roosting area.

Yes, they are messy animals!

For outdoor cages, rake under the aviary and hose down to clean away accumulated droppings.

Launder cage covers often, and on a regular basis deep-clean the bird’s environment, washing surrounding walls and floorboards clean of any accumulation of dust or dirt.

Socialization Birds are social animals that enjoy the company of their owners and friends, however, they can be wary of new people. Keep this in mind when first arriving at your house sit.

Allow the bird to warm to you gently by first offering treats dropped into their bowl, or toys put directly into their cage.

Bit by bit they will start to trust you more, and you will find your interactions extend to taking treats from your hand through the cage bars, and eventually by placing your hand inside the cage. Finally work with them outside of the cage.

Since birds are vocal and visual, you should interact with them using these senses. Chatting to a bird is great, but you may get sick of talking all day! This is when a TV or radio works as a good substitute… and it will give you a break too!

Birds are intelligent and the intellectual stimulation offered by toys is important.

Most birds have several toys in their cage. Birds see colors, like to work on puzzles and to chew things. Toys meet these needs, so be sure to offer new ones every few days to keep them interested.

Activities that include foraging, a natural bird behavior, should also be encouraged. Hide treats or nuts in cardboard tubes or wads of paper, or thread natural grasses or newspaper through cage bars.

Any items they can hold, chew or throw around will be a hit!

When you're not at home When you go out, the best way to make sure a bird is happy is to stimulate their five senses:     

Sight: Leave the TV on or provide a toy to play with Sound: Leave the radio on with talk back or music Smell: Give your bird citrus or mint to chew on for soothing scents Taste: Leave some fruit or special treats Touch: Change sets of toys each week. Give perches with different textures

We hope this gives you some basic guidelines to get you started when looking after birds on a house sit.

If you have an experience looking after birds of any kind, we'd love to hear from you!

We will be hearing more from Nat and Jodie next month when they will be talking about their experience of house sitting in Canada.

Nat Smith and Jodie Burnham, originally from Australia, have been traveling the world as fulltime house sitters since early 2013.

Absolutely passionate about their lifestyle, they founded The House Sitting Academy, a selfpaced, online multimedia course of checklists, templates, how-to guides, and video interviews with experienced sitters and world travellers, designed to give house sitters the inner circle strategies to becoming an in-demand sitter, directly from the world’s most experienced, successful & sought after house sitters.

Check out their website at: HouseSittingAcademy.com

DESTINATION - PANAMA CITY

By Amy Rutherford In December 2016, my husband and I visited Panama for the first time. We are long term house sitters, but this trip was purely for vacation, and we used our reward points to stay in two different hotels.

Tocumen Airport is far from the main hotel areas and we arrived late in the day at 11:00pm, so we took a shared taxi to our hotel. We negotiated our cash rate before getting in the car. There are helpful internet posts detailing how to take a bus but since it was late, we decided to keep it easy.

Tocumen International Airport Tocumen International Airport (PTY) (Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) is the international airport of Panama City, the capital of Panama. This is the homebase for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from The Caribbean, South, North and Central America and also some routes to major European cities. You can fly from here to popular Bocas del Toro with Air Panama.

We stayed in the "Distrito Financiero". It felt very safe at all times. Sidewalks are not consistently available, but the roads and walkways are in pretty good condition.

We found ourselves in a local park a few days before Christmas. Filled with families, a festive atmosphere.

What to expect in Panama City It's HOT in Panama City... and, humid... very humid. Unlike some other Latin American countries we've visited, shorts are widely worn..

There are many fast food chains, including a wide array of US options, and also some local spots. We prefer a quick, casual style of dining or street food, but found neither.

We had heard about street food but never saw it even though we walked throughout many neighborhoods. Our options were always limited to fast food or to pricier restaurants with wait staff.

The beautiful and clean Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador)

What not to miss We enjoyed walking along the Amador Causeway, a beautifully maintained pedestrian path that led us right to Casco Viejo (the old quarter). This neighborhood is charming and includes many trendy restaurants.

While there we met up with fellow house sitters and headed to the fish market for dinner. We love meeting other house sitters. Our community is just amazing.

For more info on Casco Viejo check out the VisitPanama website, which is a great resource if planning a trip: http://www.visitpanama.com/what-to-do/casco-viejo Of course, any visitor to Panama City should plan a few hours at the Panama Canal. The public transportation system is incredibly cheap and easy.

We took the underground Metro to the Albrook Mall where we caught a local bus to the Miraflores Visitor Center.

At the charming cafe Super Gourmet in Casco Viejo.

At the Miraflores Visitor Center where there is a viewing platform allowing visitors to see the action as ships pass through.

The Metro is modern, clean and easy to use - electronic signs let passengers know when the train will be arriving and maps provide clear information.

Included in the admission price at Miraflores is the viewing platform, a fascinating museum and an informative film. Other than a pricey buffet option, there is no other food served on site.

We learned many interesting facts about the canal. It takes 8-10 hours to cross through the country and the tolls are high. A small recreational boat of less than 50 feet pays USD $800, while a fully-stocked freighter pays nearly 1 million US dollars.

We saw 3 ships of various sizes pass through from the viewing platform and enjoyed this modern marvel of engineering. Modern is of course relative considering that the lock gates used today were put into use in 1914!

We made our way back to the Albrook Mall and were surprised by its enormity. As of August 2015 it was the fourteenth largest mall in the world, the largest in the Americas, and the largest shopping mall outside Asia.

Their main food court is spread across 2 floors with more than 40 different dining options.

Nearly every one of them was swamped at 4:00pm on a weekday.

The Albrook Mall has a large bus depot, food market and is very busy.

What we learned on our trip to Panama City  



Uber is a reasonable way to get around the city (if you have access to the app), but keep in mind traffic can be bad, so it's often quicker to walk shorter distances.

US Dollars are widely used in Panama. The official currency of Panama is the Balboa, named after Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who discovered the Pacific Ocean in 1513.

However, the Balboa has been tied to the US Dollar at an exchange rate of 1:1 since its introduction and has always circulated alongside the US Dollar. One Balboa is divided into 100 cents.

We did encounter many people who did not speak English so it was helpful to have taken Spanish lessons.

Editor's note: We've found learning Spanish improves the experience of living and traveling in all Spanish speaking countries. We learned using Synergy Spanish and would highly recommend this course - no verb conjugations, just practical language that's easy to learn.

   

Other than the hotel staff, we did not find the people of Panama City to be overly warm or friendly.

Prices were higher than we've encountered in our travels elsewhere. Fast food was prevalent and pricing was much higher than in the US. As an urban environment, it was clean and safe.

You can regularly find Panamanian beer for $1. Two of the beers, Panama and Balboa, both have 4.8% alcohol, compared to 3.8% for Atlas. Craft and imported beers are harder to find and expensive.

To experience everything that Panama City has to offer, and allow time to visit the Panama Canal, we would suggest a stay of 2 to 3 full days.

Tim and Amy Rutherford live outside of beautiful Denver, Colorado. In 2015, they left their corporate careers for a path that includes more travel and embracing a healthy lifestyle. These days, they are active volunteers, house sitters and travelers with a little consulting work thrown in.

They have just started blogging about their lives at www.GoWithLess.com

A FEW DAYS CHILLING IN BOCAS DEL TORO

by Amy Rutherford

One of our friends is a native of Panama City. He urged us to check out Bocas del Toro as a fun excursion while we were vacationing in Panama. We had a few days available after our visit to the capital, and so we booked Air Panama flights to Bocas.

We debated taking the overnight bus for the cheaper price tag but decided it didn't make sense for such a short trip and were happy we went by air.

We got some good aerial pictures as we approached the main island. Bocas del Toro is an archipelago - a group of islands on the Caribbean coast of Panama.

We booked three nights at a cozy, easygoing guest house called Stay Bocas.

The front entrance of our new home was exactly 51 steps from the airport exit. Talk about convenient. Thankfully, there are only a few flights in and out each day and they stop running quite early in the day so airport noise was no issue.

Our hostess made things super easy for us. She recommended three delicious restaurants for dinner and was right about each one. She also directed us to a tour company that took us out with four other visitors for the day on a small boat.

We enjoyed snorkeling, quiet beaches and looking for dolphins, sloths and starfish from the boat.

Even though we were out of rainy season, it rained many times during our short stay. The showers were over as quickly as they started so it wasn't a problem.

We stayed in Bocas Town to be close to all of the action and walked or biked everywhere. Bocas Town is on an island but is where you'll find most of the shops, restaurants and tour companies.

The town is extremely chill and is a haven for surfers. Despite its relaxed atmosphere, a policewoman gently scolded Tim for walking through town without a shirt (it was soaked completely after a downpour when we were on the boat!). But otherwise, totally beach bum vibe.

We borrowed free bikes from our hosts and had the best time on a flat bike ride to Playa Bluff.

There are no amenities at this perfect beach spot but also very few other people.

In hindsight, we wish we would have spent more time in Bocas del Toro than in Panama City!

Editor's note: House sitting in Bocas del Toro There are many expats living on the islands and in some of the more remote corners of the archipelago. This gives rise to a fair number of house sitting opportunities - although many of these are secured by referrals or word of mouth recommendations.

A specialist set of skills is needs in many situations - off-grid experience, solar maintenance, water collection management and often boat handling skills. We have covered a number of these skill sets in this month's issue of the magazine.

For more information about house sitting opportunities in Bocas, go to Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BocasHousesitting/ and read the insightful feature by group founder, Lara Plogman, in this issue.

Tim and Amy Rutherford live outside of beautiful Denver, Colorado. In 2015, they left their corporate careers for a path that includes more travel and embracing a healthy lifestyle. These days, they are active volunteers, house sitters and travelers with a little consulting work thrown in.

They have just started blogging about their lives at: GoWithLess.com

THE SIMPLE LIFESTYLE

by Ian Usher

Recently Vanessa and I spent a month house sitting in the beautiful tropical archipelago of Bocas del Toro, off the Caribbean coast of Panama.

The experience reminded me of a joke I heard during the time I lived in this remote area for three years, on my own little island.

You can read about my adventures (mainly my mis-adventures!) in this beautiful lagoon in my book, Paradise Delayed The area has quite a few expat homes, gringos who have migrated south from the US and Canada, or Europeans looking for a life of freedom and adventure.

However, the majority of residents living here are the original indigenous Indian tribes-folk, many of whom still live a very simple, peaceful lifestyle. Most days you can see children paddling to school in hand-made canoes, called kayukos, carved from tree trunks.

Men and women fish from similar canoes, using hand lines, catching enough on a daily basis for their family. Sometimes, if they catch a couple of extra fish, they will trade with one of their friends, or perhaps one of the expat neighbours.

When I lived in the archipelago I was always excited when I heard a call of "Hola!" from the dock. What would the local fisherman or woman have today? Snapper, barracuda, crab, lobster?

My best purchase was a monster snapper that fed me for many days for a bargain $4. It was still alive in the bottom of the kayuku as I handed over the money.

You don't get fish any fresher than that!

Occasionally the tourists who come to town on holiday venture a little further south, into the more remote areas of the lagoons, and it is here that our story takes place.

A rich tourist from the big city was visiting the tropical archipelago. Sailing around on his huge catamaran, he spotted a local fisherman on his dock, swinging lazily in his hammock. Cooking slowly on an open charcoal fire was a fine selection of freshly-caught fish. The well-dressed tourist had one of his crew members row him over to the fisherman's dock.

"That's a mighty fine catch you have there sir," he said, complimenting the fisherman on the quality of the fish.

The fisherman nodded proudly.

The tourist asked the fisherman how long it took for him to catch the fish.

"Oh, not too long, maybe an hour, maybe less."

A little perplexed, the tourist then asked, "So why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?

The fisherman replied that his small catch was good enough to serve his needs and those of his family.

The curious tourist was now intrigued. "Well then, what do you do with the rest of your day?"

The fisherman replied in a very matter-of-fact fashion. "I sleep late, fish a little, cook what I catch, play with my children, then take a siesta in the afternoon with my wife! In the evenings, I go into the village and see my friends, drink some beer, play the guitar and sing a few songs."

After a moment's thought he added proudly, "I have a rather full life."

The tourist nodded, and now spoke to the fisherman in what sounded like a slightly condescending tone. "Well, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a businessman and have an MBA degree. I can help you to grow financially. You aren't making the most of your opportunities here."

It was now the fisherman's turn to look a little perplexed.

The tourist went on to advise the fisherman that he should get up earlier and start fishing longer hours every day. "This will mean you have extra fish to sell. With the revenue you gain you will be able to buy a bigger boat. Then, when you take on a crew to help you, you'll really be able to start bringing the bigger hauls."

The confused fisherman nodded, and asked the tourist, “What after that?”

The tourist was now becoming animated. "With the money from those larger hauls you will soon be able to buy a second boat, then a third. Before long you'll own your own fleet of trawlers. Then, instead of negotiating with middlemen, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants, to increase your profit margins. A few years down the road you should be able to set up your own processing plant. Of course, you'll have to leave this tiny village and move to a larger city to set up your corporate offices."

The fisherman mulled over the tourist's words silently for a while, then asked, "How long will all this take?"

"About 20 to 25 years," replied the tourist.

"But what after that?” the fisherman asked again.

"Ah, now that's when the real fun begins," beamed the tourist. "When the business gets real big, you can sell stocks in your company. You'll make millions."

"Millions? Wow." said the fisherman, a knowing smile slowly beginning to appear on his face.

"But what after that?"

A bit exasperated, the tourist said, "Don't you see? This is the best bit. You can then retire, live in a quiet, peaceful, tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grand kids, take a siesta with your wife, and spend evenings with friends drinking beer and enjoying music."

I think sometimes we forget that live is lived now, not in some far-off future that we dream of.

And sometimes it is hard to see that we already have most of what we want.

It is nice to be able to take a small step back at times and look at your life, and hopefully be able to say to yourself, "Yes, it's going pretty well right now."

Photo credit: All photos are taken in beautiful Bocas del Toro, Panama, by Tashi, official photographer for "Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild".

See our episode, filmed in 2013, here: http://ianusher.com/stories/new-lives

CHANGES TO ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: CANADA, PANAMA & COSTA RICA

CANADA - New entry requirements 2017

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) Visa-exempt foreign nationals who fly to, or transit through a Canadian airport, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). This is a similar system to the USA's ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization).

You can check to see if an eTA is required for your country of residence online - it is necessary for Australians and Brits, but not for citizens of the USA. An eTA costs $7 and most applications are approved within minutes of applying. An eTA can be valid for up to five years or until your passport expires. If you get a new passport, you will need to get a new eTA. With a valid eTA you can travel to Canada as often as you want for short stays (normally for up to six months at a time).

Exceptions include US citizens and travelers with a valid Canadian visa.

Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, and Canadian permanent residents do not need to apply for an eTA. Visa-exempt travellers do NOT need an eTA when entering Canada by land (e.g. car or bus) or sea (e.g. cruise ship).

To apply for an eTA go to the Government of Canada's official website

PANAMA & COSTA RICA SHAKE-UP There has been a big shake-up of entry requirements and the issue of visas in Panama which could affect long term house sitters. Unfortunately, as is usual in this Central American country, nothing is clear and we are getting conflicting reports, depending on the place and method of entry.

It seems that Brits, US citizens, Canadians and Aussies can still get 180 days without a visa, but we are hearing from house sitters in Panama that they can no longer do a quick visa run into Costa Rica - they have to stay away 30 days and show onward or return flights.

We have included below information from the UK, US and Canadian official websites (we couldn't find Australian info), and you'll notice that they all mention stricter border controls.

This could cause problems for long term house sits extending beyond six months and it's something we will keep a close eye on. On the other hand, this could open up opportunities for shorter sits of one month, to cover for long-termers needing to leave the country for 30 days.

Costa Rica is also tightening its borders, especially with Panama and in December 2016 Costa Rica eliminated entry for Schengen Visa holders.

Lara Plogman and her husband Ron are long term house sitters in Bocas del Toro, Panama. They also run the Facebook group Bocas Housesitting" - Lara is keeping a close eye on developments and will be reporting in the group anything that she discovers in the coming weeks.

Entry requirements: British Citizens visiting Panama www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/panama/entry-requirements) British nationals don’t need a visa to visit Panama except if arriving by sea. You must have a return or onward ticket and the equivalent of US$500 or a credit card. (We've been told that people have had to prove that the onward ticket is fully paid for).

If you enter Panama by land from Costa Rica, and are not a legal resident of Costa Rica, the immigration authorities may ask you to show proof of onward or return travel to your country of legal residence.

You may be detained by immigration officials if you attempt to renew your tourist visa by visiting a neighboring country, including Costa Rica.

An initial stay of 180 days is granted on entry to Panama.

Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of exit from Panama. Your passport must also have several unused pages.

Entry requirements: Canadian Citizens entering Panama Canadians must present a passport to visit Panama, which must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date of expected departure from that country. A tourist visa is not required.

Tourists may only remain in Panama for a maximum of 180 days. If you wish to remain in the country after that time, you must change your residency status.

If you attempt to renew your stay in Panama by traveling out of the country for a short period of time with the intention of returning to Panama as a tourist, immigration authorities may deny you re-entry, as they are implementing stricter border controls. Consult Immigration Panama for more information.

You must obtain a correctly dated entry stamp from immigration officials upon entry into Panama. Failure to do so may result in a fine, as immigration officials have begun strictly enforcing entry and exit regulations.

When they enter Panama, visitors are required to have the equivalent of US$500 or a credit card, plus a return or onward ticket.

Entry requirements: for US Citizens entering Panama Panamanian law requires that US citizen travelers present a passport that has a remaining validity of at least 3 months, or a passport with a Panamanian visa, and the visa has a remaining validity of at least 6 months.

Upon arriving in Panama tourists must present a return trip ticket or fare back to their home country or next destination.

In addition to this, no less than five-hundred ($500.00) in cash or its equivalent must be presented as proof of financial solvency. In addition to cash, travelers can show a credit card (with most recent credit card statement), bank reference, letter of employment, or traveler’s check.

Please be aware that immigration officials on the Panama-Costa Rica border are making tourist entry requirements more strict. Travelers planning to enter/exit along the PanamaCosta Rica border should be prepared to present all required documents to immigration officials.

Tourists can only remain in Panama for 180 days. This rule is strictly enforced by Panamanian immigration. Travelers must ensure that immigration officials place an entry stamp in their passport.

Is it the end of the visa free travel for Americans in Europe?

Other news this week included a report that The European Parliament passed a resolution calling for an end to US citizen's visa-free travel the Europe.

It seems like a tit-for-tat response after the US failed to grant visa waivers to citizens of Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania.

There is some hope, however, that a diplomatic resolution will come into play before anything is made law.

We will be watching this situation carefully too!

Please let us know if you hear or experience any changes to visa or entry requirements as you travel.

And if you've ever wanted to know who is included in the European Schengen zone - here's a handy map:

LOW COST CRUISING BETWEEN HOUSE SITS!

by Jane Dempster-Smith

For those of us who house sit internationally we are always looking at ways of traveling between our assignments in a cost effective way. This can make or break a decision to take a house sitting assignment.

We have used buses to travel between our house sits in Mexico, France and Panama and flights between Australia, Ecuador, Mexico and Nicaragua.

What about if you want to travel between Europe and Central America?

You can fly, but can you cruise?

We were in Spain last September and needed to be in Panama for a 3-month house sit commencing in October. On average flights from Spain to Panama one way are between USD700 – USD900 per person. This depends on the season, and whether you want to take a direct flight or travel for 15+ hours with stops.

That could work given it’s a three-month assignment. However we looked at the cost of sea travel as an alternative. Container ships are not cost effective and do not provide Wi-Fi which is essential for our nomad digital life.

Enter reposition cruises!

The idea of reposition cruises started to appear during chatter in house sitting groups about 16 months ago.

Originally we were going to travel with Pullmantur “MV Monarch” in May 2016 from Panama back to Europe but we returned to Australia for a few months instead!

What is a reposition cruise?

Cruise Liners need to reposition their ships from continent to continent for the new cruise season, e.g. from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, or the Middle East to the US or Canada at different times of the year.

What are the downsides?

The fares on offer are cheaper, but there are many nights at sea crossing oceans and so the ports that you will visit are limited. You may also experience some renovation works whilst enjoying the cruise, but from our experience there was no lack of service, food was excellent and we had great entertainment.

After completing the Mediterranean season, Pullmantur Cruise Company (a Spanish cruise company) needed to relocate their ship the “MV Monarch” back to the Caribbean for the season starting in October 2016.

The timing was perfect for us, with our arrival in Colon, Panama, starting the day before our house sit in Boquete, Panama.

How much is a reposition cruise?

For 15 nights we were wined, dined and entertained on the ship. Here is the breakdown of costs:   

USD $237.50 per person for 15 nights at the 55+ age rate USD $210.00 per person - Government taxes USD $447.50 per person total costs for cruise

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Additional costs - Tips: USD $175 per person

Total Cost per person USD $ 622.50 or USD 41.50 per night When you compare the costs of an airfare, accommodation and meal costs for the same period, the reposition cruise becomes a cost effective way to travel.

There are Wi-Fi packages available and it depends on your requirements and usage, but it can be slow at times.

HOW TO FIND A REPOSITION CRUISE We used vacationstogo.com - located under "Reposition Cruises". http://www.repositioncruises.com/

Would you consider a reposition cruise? Email us at: vanessa@HouseSittingMagazine.com

Jane Dempster-Smith, Travel Guru and Co-Founder of To Travel Too Over the past four decades, Jane’s passion for travel has taken her to over 44 countries. Having lived and worked in Australia, the UK and Singapore, she has extensive experience in all aspects of travel, from airport ground staff, to air hostessing, retail, corporate and group travel. She’s enjoyed flying in two seaters, hot air balloons and even on Concorde.

Jane now offers her skills to baby boomers who want to change their lives - to travel light and travel far.

You can find Jane Dempster-Smith on Facebook www.facebook.com/totraveltoo and at the website www.totraveltoo.com

AN INTRODUCTION TO SMALL BOAT HANDLING

by Ian Usher

Bocas del Toro in Panama is a beautiful place. It is a little Caribbean archipelago, made up of five main islands, and hundreds of other smaller islands of all shapes and sizes.

The whole archipelago is sheltered from the Caribbean swells by the outer islands, so within the bays, when the weather is good, the waters are calm and smooth.

There is no road access to most of the archipelago, which spreads over an area measuring about 40 kilometres north-to-south, and 30 kilometres east-to-west.

If you want to go anywhere, you have to do so by boat.

The population is a wonderful mix of Panamanians of various descents, native indigenous Indians, Chinese, North American and European expats.

Many people have left their home country to make a new life in what one of my friends calls "The Archipelago of Bliss". This means that there are many house sitting opportunities in the area... but you will rarely see them listed on any of the major platforms.

This is because to house sit one of these amazing properties requires a particular skill set, not least of which is the ability to handle a boat. And most of the house sits are filled by word of mouth locally.

I became a resident of the archipelago in 2011, having bought a small overgrown island at a seriously bargain-basement price. One of the first purchases I made was a boat. It was an old workhorse with a Yamaha 75HP outboard motor, which had to be steered by sitting or standing at the rear of the boat, next to the engine, moving the tiller.

I began a very steep learning curve, liberally scattered with mistakes and incidents.

Some early boat handling practice - beginner's mistake #1, no life jacket!

This isn't one of my errors, but the picture always makes me laugh.

The boat is called "Temporary Insanity 2". I often imagine the owner cursing to himself, saying, "Oh no, I've done it again!"

What could possibly go wrong?

Here is a list of some issues (and potential consequences) a novice boat handler can come across in Bocas del Toro.

Not all of these mistakes are mine, not were all made by complete novices. But I do know the people who have been involved in all of the incidents listed below:    

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 

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Approaching a dock too quickly and crashing in to it - (potential damage to either the dock, the boat, or self... or possibly all three).

Running over a shallow reef you weren't aware of - wrecking the propeller, gearbox of the motor, or bottom of the boat.

Not realizing the engine is out of oil... until the motor seizes up - a full engine rebuild is required, or maybe a new engine.

Overloading a boat with sand, gravel and bags of cement, then crossing the wake of another boat at the wrong angle - boat swamped with water, followed by a rapid sinking to the bottom, and a long swim to the shore.

Overloading the boat with huge wooden logs then running out of fuel in the middle of the lagoon in a gathering storm - see the following story "Log jam" - yes, this is one of my own mistakes that really could have ended in disaster.

Leaving a party too late in the afternoon - getting lost in the mangroves for half the night.

Heading home in almost white-out conditions in a heavy rainstorm as darkness approaches - running into the mangroves at high speed, being ejected quickly from the boat, and lying unconscious for an unknown period of time in the shallow water.

Leaving a boat uncovered at a dock overnight in a heavy rainstorm - boat on the seabed by morning.

As you can see, boating can be a potentially dangerous activity!

However, I got there in the end, and now consider myself pretty competent with a powerboat. I don't have any sort of official qualification, but do have several years of real-world experience in a wide range of conditions.

Vanessa and I recently returned to Panama to house sit for one of our previous neighbours - we sold the island property in 2014 to begin our life of endless travel.

The house is a beautiful, modern, off-grid property, right on the waterfront in its own little tranquil bay.

The boat is a lot nicer than the couple of boats I owned in my time living there, but the owner had no issues in trusting us with their home, pets, and boat.

We used the boat to go to town on grocery shopping trips. We would also head to the local pizza restaurant in the jungle, accessible only by boat, and the social hub for the close-knit expat community.

One of our favorite things was to take the boat out at night under a full moon, perhaps with a bottle of wine, and turn the engine off in the middle of the bay and just drift. You could jump in for a swim, or sometimes the local dolphins would come and circle the boat for a while. It was so peaceful and quiet - an experience we could never hope to have without being able to handle a boat confidently.

So, how do you learn the skills?

Well, my trial-and-error approach probably isn't the best, or safest way to learn. I did have some great instruction from a friend early on. His best piece of advice was, "Take everything slowly - very slowly!"

But despite his early guidance, I did have some near-misses - see the following pages for a couple of examples.

I would suggest if you don't have any experience at all a recognised boat handling qualification would be a great way to begin. You can learn under the watchful guidance of trained experts in controlled conditions.

A quick search for "powerboat handling courses" will head you in the right direction.

In the UK the RYA is well known and respected: http://www.rya.org.uk/courses-training/courses/powerboat/Pages/introduction.aspx For Australia, try the appropriately named Australian Sailing: http://www.sailing.org.au/powerboat-handling/ The US has several options, one of them being US Powerboating: http://www.uspowerboating.com/courses/sph/ Your own country will probably have courses too - just search online, adding your country into the search term.

If you have friends with boats this might also be a good place to start. Listen to their advice, but of course, don't take it for granted without professional input too.

For what it is worth, here are my top five tips for the new boat handler: 1. Take everything S-L-O-W-L-Y. Particularly when approaching docks and pulling away.

2. Always wear a life-jacket with a cut-off cord attached. This stops the engine if you happen to fall overboard. You don't want the empty boat with the engine still running coming round in a big circle to run you over in the water - it does happen, more often than you would think!

3. Check the weather before heading out, consider the conditions and your skill level, and err on the side of safety. If in doubt, don't go out.

4. When docking, consider the waves, the current, the tide, and possibly most importantly, the wind. It is much easier to approach the dock on the upwind side and let the wind gently push you down onto the dock. If you approach on the downwind side you have to be quick and skilled to get the approach just right, before the wind blows you away from the dock again. You only have to make this mistake a couple of times in front of an amused audience before you learn very quickly.

5. Practice makes perfect. Every time you go out, consider what you did well and what you could have done better. You will improve quickly when you analyse how the boat interacts with the water and the wind.

Skimming across a beautiful flat lagoon with dolphins jumping in your wake it a wonderful experience. Learn some boat handling skills and you will be in a much stronger position when you start looking for waterfront, boat-based assignments.

I wrote a book about my experiences of building a completely off-grid home in Bocas del Toro.

Most of the stories in it detail the challenges encountered along the way. Needless to say, several of the stories deal with learning to handle a boat, and the associated misadventures.

The book is called "Paradise Delayed".

The following two articles contain two chapters from the book, offered here as a salutary warning - make sure you know what you are doing when you go out and about in a powerboat!

You can find the book on Amazon here:

BOAT HANDLING FOR DUMMIES from the book Paradise Delayed by Ian Usher

When I returned to Panama to start work on the island, one of the first purchases I had to make was a boat. I needed to be able to get from town to the property and back, and be able to take workers to help with clearing the thick jungle, which had reclaimed much of the island during the previous years of neglect.

I really didn’t know very much about boats, but did have some experience with two stroke engines, from owning both motorbikes and jet skis. At least I had some sort of idea what a decent engine should sound like.

As I wandered the town, I would ask anyone that I met, local and gringo alike, if they knew of anyone who had a boat for sale. Over the course of a week or so I was shown many possibilities. It seemed that almost everyone knew someone who had a boat, which they might sell for the right price.

Many of the prices I was quoted seemed ridiculously high, and I think many of the potential sellers, mainly locals, were just trying their luck, hoping they had found a rich gringo who would buy the first boat he was offered.

I soon got a good idea of values, and stumbled across a boat that was pulled up into storage, on the grass at the local marina. Three people had told me about this boat, and I had three different possible prices. Finally, one of my contacts gave me the phone number of the owner and suggested I deal direct with him.

The owner wasn’t in town for a few days, but he said I could take the boat out to try out the engine if I wished. By asking around at one of the hostels I managed to round up a couple of burly local guys, including one familiar with boats and engines. We took a water taxi over to the marina.

With some fuel in the tank, we launched the boat. After a couple of pulls on the starter cord, my new boat mechanic friend coaxed the big 75 horsepower Yamaha two stroke into spluttering life.

The engine soon settled into a nice idle and, with a piece of coconut husk stuffed into the boat’s drainage hole to stop it filling with water, we set off across the bay. The boat itself was a little rough around the edges - just what I needed as a work boat - but the engine sounded like it was in great shape.

I met the owner a couple of days later, and after a little haggling we struck a deal. We did some paperwork at the local notary office and I became a Panamanian boat owner. My first purchase

at the marine hardware store was a drain plug, so I could replace the piece of rotting coconut husk that was currently filling the gap.

With the boat on the water, and a dock to use at the little hotel where I was staying, it was time to start learning a few boat handling skills.

I was very lucky to have Eric with me during those early days, as I think the learning curve would have been liberally littered with more incidents and accidents. Eric was a cheery French Canadian guy who was possibly going to be leader of the team that would eventually build my house. He was going to help with the initial site preparation, and wanted to see the island.

On the first day we spent together, my first day with the boat, I offered to let him drive.

“No man. It’s your boat. You have to learn how to use it, and how to avoid hitting things. Your boat is a pretty important part of your life down here.”

So began my boat handling training course. It’s all pretty straightforward if you think about it.

The best piece of advice that Eric gave me was to take everything very slowly at first. When approaching a dock, it looks very impressive to turn up at top speed, like the local water taxi drivers, flick the engine into reverse at the last second, and coast to a stop right beside the dock. Gringos have a well documented history of trying such stunts without much success. You need to take your time to figure out what the water currents are doing and which way the wind may push the boat.

An extra complication thrown into the mix is that many boats, including my new purchase, are steered from the back. You have to sit beside the engine and move the engine itself to left or

right by using the tiller handle. This is very counter-intuitive at first, and often results in dockside comedy.

However, before long I started to get used to the boat. The work crew I had gathered to take down to the island each day showed less and less fear of my docking skills as time went by.

Windy days always added further challenge. The spray blown in your face hampers visibility, as does the rain.

It was on a windy day that I made one of my more comedic mistakes. Heading north from the island towards town, I had inserted the engine cut-off key, which is supposed to operate like a dead man’s handle on a train. Clipped to your life-jacket, if you fall overboard, the key is yanked out of the engine, and the motor stops running. In the boating world, there are a few horrific tales of hapless boaters falling overboard, only to have the unmanned boat turn in a circle and run the victim over.

So, I wisely had my cut-off clipped to my life-jacket. However, on this occasion, with the sun being out and only a light wind blowing over the calm water, I simply stuffed the life-jacket into the back of the boat beside the engine.

All went well for a while, until suddenly the engine cut out. I turned around to look at it, but couldn’t initially see what was wrong. Then my vision caught sight of something orange on the water behind me. The boat was still moving forward, but friction with the water was slowing it gradually. The wind, coming from the north, was now blowing the life-jacket in my wake away to the south, along with the all-important cut-off key.

What to do? My mind raced through the options. The most obvious was to jump in and swim after the jacket. I started emptying my pockets of money and mobile phone. But with the boat still drifting in one direction and the jacket blowing in the other, the gap was widening. What if by the time I got there the gap was huge? Maybe I wouldn’t make it back to the boat? But maybe the boat would start to drift back towards me in the water, carried by the wind. I wasn’t really sure, but I knew that if I was going to swim it had to be now, before the life-jacket blew any further away.

I hesitated, still undecided. Could I just hold the cut-off switch out with my fingers, in the same way the key did? No, there was no way I could pull the starter cord with one hand. It was a big heavy engine to crank over. Something else then? A piece of wire perhaps, which could fill the gap?

I glanced around in the boat, and my eyes fell on a length of thin rope in one of the little storage compartments under the seats. There! That would do the trick. I fashioned a slip knot, placed it over the cut-off switch and pulled it tight. The engine started on the first pull, and I headed back to collect the life-jacket.

The first thing I did was put it on and fasten it up.

Where is your life jacket, driver?

You can read more about my boat handling and off-grid island adventures in "Paradise Delayed", available on Amazon as both paperback and digital download:

LOG JAM from the book Paradise Delayed by Ian Usher

“So both of the extra fuel cans are under the hatch?”

Eric asked, looking at me incredulously. The question may have been punctuated by an expletive too.

“Er, yes,” I answered sheepishly, looking at the dark, tumultuous sea heaving around us. We were in trouble.

An hour earlier, as we had loaded the boat, I hadn’t thought to check how much fuel was left in the tank.

The relatively simple task for the day had been to go and collect some large logs Eric had had a local guy cut for us from his property. We were constructing wooden retaining walls so Eric could bring barge-loads of infill material to make a solid dock. He wanted to be able to bring a bobcat onto the island if he and his team were going to be building a house there in the near future.

Today was going to be one of my first major boat handling challenges. We had to collect the heavy logs and then transport them across the big open main bay of the archipelago to the island.

When we had set out in the morning, the weather had been lovely, the sea calm. But as we headed into the bay with a boat laden to the gunnels with hefty logs, each measuring about 20 feet long, the skies looked ominously darker.

The boat is only 23 feet long from stem to stern. With the engine at the back, the logs had to be propped up on the bow, which made the boat a little top heavy.

I steered carefully, watching both the waves for any trouble ahead and the faces of my workers for any signs of fear. Both looked reasonably calm, and we made fairly decent progress.

But in worsening conditions, about midway across the bay, as the skies darkened and the seas built into a worryingly tumultuous mass of heaving water, things took a turn in an even more worrying direction. The engine coughed and spluttered, then died. All faces turned and looked at me expectantly, and I turned and looked down at the fuel can. A light tap with my foot confirmed my suspicions. “The tank’s empty. How did that happen?"

“Well, hauling all of this weight means we’ve been burning much more fuel than usual,” explained Eric. “We have got the two other cans, haven’t we? Where are they?”

Oh, I knew exactly where they were. In the small locker, up at the front of the boat, which was buried under 24 heavy logs centred carefully in the boat. The lid of the locker opens upwards, and the logs were on top of the lid. I pointed forward.

“They’re in there,” I said quietly.

Maybe I said it too quietly. “What?” asked Eric incredulously.

“In there,” I repeated, pointing once again at the obscured locker.

“So both of the extra fuel cans are under the hatch?”

“Er, yes.”

“Okay,” he sighed, and then began organising the three workers and myself calmly and efficiently. We shuffled logs carefully to left and right in the boat, or port and starboard if you want to be technical, being careful to maintain an even balance.

It was a tricky operation to pick the next log to move, trying to ensure that it wasn’t entangled with others below it, or supporting others laid over part of it. We had to stack them carefully, making sure they would not move again, as we then had to clamber on top of the new piles, a couple of people on each side of the boat to maintain balance. It was like a real-life version of Pick Up Sticks.

As more logs were moved to the sides the boat became more unsteady, and the danger of the logs rolling increased too. There was a real potential for a crushed and broken leg if anything gave way. The thought of tipping the boat over, and ending up in the water under the logs didn’t bear thinking about.

With infinite care in the rolling sea, we managed to clear the locker hatch, and freed the two five gallon petrol cans. They were sent down to the back of the boat, and the painstaking process of returning the wood to the centre of the boat began. We all heaved a sigh of relief when the wood was centred again, the fuel tank filled, and the engine restarted.

I had never been so glad to reach the end of a journey.

You can read more about my boat handling and off-grid island adventures in "Paradise Delayed", available on Amazon as both paperback and digital download:

LAID BACK HOUSE SITTING IN PANAMA

by Jane and Duncan Dempster-Smith

While popular house sitting locations include the island archipelago of Bocas del Toro, and expat communities close to Panama City, you'll find quieter spots along the Pacific coast, and inland in places like Boquete.

The beauty of Boquete Boquete is a mountainous destination 503km from Panama City and 60km from the Costa Rican border. David, the second city of Panama, is a short bus or taxi ride from Boquete.

Boquete sits in the valley of Volcan Baru, the highest mountain in Panama, and towers over the town that nestles into a valley surrounded by coffee plantations.

It is the only place on earth where you can swim in the waters of the Caribbean Sea in the morning and enjoy a cocktail or two overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the early evening.

Wherever you are located in Boquete you will experience different types of micro-climates. The rainy season extends from May through to December; January is known as the windy month; and then there are a few months of dry weather before the rain starts up again.

This is our second time to Boquete for house sitting assignments. The local expat community relies on house sitters as they travel back to their homelands at different times of the year.

The newly opened daily green market in town provides the community with an abundance of locally grown produce. On Tuesday morning there is a local expat community market where local produce is sold. You can enjoy locally prepared food and browse and buy locally made handicrafts.

This area is rich in coffee plantations and the local expat groups offer hikes of varying levels.

There is also an opportunity to work with local indigenous communities and rescue dog foundations. Or your can enroll at a language school to improve your Spanish.

Locals and expats provide evening entertainment and the local expats have created a Microbrewery. Restaurants vary from local as well as Italian and American food outlets.

Boquete is popular for coffee tours, white water rafting, bird watching, zip lining and a host of off-road 4WD exploration.

You can’t beat Boquete for a great house sitting experience.

Playa El Rompio, Los Santos Playa El Rompio is on the Pacific coastline, located 143km away from Panama City and a 25minute drive from Chitre, the biggest town in the locality. The bus service from Allbrook Terminal in Panama City is a convenient way to travel to the area.

A haven for snow birds (expats) from the harsh winters of the Northern Hemisphere, Playa El Rompio is a small fishing village located on a near deserted beach, with just a handful of homes scattered along its foreshores.

In the small village there are several small locally owned restaurants where you can enjoy the daily catch from the local fishermen. For weekly grocery shopping a drive into Chitre is recommended.

This is one house sitting location where a car is required.

The area receives less rainfall than other areas of Panama and has a daily average temperature of between 27 and 30 degrees. The beach is clean and is a welcome place to walk the dogs during the day. It’s tidal and allows for variation in the beach walk.

If you are after a quiet laid back house sitting experience, then Playa El Rompio fits the bill.

Find out more about Jane and Duncan's house sitting and travel adventures on website: https://totraveltoo.com/

MapsWithMe - MAPS.ME

Cuba is an interesting and unusual place to visit.

It really is very different, in many ways, to most other countries in the world. This is in large part due to the embargo put in place in the early 1960s by the US government, after Fidel Castro and his band of revolutionaries took control of the country from the hugely unpopular, but USsupported Fulgencio Batista.

One of the most striking differences you first come across in modern-day Cuba is the current challenge of accessing the internet.

Like many socialist countries, the government in Cuba has a bit of a history of keeping their citizens somewhat in the dark.

We found the same thing in China when we lived there for a year in 2015. While internet access is very easy and cheap, Google, Facebook, Twitter and several other western websites are blocked by the so-called "Great Firewall of China".

One of our initial challenges in China there was that we couldn't access Google Maps while out and about, so finding our way around proved to be quite difficult at first. However, one of my Chinese students helped me to download Baidu Maps, a fantastic Chinese map app, to my phone, and we were able to figure out bus routes, subway systems and much more, despite he app being in Chinese.

The easiest way to overcome internet challenges in China is to use a VPN (virtual private network). We looked at this in detail in Issue 4 of House Sitting Magazine In China they have super-modern, super-fast 4G LTE mobile phone networks, which means you can access the internet from just about anywhere on your phone. Pay As You Go data plans are super-cheap, and in Shenzhen just about everybody carries a phone.

Most people seem to be glued to their phone about 90% of the time they are awake. As a teacher it comes as a bit of a surprise to see students sending messages, or even answering calls in a lesson. But this is seen as very normal in modern, connected China.

It isn't quite so simple in Cuba.

There is a state-run phone company called ETECSA, which also operates the country's only mobile phone network. The network doesn't offer any sort of data connection, so you can't access the internet this way.

To get online you have to either have a landline internet connection in your own home, or you have to go to a public WiFi hotspot.

ETECSA have set up hotspots in the major parks in most cities. To connect to the internet you first have to go to an ETECSA office and wait in line to buy a WiFi card. For the equivalent of US $1.50 you can buy an hour of internet time. You are allowed to buy a maximum of three cards per visit. Sometimes the queue to buy your internet cards can be quite long.

Once you have your card you can head to the local park or plaza to join dozens, possibly hundreds of other people who also want to access the internet.

You have to try to find a place in the shade, where you can sit, and perch your laptop on your knees. An hour disappears very quickly, especially when the park is busy, and thus connection speeds are slower.

So imagine then, arriving in a new city, either by bus or collectivo (shared) taxi, and you have been dropped off somewhere in town. You have no access to the internet, and you don't even know where the local park is.

How do you find your way around?

Google Maps will store in the cache memory some of what you have previously viewed, but there is no guarantee how long it will be available there. You can also actually save some areas of the map for offline use. However, these can be quite large files, and can take some time to download.

For Cuba I found I would have to download the whole country in four separate sections. When we got to Cuba we then discovered that the offline versions of the maps lack any detail at all, and are practically useless for navigation.

Fortunately we had a backup plan. I have previously used an app called MAPS.ME when I knew I was going to be offline for a while. I installed the app once again on our phone and tablet (both Android).

MAPS.ME is a little different to Google Maps. MAPS.ME uses the OpenStreetMaps.org data set.

OpenStreetMaps is a community project, a little like Wikipedia, with a map of the world that is created and added to in real-time by users all around the world. It is open source, which means there is no real ownership or copyright.

Inside the MAPS.ME app you can download different maps for different parts of the world. The complete maps are stored on your device, and are fully accessible offline. The full map Cuba, for example, is about 40Mb of data, so takes little space on your phone, but you can access everything, anywhere, at any time.

Zoom in to the map and the detail is terrific, with accommodation, restaurants, cafes, monuments and much more. You can turn your GPS on and it will give you your position on the map too.

Even better, if like me, you really appreciate maps and their usefulness, you can make additions if you find something is missing. Things change in the real world all the time, and if you have a (free) OpenStreetMaps.org account, you can log in from the MAPS.ME app, and add a place to the map.

In Cuba we found a wonderful, trendy little restaurant which had just opened. It wasn't on the map, but I pinned it, added some details, and next time I went online the info was uploaded to OpenStreetMaps.

Now you can find Gato Prieto on the map.

You can use the app to measure distances, plan routes (walking, cycle, car), and it will even operate as a turn-by-turn GPS if you have an accurate GPS fix. You don't need an internet connection for any of these features.

It will offer hotel bookings for accommodation listed on Booking.com, and you can order an Uber car throught the app too - these do require an internet connection, of course.

Here is a great "How to use.." video from the app developers:

We also found the app to be invaluable when out hiking in the beautiful countryside around the mountain town of Vinales. All of the trails were shown on the map, which meant we could just head out on our own and follow our own route. Every other tourist we saw on our two days in the hills were accompanied by guides. We value our own freedom to explore.

Since returning to Mexico I have added a couple of other places to the map, and feel a real satisfaction in being a tiny part of creating such a wonderfully accessible tool.

I have already downloaded maps for offline use for most of our planned travel for the next year or so. This means we won't be tied to needing an internet connection at all times as we travel around. Fantastic!

If you are looking for a great offline map, look no further: http://maps.me/en/home

WHAT TO EXPECT IN ISSUE 9 Next month we will be looking a house sitting in one of the most popular house sitting locations - Australia.

We will be getting some expert insights from our Australian platforms to help you with your applications.

Our destination is the stunning Victorian Alps, but we will also be discovering where the most common house sitting assignments are advertised throughout Australia.

I will be reporting on my recent dental care in Mexico - two root canals and two crowns for half the UK cost.

Tania from Drawer Full of Giants will be telling us about how she combines her work with house sitting, and Nat and Jodie (House Sitting Academy) will be reporting back after their three month house sit during Canada's winter.

Bernadine Devine joins us again to talk about using intuition while house sitting, and we will have the first of our Cuba travel blogs, following our month traveling around this fascinating country.

And... we have another great app to review - Basetrip.com Something else will probably turn up in-between too!

That's it for now...

Vanessa and Ian (currently house sitting for the third time in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico)

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It should not be used as travel, lifestyle, financial or legal advice. You should always consult with your qualified and licensed professional practitioner. The publisher accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any of the opinions, advice, representations or information contained within this publication. The publisher expressly disclaims responsibility for any adverse effect that may result from the use and application of the information contained in this magazine. Readers should rely on their own advice and enquiries when making decisions affecting their interests.

Publishers - The opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers. House Sitting The ultimate lifestyle magazine is published by Ian Usher and Vanessa Anderson. Email: contact@HouseSittingMagazine.com. The publishers assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Copyright 2016 by Ian Usher. All rights reserved.

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Next issue of

House Sitting Magazine available th

15 April 2017