Our last stop of the expedition was at the island of Isla Pardito. The members of this community hold a very special place in our hearts and they are the heartbeat of the Panterra Expeditions. I have known these people for over 15 years and am honored to be called their friend.

Celia is in the process of training as a first aider, perhaps even consider pursing nursing, so that she will be able to administer first aid to the members of all of the communities we have visited. I have had the great pleasure of knowing her mother, who passed away many years ago, and know that she would have been proud of Celia and the contributions her daughter made to this expedition. I would like to thank Celia's family and members of her community for their support in our efforts to assist Celia in attaining this goal.

The medical team got to work and all went very well.

The builders all gathered to discuss the construction and completion of a Palapa that we were to assist members of the community with. A week prior we purchased the cement and the community members picked it up in La Paz and brought it back to the island in their pangas (fishing boats). The cement was mixed and the foundation for the posts put in. We were here to help with the rest. The tools, lumber, palmas (for the roof) and most everything had been purchased by Panterra donors and the the expedition group. With the delivery the supplies completed on the first day of the expedition, it was just a matter of getting started... Not so much! We were terribly disappointed to find out the entire project was held up because of a broken drill bit and no replacement in sight. There was nowhere to go to find one. That's the thing about isolated communities, they do not have access to such things. Unfortunately, we had no control of the situation so our big project was left to the community to complete the next time someone could bring a replacement bit to the island.

As disappointed as we were, we were still happy to have been able to supply the materials and tools for this project. Many years ago a hurricane blew away their Palapa which they used to fillet, salt, brine and prepare the days catch, out of the heat of sun. At least now we know they will soon have their Palapa back after so many years.

The healthcare services took a few hours and the rest of the day was ours. We headed to the beach and played the afternoon away. It was well deserved R&R time.