Now in it’s third printing, this delightful collection of short stories is about the colorful and interesting people this couple met in their travels including Panama.
Sandra T. Snyder author of the best selling guide, Living in Panama, has long been known as the person to call for whatever you need to know about Panama. In her short story collection she takes us back to where it all began and answers that oft asked personal question, "what brought you to Panama." The answer, of course, is "a sailboat." While that is how they came to Panama, and the book addresses their sailing adventures, Spies, Crooks and Others Along the Way, is not about sailing.
Their adventures include sailing south from San Francisco to Mexico, on to Costa Rica and Panama, the first time, and presents a whole new world as experienced by this corporate executive, recently retired. From Panama she and her husband's adventures continue through Guatemala, up the Intercoastal Waterway of the U.S. and all the way to the Canadian Border. Before eventually returning to Panama, they sail the islands of the Caribbean from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and across the Spanish Main.
Spies, Crooks and Others Along the Way is about the people they encountered. There are some interesting people, too, from shrimpers to Ambassadors; from farmers to Presidents; questionable characters and more. All the while, her continuing love of Panama shines through.
Excerpt
I always planned to travel. Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area as a child I was unique - a native Virginian. Many of my classmates were the children of diplomats or military brats. They had lived in numerous countries but no one place for more than a few years. I had lived in Virginia my whole life. I wanted to travel!
Years later when I returned to Virginia to attend a high school reunion, I was amazed to find many of my classmates, once young travelers, had opted to settle in the D. C. area and never again travel the world, while I had followed my dream and was returning to attend this reunion, from my home in Panama.
Professional Reviews
Blossom Brown, Caribbean Compass
"Spies, Crooks and Others Along the Way is a fun read that gets to the heart of what - that is, whom - we remember from our cruising days, long after we've planted the oar."
Jimmy Cornell, Noonsite, World Cruising Routes Author
"I have read the one about my Namesake. What a strange guy! Several stories convey the feeling of Panama as an absolutely weird place!
Reese Palley, Unlikely Passages
"Sandra has caught the sweet ebb and flow of cruising with precision and sensitivity. Her stories have happened to all of us who have cruised far shores with eyes and ears wide open. She is all heart and that is rare and welcome in sailing lore."
