Day 6- Portobelo

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Again we awoke to loud thunder but no rain...yet. We packed up all our gear and headed out in the boat again. This time we were headed for Portobelo. The car ride there was as bumpy as before but not so many of us were crammed in one car. This time our clinic was set up in a classroom provided by the catholic/red cross group. The room was quite nice. It even had lights and a tile floor. It ended up being the hottest day of the trip. We had a lot of work ahead of us for this day. The setup was quick and efficient. We all worked together really well. Again patients were lined up and waiting before we arrived. A local MD helped coordinate plans for todays spay blitz. Lots of locals were lined up to bring their animals. They literally arrived by the truckloads! The surgeries ended up being especially difficult today. It seemed like all of the dogs bled more than usual. Today there were no breaks except a few minutes for lunch and dinner. We started at 8:30 am and finished about 12 hours later. Five vets were operating continuously. Most of the volunteers took time off of work to help out. They were all very dedicated. It was hot, the surgeries were difficult, the mosquitos were biting but we kept going all day long. We had great help from the locals as well. The local doctor brought us oatmeal water (a sweet panamanian drink)and fresh bananas right off the trees. She also made us a great dinner. Whenthe day was finally over we were all tired and ready for bed. The beach house would have been nice, but tonights accommodations were in a red cross shelter. This was our first time (and hopefully last) sleeping in a homeless shelter. We have to admit we were so tired we actually slept pretty well after a quick shower (yes there wasno hot water again).

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