Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro is actually an entire Panamanian province. But what most people mean when they say it is the Carribean archipelago off the northwest coast of Panama. Most of the islands are ringed with mangroves, although there are some beaches. Houses, restaurants, and hotels are not built waterfront. Instead, they are built on stilts above the water. The buildings range from dingy white to bright turquoise and just about any other color.

The largest island is Isla Colon, but most of the surrounding islands also offer a bunch of accomodations and activities. The main area is called Bocas Town. There you can find every creature comfort and any diversion.

We spent our first three nights in Panama on Isla Colon. Robbie, Ele, Dave and I rented a two bedroom cottage in the Saigon neighborhood, a 5 to 10 minute bike ride from "downtown'' Bocastown. We rented the cottage instead of just showing up, our normal routine, because it was Semana Santa. While there were signs for vacancy here and there, it was pretty full. All of the Panamanians and Ticos were in full tilt party mode as well. Things were a little quieter on Friday, because Panamanian law prohibits the sale of liquor on Good Friday (but not any other day of Holy Week). Although some places would happily serve grapejuice, applejuice, etc if you asked nicely, and there was a giant ''private'' party on a neighboring island.

Thursday
After a bit of confusion trying to find the dock in Chinguanola, there is one but the boats are much less frequent and the ride is longer and more expensive, we drove another half hour to Almirante. There are three or four boat companies running 30 minute rides out to the islands for $4 a person each way. Bocas Water Tours was who we used, they showed Dave where the secure parking was, and the boat was comfortable with shade and lifejackets on the back of everyone's seat.

Once we were on the island, about 5, we met up with the woman who rented us the cottage and picked up the beach cruiser bikes that were included in the rental.

Dave and I went to an indian place for dinner, it was very good but not great, although the smokestack of a table next to us might have influenced how I felt about my food.

Friday
Our cottage came with bikes, without them it would have been a bummer of a location, but with the bikes it was fun to cruise around town, and on Friday Dave and I rode up the coast to a tiny smidge of sand that we had all to ourselves.

Picture thanks to the help of a friendly palm tree.

It was here we fell in love with the macro and supermacro settings on my camera.







We ate lunch at Lili's Cafe. DELICIOUS. If in Bocas, go there and try to Killin Me Man hot pepper sauce. DO IT. I had a fantastic burger, no not fantastic-for-central-america, just fantastic. Thick, juicy, flavorful. It came with the hot pepper sauce, and because I am crazy and my father's daughter, I added more. My lips burned for a good few minutes after we were done eating, and I liked it.

There were religious observances, and riding from a residential neighborhood into town allowed me to peek through many open church windows and doors where services ranging from a traditional mass to a foot stompin' hand wavin' sing-n-shout to something any methodist would feel at home attending. The services were going when we went to breakfast in the morning and they were going when we went home after dinner. That night we witnessed a procession through the streets of downtown. After the video was shot, they stopped and there was call and response and prayer.

As an alternative to the religious observances many Ticos and Panamanians were tearin' it up much like a college student at South Padre Island for spring break.

Policia
After dinner we searched for an icecream shop. Dave loves the icecream cones, and I make it a policy not to say no to icecream. We peddled all over town, and found nothing. Finally we stopped and asked some heavily armed policia who were standing around the square. They were sad to say there was no icecream shop on the island, but they were happy to talk to us, and we stood there for a good 15 minutes just chatting. This friendly attitude has been repeated by cops at highway check points and on the streets of Panama City. You get the feeling from talking to the police and looking at them that there are better trained, better equiped, and better paid than their counterparts in other countries we have visited. You are also keenly aware that people are excited you are visiting their country.

Saturday
We booked a snorkel trip with Bocas Water Sports for Saturday. We left at 930 and returned about 430. $25 was two snorkel stops, dolphin watching, and time on Red Frog Beach. We also went to a little over-the-water restaurant with the option of getting lunch. The lunch wasn't anything special, and was a bit overpriced. Dave and I figured that would be the case, so we packed a few sandwiches (made on bread from the German bakery in Bocas town, yum yum yum), but also ordered one plate to share. Obviously you can't sit in the restraunt and eat the food you brought with you, so it worked out we had a little food then, and then sandwiches once we got to Red Frog Beach. The best part about the trip was going around the islands getting to see uninterrupted coast of mangroves and the quieter side of things.

Snorkeling
It was fun to snorkel, but the conditions were suboptimal. Worth the money to snorkel, but
I'm glad I didn't spend the money on diving. After Roatan, it wouldn't have stacked up. The reef is much more damaged, the algea growth more pronounced, and worst of all, the visibility was much lower. That said, just from snorkelling I did see a decent assortment of coral at the first site and fish at the second, including a trumpet fish, angel fish, parrot fish, gobbies, etc.
I also enjoyed playing with the camera, since I hadn't gotten to in Roatan.



Red Frog Beach
What a great beach! Worth the price-gouged access fee (up by 2 or 3 bucks because of Semana Santa). If we would have had another day in Bocas, we would have spent most of it there.
It is beautiful and the water is great fun. I did feel a slight rip to the current as I waded in, but if aware of it, it didn't seem to be a big danger.

Wading out into the water is fun because there is sandbar after sandbar. One minute you are over your head, the next standing waist deep. The waves were strong enough to bodysurf, but weak enough to swim in comfortably.




Sunday
After a leisurely wake-up, Dave and I took the boat back to Almirante where we headed into the mountains of Bocas del Toro province towards CA1 and Panama City. Because of the 25lb per person baggage limit on Robbie and Ele's flight from Bocas to Panama City, they couldn't take all of their stuff, so we agreed to drive it to them and meet before Ele left on April 14.

Sherry was in good condition, and we drove from Almirante to Santiago. The drive through the mountains to the Pacific side and CA1 was one of the most beautiful we have done. The road was in good condition except for the places where it had been taken out by floods or landslides or a sink hole. The forest is dense on both sides of the road during the climb up on the Caribbean side, then after peaking on the continental divide, there is a drastic change to pine forest with dry grass.

Panama is beautiful and full of physical contrasts.