Bocas del Toro

Sunrise at the Panama Airport! Beautiful, but do I really need to be there so early for a 45 minute flight? That is the way it is in Panama! All the flights to local areas are VERY early! Coming and going, so I just had to be ready and this sight was a treat! I headed off to Bocas Del Toro in the north-eastern corner of Panama very near Costa Rica for a three day weekend. The name comes from a tale I heard several times so I will share it with you. It is said that when Christopher Columbus landed in Bocas in 1502, he was near a huge rock. When the waves would hit the rock, it sounded like a bull roaring so, Columbus named the islands the “mouth of the bull.” How is that for a little folklore?
Bocas is actually a collection of islands plus “the dark land”, land on the mainland. The plane flew directly to one island and then, I immediately took a boat to yet a smaller island called Isla Cristobal. Incredibly beautiful, covered by jungle and surrounded by ocean. The only way around was boat! Boat taxi, boat canoes, kayaks, and lots of sail boats. I saw all kinds of birds and animals and my memory has a whole new stash of evening sounds to fill my dreams.
There were more Europeans, Americans, and Canadians here than anywhere else in Panama that I have visited. There was also a lot more English being spoken. On one of the tours I took, I met students from Switzerland, a couple from South Africa, me, and teachers from South Korea. Pretty eclectic group! The weather was as unpredictable as everyone told me it would be. I arrived in the rain and left in the rain and had everything from sunshine to thunder and lighting in between. The plane touched down in a little town called Bocas Town. It is mainly one main street with a few sides ones to go along with the flow of the shore. Funky is the best way to describe it. Lots of wooden structures painted purple, pink, green, yellow, you name it! There are some new hotels that looked pretty nice and everyone said there were quite a few good restaurants popping up. I did not stay in town but I did visited this little grocery store called Super Gourmet. They had some great food so I bought some to take with me to “my island.” At first glance, the town people reminded me of some of the little towns in Colorado-people that are from everywhere and trying really hard NOT to get old.

My little “house” was up on top of a hill. It was located between two others filled with the owners on one side (retired folks from California) and another long-term renter couple that is building a house around the shore line, from Utah. The first afternoon was spent sailing on their sail boat. Hard life!

My second day was spent on a day tour of the highlights of Bocas. First, we went to see the dolphins in Dolphins Bay. They did not let us down!

They danced and swam around all the boats for quite a while. I never tire of seeing such beautiful animals moving through the water effortlessly and with such grace!
Next, on to snorkeling on the coral reefs that surround all the islands here. We went to a place called Hospital Point. It got it’s name because at the turn of the century there was a hospital here that was built by a banana farmer to protect his workers from the tropical diseases that were abundant then. In the 20′s, the bananas got fungus that wiped them all out and the plantation closed down and with it, the hospital. You can just jump in and start looking. Lots of pretty stuff AND a few little jelly fish about five inches in length and little pink fringes. Pretty to look at, but they did sting a little if they touched. I got a little bit on my arm, but it passed in about an hour.
Lunch was spent on a little floating restaurant which was fun and then, off again to Red Frog Beach.

We came across these little critters on the leaves and on the wooden bridges criss-crossing the little cove where we parked the boat and where we had to walk to get to a beautiful beach. They were about 1 inch in length. The only scary thing about this beautiful place was the likely hood of rip-tides. There were signs everywhere with warnings however, two young Americans had been caught in the tide and died within the last six months. (25 and 18 years old!) The beach had the biggest waves I have seen in Panama and is known for its surfing certain times of the year. The wild life did not disappoint either!

I have no idea what this is, but it was just gorgeous!

These are the “berries” from the palm trees. They collect these and stuff them into bottles, add water, let it sit for awhile, and then drink it. No, I did not try it yet!

I thought this guy was so cool looking! He flipped his one over-grown claw menacingly while backing away as quickly as he could! To top it off, he was only about 1 inch long.

This is Red Frog Beach. Looks pretty tame, but don’t let that fool you! The waves could come flying in! This is the view from up on the mountain.

The next day was spent enjoying my island by kayaking for a few hours, snorkeling by Hospital Point,and then, off to eat lunch (by boat of course) to a wonder little restaurant that is owned by an Austrian couple. They serve dinner on Friday and brunch on Sunday. The food was fabulous. The only way there was by boat and the parking lot was crowded with beautiful sailboats.

The grounds were stunning, lined by the jungle and filled in with palms, orchids, bananas, you name it. Even a friendly, neighborhood sloth!

“My” little place was one of those places that should have been shared with someone. It was stunning, the sounds at night and during the day teased the quiet; the smells from the wild orchids, the sea, and the assortment of flowering bushes treated me to a different scent each time the wind shifted; the colors spread a rainbows of hues across the pallet of the sky, land, and sea; the feel of the black mud sucking my feet down was a totally new feeling and I KNOW that it would have made an incredible mask for my face!
Here is a red bamboo that I thought was exceptional!

This was own private little deck. The little, stilted house had one bedroom, a beautiful little kitchen (I cooked great fish one night!), a little sala, and my deck that surrounded the house on all four sides. It was screened in so no worries for the mosquitos. The little “no see’ems was enough. I came home with at least 100 of those little itchy bites!

I was pretty happy all in all!

Buenos Noches!

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