Panama Day 4 - Bocas del Toro

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Last night was not great; the old man’s wriggling kept making the bed shake (not exactly what one has in mind vis a vis their husband making the earth move!) That, plus the noise from the a/c, which sounds like a boy racer revving up a Concorde, make sleep impossible. At 5.30 I get up, douse myself with insect repellent, fight my way through the mice in the bar to retrieve a Diet Coke, and sit on the veranda reading my Ukrainian penguin v mafia novel.

It seems I’m not the only one who can’t sleep; a few minutes later the howler monkeys start their pre-dawn chorus (how can something so small make such a big noise?) and the Germans emerge with torches and announce they’re off to see the animals. By 5.45, the old man is the only guest still asleep.

Some time later… we have breakfast and the old man departs for a boat trip which he has booked. I opt to stay by the pool with my book. I think I’ve made the right decision, as it rains pretty much all day (lord only knows what it’s like in the wet season!) and I am able to take shelter in the little poolside cabin, complete with day bed and fairy lights.

And that’s how I spend pretty much all of my day. In the afternoon, I take a nap and the earth really does move – an earthquake in Costa Rica!

Then I go for a swim with my new BFFs (the religious Germans). He tells me about the highlight of his day – finding a huge boa constrictor which wrapped itself around his arm!

The old man finally reappears from his trip. We eat dinner on the veranda where we are joined by a huge, flappy moth which causes me to scream so loud the owner comes out to check no-one’s died.

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