Blogs from Isla Colon, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Central America Caribbean

BOCAS BOUND: After three and a half weeks we're leaving our "home" at the lost and found for Bocas Del Toro. Bocas is made up of several islands, but only three of them are the main tourists destinations: Isla Colon (the main island), Isla Bastimentos, and Isla Carenero. We currently have reservations at the Mar E Iguana hostel on Isla Colon. They have given us an opportunity to volunteer there but we only have a little over a week before we need to start making our way to the Pacific side of Costa Rica. I wish the festival was in March so we could cover the Caribbean side of Costa Rica after Bocas. Looks like we'll have to go back through David one more time, ugh. The main island has a reputation for being a crazy ... read more

So we were looking for some balance in Panama...and after experiencing modernity of the capital, mild climate of the cloud forest and hills we were finally headed towards the coast. We did not expect much. In fact we were not even very excited. We thought Bocas del Toro will be well too touristy for us, too modern and too overcrowded. However, we wanted to be on the beach for a while and it was the best choice around. So far Panama had been very pleasant and we did not encounter any tourism-related problems i.e. scams, overcharging, theft etc. But the moment we got off the bus in the port town of Almirante we noticed different behaviour towards us. Suddenly the taxi driver wanted 5$ for a silly 1km journey and would not let go and follow ... read more

Bocas del Toro - Panama's Jewel of the Caribbean... read more

We arrive in Almirante, Bocas del Toro Province, midday and we are ushered into a parking area by a man on a bicycle hollering back over his shoulder at me, “Sigame!” (Follow me!), which I did, because I was momentarily confused on the directions. (I never use the term ‘lost’ when driving.) The crossing to Bocas Town is a 20 minute water taxi ride that, on this September day, bounced through 2-3 foot swells. The 20 passenger boat powered by twin Yamaha 100 hp outboards makes quick work of the passage without regard for our spinal alignment. It turns out the best way to avoid rough seas is to cross early in the day – not always an option following a three hour drive. Our hotel, Bahía del Sol, is a mile or so from town ... read more

I was late. However being late on Panamanian time is like always being 20 minutes early. The downtown area, thank goodness, is not that big. So I ran to the tourist shop and was thankfully ON TIME per se. Eight of us were corralled and put on a tiny boat. We all had one thing on our mind; snorkel boarding. Yeah I had never heard of it either before yesterday but it is quite frankly it proved to be the coolest water sport, next to kite surfing of course. I have deemed it the Simulated Dolphin Experience. They actually call it Deep Boarding here but my name made more sense. So here is the general gist.... You are towed behind the boat on a water ski line however instead of a bar you hold a plastic ... read more

From David that is all it takes... It is quite simple really to get there. Hop the bus in David going to Changuinloa and the second to last stop on the 4 hour ride is Almirante. You will know you arrived when you pull into an abandoned gas station also known as the bus stop. From there jump in any of the waiting taxis and head to the docks. Grab a water taxi in the mangroves and off you go. 20 minutes more to Bocas del Toro... Be sure and arrive Almirante before 5pm or you may be stuck at the docks. Almirante and it is not exactly a town to spend the evening in. However once I arrived in Bocas I kind of wish I missed the boat. The ride to Almirante is beautiful as ... read more

Aguas Negras, or black water, is a community located right above the mangroves behind the sewage treatment plant in Bocas town. Yesterday I went with my friend SOnia to her house. I knew she lived near the airport and assumed it was the neighborhood bordering the runway. I was suprised when she said " no por aca" and headed to the gate of the water treatment plant. She ignored the do not enter sign and opened the unlocked gate. We walked between the treatment ponds and out the other side. She was really worried I'd fall on the make shift bridge that crosses the mangrove swamp to the houses on the other side. The boards are pieced together and some are barely nailed down. I watched where she walked and made it across safely and into ... read more