Blogs from Isla Colon, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 2

Well we just wrapped up 6 days in Panama. We began our 12 hour journey from San Jose to Bocas deal Torro last Saturday. On our way Kev and I joined up with a bunch 21 year olds that were studying abroad that we met on the bus. It was the first time for both of us crossing over a border by foot. We were greeted on the other side by many people.... Kev had to fight off a couple of little kids that were trying to steal his bag. Going through "customs" was laying out all of our bags in a shack while a dog sniffed for drugs. The dog went crazy sniffing my bag but I swear I didn't have any drugs! After taking 3 buses, 2 taxis 1 shuttle and a water taxi, ... read more

My stay in Costa Rica was over and it was time to cross the border to Panama. Initially I wanted to stay in the NorthEast on the islands of San Blas, however that was a 24 hour journey and would lose me a lot of time which was running out. I instead decided to go to Bocas Del Toro, a well-known destination in the NorthWest just across from the border. The journey to Bocas on the shuttle bus was confusing. At first I was on the bus with a number of other travellers going to Panama, some to Bocas and some elsewhere. At border control shortly after, the driver waited for us to get our passports stamped. I had read that you aren't allowed entry into Panama unless you prove you have an exit ticket out ... read more

Bocas del Toro to albo (i) nazwa regionu wraz z archipelagiem wysp u kraibskich wybrzeży Panamy, jakieś 80 km od naszego ostateniego miejsca pobytu - Puerto Viejo w Kostaryce albo (ii) nazwa "głównego" miasta na "głównej" wyspie archipelagu zwanej Isla Colon. Ja akurat ograniczyłam się do przesiadywania na Isla Colon. Samo miasteczko Bocas del Toro nie zachwyca. Ściśniete drewniane domki na palach wyglądają ciekawe, ale tylko z zewnątrz. W pokoju nietrudno było o atak klaustrofobii. Taras to luksus, który kosztował jedyne dodatkowe 20 usd :) Ale co najgorsze ... to kulinarna pustynia - mało knajp i jedzenie nie powala. Część naszej ekspedycji dotarła na przepiękną wysepkę nieopodal. Część naszej ekspedycji widziała też rozgwiazdy, z których słynie plaża na Isla Colon - Bocas del Drago. Wiem, nazw własnych więcej niż u Marqueza w Sto lat samotności - ... read more

This is how we crossed the border from Costa Rica to Panama without using a shuttle service. We went from Puerto Viejo De Talamanca to Bocas Del Toro on Saturday. 1. Catch the bus to Sixaola. In Puerto Viejo the bus ticket office is on the road next to the sea. Buy a ticket there costing 1,720 colones. The bus to Sixaola stops at the yellow house on the corner (Deelite ice cream shop/Caribbean Tours). We caught the 8:30am bus. At 8:30 2 buses pulled up, 1 was heading to Manzanillo and the other to Sixaola, the destination is in the front window. It arrived in Sixaola at 9:50am. The border crossing is not the last stop but most people will get off the bus and it stops near where lots of trucks are parked. The ... read more

We are staying on one of several island making up a small archipelago in the northeast corner of Panama, far -- very far -- from the glittering center. Not much of the $1 billion that supposedly comes from the canal seems to be spent here. "Bocas Town" is the center of business, with the airport, restaurants, little hostels and hotels, grocery, souvenir, and crap stores, plus water taxies and ferries to the other islands. We rented a four-wheeler/quad for the five days from a man with one leg -- auspicious, huh? -- which, from my point of view, was a great idea. No cars are rented here, because the road along the beach very quickly becomes the beach, and it's at least five miles of sand/coral/mud/rock road we'd otherwise be riding on coaster bikes. Hurray for ... read more