The beginning- panama

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EEKKK so finally made it to central america. Panama city not going to lie was a bit of a bore, not speaking the lingo and having frequent bouts of hola chicas shouted at us soon got tiring. We did however make it to the panama canal and a few plazas just to check some of the tourist boxes..have to say also sounds alot cooler than it was!! Especially the canal because unless you´re an engineering nerd watching a boat slowly pass through the lock wasn´t too inspiring. Next plan was bocas del toro which proved to be slightly trickier than we anticipated. After what seemed like a few hours in the bus terminal trying with our poor spanish to actually discover that the ticket office was closed due to the fact of riots in panama- uh oh...Normal people or perhaps slightly less daring would say twas not meant to be and turn back however us three muskateers being the stubborn heading mules we are soldiered on through. The bus was only able to take us so far after which it pulled over and we were told there was no way in hell it was going any further. So along with some tag along other europeans 7 of us clambered into a taxi to try by pass the riots to get to bocas. Riots MY ASS.... there were a few twigs (well okai tree trunks) in the road and that was it which our taxi skillfully bypassed. There was talk about maybe having to walk 45 minutes through the riots if the taxi couldnt get pass but luckily didnt come to that ( i say luckily but the walk wouldve probably been quite nice, ive decided i do not have enough padding on my behind for these long journeys!!). Then a boat and bocas. One boy in the taxi decided to be our token tag along for the next few days. Poor sean dont think he knew what he was letting himself in for but think he just about managed, slowly beginning to cope with our constant teasing and sarcasm. Bocas was beautiful.. untouched beaches, deserted apart from us in a few palces. The fishies in particular for some strange reason liked nibbling me (thanks sean for describing me as a reef, what every girl wants to hear) which should make diving interesting but was quite a nice sensation once you got used to it. Wizard beach was my favourite, big crashing waves catching you and washing you ashore if you hadnt dodged them carefully enough..amazing bring on surfing! (Especially as according to one chilled bean on the island it will change my life haha!) However the waves nearly stealing my bikini bottoms not so funny!! Bocas was also home to some cracking nights out.. aqua lounge being my favourite. Along with the ladies happy hour i.e. free drinks for all girlies (definitely suggesting that idea to a few places back home... but somehow dont think they´ll go for it.) Ellie being ellie convinced all to jump of the dive block fully clothed into the sea below. Just a simple pleasurable dive bomb for us girls, but we were shown up spectacularly by sean when we joking commanded that he out do a boy who had just dived rather neatly into water and sean whipped out this flip dive thing (which in our shock we missed on camera, whoops). El barco club was also a favourite, having challenged some locals to a bit of a dance off, think i most certainly lost though sadly. After another chilled night spent smoking hookah (yes we were confused too when you say it aloud but its simply another word for shiesha) we left bocas to head into costa rica.

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