Blogs from Isla Colon, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 3

The sloth was languid in the tree, curled up on a fork in the branch structure, preventing its fall with one long, vertically outstretched arm wrapping its three fingers around an overhead tree-limb. This was not what I had expected when heading to the idyllic island archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama. The islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, a half hour boat ride from the mainland town of Almirante and only about 30kms from the border with Costa Rica. We travelled there on an overnight bus from Panama City, having seen the ships pass through the famous canal and wandered around the old town, which is somewhat reminiscent of Havana in Cuba. Bocas del Toro consists of numerous islands; however the real gems are the uninhabited keys, known as Cayos Zapatillos. These ... read more

Here is the link for the Galapagos video. To view you can copy and paste the address into your browser or click on the link below. Galapagos June 2013 from Charles Green on Vimeo. LINK: https://vimeo.com/70814314... read more

We said farewell to San Jose, thankfully for the last time and jumped onto our public bus that would take us to Panama border. Apparently there are only 2 land borders into Panama on the west side from Costa Rica and luckily we were taking the path less traveled. We had managed to download the latest episode of Game of Thrones this morning that aired in the US only last night. As I said yesterday, amazing wifi! It was done between 5am and 5.15am when we had to leave!! So we caught up on the latest from Westeros and that took us up to the first stop. We had 10mins to stretch our legs and use the bathroom. There was a random little fresh juice shop and we thought that would be the best option for ... 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

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