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Published: April 29th 2015
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Having left a very wet Lost & Found in the early hours, it was an enormous relief to hit the Caribbean coastline in the glorious sunshine, where I have to catch 2 water taxis to my next residence - Bambuda on Solarte Island, near Bocas del Toro. I've heard great things about this the hostel, so my expectations are high - and I am not disappointed! The very delightful hostel is virtually 5 star in hostel terms, with a private pool overlooking the sea and chilled vibes playing throughout the afternoon. It is where a significant proportion of my time in Bocas is spent, embracing the sun by the pool or on the sofas under the covered veranda, this place is well designed for travellers. They provide a communal dinner for everyone at 7pm each evening, which is a great way to meet new travellers and plan days accordingly. Amongst sunbathing escapades, my time is spent exploring the area and learning to surf. My first time surfing was epic - it was great to be in the warm waters with great waves, and I even got standing on the board on my second go! My instructor is funny, patient and constantly
getting excited when shouting "Paddle! Paddle! Paddle!" Bhavna (one of my 11 roomies) and I grab some snorkels and an over full taxi to head up to Starfish Beach to explore the idyllic warm waters and beaches of Isle Colon and try to spot a few new fish, crabs and starfish. We don't see as much as we'd expected, but the beaches are breathtaking and the cocktails that we finish with make the trip very worthwhile. Friday night promises to be a big party to celebrate the birthday of one of the guests - and it certainly got a bit crazy, with an abundance of swimming, jumping from terraces, limbo, shots and some rather loud singing. The arrival of many Americans seem to certainly make their presence heard to all those around, and they certainly party hard! Due to the little fiesta the night before, my hungover body struggles to cope with another early surf lesson - thank goodness Michelle came with me to have a go, as it meant I could procrastinate on the water just lying on my board! Fortunately it was overcast today, so at least my sunburnt bum and legs from the previous surf lesson get
a bit of a break! For the rest of the day, 3 hungover ladies embrace the Caribbean culture by chilling out at the hostel, watching a movie under blankets and generally behaving like sloths! Sunday takes us to the bat caves on Isle Bastimentos. Via water taxi, we see some glorious views of the islands, spotting different fish and birds, before heading slowly up a river to see monkeys and sloths, whilst keeping a watchful eye out for crocodiles. Upon disembarking, we hike through the jungle for 15 minutes to the cave entrance where the smell of bat poop hits you hard! There is no getting away from it. We climb in and through the cave, with limited head torches, unfitting crocs and waist deep in water, we have to climb over boulders and rocks, avoid the low hanging stalactites and squeeze through tiny openings, all while bats are flying around your head. In some parts, the water is so deep you have to swim across. I've never been in to a cave like this before, so the combination of small spaces and bats flying around your head does little for my phobia of flying creatures near my head. On
our last day together after a week, Evelien, Daniel and I grab some kayaks and venture off to find some snorkelling spots. We decide to explore the other side of our island, which some may argue slightly foolish. With a reluctance to "always go forward in life, never go backwards" we start to realise that actually our island is quite large. The end is not "just around the corner" like we hoped for on numerous occasions - Infact, every corner seemed to lead to another expanse of island with a massive bay to cross. The mangrove swamps went on for what felt like miles - a never ending maze of thick mangroves, which form their own individual islands and bays that are difficult to navigate round at the best of times. But the water was beautifully clear, like a large sheet of glass which we were paddling our way through. Eventually, 6 hours later, we spot the very welcome site of the Blue Coconut, the bar on the water near to our hostel, so we stop for a couple of cocktails. As we had little food with us, and minimal water, our sun kissed and dehydrated bodies embrace the cocktails
a little too well, which lead to a slightly tipsy, but very amusing, paddle back to the hostel - we all got home wetter than ever! Thank goodness for supper upon arrival and a few more G&T's to celebrate a great week together. Tomorrow, we all go our separate ways, but I can't help but think Daniel and Evelien have significantly contributed to a fabulous week in Panama, and I can't wait to see them again in the future somewhere else in this world.
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