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Already our third day in Bocas del Toro, a group of islands in Panama on the Caribbean side. We had a LONG journey, which we didn´t think we´d be able to do in one day, but every time we arrived, our next form of transport would be there so we just kept going.
It was tough getting up at 4am getting the bus from Drake Bay to Rincon...and it wasn´t a smooth ride. But our tiredness took over and we still slept a lot of the 2 hour ride. There we met a local, William (what is it with everyone having English names here?!), who lived in Paso Cañoas (border town) and could be our personal guide all the way to Ciudad Neily. At about 11am we were already at the border crossing. It was a weird place and we had a teenage boy guide us through the process (they just turn up and don´t take no for an answer, afterwards we were glad we weren´t alone). All the immigration offices are hidden behind trucks and buildings so you need someone to tell you for about a dollar. Funny moment at the immigration office: Lucie has a mosquito net that
has a big white hoop that the net hangs from, tied on the outside of her backpack. She gets some funny looks because of it. A gringo standing behind us in line goes, ¨Do you always bring your hula hoop with you when you travel?¨So she replies with a straight face: ¨Of course, you never know when you´re gonna need it!¨ He gave her a strange look and funnily enough didn´t say anything more. Half an hour later we were in a minivan on our way to David, the 3-largest, not-so-special city in Panama. We were surprised to find that the roads here are amazing, no potholes to be found, and our van had airconditioning! In David it did not take long for us to find a bus that would take us to Almirante, from where we could take a watertaxi to Bocas. The 4 hour drive took us straight up into the mountains, beautiful views and right past little straw hut villages on to the Caribbean coast.
From Almirante we had to get a cab to the watertaxi. When I asked how much, the guy goes ´two dollars.......uh per person´. So I go ´No´and he is like, ´Oh no,
Rasta gals
Our first morning we find our hair is somewhat more crazy, must be that caribbean feeling for both of you´ It´s funny how they always keep trying to get more off us tourists. Even funnier how most tourists will pay.
At around 6.30 pm we were finally on the island in the town of Bocas del Toro. We were absolutely shattered, after all we´d been travelling for 14 and a half hours. Our hotel, ´Cayo Zapatilla´ is complete luxury after staying in small rooms with shared bathroom. Run by a Chinese lady (the locals call her China, how original), she even did our washing for just $3 (And finally, our clothes are dry). It´s only $7.50 a night per person and we have a private bathroom and cable tv. We´ve just been relaxing here, the only trip we made was yesterday afternoon, to Coral Cay. We left just as a storm was approaching...yes very smart I know...and it was pouring and there was lightning right where we were heading. Our timing wasn´t great, but we had a great lobster and crab meal on the water in a cool little straw hut restaurant ON the water. We ate and played Dominoes until about 5 pm, by then it had calmed down and we got out our
snorkels to explore the beautiful coral garden. Crystal clear water and gorgeous plants and fish. The only fish I can name are the Angel Fish and Parrotfish.
Apart from that, there is a great vibe in this town, we´re already staying a day longer than planned, I can imagine this is a place you can easily get stuck for a while. On our first full day there was a festival in the park opposite our hotel, celebrating black pride. Each grade from the local school had prepared speeches or dances, and they played some great reggae songs (Classic lines such as ´Girl you are my coconut water in the morning, you are my desire, you set my heart on fire...´) Lots of fun. After the festival which finally ended at around midnight we went to a cool bar/disco on the water called ´Barco Hundido´. It was pretty much a straw shack on stilts but with the lit up water it looked like the coolest bar we´d ever seen (quite a shock when we saw it during the day). You could sit on the ´pier´ bit, dangling your feet in the water, which I did until I saw the jellyfish
and octopi. Creepy, but still very pretty. Also tried to practice some meringue, salsa and some local dance with a local boy, Jair. After about an hour I was all sweaty and had trouble getting rid of my new friend Jair. Or any other of the somewhat aggresive locals who like to start grinding you while you´re just standing around. Rather annoying after a while. Still I had a great time. Last night I figured I´d better take it easy and went to bed after dinner and cards, the lack of sleep and airconditioned vans have given me a bit of a sore throat.
Tomorrow we´re off to our next destination, back to Costa Rica, to Puerto Viejo and Cahuita.
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