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Published: December 11th 2017
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Hello everybody!
Well, I have been VERY LAZY lately and did not make much effort to write but I'm back at it again! No excuses, even though I have been busy I could have made time to write. My visit to Panama was in July 2016 and it's a shame I'm writing this entry now in December 2017.
In the meantime I kept writing articles for the Dutch newspaper in Curaçao, which is great. All is going well here in Curaçao, it's been almost 2 years since I came back from my last big trip. Often my feet gets VERY itchy and I really want to travel long-term again. It might happen, not sure yet...we'll see.
After being away for 7 years, it was about time to return to
Panamá. One of my favourite destinations and for those who know me well or have been reading my blogs for a long time, it's known that I have many friends and acquaintances there (some like family) and I was excited to see them after so long. Being in Panamá feels like being home! My best friend, Ernesto, and his family didn't know I was coming and through his
cousin I made them believe that the cousin himself was coming over for a few days.
It was my 4th visit to Panama and the shortest visit of all. In 2002 I stayed for 4 weeks, in 2005 for 11 weeks and in 2009 for about 17 weeks! This time I stayed for just 3 weeks which definitely was too short!
After I landed in Panama City (Tocumen airport), I was picked up by my the cousin of my friend, Luis. I spent the day at their house, the rained poured down the whole afternoon.
In the evening Luis took me for a drive through the city and we ended up at the Albrook Bus Terminal, where I met my friend Eybis too. I took the express bus to the city of
David, Chiriquí province. The city has about 150 000 inhabitants and doesn't have any particular tourist attraction so most visitors just use it as a hub to travel somewhere else. The rest of the province does have more to offer though, including towns like Boquete and Volcón. The bus left at 12am and arrived around 5:45am in David. My friend's father came to pick Luis
up; that's what he thought. Instead he saw me! Once at home I also surprised my friends mom, who is like a mom for me too. An hour later we went out of town, where my friend is currently living. We stopped at a café to have breakfast and just a few minutes my friend, Ernesto, arrived and of course he was pleasantly surprised! The next few days it was mostly about spending time with them, I even went to work with him one day at his hardware store. I also caught up with a few other acquaintances in and around the city of David, went out and did some shopping! Of course nothing was as it used to be the last time I was there. Now Ernesto and most of the others are working a lot, so during the day I was mostly by myself. Which was fine too since I just relaxed and did my own thing.
After a few days I decided to take the bus and headed to
Bocas del Toro. The bus drive from David to Almirante town takes about 4 hours and goes through some stunning landscape and cooler temperatures of
the Chiriquí highlands. Once in Almirante I took a taxi to the pier, where you board the boats towards Colón Island. That's where Bocas del Toro town is located, capital of the province Bocas del Toro. The province consists of the mainland and an archipelago with 9 main islands and dozens of tiny islands. It's located at the Caribbean coast, near the border with Costa Rica, and is a popular destination in Panamá. Most tourist services are located on Isla Colón and that's where I stayed. While there it was often grey and it rained, but that couldn't take away the fun! When arriving at Isla Colón you'll see the colourful waterfront, consisting of wooden buildings built on pilars above the water. Most of Bocas del Toro consists of wooden houses and structures. This building style makes Bocas del Toro different from the rest of Panama. Also the people, who are mostly black (Afro-Caribbean descent), who migrated to Panamá in the end of the 19th century after the banana cultivation was expanded and more labour force was needed. They are all Panamanians but they still have their own different customs, including the English-creole dialect better known as "Guari-guari". I also
took advantage to get a haircut by a local Bocatoreño (demonym for Bocas del Toro inhabitants) and it was interesting chatting to him and other customers in the barbershop, since they were also interested in where I am from and were asking several questions.
Bocas province doesn't have more than 130 000 inhabitants and the small Isla Colón just about 10 000. It's a quiet place without a lot of traffic; an ideal place to relax, chill and go out at night. You can also enjoy great Caribbean dishes. I have been here in 2005 but stayed only one night and didn't get to enjoy it to the fullest. This time, a more experienced Elton came back 11 years later and I definitely enjoyed Bocas much more this time, partly because I stayed longer. I visited Playa Estrella (Starfish Beach), where you literally get to see several starfish close to the shore in the water. The water was clear enough to see them all lying around. Also on the San Blas Islands, back in 2005, I have seen this. The waters at Playa Estrella were very, very calm which made it a very relaxed place to hang
out. It was easy to get there: by bus from Bocas town to Boca del Drago and there you take a boat to Playa Estrella.
The other day I took a boat-tour and the price was really good for what you get. The uninhabited Isla Zapatilla was simply a stunning place to be. The beaches were very beautiful and within an hour you'd able to walk all around the island. It has many different areas where you're able to just be all by yourself, your own piece of sand and beach, away from humans. A little piece of paradise! Nearby there was the "Bahia de los Delfines" (Dolphin Bay), where several dolphins can be spotted all the time. A little further we sailed near the "Isla Perezoso" where you can spot many sloths in the trees. At night I went out close to the hostel and it was a great night out chatting with several other travellers and also some locals. I wish I could have stayed longer than 3 days here to just "relax" and not do much. When in Bocas del Toro do not miss the "piscado frito con patacones" (fried fish with twice-friend plaintain slices), although
you can get it in other parts of Panama too, including the capital.
After returning to the city of David and seeing some more people, I travelled back to Panama City where I had a good time too. More in the next Panama entry.
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Panama...
Good to see you travelling again Elton, and to read a blog from you (I just realised that I somehow missed your blogs earlier this year...). Panama sounds like a nice place to chill out, and the landscape looks beautiful. Safe and happy travels :)