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Published: June 19th 2009
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Bocas Del Toro
Leaving one tropical destination for another was always going to be a risk... (what if it is not as good) but Bocas Del Toro is an amazing place and a must see if in Panama. Getting there was somewhat of a drama with my travel buddy realising just before the border that she had left her passport behind. So she had to turn around and I continued on. An interesting border crossing, it involved crossing a bridge best described as a little worse for wear then being made to buy a Panama to San Jose bus ticket (which was never going to be used) and a visa before getting the all important stamp. Panama is renound for checking tourists´ passports in the hope of catching them out, so the stamp was more necessary than normal in order to avoid a night in jail.
Then it started raining - and torrential rain is not a good omen for a tropical island getaway. So all in all, a few buses, one dodgy bridge and a boat later, I was in Bocas Del Toro. Or so I thought. Turns out I was not on the main island as expected
but 200m across on another island. Bocas is made up of hundreds (not sure, there seemed a lot) of mini islands. Getting between them requires just standing on a wharf or jetty where there will ALWAYS be a man with a boat. But staying off the main island was awesome. If only for that night. The hostel I stayed in was also a bar called Aqua Lounge, and every Saturday and Wednesday night they had about 400 people come across to party. However peaceful it seemed I knew it wasn´t going to stay that way for long.
The next day the sun was out, so I joined a group of travellers in hiring a boat to visit Zapatillas. An hour away, it was the perfect island. White sand, aqua water, palm trees, turtles, and best of all practically deserted. There were however some nasty little water bugs which felt like sea lice but looked like little see through alien creatures which I fought off with a constant thick layer of DEET and sunscreen. Ha ha. While there were heaps more islands to visit and experiences to be had, a few days of sunshine and relaxing on the Caribbean, enjoying
the vibe and the painted houses was enough for me, but Bocas could easily suck you in for months on end.
Boquette
Heading inland, I bussed it to Boquette, a small town set amongst the hills and coffee plantations. Whilst I only stayed a night or two to break up the trip to Panama City from the coast it turned out to be an excellent location for spotting toucans. Ok not wild toucans, but ones living in a refuge for rescued animals. TOUCANS!!! The little bugger I saw was intent on stealing my camera, bag, map, scarf - anything bright. And rather than fly, this one preferred hopping. But who was I to complain. Finally a toucan! There were plenty of other animals, wild cats, monkeys, a baby anteater and lots and lots of birds including one of the rarest macaws in the world. I spent the rest of my time walking around the town, through the coffee plantations and enjoying the machismo vibe of the local men. Make that not enjoying. Whilst I´ve been getting used to the wolf whistles, derogatory comments and the non stop attention, this town was something else entirely. So much so I
left earlier than planned and headed to Panama City. But the toucan experience definitely made up for it all.
Panama City
Panama City is essentially like a Miami - with possibly as many Americans. There are two parts, the clean and crisp city and the dodgier but much more interesting Casco Viejo. Casco Viejo is run down and filled with empty disintegrating colonial buildings. Its slowly being rebuilt and the work that has been done is beautiful. But the area is still dangerous as indicated by the tourist police on corners to stop the baddies and locals turning you around forcefully after accidentally walking down a wrong street. Its something about the mix of the undercurrent of the old city with the new developments that makes it a really interesting and beautiful place to walk around.
The Panama Canal was a must, and actually pretty cool to see. Getting there early is essential to avoid the crowds (who would think it would be so popular) and to time the trip with boats as they go through the Miraflores Lock. Come ten o´clock am I couldn´t see the boats and they are pretty big. There is also a museum
which answered my main question - why the locks? Turns out no one wanted to dig the canal deep enough and when I looked at the photos of the project I can see why. The entire project started with some me with essentially wheel barrows and shovels. That is a lot of digging. The technological change in terms of the equipment needed to build the canal is just mind blowing. Another call to fame, it was during the construction of the canal, that the cause of malaria and yellow fever were discovered and mitigated against. Not bad...
The rest of my trip was spent in the shopping centre which was amazing. Having grown completely sick and tired of all of my clothes it was time for a bit of a shop. Two days did it - but that was more so because the air conditioning was such a luxury in the Panama humidity. The shopping centre was a tourist attraction in itself, with large animal statues everywhere and security guards dressed as hunters. It was a fun place to relax and enjoy!! Although not on my official travel itinerary of course.
Panama City ended my Central America adventure.
Though others would argue I hardly saw anything, two months was enough for me. Now onto South America. Andes, more volcanoes, snow, high altitude, llamas. I can´t wait!!!
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Krista
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Lucky girl!
You look like you are having such a great time, you lucky girl! Keep the posts coming. I'm enjoying living vicariously through you. :-) I miss you! -k