Bocas del Toro, Panama

Every 90 days I have to leave Costa Rica for at least 3 days to renew my visa.  This is a great opportunity to take a vacation from your vacation.  My current visa wasn't up until early March but an opportunity to leave came up that I could not refuse.  Bocas del Toro, Panama - one of my most favorite places to visit.  Kealy was the only one who really needed to leave, but because there was a group of us that wanted to go, everyone jumped on board.  Larry has a new car that easily carries six including all our luggage and he had offered to drive.  That alone was good reason to go - not having to deal with the buses which take a lot longer. So....early Thursday morning, week before last, me, Sharon & Jeff, Kealy & Desirae all piled into Larry's car and set out for a great adventure.  Not knowing for sure what it would be, but having full confidence it would be epic and epic it was!

The drive to the Costa Rica/Panamanian boarder on the Caribbean side is 7 hours at best.  Throw in a few stops plus getting lost in San Jose because there are seriously no signs indicating how to catch the other highway to the coast..... you are easily at 8.  Larry is a super conscientious driver.  I so appreciate that especially here in Costa Rica where the driver's have got to be among the world's worse.  I was expecting a luxurious ride to the boarder with all my great friends. Before we started out, Kealy called wing man as he had the "map" to get us across San Jose.  In short, the map proved to be worthless and after driving past the downtown bus terminal twice, I told Kealy to hail down a taxi, wave money out the window and tell the driver we would follow him to the place we needed to be. Sure enough - within 5 minutes we were headed in the right direction.

I like to consider myself a team player and having to sit in the back of the "Galloper" was not an issue to me.  After all I was back there with Desirae - one of my most favorite friends.  With Larry and Kealy up front, Sharon & Jeff in the middle that left me and Desirae in the very back to sit on the "bumper seats" which folded down from the side.  The problem with this was they were not level but actually caved in towards each other, plus.... the leg room was cramped and our knees were not quite in our face but higher than they should have been.  In short - NOT comfortable.  On top of this, the only windows that went down were in the front seat.  The middle got air but that was where it ended.  Thus.....a very long trip, in a very cramped space with no air - not pleasant, however, we were so happy to be going that we just dealt with it.

Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama.  There are 9 main islands including numerous smaller ones.  Isla Colon is the most populated as the capital is located there, an airport......a tourist destination.  This whole area maintains a Caribbean atmosphere with water taxis shuttling people back and forth to other islands, marina's, bars and hotels built out over the water.  Cool vib - very laid back.

I have been there 3 times prior and when asked where we should stay I suggested Dos Palmas - the place I have always stayed.  And that is what we did - 2 nights on Colon and 2 more nights on another island - Bastimentos.

Time spent together eating, fishing, surfing, drinking, kayaking, hiking, drinking, was as Sharon would say......"glorious".

It is too difficult to go into detail but here are a few highlights:

1 - Walking across the rickety old metal bridge from Costa Rica into Panama is always a trip.  Love it!

2 - Rising early the first morning to see a rainbow over the marina across from the place we were staying.

3 - Watching Kealy and Jeff head out to surf Carenero, while us girls along with Larry, explored the stunningly beautiful tropical shoreline

4 - Lunch and drinks at the Pickled Parrot while waiting for the guys to get in from surfing.  Kealy stayed out so long, he missed all the boats and when Desirae became worried and checked on him with the binoculars, thought he was waving to say hello but in fact needed a boat - he had been left.

5 - After the 2nd night on Colon, we decided to go to another island to stay.  Larry and I got a later start, so while we were having breakfast, the other 4 took the water taxi over to Bastimentos.  Kealy and Jeff had plans to go surf at Wizard's.  By the time Larry and I got to Bastimentos, they were no were in sight and I assumed they had already left for Wizards.  I was not sure exactly how to get there but did know it was on the back side of island.  Larry and I walked to a point, I asked for the way to Wizards and the young man pointed at the trail in front of us.  Off we went......and we went.......and we went................and...we......went!  After what seemed a very long time, with no one in sight, while climbing thru mangroves in the water, Larry decided to go out as far as he could in the water to see what he could see.  No beach in sight.  Eventually we turned around and as we were walking on the concrete walk way where all life happens in Bastimentos, we saw our group.  They had spent their morning sitting at another restaurant waiting for food that turned out to be cold and horrible.

6 - The hike to Wizards was a challenge.  Just past the cemetery, signs give warnings of possible robbery - beware!  We were all on alert.  Due to rain, the trail was extremely muddy.  It was like a flip flop grave yard.  The beach was beautiful, the guys surfed, the girls and I walked and played in the water.

7 - One of my most favorite things to do on this island, and I have done it several times before, is to rent a kayak.  I did this on our last evening.  It is moments like that, when I am out in the water in this setting  that is so unbelievable beautiful that I stop and reflect on just how lucky I am to be there.  Afterwards, when I returned the kayak, Jeff and Kealy headed out.  I went over to a favorite restaurant on the beach and ordered a shrimp dinner.  I sat there by myself, watching the guys as another spectacular sunset ended the day.

So many wonderful things happened on this trip that it is truly hard to cover everything - but the one that mattered the most was the bond we all experienced while staying in Bastimentos.  Kealy and Desirae had heard about a hostel there - at the top of the hill overlooking the small village.  This is where we stayed.  It turned out that the 4 of us had our own "wing" which consisted of 4 beautiful, new rooms, one for each of the 2 couples and 1 for me, 1 for Larry.  In front of the rooms was a wide balcony with 2 hammocks.  This is where we spent a lot of time just sitting, enjoying each others company.  This place is also where we got to know Dixon.  Dixon is a black man who lives on Bastimentos and helps run the hostel.  Dixon knows everyone and everything related to the island.  In fact, Dixon is so well known he is mentioned  in "Lonely Planet". When all of us were hanging together on the balcony, most of the time Dixon was there with us.  His humor, kindness and insight kept us all laughing.

The time spent here as a unit of 6 friends, who all became much closer...... and will forever remember this experience known as Bocas del Toro...... was simply priceless!