Bocas del Toro, Panama – April 18-21, 2011

Bocas del Toro is an archipelago of islands in the west of Panama on the north shore or Atlantic side of the island.  The interesting thing about Panama, which I had not really thought about before this visit, is that it runs east to west and not north to south.  Because it’s joining North and South America I always thought of it as being north to south but that is not the case.  Thus Bocas is in the northwest of Panama but on the Atlantic or Caribbean side.   It’s amazing what you learn when you travel

Bocas is a beautiful area that has a climate directly opposite from the rest of Panama in that it is wettest in Panama’s dry season (December to April) and driest during Panama’s wet season.  And yes that means that it is rainy season now.   It is often cloudy and we do have some real downpours but mainly the weather has been fine.  Hot and humid regardless of the cloud cover but at least it’s bearable as there is always a breeze, even through the condo.  The weather and the setting mean that Bocas is home to a variety of birds, coral and aquatic life found in few other places in the world.  Bastimentos National Marine Park is over 13,000 hectares of a little land and mainly shallow water.

On the 18^th, the day that I arrived after my long 40-hour journey from Cali, Colombia (details in another blog if you really want to read about it) I was pretty tired all day so didn’t do much other than rest and go down to the beach in the afternoon.  The condo is overlooking the beach but on the opposite side of the road from the beach.  It’s probably only a five minute walk to the beach and it is well worth it.  The sand is beautiful soft grain and very light in colour.  The water is clear and the sand continues into the water so it’s very easy on the feet.  There are some sea weeds or plants along the way but I could generally find a path to avoid them.  The water is very shallow so you have to walk a long way before you even get waste deep, and the water temperature is very warm so it’s easy to get into and yet still very refreshing.  I splashed around for a while and then enjoyed reading my book on the beach.  That night we walked into town and had dinner at one of the restaurants right on the water.  I had fish and it was absolutely delicious.

On the 19th we took a boat trip to see the dolphins and go to Corral Cay and Zapatilla Island for snorkeling.  The day started out with a torrential downpour that we had to go out in to get to town to meet the boat.  However, by the time we departed on our boat trip the rain had stopped and within a couple of hours the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.  Our first destination was to see the dolphins in Dolphin Bay.  There were about 15 little boats full of tourists all racing around the area trying to get the best and closest view of the dolphins so pretty chaotic at times.  However, the dolphins didn’t seem to mind and we saw several of them.  One swam right beside our boat for a couple of seconds.  A mother and baby swam by together and not too far from our boat.  Several others appeared and disappeared just about as quickly.  The weather was still gray at this point and the water was pretty choppy so it was sometimes hard to see them before they disappeared again.  It was also pretty hard to get good photos of them as they really were almost the same colour as the water.  They would be a lot easier for the tourists to spot if they were pink or some other distinct colour, and they would show up in pictures better.  However, it might not be the best colour to camouflage them from their enemies so that’s probably more important than the tourist/photograph aspect. 

From dolphin bay we drove a bit farther and docked at Coral Cay where we had about half an hour to snorkel.  The snorkeling was good right at the dock with lots of fish around but few really colourful fish.  I think most of the fish were just waiting for a hand out from the kitchen staff clearing plates into the water.  We watched that phenomenon later in the day and I can assuredly say that the fish like rice much better than cabbage.  The amazing part about the snorkeling was how warm the water was and how easy it was to float in it because it was very salty. 

From there we went to Zapatilla Island, part of Bastimentos National Park, where we spent 2.5 hours on the beach and snorkeling around the area.  The corals were very pretty and there were some nice fish but nothing really colourful where I was snorkelling.  But then I have to confess that I didn’t snorkel for long because the water was just a bit too shallow for my liking.  At one point I hit my leg on some coral and cut it to the point it was bleeding so I decided it was best for me just to get out of the water.  Some folks were seeing sharks a bit further out so I didn’t want to attract their attention with even a single drop of blood.  The leg was fine so no big deal, just in case you were wondering.  The island is very small and some of the group walked around it – well, they walked and waded around it because apparently in one spot you had to get into the water and walk in rather deep water to get back to a sandy beach.  I stayed safely on my beach towel in the shade reading my book.

From there we went back to Coral Cay for our lunch, which we had ordered on our first stop.  I had fish and it was delicious.  After lunch we headed toward home but made one last stop for some more snorkeling in the middle of some bay.  That was probably the best stop of all for colourful coral and fish so a very good way to end the day.  The coral was especially amazing because of its size, shape and colour – definitely something you don’t see every day.  The only downside to this stop was that something kept stinging or biting me.  I thought I must have something in my T-shirt as it had been hanging on a tree branch back on the island.  I was the first one out of the water but didn’t find anything on my shirt that could be causing the problem.  When the next guy got out he immediately ripped his T-shirt off and started complaining of something biting him.  The two girls after him had the same problem.  Only the last person didn’t have any complaints.  The guide said not to worry it was just sea lice and except for the quick sting they were harmless.  Well, the stinging didn’t stop right away so I did some investigating on line and apparently sea lice is a term for jelly fish larvae.  We did all survive but the sensation was not nice for a while.

Once back in town we went to the local grocery store and bought some groceries and then went home and had sandwiches for dinner.  They were delicious and the price was certainly right.  They even served as lunch and dinner the next day as well. 

On the 20^th we went back to our local beach again, the one just across the street from the condo, and the water was much dirtier and full of dark brown plant particles.  There had been quite a rain storm the day before and rain again in the morning and I guess the wind was blowing in a different direction because the owner of the condo said that this situation comes and goes.  Anyway, it didn’t look near as inviting to me as it did the first day so I didn’t get further than knee deep and instead spent my time reading.  It was still very relaxing.

On the 21^st we had to be out of the condo by 11 and our flight was not leaving until the afternoon.  We took our bags and headed in to town around 11:30 and went to the bank to get some more money out of the ATM.  The bank was closed because it was the start of the holiday weekend and there were probably 15 people lined up at the ATM.  However, the line moved quickly so we did get some money and moved on to lunch at a local restaurant on the waterfront before taking a taxi to the airport to catch our flight.

The flight from Bocas to San Jose is worthy of mention as it was in a small plane – an old twin engine Otter.  It could probably hold about 20 but there were only about ten passengers.  The weight limit per checked bag was lower than normal but my backpack was just slightly under the limit so good to go.  Clearing customs was pretty easy.  We just had to go into the officer’s office and have a quick chat.  We promised we’d come back again so he let us go.  Then the pilot and co-pilot came to get us from the waiting room and they walked us out to the plane.  There was no assigned seating so we just spread out wherever.  We loaded at the back but I sat right at the front.  There was no door on the cockpit so it was fun to watch what the pilots were doing during the flight.  The co-pilot gave us our instructions by turning around in his seat and just telling us to buckle up and how long the flight was and where the exits were, etc.  There’s no room for flight attendants on this plane and no need for them on this short flight.  Anyway it was a great flight and we were soon out of Bocas del Toro and in San Jose, which of course is part of another blog.

But before leaving Bocas, there are a few more things to add.  Most people in Bocas speak at least a bit of English so it’s reasonably easy to communicate.  Our condo is in Bocas Town on the Isla Colon, the main island of Bocas.  There are ferries and water taxis from Almirante on the mainland to Bocas Town on the Isla Colon and to many of the other islands.  I took one when I came in the first morning and it was a beautiful ride, not just because it woke you up after a ten hour bus ride but because it was sunrise and the water was perfectly calm and everything was so fresh and lovely.  I’m not sure I’d want to do the commute very often but it was really nice.  Many people out here have their own boats so they would likely go to the mainland that way.   And most people on the island do not seem to have cars.  There are taxis (trucks) everywhere that will pick up people anywhere, and they are reasonably priced.  There are also buses but they are more selective about where they pick people up.  I’m not sure what they cost.  People generally just walk around town and then bikes are used a bit further out of town. 

Bocas Town itself is quite small and spread along the water with maybe three streets off of the water.  Many of the buildings in Bocas are on stilts and some are built out over the water.  There are any restaurants and pubs and tour operators and souvenir shops as well as the required bank, grocery store, etc.  Many of the buildings are small but there are some larger buildings which are older and from the days when one banana plantation company owned several of the islands.  Today these buildings are the hotels that serve the tourists.  It’s a sleepy little town and was definitely a great place to relax for a few days.

The condo we rented was managed by some Canadians from Vancouver who lived in the building next door.  It was interesting talking to them about the area and why they were here.  Like most islanders, they have no car and live a pretty laid-back life except for managing some properties and looking after renters whom I’m sure can be a real pain at times – not us of course, but other renters.  They will be back in Canada this summer so hopefully they will stop by the Okanagan for a visit.

There was a lot more to see in Bocas but so little time and energy.  Red Frog beach on Bastimentos Island is supposed to be absolutely beautiful and it does indeed have red frogs on it.  Some of these frogs are found nowhere else in the world.  The Smithsonian has a research sight in Bocas to study a lot of the unique flora and fauna of the area.  There are other beaches on Isla Colon too such as the Bluff which is good for surfing and Boca del Drago which is good for swimming and has a lot of starfish in its waters.  There were also other islands, beaches and coral reefs farther away from Bocas Town that sounded interesting.  In Panama we really only visited Panama City and Bocas del Toro, and both for just a short time.  In reading their tourist magazine it’s easy to see that there are any number of great places to visit in the country.  It would be very easy to add Panama to the list of places to return to in the future on another holiday.