Panama: “The open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man can lose himself.” – William Least Heat Moon

This weekend I traveled to a tropical paradise. I went to Bocas Del Toro, an island city on the North East coast of Panama. Bocas is actually a whole series of little islands that you can travel between by water taxi for a dollar or two. The border was a little sketchy; we had to walk across a bridge that was less than safe from the Costa Rican to the Panamanian boarder. After we were across, we took a taxi for about an hour and then two ferries before arriving at an awesome little hostel that projected out over the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first night there we were lucky enough to view a spectacular sunset as we sat on the huge deck and dangled our feet in the water while we had a few drinks. The water there is 80 degrees and hardly refreshing during the 95 degree afternoons, but at night it was perfect and there is nothing more relaxing that listening to the sound of the waves beneath you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning I had my first scuba diving experience. It was fantastic! I had never been scuba diving before, so I first had to watch a short video and practice a few skills in shallow water, but then it was off to the depths of the ocean! I did two 1 hour dives. The first was through a coral reef. I saw more beautiful fish than I could imagine, a huge lobster, an eel, blue shrimp, red shrimp, coral, anemones, squid, sea cucumbers, and more. The second dive was at a ship wreck; which was home to a plethora of colorful fish and beautiful corals. Besides the fact that the things I saw were amazing, being underwater and breathing was an experience in itself. I reached a depth of fifty feet and the water was still crystal clear and warm, even without a wet suit. It was amazing!

That afternoon another one of my friends showed up and the three of us headed to Red Frog Beach, a beach that faces out over the Caribbean. It was beautiful, but not as calm as the others we visited. However, we were able to hike a little ways into the rainforest there. The rainforest in Bocas was different than the rainforests we have visited in Costa Rica. There were a lot more giant species of plants with leaves several feet across. I loved it.

That night, Saturday, there was a party at our hostel. We left to go get dinner at about 9:30 and the place was empty, when we got back at 11 the deck was full of people. It just so happened that the US Coast Guard was off the shore and had given the men a three day leave, and they had all come to our hostel to have a good time. They know how to throw a party in Panama! Then, at around midnight it started to downpour. Other places in the world this might have cut the party short, but not in Bocas! I just danced in the rain! The music played on while we swam in the warm ocean and had a blast. The rain just made the whole night more fun!

The next day, after waking up in a very wet skirt and tank-top,  I headed with my friends to find another beautiful beach. This time we went to Starfish beach. It is actually a beach filled with starfish. Not only were the starfish beautiful, but the beach was extremely calm and the color of the water was pristine.

            

My friend on the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also found some great palm trees to climb and take a few pictures on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, Panama was amazing. Every weekend I feel like I have found my new favorite travel destination. Each location is unique, beautiful, and full of adventures. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have been able to travel down here for three months.

 

This weekend was an excellent fourth weekend on my Costa Rican (Panamanian) Journey.