Bocas del Toro

Saturday morning we met our driver, Daniel, in David. He is a colorful character and was great entertainment for the drive across the mountains to Almirante. It was a beautiful and scenic drive across the continental divide. The road is relatively new and smooth except for the places that have washed out and crumbled down the mountain side! Just like the road to Rio Sereno, you have to look out for the buses and trucks that come careening around blind corners in the wrong lane - it keeps things exciting. We arrived safe and sound in Almirante; Daniel took us to the water taxi docks and saw us loaded onto the boat with all the locals. Several boys helped us with our luggage. Actually, only one or two helped, but all their friends were there looking for a tip, too! In all the hustle and bustle I think we tipped every boy in Almirante. The folks on the water taxi were really interested in the Sacajawea dollar coin Dad had; they passed it around the boat so everyone could see it. When
we arrived at the dock in Bocas town a fellow traded us a dollar bill for the coin. I think everyone wanted it!

Our bags were transferred to another water taxi to take us across the channel to the island we're staying at right now, Carrenaro Island, and the Casa Acuario. Our hostess, Joanna, greeted us and talked with us awhile to suggest some restaurants and things to do once we got settled in. We unpacked and wandered down the beach to the Pickled Parrot - a thatched roof restaurant/bar that sits over the water. We had roasted stuffed peppers with fresh salsa to snack on and pina coladas and papaya daiquiris... YUM!
After our refreshments we came back to Casa Acuario and took a swim off the docks - we have some of the best swimming on the island right here out our front door.


Dad found a huge starfish as we waded out into the water. The saltwater really keeps you afloat without any effort, and it is so warm! This is the first time I've seen tropical water before. There were schools of tetras and some kind of long, pointy-nosed blue fish swimming with us. After all this excitement we took a
little nap, then had a light dinner on the other side of the island at the Sunset Grill.

The next day we took a boat tour of the islands with one of the local tour companies. There were eight of us plus the driver and although it was kind of cloudy, the day was still warm and probably more enjoyable than if it were hot and sunny. We went to Dolphin Bay where we saw dolphins swimming and playing. Our driver started going in circles around them and they played in the wake and kept up to speed with us, jumping in the waves and doing flips. They were beautiful!

Our next stop was at Coral Cay or Crawl Cay. There are a couple of restaurants built over the reef here that keep all their fish and seafood fresh in the water until ordered.

We placed our order ahead of time, then hopped back in the boat for a short journey to our first snorkeling spot. I have never snorkeled before so it was a great experience. There were not a lot of fish but the coral was so pretty; it was an incredibly peaceful experience. Then we headed back to the restaurant for margaritas, lunch and a nap in the hammock. The wind had picked up and the water was choppy so our driver wanted to wait for a bit and see if it calmed down, but it really didn't. We headed over to Bastimentos Island and took a walk through the jungle to Red Frog Beach on the Atlantic side where the waves come crashing in and the surfing is good. We didn't see any dart frogs but it was still a nice stop.

After the beach we took a short trip over to Hospital Point just off of Solarte Island. The water seemed a little rough at first and looked like it was crashing on the cliffs, but I jumped in anyway and quickly realized there was no problem at all! The waves push you gently toward the shore, then gently pull you back. The fish were just gorgeous and I didn't want to get out! One of our travel-mates was a fellow named Tony, from New York. We were the last ones out of the water - we were enjoying the snorkeling so much that a half hour went by and it only seemed like a few minutes. I am completely hooked and will line up another boat this week that will allow us to spend more time snorkeling!

The boat dropped us off right at our dock, so we changed clothes and once again headed down to the Pickled Parrot where we had drinks and a great dinner. I was worn out by such a great day and was in bed by 8:30! Even though we're across the channel from Bocas town the late night bars and their loud music carry right across the water, but I barely heard it last night...

Today we're exploring Bocas town and picking up a few things like flip-flops, beach towels and a couple of snorkel masks. After that we've planned a really motivated day: reading in the hammock and swimming off our dock!