Tuesday, 5 March 2019
Bocas del Toro Island, Panama
Woken at 0200hrs by someone shouting in reception just down the corridor. It’s carnival time so not unexpected. Everyone goes crazy.
The bed spread is the size of postage stamp. Sadly, I am not the size of a postage stamp and surprisingly feel the cold in the early hours. We’re about 3,000ft up so quite cool at night.
4hr drive over the Continental Divide. In theory, you can see both the Pacific and the Caribbean within a few kilometres drive along the ridge. Were it not for the cloud.
Quick stop at the Mirador de Fortuna, a hydroelectric dam, which is guarded by a young lad on his own standing in a kiosk with a pump action shotgun. Clearly bored and a bit lonely.
Arrive Almirante about 1300hrs, a small port on the Caribbean. When you next tuck into your Chiquita Panamanian bananas, this is the port where it will have been exported from. Lots of chilled shipping containers being loaded onto a massive ship ready for the onward journey.
The island of Bocas del Toro is a 45 minute speedboat trip across a choppy Caribbean. There’s not much comfort sitting on the fibreglass seats as the boat bumps and bounces of the waves. Even have to wear life jackets but they look like they last saw action on the Titanic. They’re that sort of design.
Sailing away from the mainland, pass typical houses for this area. Each juts out into the sea on stilts with a balcony and a mooring for the boat. Built of wood, single story and seemingly very basic living conditions. But they all have a satellite dish.
Bocas del Toro is one of about seven main islands just off the coast of Panama, up near the Costa Rican border. Full of American tourists. Especially as it’s the carnival weekend. Traipse through a hot and humid town with bags to the hotel. We’re hardcore. No private bus transfers for us for the short 10 minute walk to our hotel, the Bocas Inn (http://www.anconexpeditions.com/about-us/our-lodges/bocas-inn). A basic affair but has stunning views over the Caribbean from the hammocks strung up on the first floor balcony.
Told it will be very noisy tonight because of carnival in the main square about 200m away. Oh, and the bar next door. Which will be playing live music until 0100hrs.
Great. Can’t wait.
In search of dinner find a little gem of a restaurant, on the waterfront, El Ultimo Refugio. The last Refuge. I’ve just poured my ice cold beer and about to take a sip, when the middle aged American lady, sitting with her husband, thrusts her glass of wine into my beer glass and says,
“Cheers!”
Eh. What. Where did you come from?
And then turns back to talk with husband before I can say anything in reply.
Most unusual.
