Bocas del Toro

We loved Providencia so much that we decided not to spoil our impression of Colombian islands by visiting San Andres as we had heard that that island was more populated and touristy than Providencia. So we passed by the lights of San Andreas during our 48 hour sail from Providencia to Bocas del Toro in Panama. We motor sailed most of the way as there was not a lot of wind. The closer we got to the coast, the more frequent the rain squalls seemed to be. The rain didn't bring much wind, but just made for a soggy trip.

Bocas del Toro is an archipelago near the Costa Rican border. We are staying at the Carenero Marina which is on the island of the same name and is a $1 boat taxi ride away from the town of Bocas on Isla Colon. Bocas is something of a backpacker town with a lot of competitively priced hostels, cheap bars and restaurants that sell american style food. It's nice that we are not residing in the middle of all of that, even though I loved that sort of travelling 25 years ago!

We have been taking it very easy since we have been here. Some days we have taken a water taxi across to Bocas to do things in town and other days we have stayed around the marina doing things on the boat and trying to organise the next part of our trip. Yesterday we went on a chocolate tour. This involved catching a water taxi to Almerante and from there we were picked up and taken to a community that grows cacao trees and makes chocolate from the harvested beans. They have recently, under the guidance of a Peace Corps volunteer, started the chocolate tours. It was a fabulous tour with the local guide giving us lots of information about the ecology of the area and their permaculture practices as well as about the chocolate making process. The community run the cacao and tour business as a cooperative. We saw a sloth (very high up in a tree so very hard to make head or tail of), some lovely blue and black frogs and some tiny red frogs.

chocolate tour with Mauricio



House next to the marina



Like many of the places we have visited on this and other trips, one wonders whether the people (including the many ex-pats who build grand houses next to the water) think at all about sea level rise and what on earth our local council regulations would make of some of the structures.



restaurant ripening window



 

Stratocumulus and cirrus clouds...I think

getting a lift to town on the veggie boat