Bocas del Toro, Panama November 10, 2012 to current
November 9, 2012 – Land ho, land ho. The end of the rainbow is in sight. After the last two months of island hopping, approximately
1050 nautical miles, from Isla Mujeres to Roatan to Providencia to San Andrés,
we were looking forward to a land of plenty.
My beloved peanut butter was running low, the popcorn down to one bag,
and absolutely no M&M’s left!
We had heard so much about the Bocas del Toro area
my expectations were high; dreams of food shelves gleaming with cleanliness,
products with expiration dates, and identifiable meat. And real milk, the one from the refrigerator
section. Yes, this was in my mind. Even at my age, I can manage to build quite
the bubble! There is plenty here, and
much more than what was available on previous islands. It’s just not quite what I envisioned. To get to the super stores, you take your
dinghy or water taxi to Bocas, then a 30 minute water taxi from Bocas to
Almirante, then a four hour bus ride to David.
There you’ll find a Super Rey, Arrocha, Price Mart, and Conway, all
equivalents to Kroger, Walgreens, and Sam’s, and Target. The only clincher, once you buy all the things
you think you MUST have, you now have to get them back to your boat. A one day turnaround is tough. There are shoppers that will get the items
for you and deliver for a small fee, or you can shop yourself and they’ll meet
you to pick up your items and deliver the next day, sometimes same day, for a
minimal fee. The area has such a large
expat community that chandler /concierge services have been established to
accommodate most needs. The archipelago
has people living on the majority of the islands which all need supplies
delivered. There are so many islands
with beautiful mangrove coves, it would take a year or more to fully
explore. Local knowledge is a definite
must. As with our previous sailing
experience, when you are in a community such as this, there is a “net” via VHF
radio every morning at 7:45 a.m. for general information sharing.
We had many projects that needed to be done so we
stayed the first day at an anchorage while we price checked marinas. The next day into Marina Carenero we go. The intention was to stay a week and then
move on. It took three weeks for our
sail to be repaired; it rained for three weeks so painting and putting non-skid
on the swim platform was difficult. We
skipped on the solar panels because of the logistics in getting them here from
the states. At this time we were so
close to the holidays we just stayed. I
am glad we did. If you have to be away
from home for the holidays it’s nice to be with so many other people
experiencing the same. Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and the New Year were spent making memories with new friends and
great food we can share with our families on future holidays.
We
have taken a couple inland trips while here; one to Panama City for three days
where we purchased the ultimate in electronics, a “Samsung Galaxy III” smart
phone. We also went to the Pacific side
to check out marinas and facilities for when we cross through the Panama
Canal. What a beautiful city this
is. Bigger than the last time we were
here. It is phenomenal to look from one
side of the taxi and see the Pacific and look out the other to see the
Atlantic.
The
next trip we took was through the mountains all the way up to Cerro Punta to a
small resort called Los Quetzals. We
stayed in a cabin with no electricity except for a battery that ironically
powered a router so we could have internet!
There was a wood burning stove for heat and gas lanterns for light. It is located approximately 7500 feet above
sea level so we went from wearing shorts to jackets. Wow…just to soak up where we were and what we
were doing, will take me some time to articulate. The lushness with the variety of green
foliage, the orchids offering splashes of color from within the density of the
jungle, the waterfalls cascading down the mountain with such velocity making
sound reverberate off the trees creating an echo. The cool, crispness of the air, the sound of
birds made me notice the quiet of my own mind, unable to process all the
beauty. This area, this place, is magical.
To be there, to see a jungle, hear the birds, the waterfalls, the
rushing streams with water cresting over river worn boulders, is
breathtaking. Green is not just green,
the waterfalls not just a waterfall, and the river flowing over the rocks
through the gorge, down the mountain was life sustaining, not just a
river. I do not know that I can convey
the treasure of that experience. Many come here to bird watch for the famed
“Quetzal”, national bird of Guatemala.
We came to fly fish for trout and to revisit the areas we had seen 15
years ago, magical then magical now. I
am new to fly fishing but love the casting, the rhythm required to land the bug
in just the right spot to entice the fish.
To my screaming delight, I and Captain Don both caught one! If there were monkeys watching I’m sure they
were glad the loud intruder was leaving once the fish were caught!
Onto
the next place, Sitio Barriles, offering petroglyphs dating back 2600
years. Run by a woman named Edna and her
son. A fantastic tour with a theme on
energy obtained from the stones and the river that flows backwards, yes, folks this
river runs uphill for about 400 meters.
Excellent tour, had opportunity to hug a rock, pick citronella, did not
know it was a grass, eat some of the original pink bananas people began eating
from the jungle, which is mostly black seeds, you just chew them up and
swallow. Supposedly is good for your
digestive tract! And it was. Went into Volcan to the Volcan Lodge were it
had been recommended we eat lunch at "Mana" an excellent choice. Food and service was fantastic.
Next
stop Boquete. While doing a tour looking
for a hotel, we drove by a rock wall that looked like 4x4's irregularly
stacked. It was formed by a lava flow that had cooled rapidly. We had dinner at Chinese place touted on the
internet as very good. Eh, not so
good. Hotel Fundadores had beds for the
night. Made reservations for the 8:00 a.m. zip line
at the Boquete tree trek!
We
were up and out the door by 7 a.m. (I
had been up what seemed forever so excited for this part of the trip.) We tried to find breakfast before the zip
line but found nothing. Places do not
open till 7:30 or 8:30 for breakfast. So
we drive to zip line thinking the hotel there would be open. Wrong.
No reception area open, no restaurant, you would have thought it was
deserted except for the few vehicles scattered here and there on the
property. Finally around 8:00 a.m.
someone showed, opened the door put on a fresh pot of coffee and started
cooking for us. We registered for the
ride and before long the guides were there taking us up the mountain. OMG if ever there was a roller coaster ride
like this the lines would never end.
They would be sending people home for closing time. It was phenomenal, 14 platforms, 160 feet in
the air, the longest cable being 1600 feet long stretched over a river, all
were stretched through the jungle canopy, cylinder openings large enough for
you to speed by at 30 mph within inches of branches if you so desired to move
your hand out to touch one. I could not
get the smile off my face. Either
plastered there from velocity or shear excitement, it was without a doubt the
best ride I've ever experienced. Next up,
shopping in David. We stop in the town
of Boquete after our zip line for a strawberry shake, made with fresh cream and
fresh berries. The area has strawberry
stops the way US has coffee stops. They
offer them with fresh cream, the local chocolate, or wine, some places make
shakes, jams, and cakes.
A
long day, zip line, shopping, dinner done, it was time to call it a night and
the end of a fantastic trip. We leave
David at 6 a.m. in order to return the rental car on time and catch a water
taxi back to our boats with all our goodies.
The
rest of our stay in Bocas del Toro has been busy with holiday festivities,
starting with a winter Solstice party and ending with a pre-new year’s eve
party, skipping new years eve. We’ve had
walks along the beach, anchored in several different coves, snorkeled, and have
worked on learning some Spanish. As of
today, January 5th, we continue to wait for a weather window south to the San Blas Islands. We’ve hired an
agent to handle our canal crossing which we hope to do by the end of January,
so we might have to skip the San Blas.
We shall see...
