Visit to Bocas del Toro
Took the kids to some friends´ house on the islands of Bocas last weekend. We drove to the city (1.5 hours) then caught an Air Panama flight (1 hour around $150 round trip) to the main island in Bocas. Our friends picked us up and we drove about half hour through the jungles of Bocas to their house on Starfish Beach. What an amazing place. We were there 3 nights. It rained only at night and it was a bit cloudy during the day which is actually perfect weather to me.
During the day, the kids played in the crystal clear water. The tide change is maybe a couple of inches (vs. our beach where it can be 16 feet or more) so it was perfect for the kids. We loaded all the kids up in the boat to explore the area. We stopped at a beach a short distance away where every few feet there was another beautiful starfish. As my daughter learned, they'll cut your feet if you're playing tag in the water and you step on one. But otherwise, they're pretty harmless.
We went dolphin searching and found a pod of 4. Really gorgeous animals. Headed into town and saw a parade marching through town. As always, my family wasn't wearing shoes. But in Bocas, that doesn't really matter. It is truly a laid back Caribbean town. Full of shops, restaurants, hippies, backpackers, Americans, Europeans, Panamanians and of course bars.
So that evening we headed out to the bars. As I told my friend, "one drink only". Well after we had shared a few rounds of Panama Jack shots and enjoyed a visit with some friends who live in Bocas in a cabin on the water, we decided it was time to head out on the town for "that one drink". It helps that our friends know Bocas so well. We hit a few of the hotspots on the town including one bar where the boardwalk is built over a shipwreck. We were warned, if you jump in, be careful of the shipwreck in the water, the cuts are really awful.
The next day we went out on one of those speedboats. I think it's supposed to be only for lakes but we went waverunning and there were definitely a few times (mostly when we were airborne for 3 or 4 secs) when I wished I had put on a life jacket. Then headed up a few of the rivers and canals that divide several of the islands. I think I can honestly say that the canal from Starfish Beach to Chianginola is one of, if not the most, beautiful place I have ever seen. Truly unbelievable.
We're planning a trip back in January.