Caribbean Coast

Bocas del Toro, Panama
If Boquete was this quiet little town in the mountains where older travelers go to retire, then Bocas is where younger travelers go to party. This seductive set of islands off of the Caribbean coast, is nothing but dreadlocks, surf, and sand. Although there are quite a few tourists, the locals here are a mix of Panamanians and immigrants of Jamaica and Barbados. Rastafarian's are everywhere and most locals sport a surfer´s body. This place has a ¨spring break¨ feel with it´s giant parties and ladies nights every night. While Aqua Lounge, was definitely host to our favorite parties we had a pretty traumatic experience our first night out. The pretty little pools of ocean water cut right into the deck of the bar seems ideal for midnight swims, but DO NOT do it. Everyone else will be jumping in and it will be extremely tempting, but I promise you´re in for a rude awaking the next morning. Me and Karin woke up to giant rashes covering our bodies. What appeared to be severe hives turned out to be jelly fish stings. Apparently the tiny little guys ride the waves in at night to prey on naive drunks such as ourselves.

Not that we let this stop us. Following our tradition of making friends with locals, we made a couple friends who promised to take us surfing. Nervous and not sure what to expect, we took a water taxi to another island and were told to jump in. We could see the beach but it was miles away. Apparently, if wanted to reach it we were going to have to ride the waves in. I can´t decide whether this sport is easier or more difficult than imagined. The basic concept is easy and catching a wave comes naturally, but I know now why surfer´s have such amazing bodies. By the time you´ve paddled to the top and caught the wave there´s almost no energy left to actually stand up, though when you do you can ride the wave for miles. Of course, then you begin the long exhausting workout back to the top. We couldn´t help but laugh when we looked at each other exasperated faces as we tried desperately to get back on our boards. ¨Paddle, paddle¨ our teachers would say. So we did.  It´s fun to imagine living this life with no responsibilities and nothing to do each morning but wake up and surf. Everyone we met had only odd jobs (making and selling bracelets, surfing lessons, or making home made sushi) and made only enough to get by. The beaches here are beautiful and deserted. You can´t help but feel like you´re in paradise with the aqua blue water and surrounding palm tree jungles. Being used the cold, refreshing water of Lake Michigan, jumping in the water for the first time was a shock. It´s bath water if not warmer.

We spent one lazy afternoon at a pretty beach on a smaller island and were told to meet up with our friend at the ¨yellow house¨ later that evening for his birthday party. These basic directions were surprisingly easy to follow, after a short walk along the beach we ran into our friends grilling out at a cute little surfer shack on the beach. The music was as good as the food and the ambiance even better.

On our last day we found a boat tour which took us dolphin chasing and snorkeling. While watching the dolphins show off in the water, we didn´t even notice the swarm of giant jelly fish our boat had drifted into. I decided to make peace, reached my hand in and pet the top of the beautiful creature.

Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
This lazy little town seems to be the South Haven of the Caribbean Coast. It allowed us some much needed rest after Bocas. We rented some bicycles and spent the day riding down the coast, stopping for some coconut milk along the way. Punta Uva was our beach of choice. Here we spent the day in and out of warm water.

Although it´s not a party town, it´s home to Rocking J´s, a party hostel where every traveler must stay once. This huge hostel is right on the beach with every wall decorated with art and mosaic tile. You can imagine it being full of hippies on the weekends. It has to be easy to make friends here when jammed around the beach bonfire. Dorms are available, but most people grab a tent or rent a hammock. Our one night in a tent was enough of an experience for us, and we booked a private room at the hostel next door the following night.

We are now spending a short couple days in San Jose before continuing on to a couple famous national parks and the Pacific Coast. As dirty and intimidating big cities are in Central America, I´m always at ease in the hustle and bustle.

Buenasuerte,
Your Central American Gypsy

Boquete, Panama

It´s crazy how quickly one can slip into life here in Boquete. We have been here only five days and already we feel right at home. We know that everyday the morning will be beautiful, but come four o´clock and if you´re outside you will be caught in a down pour that doesn´t stop til late evening. We learned this the hard way on the way home from our first hike when we walked twenty minutes in the rain until a local passed by and offered us a wet ride in the back of his pickup.We know where to find the best fresh produce, bakery bread and cup of Panamanian coffee. Karin and I have been working on our cooking skills. A friend who lives with us has been working with us each night on how to use what is locally grown and in season to make our dinners. We´re proud of our struggled attempts since neither of us do much cooking at home. Last night we made pasta and no jar of pasta sauce was touched, only fresh vegetables. It´s so easy to eat healthy. Organic produce is the cheapest thing you can buy here. On our first trip to the market, we were looking curiously at a strange fruit we´d never seen and the man behind the counter cut open three and handed one to each of us. He wouldn´t take a single dime. This happens often here.

Boquete is nothing more than a quaint little town located in the mountains of Panama. Don´t worry about filtered water. It runs straight from the mountain springs. Every one we meet is so friendly and helpful. I haven´t met a nicer town. You lose your breath every time you take a moment to take in the sight of the surrounding mountains. Today was our first day not hiking up through the jungle to swim in some waterfall. Yesterday, our friend and hired guide took us to the volcanic hot springs. We sweated out our hangovers in these natural hot tubs. Here we met a local spider monkey, Chita, who likes to hang out (literally) and thinks it´s fun to snatch your things when you´re not looking. Where she keeps her stash is unknown, but I´d imagine she´s one rich little monkey. She is apparently boy crazy, because instead of curling up nicely on my shoulders like she did with the men she found it more fun to nibble on my ears and nose. I told her I was no competition, but she either didn´t believe me or I tasted really good.

The small town feel makes it difficult not to feel at home. There are only a few places to go dancing and it´s hard not to run into friends. In fact it´s hard not to make friends. It´s unbelievably easy to see yourself spending the rest of your life here and never leaving. However, today it seemed to hit all three of us that it´s time to move on. It was so easy, too easy, to become comfortable, but as soon as that happens you realize all of those things that make you want escape home exist here as well. The beauty of it is that tomorrow we could leave and never look back. All those regrets, annoyances, and identities you develop leave with you. Tomorrow I can be a completely different person and meet a whole new set of beautiful, amazing people. We decided we will spend one more night with some local pats and celebrate American independence with apple pie and fireworks before moving on to Bocas del Toro.

Buenos!
Your Central American Gypsy