Some Sun, More Rain and the Journey to Bocas Del Toro
Leaving David in the early morning we were off for the Caribbean coast to see the reputed number one tourist area of Panama – Bocas del Toro. The day was bright and hot, promising to be another scorcher. Feeling a little less confident about our navigating skills and, again, embarrassed at our fractured Spanish, it had taken us two circuits bumbling around the large and confusingly chaotic, triangular-shaped bus terminal of David before we found the boarding area for the bus bound for Chinguanola that would send us on our way . The bus was a twenty-four seat vehicle, a mid-size in the world of Panamanian buses, and it left David far from full, departing the terminal with only seven passengers. We headed east down the Pan-American highway which was under construction; a perpetual condition here in Panama we had been told.
We left the Pan-Am near Chiriqui and began the slow ascent towards the continental divide on our way to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro and Bocas Town on Isla Colon. As we climbed towards the summit the air cooled and it began to mist; wispy, feathery clouds crept out of the valleys and clung forlornly to the ridgelines. Peering down into the valleys revealed a fractured and folded terrain for Panama is a new land. Somewhere around four million years ago, an eye blink in geologic time, massive tectonic plates ground together and this magical landscape up-lifted and created the land bridge between the northern and southern continents.
Just past El Valle de la Mina, near the summit of the continental range, the distinction between the sky and the road began to disintegrate rapidly. The white-greyness of the air merged with the grey-whiteness of the undelineated concrete highway and the misty rain played havoc with depth perception and object identification. The bus crept and climbed slowly along the dizzying curves of the winding road as the windows streamed with moisture.
As we descended from the summit and made our way to the coastal area, the visibility improved somewhat although it had begun to rain steadily and with great purpose. The bus stopped repeatedly, filled to standing room only and emptied and filled and emptied again, with chattering,neatly dressed, uniformed children finished with another day of school. The sky cleared briefly and the sweltering heat enveloped the land only to be replaced again by more heavy rain as the thunderheads moved in off the Caribbean.
Almirante, the jumping off point for the water taxi to the Bocas del Toro archipelago and Bocas town, may have seen better days or perhaps it was always neglected and dirty. We grabbed a cab from in front of the dilapidated bus stop but the scenery only deteriorated further when we arrived at the waterfront where outhouses perched at the ends of docks extending out from ramshackle homes. 
After purchasing our tickets for the water taxi we wrapped our backpacks in waterproof covers to protect our laptops from the rain and hunched protectively over the packs in our laps (rather resembling gargoyles at this point) as we hunkered down in the launch. Rain dripped down the sides of the canvas tarp overhead and splashed into the boat from the sides as the water taxi gained speed and we endured the half hour ride to the island.
And, you ask, was Bocas del Toro worth the time and effort? We might have to rethink scheduling any future visits during the rainy season, which according to one local, was one of the wettest years he could remember. However, most afternoons we could count on the sun making an appearance and a few hours of no rain so that we could explore around the colorful Bocas Town and the Isla Colon. We managed a day trip on a catamaran sailing to Isla de San Cristobal and Isla Carenero among numerous little islands. 
We anchored a couple of times to swim and snorkel alongside a shore tangled with mangroves above a fantastical reef which included startling deep purple and brilliantly golden coral and other fabulously shaped and colored occupants. An amazing number of plumped up, rosy-colored starfish, resembling pictures from a children’s book, rested on the sand or draped over the coral inhabitants in the reef garden. Another day we unfurled umbrellas and spent a few hours following an energetic English expat as she showed us her incredible botanical garden paradise, Finca del Monos, spread over 27 acres.
So yes, our journey was well worth the time and effort and we were supremely comfortable and well cared for at Lula’s B and B. And hey, we’re not vacationers counting each precious day, despairingly waiting for sunshine and cursing the rain. We can be patient and enjoy the thunderstorms and downpours. We have time …
By Richard and Anita, Panama, July 2014
A half-full bus must have made the journey better!
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There was lots of room at the beginning of the trip but the bus filled to standing room only several times as it stopped for school kids and other passengers. It’s always interesting to travel like the locals!
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You seem to have really acquired the skill of slow travel. Most of our travel gets tacked onto my husband’s work trips. He very much still has a day job with no particular plans to retire. (He can’t believe they pay him to do what he loves.) However, he has been more willing to tack on more travel days, so we do get to smell some roses—but we’re so far from going with the flow to the extent you’ve achieved. I speak Spanish and would love to take my time traveling through Mexico, Central America and South America.
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After years of climbing our respective career ladders and planning every detail of our lives as well as regularly setting and achieving goals, it’s quite refreshing to just chuck it all and go with the flow. It’s great to try to plan no further than two to three months ahead of time and leave room for other options and opportunities as they come along!
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Rain is such a damper to visiting these places, but there is always something interesting to see and visit despite the rain coming down.
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Rainy days are good for a lot of things like catching up on letter writing, editing photos or even curling up with a good book. And it’s lovely to see all the flowers and plants dripping moisture after a good soaking.
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This looks like such an incredibly beautiful area. I have never visited Panama, but this water taxi ride looks like it would be worth it if that’s all I got to do.
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The Bocas del Toro area is incredibly beautiful with all the flowers, plants and, of course, the Caribbean for swimming sailing and snorkeling. The water taxis are usually great to travel in but not during a downpour! It seemed like more water was coming inside than staying out!
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Great attitude, go with the flow. Makes for much more enjoyable travels, and overall it sounds like you had a wonderful time.
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Our new lifestyle is very much learning about “going with the flow”! In our previous lives we were both planners and perfectionists who focused on details which often got in the way of actually enjoying what was happening at the time. It’s amazing how much more fun life can be when you relinquish control, ask “What If..?” and see what happens!
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Thanks so much for the maps, making the content so visual rather than so editorial. You live the secret of one day at a time!
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We like (big!) maps to plan our travels and show where we’ve been. Like a lot of Americans, my geography skills leave something to be desired so I like to show the places we go to in relation to things we’ve written about or other familiar places. As for one day at a time – we’re trying…! Anita
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I really enjoyed your descriptive narrative and your photos are so beautiful!!
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Knowing that we might want to describe something later in a letter or post makes us really focus on the “now” and pay attention to locations and experiences. Describing something to myself helps record the memory in a more permanent way, too!
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Loved going along with you. We live in the rainforest on Kauai, and you’re right about precipitation not being a big deal if you’re not vacationers with a deadline. Can’t wait to come along to Ecuador with you; it’s on our list for 2015.
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Rainy season is hard to avoid while traveling unless one just stays put! Usually it’s fairly easy to predict when it will rain and then work around it. Otherwise, we’d miss out on seeing so many places and the amazing things that come alive during this season. A landscape of brilliant greens, blooming flowers and leaves dripping moisture is tough to top! As for Ecuador – we’re looking forward to it as I’m sure you are!
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It’s certainly worthwhile to take the rain season into account when visiting to the tropics; roads can be washed away, planned boat trips (and this includes return trips from an island to get to the plane taking you home!) cancelled due to rough seas, and the climate is often very humid. But it sounds like lovely destination – worth a visit!
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We couldn’t agree with your comment more about traveling during rainy season. In fact the water taxi was delayed during our return trip because of torrential rain and both of us looked like we’d been dunked in the waterway by the time we finally arrived back on the mainland!
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Your description of your bus ride, ascent, and descent was so vivid I felt I’d been along for the ride. The botanical gardens look so lush.
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Riding buses across Central America has given us a much better appreciation for each country from the scenery in the rural areas and cities to sitting side-by-side with the people who live there and exchanging a few words or smiles. The ride to Bocas del Toro included some of the most magnificent landscape we’ve seen so far!
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Real travelers always find the bright side to every part of travel – even the sometimes uncomfortable ones. I find that these experiences make us really appreciate the more comfortable journeys all the more. Thanks for sharing you story.
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And many times the stories you can tell about specific journeys are much more fun and interesting than the actual destination!
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Sorry about the rain, but wishing it was raining in Nicaragua. It’s so very dry. We’ve been wanting to go to Bocas for a long time. Even in the rain, it looks colorful and tranquilo. I love reading about your adventures. How are you getting to Ecuador? That’s going to be a fantastic trip.
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After so little rain in Nicaragua during our stay there, we have really learned to appreciated the rain whether it’s inconvenient or not. However, you’ll definitely find more things to do and enjoy on the islands if you visiting during the rainy season. As for Ecuador – It’s such a completely unique country and we’re really looking forward to our visit. We’ll fly into Guayaquil and then stay in Manta at the beginning.
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Are you planning on going to Cuenca or Quito? We loved traveling along the spine of the Andes. The cities are gorgeous and the culture is rich with heritage and tradition. We flew out of Manta to Quito. Manta smells like fish…I mean the entire city smells like fish because of the giant Tuna processing plants there.
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I don’t think a trip to Ecuador would be complete without a visit to Cuenca or Quito. As for Manta … uh oh! Maybe we’ll have to rethink our plans if the fish smell is so pervasive! We’d thought about spending several weeks there as a base … hmmm…!
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Well, another adventure under your belts. What’s on your schedule now?
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Ah, Linda… So many more adventures await! We have a few more stories about Panama and then our journey to Ecuador begins in September for a few months. You’ll have to think about joining us and painting some of the people and scenes in this area!
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Another amazing trip. Thanks for sharing.
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So glad you enjoyed the virtual journey, Ann. Life on the road can sometimes be uncomfortable but we see and learn so much and it’s certainly not boring!
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Great that you are enjoying your world tour and that you get along so well to spend 24/7 with each other 🙂
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We feel pretty lucky that we do manage to get along (mostly!) 24/7. It helps to like the same things and have the same goals and priorities in common!
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You are Blessed 🙂
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Loved this entry. We just reserved a place in Bocas for the month of March 2015. Can’t wait!!!! Enjoy the journey.
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There’s so much to see and do in this area, especially the snorkeling and exploring the other little islands. We missed getting out because of the torrential rain but March should be much better for a visit. We’ll be waiting to hear about your experiences!
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