A couple of weekends ago, I went to Bocas del Toro–a beach town on the northern Caribbean coast–with a group of BCI people who were all feeling like they needed to get off the island. We took the overnight bus from Panama City to David, a town in the northern province of Chiriqui. The bus ride wasn’t hideously long, but it was so over-airconditioned, I thought I was going to die of exposure. I don’t think I’ve been that cold since we went camping in Yosemite in October. We arrived in David at 5:30 am, in time to catch a very small bus to Admirante, where we could catch a water taxi out to Bocas.
The second bus appeared to be the only transportation option for most of the people living between David and Admirante. It stopped every half mile or so, and it was always a little unclear where the people who got out were going, and where the people gettting on had come from. The sun was just coming up as we got to the edge of the mountains, and we had a gorgeous view out over the province of Bocas del Toro, toward the Caribbean. By the time we finally got on the water taxi, we were all starting to wake up, and were VERY ready to be on the beach.
After all the waffling and indecision that seems to inevitably accompany making any sort of choice for a large group, we finally got our stuff into a hotel, and headed out for Red Frog Beach. To get to most of the beaches, you hire someone with a boat to take you there, so we had a very pretty boat ride through mangrove swamp. We got let out on a raised board walk through the swamp, which didn’t look very promising. However, after about a ten minute walk we came to the beach. We played vollyball and swam, and took advantage of the sun–its the rainy season, so when the sun comes out, you appreciate it!
On out walk back, we learned where the beach’s name came from.
We also went snorkling and visited a couple of other beaches, including Drago, which was my favorite
We spent three days in Bocas, mostly relaxing on the beach or playing in the water. It was fun, although far from my favorite vacation place ever. Then, salty and sandy, we got to do the bus trip in reverse, arriving back in Gamboa in time to take the 7am boat to BCI.