With an all mighty splash, he made his arrival into Bocas Del Toro. After the previous few week’s turmoil, he had decided that at the first opportunity he would go clothes & all into the ocean. Mission accomplished. He checked into the ‘Coconut’ hostel. The town’s capacity had doubled in the last few days. The Easter weekend had attracted not only tourist, but locals taking advantage of the extra few days off from work. Discoverer by Columbus back in the 1500’s while searching for a passage to the Pacific, it was for many years called Isla de Drago. In essence a fishing town, it had exploded into a tourist hub in the last few years. With plenty of activities ranging from scuba diving, surfing, boat trips to see the endangered red frog & if all you wanna do is lounge around on the beach, it has that too. Bocas has something for everyone. Getting around the island was just as simple. For a few dollars more, you could get an old school cruiser. So feeling a little too much like Jessica Landsbury, he set off on his steel horse to discover this jewel of the Caribbean. With all the chaos of the last few days, he hadn’t had the time to appreciate the fact that he was actually on a Caribbean island. A Caribbean fucking island! Who would’ve thought? As with the gringo trail, if you on it long enough, you bound to bump into the same faces & same accents. So it turned out. He had met these faces back in Nicaragua. It was fun seeing familiar faces after a few countries. Catching up & getting to discuss & share similar experiences. That’s what travelling is all about. The ‘Coconut’, wasn’t as crowded as the other hostels. Its staff & owners were really laid back & that approach rubbed off on the hostel. One of the co-owners was even nice enough to invite him & a few others on a boat trip.
Bird island great for snorkelling
It was a nice change from the craziness of the town. Off they set. Like Hemmingway’s character in ‘The old man & the sea’, they took off in an old skiff. The weather was spectacular though & 45min into the ride they anchored for the first of three stops. The snorkelling conditions were perfect. The array of fish even included a nurse shark. She just sat there in all her grace. Just majestic on the ocean floor while the world past by. It was a fantastic moment indeed.
The island had some interesting residents & he met quite a few during his stay. John Smith was all the images you have of an old sea dog rolled into one 55 yr old guy. He came fitted with shaggy dog grey hair & a leathery face from too much time in the sun & sea. However he also had eyes that you just knew had seen more than most people should be allowed to see in there lifetime. He also seemed to know the most obscure facts for a guy from Connecticut. Like the origin of the Scottish emblem & even the amount of food & champagne that was to be used at the royal wedding. CRAZY! While doing his Jessica Landsbury, happened onto an old school bus that had been reconverted into a café. Chatting to the owner, he discovered that a year or so back, the bus was found abandoned on a nearby beach. Bought for a $100, it had now become one of Bocas favourite spots.
$100 bus
The big night spots were filled with scenes out of some b-rate American college movie. After a few days, seeing people strewn out on the sidewalk like leftover fast food became run off the mill. At ‘Coconut’ he had opted for a tent. It was kinda like having a private room, but for the same price as a dorm. This would lead to some interesting evenings. The tent as cosy as it was, was definitely only made for one person, unless you like drowning in your own sweat. He had unfortunately befriended a few of the b-rate college students. So when they ended up like those cold French fries you bin at 4 in the morning, they inevitable ended up at his doorstep looking for shelter. He hadn’t the heart to turn them away, so for 3 consecutive nights he spent drowning in his sweat. Bocas, like San Juan del Sur before, had the ability to steal you away. He met many that had taken up short term labour as a means of staying. Like the ‘island of the Sirens’ in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey,’ Bocas would capture you & not let you go if you gave in to her singing. So on his last night, he changed to the climate friendly hostel ‘Casa Verde'.
It had air-conditioning. A good night it would be. Besides the fact he didn’t have any stray to take home, he bumped into some fellow countrymen & women. It was rare to find them down this neck of the wood. He really enjoyed having his moment of familiarity. It was a good night. The next morning he allowed himself a sleep in, the ferry of the island only left in the afternoon. He took one last cruise by all the spots he had become a local at.
He even got offered a chance to stay, bar work was offered his way. He knew he had to keep moving, so refused the chance to even contemplate that offer. At 2pm he set off for Panama City. His obsession with sailing the Caribbean would soon take over his thoughts.
The island had some interesting residents & he met quite a few during his stay. John Smith was all the images you have of an old sea dog rolled into one 55 yr old guy. He came fitted with shaggy dog grey hair & a leathery face from too much time in the sun & sea. However he also had eyes that you just knew had seen more than most people should be allowed to see in there lifetime. He also seemed to know the most obscure facts for a guy from Connecticut. Like the origin of the Scottish emblem & even the amount of food & champagne that was to be used at the royal wedding. CRAZY! While doing his Jessica Landsbury, happened onto an old school bus that had been reconverted into a café. Chatting to the owner, he discovered that a year or so back, the bus was found abandoned on a nearby beach. Bought for a $100, it had now become one of Bocas favourite spots.
The big night spots were filled with scenes out of some b-rate American college movie. After a few days, seeing people strewn out on the sidewalk like leftover fast food became run off the mill. At ‘Coconut’ he had opted for a tent. It was kinda like having a private room, but for the same price as a dorm. This would lead to some interesting evenings. The tent as cosy as it was, was definitely only made for one person, unless you like drowning in your own sweat. He had unfortunately befriended a few of the b-rate college students. So when they ended up like those cold French fries you bin at 4 in the morning, they inevitable ended up at his doorstep looking for shelter. He hadn’t the heart to turn them away, so for 3 consecutive nights he spent drowning in his sweat. Bocas, like San Juan del Sur before, had the ability to steal you away. He met many that had taken up short term labour as a means of staying. Like the ‘island of the Sirens’ in Homer’s ‘The Odyssey,’ Bocas would capture you & not let you go if you gave in to her singing. So on his last night, he changed to the climate friendly hostel ‘Casa Verde'.
It had air-conditioning. A good night it would be. Besides the fact he didn’t have any stray to take home, he bumped into some fellow countrymen & women. It was rare to find them down this neck of the wood. He really enjoyed having his moment of familiarity. It was a good night. The next morning he allowed himself a sleep in, the ferry of the island only left in the afternoon. He took one last cruise by all the spots he had become a local at.
He even got offered a chance to stay, bar work was offered his way. He knew he had to keep moving, so refused the chance to even contemplate that offer. At 2pm he set off for Panama City. His obsession with sailing the Caribbean would soon take over his thoughts.
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