Hotel Alhambra Changuinola

... have met one of the few on the level, ethical border officials in all of Latin America, because instead of soliciting a bribe of some description from us he simply hopped on his bicycle with his umbrella, our plaintive pleading falling on deaf ears, and rode off into the country into which we could not pass. The *******.<br><br>So we trooped back across the bridge only to find, surprise ...

... Puerto Viejo, we say a BLUE MORPHO, a beautiful butterfly known in Costa Rica. We made another stop at the local grocery store (keep in mind it is a non-air conditioned store the size of a 7-11) for some snacks, water, gatorade, eggs and items we might need at Casa Fiesta. At 11:00 a.m., the sun out in all its force, I lathered up with the Maui Babe and decided to hit the beach for an hour. We decided to have a "chill out" day which would ...

... Ah, amigo, do you see that wall of mangroves in front of us? Suddenly at top speed, Erwin banks hard right and slips us into a small and previously hidden channel, a channel that is about twice the width of the boat. It was fun. We had plenty of trust in Erwin, so we sat back and enjoyed the ride. Eventually, we got to town, and to an ATM and paid Erwin for 50% of his fare ...

... stuff.... (indeed, any of you who love being in the water and relish the tranquility of being on a sail boat should consider this....) I can only recommend Panama to hard-core nature lovers. Unfortunately the cities and 'culture' are disappointing (decades of ill-management &amp; heavy canal usage render the urban areas unappealing). (click "Show all thumbnails" above to see the fotos)

... town and there are no other tourists as far as I can see. The reason for coming here was to visit some of the very nice wet lands that are here and to see sea turtles if I am lucky. I took a boat from the local gov. run organisation and was taken in a motorised canoe by one of the foresters. He pointed out a lot of things including birds but unforunately my grasp of Spanish is still very ...

... its own night to be where everyone went, which is not unusual in party towns, but it helps to learn the circuit. That night was "Agua," a bar/hostel, a $1 water taxi across the channel from Bocas town on another island with a deck surrounding part of the ocean to swim in, swings, a slide, etc., $1 beers and $2.50 tequila shots. In other words, all the makings of hostel revelry/ugliness. I, however, continued my new efforts at tact, this ...

... if it wasnt due to the fact that locals love squeezing 5 or 6 passengers in the row of 4 at the back...just where we decided to sit. Adding insult to injury the local guy that sat next to Marcos fell asleep and kept falling on top of him (see pictures) Anyway, once we arrived at Almirante we squeezed with 5 others into a 4x4 taxi made for 4 passengers. The taxi took us to the local boat taxi station. Our destination ...

... which was very kind. They reminded us though that the starfish were alive, and to not hold them out of the water for long.<br><br>We basically just relaxed on the beach and snorkeled with the starfish. I read my book, "Jaws," which I borrowed from the hostel. Afterwards we grabbed a couple of coca-colas at the outdoor restaurant until the taxi came back to pick us up.

... over to Costa Rica. There was a huge line, everyone waiting to have their passport stamped to walk across the only border around, this old rickety bridge that all cars, trucks, and people go across. Luckily we got through border before the immigration people took their hour break for lunch.<br><br>From there we had to take a taxi to Changuinola. This is where me and that guy (honestly I forgot his name), met Katie, Chris, and Luke, who were ...

... Hotel Olas. My conclusion on the Bocas Del Toro, eat breakfast at Hotel Olas. French toast and Shashuka there are awesome. And take a boat tour with the boat operator from there. Honest guy, and gives a really good tour. Try some of the local food at restaurants, such as conch, ceviche, smashed plantains. Try the local scotch bonnet spices, I picked some up at the Pirate &amp; Roots. Stay, or spend an ...