Rastafari on a Jungle Island
Trip Start
Jan 01, 2007
1
72
141
Trip End
Ongoing
Isla Bastamientos,
Panama
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
We took the afternoon launcha, for $2 bucks each, to the island and were met at the dock by Jessie and Mark. The first thing out of Marks mouth was "Hi - Beers are only 50 cents!" Cool. At that moment we also realize we can not stay too long or a drinking problem similiar to Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas could occur.
Baby Gecko
Suprisingly everything on the island was very cheap and like Belize all the supermarkets were run by Chinese people. The lady working at the grocery store we frequented (for the 50 cent beers, of course) was called China by the local folks. It was funny in the most unpolitically correct way! Older rasta guys, young boys, teenage girls - they would all call her China (pronounced Chee-nah). Like "China, cuanto cuesta?" "Hola China" "Adios China". It was the equivalent of calling the guy working at 7-11 in the US "Hey Arab, how much is this Arab?" Or calling up your favorite Chinese restaurant for take out and saying "Hey Chink, I'd like combo #2 please. Thanks Chink" So wrong, but funny in a strange way.We ended up at Hostel Bastimentos, where just about everyone stays, in a private room with a private bath for $15 a night. As it was almost sunset we went down to the dock and grabbed a couple of beers to watch the sunset. It was a beautiful night and the sky was gorgeous. While sitting there a local Rasta fellow joined us sitting by the water. After a few minutes on the dock, he lit 2 inscense sticks and the biggest joint I have ever seen. It was the size of some of the cigars I bought in Nicaragua. After the friendly Hellos and How are yous and some casual converation, Kay asked him what he did on the island. With a completely straight face he said "I grow Marijuana and I sell Marijuana." (pause for 30 seconds) "Oh, and I surf too." The funniest part was he complained that he had to get up early to go to work
Ferry Launchas
. I guess even pot dealers have tough bosses and status reports to complete. I swear it was like another scene out of a movie, four friends hanging out on a Caribbean dock with a dread-locked Rastaman, drinking beers and watching the sunset. Darn I miss my windowless office in Crystal City...yeah right! After it was dark we were able to see some luminescent critters in the water which was very cool. They would just glow and float along as if they were electrified.In the morning we decided to hike to the other side of the island to get to Wizard Beach. We were told it was an easy 15 minute hike to other side. Just walk to the end of the cement path and follow the dirt trail up the hill. Sounds easy enough. Along the way we keep hearing what we think are frog sounds and are anxiously looking for them. We finally see a very small bright green black spotted frog just sitting on a tree. We are very excited because we did not see any in Costa Rica which is famous for its frogs. After another 20 minutes we are still climbing over a really muddy trail through the jungle and still can not see the water on the other side. After 20 more minutes of muddy hiking we see the beach. Yeah we made it! We scout out a nice spot on the beach with some shade, throw down our stuff and jump in the water. The water is incredible blue and warm. The waves are absolutely perfect for body surfing.
Frank at the beach
Mark and I stayed in the water body surfing for hours and only got out because we were tired and the rip current was starting to pick up. It actually took a lot of effort and was quite difficult to get out of the water. Kay and I decide to go for a walk along the beach to see what we could see. Once we got to the end we found a trail that we heard would take us around the point to Red Frog Beach. We started to hike along the trail and a local dog joined us. He ended up leading us the entire way to the other beach. This little jaunt took us 30 minutes and was along a trail that was overgrown and full of nice little mud spots. It was worth it though beacause the other beach was really beautiful and completely deserted. Despite the name of the beach, we did not see any red frogs. With a name like that we thought we would see hundreds. Kay later was told by a local that there used to be loads of the cute little red frogs, but recently a fancy luxury lodge was under construction on the beach and chased away (or killed) the little froggies. Later in the village, we noticed a few signs saying "Say No to Red Frog Lodge".
We hung out for a while taking some pictures and then headed back to the other side. Once back we were beat so we laid down for a nice nap. Life should always be this tough. After a nice long nap on the beach and some more body surfing we all headed back to the other side of the island
Frank on Wizard Beach
. This time it did not take as long but it sure as heck was not 15 minutes. I am also glad we did not try and rent surfboards and then have to lug them all the way across the island. After some quick cold showers, there is no need for hot water, we picked up some food for dinner. When we got back Mark had a big smile on his face and was very excited to tell us that he found a tiends (little store) that sold him a case of bottled beer for $8.50. On this island alcohol is cheaper than water which explains why not much gets done around here. While eating dinner a huge thunder storm came in that lit up the entire sky. It was really wild. When it rains here it rains hard. I now understand the meaning of rainy season in Central America.
The next day we went back to Wizard beach for some more swimming and body surfing. Along the way Kay and I saw three frogs that were bright red with black spots. Very Cool. They are so small and so beautiful it is hard to believe that they are poisionous and are harmful to us. Mark and Jessie had gone over to the beach earlier because we were updating this website and when we got there we could not find them. We ended hanging out near the entrance enjoying the waves and sun. Later in the day we finally caught up with Jessie and Mark and headed back to the hostel
Isla Bastamientos
. We have decide to head out to Boquette tomorrow as we have spent a lot of time at the beach lately. We are off to the cool climate in the mountains.But not before we sample the local Panamanian rum. We are hoping it is better than that sweet Costa Rican rum which I can still smell in my bag. We know tomorrow is a travel day so we do not want to drink too much but the price to SuperSize It is just too cheap. We are able to buy a 1 liter bottle of "Abuelo" rum for $7.50, which is only a dollar more than the 750ml. So SuperSize Me! Buying a big bottle the night before we travel is always a problem because nobody wants to carry the bottle so we end up drinking it all. It started to rain again and after 3 rum and cokes we did not feel liking cooking so we went to the local pizza shop for some comida. We were able to get a large pizza and 2 personal pizzas for $11 bucks. It was great drinking food. That night, as with just about every night with Jessie and Mark, we stayed up playing cards, drinking and laughing until our stomachs hurt.
To my suprise I feel fine the next morning. No hangover, no stomach issues, nothing. Which is good because we have 2 boat rides and a long bus ride ahead of us and this is never fun with a hangover. Abuelo rum is my new favorite drink. Cheers to Abuelo and Panama.
Cheers
Frank
