Bocas del Toro, Panama: A place you could get used to

Bocas (the town and provincial capital) is the largest settlement on Bocas (the archipelago of six islands that make up the majority of the province…which is also called Bocas – hmm?). The other islands and little towns are mainly within a 5-15 minute water taxi ride of the main town. Parts of these islands make up a national marine park. You can see little thatched roofs, cabins on stilts, and lancha water taxis everywhere. There are also A LOT of banana plantations (think Chiquita).

Bocas seems to be full of characters you would find in a gregarious storybook, or a weird TV sitcom. Many of the local people we met were American ex-pats. Some have made Bocas their permanent home, others come and go on a seasonal basis. They all either seem to be running away from, or running to, something (many by their own admission!). A perfect example was an article that came out in a Panamanian tourist magazine, 980, while we were visiting – it was showcasing 10 American women entrepreneurs who had started up successful businesses in Bocas over the past few years. From a spa, to a yoga studio, restaurants, property development, gourmet deli, and more, these ten women were just a sample population and didn’t include any of the ex-pat couples or single men who run businesses, nor any of the local enterprises. All this, in a town with a population of 12,000. Even with all the ex-pat and tourist presence, Bocas still feels like another country, with lots of Panamanians milling around and living their daily lives.

Bocas is a funny little place. It’s billed as the Caribbean sun destination of Panama…except there is really not a beach accessible from the main town…and it’s located in one of the rainiest places on the continent. It is also Panama’s primary tourist destination. However, what it lacks in “walk out your door to lay on the beach”, it more than makes up for in activities.

So what adventures and activities did we get into during our 10 days in Bocas?

Surfing

Early in the week, John convinced me to go out for another surfing lesson, this time on a reef break. A small boat dropped us and our surf instructor from Bocas Surf School out at a restaurant hut near the break. We had a little chat about the site and he told us that surfing is 90% paddling. Well that explains why I find this sport so difficult, I thought, I can barely swim. We then had to paddle out at least 20 minutes to the edge of the break. I was already worn out. To make it just a little extra challenging, in order to keep out of the 6’ waves threatening to crash on your head, you had to constantly paddle out into the channel. We spent over two hours moving between trying to catch the waves in the break, surviving inhumane treatment in the washing machine of waves that followed, and paddling like maniacs to get back into the channel. Repeat. It was exhausting but fun, and definitely rewarding. Especially the case of beer that followed.

Which I guess explains why John was able to convince me to go back for another session a few days later. This time we tried out a spot that was quite a bit tamer and with less threat of punishment. That also meant that it required more waiting and effort to get up on the waves. It was a successful day for both of us, as we became much more confident in reading the water and getting up on our boards. John signed up for a third session on his own a few days after that, solidifying his new skills.

Caving

We met a lovely couple from New York while drinking gin on the deck of the Rip Tide (see below in the Eating section) one afternoon. Ten hours later, they had convinced us to go meet them on the nearby Bastimentos island to go on a cave tour. I must have been drunk, because going into a cave is right near the bottom of my list of things I want to do in life. However, everyone else seemed stoked to go, so I pulled up my big-girl panties and agreed.

The four of us headed out in a lancha with a driver/guide in the morning. He took us around the island into a river surrounded by mangroves. Part way there, the water was too shallow for the engine so he handed out paddles to the menfolk. Another half an hour and we landed on the edge of a small plantation, which we had to walk through in order to get to the cave entrance. Along the way we were lucky enough to see a mother and baby three-toed sloth just a few feet away in a tree, as well as some of the bright orange frogs common to the area.

At the entrance to the Nivida cave, our guide handed out helmets and headlights, and we were off. As we walked in, it was difficult to decide whether I was more disturbed by the bats flying by (and at!) my head or the putrid smell of guano everywhere. Either way, it did nothing to alleviate my disgust for these rats with wings. Everyone else seemed to think it was interesting. We moved further into the cave, wading through shallow water, climbing over stalagmites while the bats and the smell both dissipated. Admittedly the rock formations were pretty amazing once I got the courage to look around.

As I reminded myself that there was lots of air and space even though I was feeling closed in, we got to a rock platform area where our guide suggested we leave everything. Now wearing nothing but bathing suits and hard hats, we proceeded into deeper water as we continued to explore the cave. We got to a few places where we had to swim for a few meters, and then reached a spot where we had to put our heads most of the way underwater in order to fit through the crevice. Good times in guano water. We went as far as an underwater waterfall and deep pool, and then returned the way we came. Three hours later, we emerged back into sunlight.

Yoga

I was very excited to find out that there were regular yoga classes held in Bocas for only $5 a session. This was one of the first times on the trip that yoga had been both accessible and affordable, so I went over to Bocas Yoga on the first day we were in town for a class. It was energizing and lovely and Laura Kay was an amazing instructor!

John had talked about wanting to try a yoga class, so he came along the next day. Laura Kay was thrilled to have a new student, especially a man, in the class and was very encouraging. She decided that it would be worth the yoga street credit for John to do a bridge in his first yoga class, so she assisted him to accomplish that. John was beaming after his first yoga experience, although somehow I suspected it was more due to the hot yoga instructor in a tiny outfit bending over him than to the positive karmic energy of deep breathing.

We returned to yoga class every day we were in Bocas. It was definitely a highlight of our stay there. I have tried to convince John that all yoga classes will not be that visually exciting or entertaining, but it was a great way to get him into it!

Catamaran sailing

The weather in Bocas had not been that conducive to snorkeling, even though that is one of the main advertised activities there. The winds and rains had affected visibility, and we had not really wanted to go out for a full day in an open boat in the downpour. We finally decided to go out for a day on a catamaran that included a couple of spots for snorkeling. It turned out to be a great decision!

As we headed out from the dock, John asked the skipper if he had a spinnaker for the boat. They hoisted it up, and within half an hour of stepping on board, John was flying the spinnaker through the channel. The day continued to be lovely with a couple of snorkeling spots where we saw a fair amount of small fish and coral. After lunch, the captain handed the wheel over to John and there he stood for the rest of the day. We did go through several small squalls and lots of rain, but they were short-lived, and the cabin provided ample shelter.

Eating

No adventure would be complete without mentioning the food. Bocas has an enormous amount of restaurants for its size. There were many recommended that we didn’t get the chance to try, but most of the ones we did were certainly worthwhile. On the posh end, the Indian restaurant Om served authentic North Indian dishes with delicious drinks. Their white wine sangria with pears and rose water was divine. We had good pizza a couple different places, and tasty fig and goat cheese stuffed chicken (as well as bacon-wrapped dates!) at a Mediterranean restaurant, La Casbah. The Gourmet Deli was the place to shop for imported foods as well as the location of an organic chocolate counter where new treats were made daily. Yum!

On the not-so-posh end of the spectrum was Rip Tide, a restaurant bar on a boat tied to the dock. The drinks were cheap, the service was crappy and the food was greasy but the experience is what had us returning several times during our stay. Lots of old sailors and randoms passed hours there. Their slogan is "Get ripped at the rip tide, where it's happy hour all day long." Enough said. At one point I ate a “RIP sandwich”: two large breaded and deep-fried chicken pieces with bacon and cheese between two pieces of toast soaked in butter. Served with blue cheese dipping sauce. And fries. It was aptly named, as I felt my arteries slowing considerably. Even John raised his eyebrows at this menu choice.

There is something about going to an island that makes it immediately different from other places.  Often on paper, these are places that should not be a cool as they end up being. Bocas is a place on the “return to” list and it would be difficult to truly explain why.  One girl mentioned that she was on the 50^th day of her 7 day trip to the island. We totally understood how that could happen.