Gem of the Caribbean – Part 1

Our trip there was progressing more rapidly than we had planned and, because we were disappointed by the Costa Rican coast, we quickly started contemplating what to do with the rest of our stay. Suzana therefore found the Bocas del Toro Archipelago in Panama which is located just past the northern border with Costa Rica. As soon as we found out we didn’t need a visa for Panama we were on our way.

The archipelago is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. It’s known for its tropical flora and diverse group of sea and land animals. This is what attracts many a nature lover to this island chain. Because of the ever-changing coastline many houses are raised on stilts. Some people think of Venice at the sight, others of the Maldives. Personally, I don’t think it’s reminiscent of either of the two. The sight is one of a kind. The archipelago is composed of 9 large islands and many smaller ones that are mostly uninhabited.

Attraction number one – crossing the border

Buses don’t go across the border, so we had to cross it on foot. We had to stop at three offices before they let us continue:

• A small kiosk, ravaged by time: here we had to pay an entry fee (the kiosk didn’t look really convincing or, should I say, it didn’t look like it was an official thing; be careful, you can only pay in cash).
• An office that actually looks as such: here you’ll go through passport and visa control, entry fee payment... (it’s located about 100m from the first office, but there are no markings that would guide you to it).
• An old dilapidated barrack located just before the bridge: this is where we were greeted by the last officer who quickly shoved a form into our face where we had to fill out everything – where we were headed, why, for how long, how much money we had with us... When he checked the form and decided he was satisfied with the answers he let us continue.

We finally sorted out all the legalities and were on our way across the bridge. The latter used to be in a really bad state of disrepair, which made the crossing quite an adventure. And then it collapsed in 2017. Now a new, modern, one stands next to it and getting to the other side isn’t that difficult anymore.

We were awaited by vans on the other side which took us to the “harbour”, if you could call it that. We were loaded into not-so-large boats (taking in about 20 people) and were already making haste towards Bocas Town on the main island of Colon.

Colon Island

A colourful town on stilts and crystal-clear blue water underneath – we finally found our new gem. In this small town, the facade of each house is painted a different colour, Chinese settlers own food shops, there are various types of beaches one can visit, and there’s nightlife in bars and discos. There’s something for everyone.

We started by exploring the town, its cuisine and the hidden corners. We found a black beach on the town’s outskirts which, except for the fact it was black in colour, wasn’t very interesting, but we still took a stroll along the coast. Something kept biting at our feet all the way back, but we never figured out what it was that was hiding in the sand. It could’ve been some small animals or maybe just the sand. The latter we had to wash off completely for the sensation to abate.

We wanted to get enough sleep the first night, since we wanted to visit Starfish Beach the next day.

Starfish Beach

The beach is located in a nature reserve. You can reach it by local bus, but you’ll still have to walk part of the way. It’s a small beach that makes you feel as if you were in a tropical paradise – white sand, crystal-clear blue water, warm sea, palms... Ignoring, of course, the crowds of people that flock there for the same reason we did.

We were lucky enough it was off-season. We spent time lying on the beach, swimming and looking for starfish. We spotted them just a few ten metres off the coast. They were large and a bit different than the ones we’re familiar with; they looked like they had webbed arms.

While we were having fun at the beach, one of the locals started waving at everyone. Of course, our curiosity got the better of us and we went to check out what was going on. The man started pointing high up towards the tree canopies where he had spotted a sleeping sloth. The sloth was really high up in a tree but still visible. The sleepy-head slept through the entire time we were there.

A sloth is a brown-green hairy animal known for having three toes on its front paws, a round head and a flat face, and is characterised by its laziness. These animals spend most of daytime resting or sleeping high up in trees. Their diet consists of leaves.

As the day grew old there was another surprise waiting for us. The starfish crawled all the way to the beach, so we could take another look at them just by standing in the water knee-deep. We didn’t touch them or take them out of the water as many people tend to do to take a photo. Human touching is stressful for wild animals and some can even die because of it. I’m an animal lover, so I don’t touch animals, unless they allow me.

In the evening, we went out to experience the town’s nightlife. We ran into Suzana’s friend in one of the bars. The encounter was completely random. The world really is small and we Slovenes truly are all over the place, despite being a small nation.

So, what about the next morning, did we cross to the other side of the island or maybe even hopped to another one? You’ll find the answer to that in the next article...