Life in Bocas

So, I've been in Bocas del Toro, Panama, for almost a week now, and am loving it! For those of you who don't know (and were too lazy to follow the link), Bocas is an Archipelago in the Caribbean coast of Panama. At first I was on the main island where most of the hostels, stores, etc are. However, after seeing the Aqua Lounge Hostel on a nearby island, I realized I had to stay there instead, and moved over as soon as there was room (yesterday). It is built right over the water, and has a swimming area with 8 foot high dive cut into the deck. I am writing this blog post while sitting in a hammock on the porch, in between swims. It's a rough life, but someone's got to do it.

For my first few days in Bocas, each day I'd go off on tours with other members of our hostel. (Most of the nice beaches are not accessible from the main island, and require a boat). The first day we did a triple-stop dolphin tour/snorkeling/beach trip. Good stuff - the coral and sea life here is much better in costa rica, where the coral was almost all dead. The next two days we just went to a beach and spent the day hanging out.

Now that I'm here on the aqua lounge, I don't even need a beach. I can just hang out on the porch, venturing out onto the deck whenever I want to go for a swim or sun. The other people in the hostel are really friendly, so we hang out over our free pancake and toast breakfast, or just chill on the porch. Oh, and I found a regular poker game here on Bocas, comprised of a bunch of ex-pats who are quite interesting characters. It's nice to sit back, play some cards, and just observe as these guys banter/bicker amongst themselves. With any luck I'll be able to support my stay in Bocas through my poker winnings - if so I may never leave!!

Pics below - enjoy!

some panamanian buildings built right over the water. They're like this all over Bocas.

me on Zapatilla beach

red poison dart frogs at the aptly named "red frog" beach

artsy shot of a coconut on Zapatilla beach - it is symbolic of man's ability to thrive in diversity, pushing out the shoots of life even in a sandy and inhospitable environment. Man, I'm so deep!

hanging out with some fellow hostel dwellers in the hostel bar

right: cool pic of a Panamanian house we passed on our way to the beach

below: movie of some fish taken from a dock- we could also see starfish, a spider crab, and some barracudas