Friday morning began as a cloudy, wet day but later cleared up during the afternoon. Apparently the typical weather patterns for the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Panama and Costa Rica during rainy season are opposites: On the Pacific side, we had sunshine until around 4pm when the rain clouds rolled in whereas on the Caribbean side the day starts with rain and (usually) clears up later on.
We started with coffee and toast at our hotel and tried to map out the rest of the day as well as our remaining time in Bocas. We’d heard on good authority from our friends Blythe and Cody that we should check out Isla Bastimentos while in town (Bocas Del Toro actually comprises a number of different islands, with Bocas Town located on Isla Colon) so we packed our backpacks and set off for the afternoon.
Before leaving Bocas Town we grabbed a quick lunch of cheesesteaks at Fat Boy Treats. They serve breakfast all day and have a limited but great menu of affordable options, in addition to some local specialties and delicious baked goods. Feeling full and content, we made our way to the “taxi stand.”
Water taxis are the primary method for getting around in Bocas so we hailed a guy with a boat to take us across to Isla Bastimentos for the day. After reading about a great restaurant on the island, I thought it would be nice to stay for dinner and catch a ride back after sunset. Given that the boats have few, if any, lights and the ride between Isla Colon and Isla Bastimentos takes about 20 minutes, this is not a “standard fare” so I was quickly forced to abandon that idea.
View of nearby Isla Carenero from the water taxi.
Approaching Isla Bastimentos.
We arrived at Isla Bastimentos and arranged a 6pm return trip with Juan, our water taxi driver. He wanted payment upfront, which we were suspicious of but agreed to because: a) it was only $10, b) we weren’t sure how easy it would be to get a taxi coming back and c) Bocas town is small so we were pretty sure we could find him if he stiffed us. Once you get off the boat, you pay a $3 per person charge to access the island since it is a National Park and then cross through the jungle to the other side of the island to reach the beach.
Pathway across the island to the beach.
The path was pretty muddy from the rain but the small, secluded beach made up for the trek to get there. We spent a few hours relaxing, reading and hanging out in the shallow water before deciding to explore a bit more. As if on command, the sun started to come out around 4pm and really highlighted how beautiful the island is.
Red Frog Beach on Isla Bastimentos.
During our walk along the water we came across a restaurant called Punta Lava and stopped to grab a drink and take in the view.
I had a "coco loco" and they even chopped up for coconut for me to eat afterward!
Coco loco "after."
Right before sunset.
We started to head back to meet our taxi driver for our agreed upon pick up time, all the while wondering if he would actually show. When we got to the dock, there were two other guys who tried to shuffle us into a boat for the ride back. After some language barrier back and forth we were maybe 25% confident they were working with Juan and understood we had a ride arranged, but we were also unwilling to be left stranded without a way back in case Juan never showed. 5 minutes later during our ride back to Bocas Town, we saw Juan heading our way! It was immediately clear Juan and our new driver were not in fact working together and after a conversation we didn’t understand, we traded boats (in the middle of the Sea!) and headed back with Juan. We felt silly for doubting him but were relieved that everything worked out.
Once we got back to town we got cleaned up and headed to a sushi restaurant we heard good things about. Raw Fusion was a great chance to try something new – we haven’t had sushi since we left NYC – and the food did not disappoint. We still have two more full days in Bocas and are hoping to do a sailing tour if the weather cooperates.