What an adventure!!!

So, why Bocas del Toro as opposed to any other place on the water? I asked.

“When we pulled into Bocas del Toro we could not believe our eyes, so very much like the South Florida that we remembered as children ….no tourists and lots of Indians.”

Joan and Raymond fell in love with Bocas the minute they saw the place.

How come? I asked.

“Bocas was perfect for us, as Raymond and I share a great love for the sea. The Bocas Islands are like a Venice in the South as everything is done by boat. The islands are located in a huge lagoon which offers a lot of protection from the weather and high seas.  The school children are taken by boat to school; all the goods are moved by boat: plantains, bananas, pineapples, vegetables, furniture, fish, lobster and each person living here must like to run or ride in boats”.

Joan is absolutely right. Rather than buying your groceries in the common supermarket - everything is done by boats which makes it even more special.  Imagine seeing your continental breakfast arrive via a canoe full of tropical fruits and vegetables early in the morning.  It just makes you feel you came to the right place.

It took Joan 20 years to fulfill her dream and now she has been living it with her partner for 6 lovely years.  Joan’s persistence reminds me of a quote I read in a little book my mother gave me in her last visit to Panama called- “Follow your dreams”: “Don’t abandon dreams from your youth; adjust them as required, and they will flourish”.

How did you get the idea of opening the hotel? Was this your original idea? I asked.

“We actually bought the rights to a dock from an old native who had a small gasoline business, operating out of a few old wooden cabins. We started to build a small house for ourselves, above and two guest rooms for our family, below. Our families have busy lives and rarely came. For a year we enjoyed our magnificent view of the sea and mountains, snorkeled our crystal waters alone and decided that we should share it with others. So we decided to convert the house and guest quarters into a small, intimate, homey comfortable hotel.”

So, actually, this wasn’t their original idea; but once they decided they wanted to share this amazing spot with others - they were committed to the idea. Joan did a drawing of what she visualized and Raymond hired natives from Island Carenero to help him. Joan says that Raymond loves building projects and after having the proper approvals in place, Raymond and his crew, finished the hotel in 6 months!!!

What I like about the inn is its simplicity - all constructed out of wood. Joan says that the woods available in these islands are magnificent and that they used a lot of waterproofer and stains, and varnish as opposed to paints.

Today, Casa Acuario offers only four comfortable large suites built over the sea with private decks facing the mountains, a large open air kitchen and patio with separate living quarters towards the beach. The rooms have orthopedic beds, Direct TV and A/C with some of the best views of the islands of Bastimentos, Solarte, San Cristobal, Isla Colon, and Bahia Almirante. Casa Acuario has beautiful snorkeling water and a small beach. The suites are $65 double occupancy plus 10% tourist tax. They offer a hearty breakfast for $3.50 and the kitchen is open if guests wish to prepare a meal themselves or hire a native to cook for them. There are several good restaurants just steps away from Carenero or at Isla Colon.

According to Joan, Raymond loves fishing and is so happy when they have guests that want to go out for the day. He has a good off shore boat to fish in the lagoon or off shore. Joan says that there are Tuna running in the summer, kingfish, mackerel, Amber jack, Wahoo grouper and snapper to name a few of the more prevalent fish available here.

I agree with Joan that everyone should make the tours their first priority to familiarize themselves with a first quick overview of the islands in order to know what should be repeated.

That’s exactly what we did - we had two days of beautiful tours – the first day we ordered a boat from J&J, however, they were out of regular boats, and so we took a party boat out to Boca del Drago and the Bird Island. We met our native captain; hopped in and put on our safety vests...we stopped and snorkeled in extraordinary unspoiled coral reefs - just diving under and observing the sea world made me realize I had been far away from nature for too long. We climbed back up with a small ladder and giggled hysterically because each one of us looked terrible with our masks on. So, just as we were starting to get hungry… the motor died! Even though the small party boat started to drift into the open sea…. we put on a smiley face and jumped in again for a swim and some more snorkeling…drunk too many beers on an empty stomach which made my sister and her husband dance the tango on the boat as we were drifting, while I was jumping in to cool off every few minutes.  Finally, another boat came to pick us up (that took about two hours). Meantime, this all happened in front of the Punta Caracol hotel near Sweet Bocas which looks great, but is a more expensive place to stay on the water.

We finally did get to Boca del Drago - a small beach with coconut palm trees all around, small hostels and a restaurant where we had a nice cheap lunch. Boca del Drago was packed with tourists and backpackers from all over the world. It was great seeing so many tourists, since you don’t see too many in Panama City - I guess they know where to go, ha?

The next day we took a regular shaded boat and fast motor with a native captain for $15 a person, who took us to see the dolphins in Bocatorito - what a site!! Other places we saw included Crawl Key - a very popular stop for lunch and snorkeling (a few minutes away there is another great restaurant), Red Frog beach - amazing entrance - a 20 minute forest trail leads you to the beach and on the way you get to see the little red frogs, and Hospital Point where snorkeling is again optional.

I asked Joan if there are any other special places she recommends. Joan says that there are so many beautiful places: Bluff Beach, the Indian villages of Popa, San Cristobal and Salt Creek on Bastimentos, where you can buy carvings of native animals and Guaymi hand sewn dresses from the Indians.

Joan also talked about taking a day excursion up the Changuinola and Teribe River to spend a day with the indigenous Naso Indians in Wetso International Park La Amistad. The Naso people have a lodge for those who would like a real adventure. Sounds great!  Once again I was fascinated to learn about the indigenous tribes of Panama still living in small isolated communities and still observing their culture, and there are also many people on the islands originally from Jamaica.

I asked Joan to describe her relationship to the community of Bocas?

“It has taken a lot of years to feel accepted. The people here watch your moves closely and want to make sure that you are good and fair before they let you in. The native/ outsider thing has definitely complicated the natives’ lives a lot as we have brought money into a world where barter was used. The land was so plentiful and expansive that families gave pieces up to friends or relatives and now these pieces of land are valuable. The natives are happy that we have brought money into their picture as life was tough when the fish weren’t running and their children went to bed hungry, but I also think that they miss the freedom of their ways without outside influence so our arrival is both good and bad”.

Do you feel at peace living in such a relaxing place? I asked.

“Yes, I use to travel a lot and loved the adventure of it but I find now that I have found this place, it becomes harder and harder to leave”.

Would you tell people to follow your footsteps? I asked.

“Bocas is not for everyone. Many people who come here fall in love with it, buy, move here and are out of here before a year is up. I really feel that it is still a pioneer country and there are certain risks that you take investing in land conveyed by rights of possession, which is the main form of ownership, as there is little titled land here. I am a pioneer so it suits me and I am willing to take the risks as I am happy here and am looking at these islands as a life style and not as a get rich opportunity. It is important to have projects and things to engage and challenge you…writing, painting, building, something. A lot of the people are bored and don’t know what to do with themselves. They miss the shops and non-stop entertainment Western society offers.  It is never a problem for us as we always have some project going on here at the hotel”.