“We had heard about Bocas del Toro, but there were no maps to show us how to get there,” said Johnson, “It was a forgotten corner of Panama.”

The family took a long, two-day drive from San Jose into Panama, traversed the continental divide and went to Chiriqui Grande to catch a ferry to Almirante and then a boat that zipped them over glassy seas to Bocas. “Because of my training in Architecture at UC Berkeley I was always interested in a planned pedestrian community....,” said Johnson, “When we stepped off the boat in Bocas, we saw first-hand a fantastic pedestrian community. The main street was a block from the airport. All the services were in easy walking distances. There was a park and a grandstand, and the provincial government seat was in a classic Spanish building.”

“We fell in love with it.”

American Teenagers - Something you'll never see in Boquete.  These girls are on Isla Solarte.  I met young people from around the world in Bocas Del Toro, some of whom had come to Bocas on their own as travelers, and others who were part of an expatriate family.  These two loved Bocas Del Toro, and they loved Isla Solarte. The area also has a large international surfer community, with young people from around the world.  I met more American retirees in Bocas Del Toro than I have met anywhere else in Panama.  The wide range of expatriates, and expatriate lifestyles will serve to maintain a diverse and interesting culture. (Bocas Del Toro has one of the lowest crime rates in the world - It's a place where your children can grow up safe.) 
The Restaurant scene is also good. One could eat in a different restaurant every day of the week.  Boquete has nothing to compare, which is why so many expats are unhappy with Boquete. There is a very large European community in Bocas Del Toro and many of the restaurants are European owned. 
High mentions in most travel books - There were groups of Scandinavian girls with backpacks, blue water sailors who make Bocas there home port, scientists working for one of the several scientific groups based in Bocas, such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and others. The area abounds with turtles, whales, dolphins and a wide range of exotic sea life. 
A Very Hip Place - The hipness of the place is phenomenal.  There is actually a restaurant, called Crawl Key Restaurant, (Or: Kraal Cay) that is 20 minutes by boat from Bocas town, situated on the southeastern side of Bastimentos Island, and surrounded by lush mangrove. The island is in the middle of no place, if one ignores the fact that it is one very exciting location.  You can see for miles in every direction and there is just ocean, palm covered islands, and the sky above.  It's like having a hamburger stand on the moon.  Except the place is jumping. Fresh lobster, fish, turtle, and conch are just a sample of what you'll find on the menu at Kraal Cay, delicately prepared by seasoned chefs with island herbs and spices. During peak afternoon hours it is not uncommon to find the restaurant full, with locals and tourists alike babbling about the mornings encounters, perhaps the dolphins at Bocatorito or the underwater caves at Zapatilla Cay.   ...I like Bocas.

They loved it so much that they bought a lot in town on their first visit. Actually, it was a lot in the water. All of the beachfront buildings were built on stilts over the water because of the calm seas and small, 2-foot tides. The Johnsons spent 10 days in Bocas and made a decision. This was a place they could live. The question, of course, was how.

Over the course of the next two years, Johnson kept returning to Bocas and got to know the caretaker of nearby Isla Solarte, a smaller island a few miles closer to the mainland. On one of the trips back, they met a Florida businessman known as The Colonel, who had bought about half of Isla Solarte years before and needed help surveying the island. As Johnson helped map the land, snorkeled in the pristine water and observed the indigenous peoples’ peaceful life, his attachment to the island grew.

The Colonel offered to sell Johnson half of Solarte, about 400 acres, in 1994. It was then that Johnson’s search in the hilltops of Costa Rica, through the jungles of Panama and onto the shores of Bocas crystallized into a vision of a development that captured the spirit of Bocas del Toro.

“I didn’t want to build houses,” he said, “I want to build a community.”

The community, as Johnson envisions it, is an extension of the existing stilt construction of the area. Only he is taking the building a step farther, intending to build the largest over-water, pole construction community this side of Bora Bora. The houses, connected by a string of walkways, will be clustered in a 500-acre planned development and will range in size from 500 to 3,000 square feet. Prices will range from $40,000 to $180,000. A portion of the island is planned for Sausalito-style houseboats, while another section will be set aside for stilted land huts.

The overall attractions that Johnson wants to retain are the pleasant character of the community, the interaction of the island communities – and the diverse activities.

“There is amazing diversity there; everything is possible. There is surfing, white-sand beaches, snorkeling, fishing, scuba diving.”

The character of the indigenous people who live on the islands of Bocas, says Johnson emerges in small ways.

“Every day, you see Indian children, some no more than 5 years old, paddling to school in Bocas from different islands, dressed in freshly starched white shirts and spotless blue pants and dresses. These kids are coming from thatched huts and their parents are struggling to survive.  But it is important to them that their children be presentable and clean.”

The Johnsons have been back in Granite Bay since the summer of 1995, working on permits and plans for developing their dream on Isla Solarte. They are now selling lots for the 300-home development, and will soon begin cutting access roads. Johnson is planning a mostly pedestrian community with a few small hotels and grocery stores included in the overall architectural plan.

The indigenous people living on the island have their own land and thatch-roof homes on neighboring property. “We’ve been working closely with them to maintain the character of the island,” Johnson says. Solarte is also spitting distance from a huge national sea park that draws snorkelers and scuba divers from both hemispheres. Recent improvements to the small airport on Bocas has made it much easier for visitors to get here than when Johnson first arrived.