Here we are, the beginning of March and already 2/3rds into our adventure.
When we arrived at the water taxis in Almirante, we were all excited to find the banos!
The men step through the door, careful not to fall into the river through the hole in the floor. As the water taxi races down the channel and the water spray hits you in the face, you have to remind yourself of delution in parts per million.
Our accomodations were on the island of Bocas. The hosts at Lulas B&B are 2 ex firemen from Atlanta, escaping the crowds and city life. Josh said "the only traffic here in Bocas is the weed and cocaine". Town is full of hostels dedicated to young surfers on a budget. We walked along the beach and came upon a great spot to drink a cold beer and watch the surfers.
A water taxi took us to the Blue Coconut on the remote island of Solarte for lunch where we all went snorkelling in crystal clear, turquoise water with starfish and bright coloured fish swimming close to the coral reef.
It was the perfect afternoon with a climatic sighting of a dolphin as we raced across the open water. Our driver slowed the boat and gave a dolphin call to attract his attention.
In Boquete, an indigenous lady, her arms and legs adorned with beautiful beadwork,works on a Malo, patterned art which is stitched and cutout to expose the different colours of each layer of cloth.
After leaving Bocas we decided to return to Boquete for a couple of nights. On the road back in the midst of rugged countryside, we were surprised by a checkpoint where we all had to produce our passports. As we were unable to communicate, the officer seemed more interested in reading the stamps of where we had been in our lives rather than where we were from.
On returning to Isla Verde Hotel, Beth and Nigel stayed in this cute little Adobe, surrounded in beautiful lush gardens.
Bill relaxing after the long drive in front of our own tranquil abode.
While there we witnessed the migration of thousands of Green Page Moth that could be flying from as far a distance as Guatemala to Columbia. Beth was able to lift one up for a closer look at its iridescent green and black wings. The larvae feed on a plant that is poisonous and therefore they are protected from predators. The poison becomes more toxic in time and can kill the moth. The adults then migrate to find plants not previously eaten by the Green Moth on which to lay their eggs. In March, they migrate back to where they came from, Costa Rica, some lovely mountainous lush Central American area....anywhere a Canadian might choose to be in winter! This migration occurs every 4 to 8 years so we were fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
A shy girl from Ngabe-Bugle Indian tribe is selling Bill beaded bracelets made by her mother and sisters. The women wear brightly coloured flowing dresses with embroidered necklines and waistbands. The men are dressed in straw hats, bell bottom pants and rubber boots.
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