This past weekend I traveled across the southeastern border from Costa Rica to Bocas del Toro, Panamá! Bocas del Toro is a province of Panamá. Its area is compromised by the mainland and nine main islands. We had the luxury of staying in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago on Isla Colón. In order to get to our hostel on the island, it took a two buses, a boat and our own two feet to get there. The first bus took us from San José, all the way to the Panamá border. I've never quite experienced anything like the border between two countries like I did here. It was a set of 3 offices [1 on the Costa Rica side, and 2 on the Panamá]. Each office had a different purpose. The first office on the Panamá side, we were required to pay 3$ in taxes to enter the country, and then 3$ again when we left. The second bus ride, was about 45 minutes to the taxi boat. Then, the taxi boat took us about a half hour to get to the island, where we walked through town to get to our hostel. A hostel is a bit different from a hotel. The major difference between the two would be privacy, as well as a dramatic difference in price. While no hostel is the same as the next, there is usually a shared kitchen, and living space. Hostels tend to be more social than hotels, because of their open concept. There are rooms, just as in a hotel, but with several beds [typically bunk beds] in each room.
We arrived to Panamá on Friday evening, around dinner time. We all dropped our bags off in our room and scurried out to find something to eat! After that, we had the night to ourselves to explore the town. The next morning, we all met in the common area around 9 am to leave for snorkeling and Starfish Beach! We hopped into a taxi boat that took us out into the ocean for us to do some snorkeling! It's safe to say that I've officially been chased by a jellyfish! This was pretty cool, I got to see a ton of sea creatures in every color imaginable. After some time in the ocean, we made our way to Starfish beach. I can easily say that this is the most beautiful beach I have been to, ever! The colors were vibrant, the water was as clear as day and atmosphere was in general, up beat and fun! We spent the afternoon here relaxing and playing catch with a football and a frisbee in the water, meeting new friends and having a good time!
What I loved most about this place, is that you needed to take a taxi boat any where you wanted to go, for places not on your own island. This made waking up at 7:30 am the next morning for the beach not so bad, because I knew I was about to hop onto a boat. I really enjoyed the boat rides, because each way I claimed the bow of the boat, or the very front. I sat in the front, with the wind in my face catching the beautiful sun rays and just taking in all of the breath taking views of Panamá. That evening, we set out to a place called Aqua Lounge. This is by far the coolest place I have ever been too. It's a restaurant built over the water, with decks surrounding the back. They had a trampoline and giant holes in the deck for people to jump in and swim! I didn't take part in the swimming, because the unknown of the ocean in the dark is a little to much to handle for me. Although, watching from the side while everyone tried to walk the tight rope over the water from one side to the other was highly amusing.
On Sunday, we went to Red Frog Beach, which is part of a national park. Again, the views were amazing, but I guess what isn't beautiful about Central America? Unfortunately,
the weather this day was back and forth with sunny and cloudy, with some occasional rain. But that didn't stop us from having a ton of fun! Sunday
School is going really well! On Friday, I finished my first class [Advanced Spanish for Health Professions]. I received 100% on my final exam and ended the class with a 95%! I couldn't be more excited! On Tuesday, I started my second class [Advanced 1]. I can already tell a huge difference between the teaching styles of 'elective' Spanish classes, and required courses. It has only been two days and I feel like I've learned so much! My new professor is 32, and looks like she could be 25. I've noticed that people here age extremely well! She talks at what I think is a wonderful pace, and thoroughly explains everything! I'm really excited to see where my Spanish goes in this class!
On Sunday, we went to Red Frog Beach, which is part of a national park. Again, the views were amazing, but I guess what isn't beautiful about Central America? Unfortunately,
School is going really well! On Friday, I finished my first class [Advanced Spanish for Health Professions]. I received 100% on my final exam and ended the class with a 95%! I couldn't be more excited! On Tuesday, I started my second class [Advanced 1]. I can already tell a huge difference between the teaching styles of 'elective' Spanish classes, and required courses. It has only been two days and I feel like I've learned so much! My new professor is 32, and looks like she could be 25. I've noticed that people here age extremely well! She talks at what I think is a wonderful pace, and thoroughly explains everything! I'm really excited to see where my Spanish goes in this class!
Here are some more photos from Panama!
