Bocas Del Toro, mouth of the bull as it is directly translated sounds like a much harsher place than it truly is, unless you fear a tropical island surrounded by palm trees with crystal clear water, uncrowded streets and boat rides to various deserted beaches. If that is so, then you are on your own and you can find me with my feet up in the hammock.

We departed central Panama and worked our way west. Standing on the side of the road and flagging down a passing bus with the words “Panama a David” lettered on its glass. We hopped aboard, climbed the flight of stairs to the second level and settled in for the journey. The long haul buses with their designated seats and full A/C are a welcomed change from the short distance collectivos we have been taking.

After a few hours of kids books and colouring we came to a halt in David. This is the second largest city in Panama and not traditionally know for tourist layovers nor the safest place to explore. Our plan however was just a single over nighter to break up the long bus ride and have us arriving the following day at a descent hour in our desired location.

Day two of travel took us on the four and a half hour journey over the continental divide with its spectacular views and landscapes. As we descended down the twisting road we could see glimpses of the Caribbean ocean below. Eventually we arrived at our hopping off point in a town called Almirante. From here a $1 per person taxi ride took us to the harbour where a feeling of chaos and a sense of scamming was about to set in. However, 10 minutes later we were on a boat with a two way ticket for $20 with the girls being free of charge. Our fingers were crossed with hopes of a valid return open ended voucher and not just a sales scam.

30 minutes of chop before we placed our feet in the town of Bocas Del Toro on the island of Colon. After a short but sweaty walk we settled ourself into the Sun Haven Hotel where we planned to stay for a handful of nights.

After getting our bearings and familiarizing ourselves with the lay of the land we enjoyed a peaceful dinner of fresh fish and fruit smoothies as we watched the boats putter by and the day turn to night. The ocean side swings and casual atmosphere foreshadowed the start of many more visits to this local establishment.

Shannon enjoyed her traditional morning run and learned the highlights and low lights of the surroundings before returning to the waiting family to share on her exploration. With tropical rains over night and high tides the roads made for challenging and almost dangerous situations as the puddles engulfed the roadways and you never know what hazards lie below the surface. Having a kitchen unit in our room we slowly enjoyed our breakfast before packing a lunch with daily supplies and returning to the wharf. $12 / adult for a return ticket we water taxied over to the island of Bastimentos landing in “Old Bank”. A small colourful and seaming festive place was all geared up for Christmas cheer. The vehicle-less island has a quiet feel as the few locals we came across smiled and wave hello as you pass by. We set out with a destination of Wizard Beach on our radar. This consisted of a 1300m walk high up and across to the other side of the island where a strip of yellow sand awaits you.

The often muddy jungle walk takes roughly 25 minutes and once we arrived to the other side unexpectedly it was deserted. There is an old rickety structure and one other couple sharing the long outstretched beach with us. We found a perfect place in the sand to lay down our sarongs while the girls searched for unique rocks, shells and coconuts. Wizard beach is best known as an intermediate surf locations with a reef break so the waves were a touch large for the girls to play in. We all just stood back, relaxed and watched them crash into the shore. After lunch, snacks and imagination games with the girls we noticed that we were quickly loosing shade. The sun was much too strong for our tender skin and we soon found ourself in the outer edge of the jungle.

Unfortunately as this beach remains near empty most the time the collection of garbage became very obvious. Some looked as if it was washed ashore from the latest storm or high tide however, we also noted little stashes in places that could have only been placed there by humans. Unfortunately this seems to be a common occurrence in nearly every country we have visited in the past.

Returning back to Old Bank the way we had arrived, our prearranged taxi was punctual with its schedule. Once back in our room we rinsed the salty sea air and sand from our bodies before returning to the swing restaurant from yesterday for another delicious meal and rounding off our day.

After chatting with the restaurant owner we were informed of a place called Starfish Beach. Apparently it is a located on the north west corner of the island and also involves a short beach and jungle walk to get to. They also mentioned that the starfish are everywhere and there are no waves so the girls can splash around in the water. We have just found tomorrows’ new activity! After an in-house breakfast we proceeded to the main square of town and hopped on the local public bus for $2.50. The 30 minute ride was crammed and sweaty but nothing we didn’t expect.

We reached about 100m past what I thought was the end of the road and stepped foot on Drago Beach. It was well established here with hotels and restaurants but not what we were after. After locating the trail head we continued through the jungle. It appeared to be high tide as most the path seemed to be submerged.

The 1km walk didn’t take long before stepping foot back in the soft powder like sand. Starfish beach has a thin shore line, no electricity and no accommodation. It does have restaurants with lounge chairs and as long as you order some food or drinks there is no cost to use them.

Without even stepping foot into the crystal clear water we can see how this beach got its name. Within seconds we could see five or six starfish. As we turned our heads left and right we quickly notice over a dozen. Eventually you stop counting. With goggles on we quickly head to the water. The dinner plate size sea stars sparked the interest of everyone around you. The girls were so excited and seemed to show enough respect to look but not to touch them without us having to say anything. Not quite knowing what we were getting into we had packed a lunch for ourselves but refreshing drinks returned to our table to keep us cool in the hot sun and humid air. We spent the continuing four hours digging in the sand, touring the beach and exploring below the water line.

I remember reading somewhere that annually nearly 150 people die from falling coconuts. The though of this never really crosses anyones mind however I may never forget the deep thud it made as the basketball sized ball of death fell 20′ or so and landed within 2′ of Shannon on the shore line. All the beach goers heads snapped in our direction and Shannon took a giant leap to the left with her eyes being the size of saucers. I hope this is no “Final Destination” foreshadowing as we could be in for an overly adventurous trip.

By 4:00 we had had enough sun for one day and returned to Drago Beach for the last of the bus rides back to town. I cooked up some pasta dinner with tomato sauce and veggies while the girls rinsed the saltwater from their hair. Darkness had fallen by 6:30, it now being the 24th of December we made our way down to the main square in town and took in all the excitement, lights and festivities as Christmas celebrations we alive and well. The girls had been watching the Santa tracker through out the day and were excited to return to the room, follow his progress and get to sleep for tomorrow’s anticipation. They made sure that we left the milk and cookies we bought out on a plate along with carrots to help the reindeer see at night. We also promised to leave the door unlocked as we were on the lower floor and the unit did not have a chimney.

Christmas morning was full of excitement as the snacks the girls left were consumed and small presents and letters were exchanged in their spot. We spent the morning relaxing in the room while we exchanged greeting with families back home through the power of video calling. Many of the stores were closed today but we did manage to locate a fancy to us restaurant over the ocean where we treated ourself to a little bit of luxury. Popsicles and fresh pineapple rounded out the day as we settled back in our room for a family Christmas dinner of pizza followed by a bowl of cereal to fill the void before bed. All the excitement of the day had the girls exhausted and gave Shannon and myself time to organize and pack our bags as the following day. We were heading off the island and making our way north west to the boarder crossing with Costa Rica.

Return back to where we came from in El Valle

Continue on over the boarder into Costa Rica