We arrived at our new home for the next month, dropped off our suitcase and backpacks and ventured into town to check it out.
We stayed on Isla Colón (pronounced Cologne) and life is a very laid back.
Bocas is full of tourists, backpackers, surfers, hostels and happy hours.
Many of the restaurants overlook the water and, as a result, there were postcards everywhere we looked.
We did some snorkeling and the underwater world here is as pretty as the sights above water.
There are water taxis available to hop to neighboring islands and we enjoyed the fun of island hopping for lunch or dinner, sometimes hanging out and snorkeling.
We spent a day on Isla Bastimentos with some new friends and had lunch at The Firefly.
Life is peaceful here.
We toured Finca Los Monos Botanical Garden. This is a 25 acre privately-owned paradise.
The owners moved to Bocas more than 16 years ago and cleared jungle land to build a house and plant some flowers.
After six years of clearing and planting numerous varieties of flowers and palms, a decision was made to open the gardens to the public and provide tours.
The grounds have become a refuge for howler monkeys,
butterflies, iguanas, numerous species of birds and even several sloths.
We were fortunate enough to see a group of howler monkeys hanging out and swinging through the trees.
Lyn, who owns the 25 acre refuge along with her husband Dave, provided a wealth of information. She is a self-taught botanist and her energy and excitement about the area and the plants is very contagious. It was a wonderful day.
We made more than one trip to Paki Point to relax and watch the surfers.
Besides good food and surfing, Paki Point is also known for the artwork
one of Panama’s premier artists, Ronaldo De Dedas (Rolo), has left there on the walls, tables, chairs and everywhere including several murals of his “mamis,”
visions of Mother Nature shown through symbolic representations of Panamanian and other Latin American women.
A trip to Bocas is not complete without a visit to Paki Point
