Cahuita to Bocas del Toro

Suffering a little from the disrupted nights sleep in Cahuita, we headed for Panama and the Bocas del Toro islands. The distance between Cahuita and the border town Sixoala is pretty small. But when you're on a bus anything can happen. And by anything, I mean travelling so slowly it'd be almost quicker to walk! The bus stopped for at least twenty minutes seeming only to watch two guys having an argument over a minor collision. What it had to do with the bus I don't know. Perhaps the driver was so bored he wanted to wait and see if there was going to be a scuffle over it!

When I was younger, going to the airport was so exciting. A combination of growing up and the long queues and security checks, these days its not such a great experience. In short; travelling overland across borders has made me appreciate going to the airport again. At the airport the certainty that you'll get to the destination relies more on the safety of the aircraft than the particular mood of the immigration official. You may get asked a few questions (especially when entering the States) but unless you've a shady history you'll be fine.

We arrived at Sixoala, got our stamps out of Costa Rica and walked over the railway bridge into Panama. There was no security presence to speak of. I've come to find border crossings the most surreal experiences. You're crossing into a country and the only thing to make you stop and go through the official channels is fear of getting a fine somewhere else down the line. Not exactly a deterrent for hardened criminals!

This particular border had a list of criteria from being able to prove your economic credentials to having a plane ticket out of the country. We got through OK by showing our onward flight details - only trouble is they were on the laptop which I booted up and showed to the official through the window. Being a strange situation, even he found the funny side! We didn't have to pay any fees either which was  a nice surprise.

Onward we took a taxi (interrupted by a street protest of some kind) and then a boat 30 mins across to Isla Colon and the town of Bocas del Toro. We passed a huge vessel loading up bananas bound for Europe - bananas are a hardy fruit.

I'm never sure if I can divorce myself from feelings about a hotel or hostel from the actual town itself. On this occasion, the woman running the guesthouse was so strange I think it definitely had a negative impact on my view of the town. She talked and moved so slowly and kept telling me about people who try to murder her dogs - its not going to make you feel at home. OK this was a freebie, so I shouldn't complain, but she gave the whole place a very creepy feel. Add to that the safety paranoia I was suffering from Cahuita, I didn't exactly feel relaxed.

We had a nice time in Bocas though. The place has plenty of wildlife including cool coloured crabs, and although we were not there long enough to properly explore, we had a good time there. With our impending date with friends in Colombia looming, we had to make tracks!