Looking Back-Bocas Del Toro

Today I head back to the Bocas Del Toro region in Panama. The theme for this series is going back into the folder and pulling pics I have not used during my Panama writes last year.  It's a lot more fun when you don't have to focus on specific topics related to our journeys.  The above pic was taken by a friend on our canoe into Bastimentos National Park.  We are entering the park through the Mangrove forest.  I'm wearing the yellow hat.   Speaking of yellow, at the entrance to the park and cave, we found these adorable and curious chicks.

It was nice seeing people row boats along the coast and islands.  I sometimes wonder what it would be like growing up in an area like this.  While we were there, I was severely attacked by gnats.  During one of my recent treks into a canyon here in Tucson, I was again attacked and as of the day I write this, my body is covered in bites.  Not cool!

You'll find many endemic frogs on the various islands.  Each island has a different color.  The one we were on was known for this red frog below.

The Bocas Del Toro region is known for it's wonderful scuba diving opportunities as well as its beaches.  But I'm not into any of that stuff.  We enjoyed the caving and hiking:)  While we were there, we saw lots of jellyfish(or "mey-doo-saw" in Spanish)

While there, we volunteered at a poorly run turtle conservation program.  But we treated ourselves to a 3 day stay at La Loma Lodge and Chocolate Farm and forgot about that nightmare of an experience!  This definitely was a huge tourist area, but most people choose to stay at Bocas Town for drinks and partying.  I don't do that stuff anymore and prefer the views from my bed below.  Yeah, life is good:)  More tomorrow....

La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm

The Red Frog and symbol of this island

On a trip this past summer to Isla Bastimentos in the Bocas Del Toro region, we stayed at the amazing La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm for a little pampering before heading out to the turtle conservation program on the opposite end of the Bocas islands.

This was a very positive experience for us and we had a great 3 day stay here. A couple things to note.  It's really hot and humid in this region.  Luckily, we had a breeze up in our cabin overlooking the ocean. And there are several cabins located up a steep hill.  Watch your step and take your time going up hill with your luggage.  But we had help and people helped carry our luggage up on our way up the hill.  The staff, owners, and guest staff are really kind people.  The owners were back in Europe for vacation, but we had their replacements Karen and Steve who did an amazing job keeping us occupied around the island.  Steve is a retired landscaper who has a great knowledge of rain forest trees and plants.  Karen is a scifi/fantasy geek like I am and we spoke about Game of Thrones amongst other things.

Our cabin was beautiful, private, and open to the rain forest environment.  We were able to read and hang out in our hammock on breaks.  This is really a great getaway for newlyweds or families.  It's also an excellent place for birding.  Listen to this one.  So this birder guy brings his family.  He has to do all the family stuff like go to the beach, bla bla bla, but when they turned their backs, he had his binoculars out spying on the trillion and one birds.  Clever man:)

Our showers were open to the world and I have to say......I loved it:)

This is one nice bathroom.  I felt safe and welcome on this cozy little forested island.  The Bastimentos National Park is located there as well.

Mosquito nets keep the bugs out and I slept quite well on this lovely little vacation.

Imagine yourself on this hammock(hamoca) taking a break from caving or swimming.

If you love native cultures or the outdoors, you'll love this visit.  The mangroves here are spectacular.

And if you're a birder, check out these Oropendalas from my open bedroom.  Their calls are unique and pretty strange.  They sound like something from outer space.

If you like gardens or growing your own food, all of it is made on the farm!  The meals were delish!

You will also have some amazing guides take you around the National Park and island.  Here we toured the Chocolate farm and sampled the fruit.  But the pic above is the only one I have of us entering the cave hidden in the lush flora.  There were a lot of bats!:)

And there was this dog that followed us all over the island and he was our magical guardian.  Sometimes he'd come out of nowhere!  Expect to see caiman, sloths, a billion birds, jellyfish, lots and lots of frogs, and a lot of critters.

While it may seem pricey at about 100 buck a person per night, sometimes it's just the break you need while backpacking through the rain forest.  And who doesn't like freshly made chocolate?!!!  You get to see it being made right there!  If you're heading to Panama and want a nice cozy getaway, I highly recommend this posh visit.  And if you are interested more in going to Panama, just head on over to the month of August on this blog for lots of interesting tidbits and fun.  Check this place out:)  More soon....