Monday (8 April), still in Sarapiqui, on the way to breakfast we saw brightly coloured frogs, right outside our room.
Some of the group did whitewater rafting and the floating river Safari. So we had another walk around the hotel’s forest walk, and saw lots more wildlife.
We then headed off to pick up the rest of the group from their activities before driving to Puerto Viejo.
There was a total solar eclipse across the USA, however as we are so far south the eclipse was only 12%, given the brightness of the sun you couldn’t really see it.
Tuesday, we headed out of the hotel, in the rain, for breakfast before going a local tour. As we approached the cafe there was a large turkey vulture sitting on a street light, 5 mins later there was what we first thought was a gun shot and the bird fell on to a roof! We then worked out that it had actually electrocuted itself, and fused the electrics for half the town, including our hotel, and the laundry we were hoping to use, but thankfully not the cafe we were in for breakfast.
The rain continued for most of the day, on our local tour, we went to the indigenous village for a tour of the medicinal garden and a chocolate making demonstration. Then we headed to see a waterfall, but we couldn’t get close as there had been so much unseasonal rain the path was flooded, the guide told us that the last time he had seen that much water it had rained for 5 days solid, but it had only been raining for about 18hrs!
After lunch we were supposed to be walking in the national park, so at lunchtime there was lots of discussion as to whether we should call it off! However the guide said we should at least go to the national park and speak to the rangers. Just after lunch the rain stopped, so we were able to walk and see more wildlife.
Dinner was included in our tour, a local dinner at a local house, Caribbean cuisine, cooked by a man whose family had originally come to Panama as slaves working on the fruit farms, before eventually moving to Costa Rica.
Wednesday, we headed for the border to cross into Panama, a relatively short minibus journey, then a walk across the border, after paying our exit fees at the local mobile phone shop!
Into another minibus for a transfer to a boat to take us to Bocas del Toro on Isla Colon.
Bocas is an up and coming touristy town, it still needs some infrastructure work, most of the roads were unmade, and there was evidence of upgrades to drainage being under taken. Two of our fellow travellers, from the middle part of our trip, had already been on Bocas for a few days, so we took the opportunity to meet up for a couple of drinks with them before our group dinner.
Thursday, after a disturbed night, thanks to the local disco….and the few drinks we had had…. We set off on a boat trip around the local islands, we spent time snorkelling on the reef, dolphin spotting, then lying on a desert island beach. Then headed for a local fish restaurant for lunch, before heading back to Bocas.
We decided to have a quiet dinner away from our group. We headed back to the same restaurant as the night before, good job too, as Rog had been there looking for his umbrella earlier in the day, no sign of it the staff reported! As soon as we arrived for dinner, the waitress who served us the night before came and put the umbrella on the table !! We ordered our meal, then watched the local floor show! First a ‘lady’ arrived looking for customers amongst the single men in the restaurant!!! The police were called and she made a quick exit before they arrived, then the rain started, followed by a short power cut. We did get our meal, Rog’s meal was not great, school boy error of ordering something other than pasta or pizza in an Italian restaurant! The local dogs arrived to sleep under the table, and the cats to be fed by one of the other diners.. all in all an interesting evening. Back to the hotel for another night of listening to the disco next door.
Friday, we had mostly a free day today. Great brunch in a local cafe, followed by a walk to a local beach, black sand covered by a thin covering of white sand, plus some interesting shells to spot. A lazy afternoon on our balcony, monitoring the efforts of the local tradesmen to get our hotel power and water back on. Thankfully they managed it just before sunset! We had an early dinner before setting out on a boat at around 9pm, to see the bio luminescent algae and plankton. We felt very brave getting into the water to snorkel in the dark to get a better view. It was a magical experience, if slightly nerve wracking hauling ourselves back into the boat afterwards.
Saturday, left Bocas to head for the mountains of Panama, from the ferry we saw the remains of a building following a fire overnight, the building was only about 200 meters from our hotel! Thankfully everyone got out and nobody was injured.
Some of our fellow travellers had been feeling under the weather with tummy upsets, so we enlisted to help of our tour leader to change from public transport to a private minibus, for a few extra dollars, well worth the money. We arrived in Boquete, after a stunning scenic drive, in time for a late lunch, a walk round town, then a couple of beers at one of the local breweries.
Sunday, some of our group were up at 3am for a tour to a volcano for sunrise, we opted for a lazier start to the day, and to save the $125. Instead we headed out for breakfast at a slightly tricky to find spot in one of the hotel grounds. We had a taste of cold brew geisha coffee, as the owners were from Belgium and were also running coffee tours. Geisha coffee has a very floral taste, developed for those who do not like the bitterness of coffee. It is very expensive, but failed to impress either of us, Nic said it still tasted like coffee, Rog said it did not have enough punch for his morning brew, but it’s always good to try these things.
After a bit more of a walk round town, we headed to a local bakery for fantastic sandwiches on rye bread, before heading out for a trip to some geo thermal pools.
The pools were accessed by a short and rocky trail, with a river nearby to cool off. Most of us headed straight for the river after the walk to get there, then tried out the 3 different pools, with varying temperatures.
Back to the hotel for a quick shower, then off to the other local brewery for a drink and a listen to the live band. Then across the road for dinner, very nice food and to celebrate the birthday of one of the group.
Monday (15 April)
Early start….5am on a private bus to head for Panama City. Despite some very bumpy road surfaces we made good time until hitting the city traffic. We had one stop to see the original Panamanian hat making, not to be confused with the more familiar Panama hat. Then had a stop at the Canal locks for a video presentation, and to watch the ships passing through. Arrived at our hotel at about 6pm, then off to dinner at a local restaurant, where the waiters were wearing the Panamanian style hats we had learnt about that day.
Tuesday, Off on an orientation walk with our tour leader. After a brief metro ride we explored the old part of Panama City. Lovely buildings and a great view of the modern city skyline. After lunch at the fish market, lots of ceviche consumed. We all split up to explore, then walked back to the hotel. A bit of a trek in the heat, necessitating a stop in an air conditioned cafe for very expensive bottled water! Worth it for the air con.
After a dip in the hotel pool, then a shower, we met a few of our fellow travellers for a last brewery tasting, before navigating the local Uber to get back to the Old Town for our farewell dinner with our group. Another good restaurant choice and a lovely end to the trip. Lots of hugging, then back to the hotel.
Wednesday, quick pastry for breakfast at a local cafe, then into an Uber for a trip to the airport, one of the three that Panama City has. Arrived nice and early, sorted out a slight query with the way our luggage was listed on our boarding pass. Then a 50 min flight with Wingo, back to San Jose, Costa Rica. Those of you paying attention will remember we had booked the flights out of Costa Rica, before deciding to head all the way to Panama. Easy Uber into the city, after a kind security lady directed us to the right pick up area.
Easy check in to a studio apartment on the 26 floor, close to where we stayed before. A great advantage to be able to easily seek out shops and restaurants.
Whilst having a rest mid afternoon, the earth moved! There was an earthquake.
Thursday, We found a butterfly garden marked on Google maps, so decided to use that as a destination. Reasonably priced, it had a lovely enclosed space to see lots of species, plus information about the life cycle. Then a woodland walk down to the river as part of the admission fee. More butterflies and birds, right in the heart of the city.
Friday, Today’s destination was a park created from an old airport. With an Art gallery, free to enter, and useful as a toilet stop! Interesting walk through the heart of the shopping district to get there, as we had an early ish start, the noise level was reasonable. It is a thing they have in Central America, a salesperson, at the door with a microphone and speaker, telling shoppers what their deals are, it makes for a full on sensory experience when they are all at it.
Saturday, Nic found a farmers market advertised, so we headed off there. Stalls of Organic produce, and loads of food stalls. Very busy, so after a walk round we bought a pineapple and headed back.
Lunch spot today, close to our accommodation, was a Harry Potter themed pub. Really well done, good food and lots of fun.
Sunday, our last full day in Central America, so have had a reasonably lazy day, a short walk, then packed our bags, ordered an Uber for 5am tomorrow, tried to check in online, but again to no avail, so tried to contact the online travel agent to check our tickets, again to no avail, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow when we turn up to the airport.
Dinner out at an Asian restaurant and then an early night.
Travurple 
Acti
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