The Parental Visit – part 4 – Bocas del Toro, Panama

Tuesday morning we headed out at 7am on a bus from Limón bound for the border. It was about a 3 ½ hour ride of stop and go, people on and off, and getting hotter outside, and therefore on the bus as well. My parents survived quite well, however. They braved the circumstances and even found it quite interesting to see the condition of the roads, the style of houses, the different types of people, and just get an idea of what Costa Rican life is like outside the city. One memorable moment on the bus was when a old man boarded with a cardboard box full of baby chickens in it. Who knew that you could be serenaded by the sound of a couple dozen little chicks while on a crowded bus driving through the country?! That had never happened to me before…another special treat just for the folks! After we arrived at the border town we gathered our things and walked across the train/truck/car/pedestrian very old bridge and entered into Panama. Upon completing our required paperwork and passport stamping, we were approached by a young man who offered a taxi service to the boat launch, and then a boat ride to Bocas. It seemed like a great deal since it by passed another hour long ride in a minivan bus that I had made on my first trip down, so we took him up on the offer. And it all worked out just great. We had a nice taxi truck ride for about 20 minutes or so to a boat launch, then boarded a large ski boat-like craft and were whisked away on quite a scenic 45 minute trip to the dock in Bocas. And since I had already been there and knew where to go, we headed straight for the hotel I had stayed at on my first visit and were checked into our room with the A/C blasting (my dad’s first move) in no time. In all it had been about a 6 hour trip, not too bad, but enough to make us hungry and thirsty and ready to relax. My mom had a dream of sitting at a restaurant right on the water, sipping on a cold drink, and just enjoying a leisurely meal and a great view, and somehow we were able to make that happen. We found a perfect restaurant, sat right on the edge of the water, sheltered from the sun by and umbrella, and an un obstructed view of the water and surrounding islands. The perfect spot. After another great meal we moved to the wooden lounge chairs on the edge of the dock and just sat and enjoyed our surroundings and company. Later that night we enjoyed another great view and aoutside patio at our hotel and passed the evening playing cards with dessert and sipping coffee, hot chocolate, or Coke, depending on your liking.
Wednesday morning my parents got to experience the great breakfast I had shared about in my blog after my first Bocas visit. Both my dad and I had a plate of my famous French Toast, and we all enjoyed the breeze, and the view as we discussed our plans for the day. We didn’t get too far into the discussion before we were approached by a man named Bobby, who was a friend of the taxi driver we had had from the border to the boat launch. The taxi driver had phoned his friend and told him where we were staying, so Bobby showed up to see what we wanted to do in terms of getting out on the water. It turned out to be a perfect setup because we had Bobby and his boat all to ourselves, and it was a cloudy day so my sun-sensitive father could join us for a boat ride and some snorkeling. It turned out to rain for most of the morning, but we were able to do some snorkeling in a couple different spots, plus see a lot more of the landscape and islands I the area. That afternoon it cleared up and dried out and after some souvenier shopping and strolling around Bocas we were ready for a similar waterside dining experience, so we figured “if it ain’t broke…” and headed back to our same restaurant from the day before. It was our “last supper” of sorts, as the folks would be heading out in the morning, so it was kind of a bummer for that reason. My parents had really enjoyed their time here and just being on vacation, and especially not having to make any decisions, and leaving all the communication and knowledge of situation and environment to me. And I had equally enjoyed having them here, being able to show them my home and life, and serving as their tour guide. That night ended in similar fashion – more cards and beverages and dessert at our hotel restaurant and patio. Now there is one interesting side note I must mention here. Our hotel is owned by a guy from Israel. He came out to Bocas and built the hotel 5 years ago and is now the owner and manager. I learned that when I was there in June, and at that time there was 1 or 2 other guys from Israel who were there to visit and surf. Well, this time it turns out that nearly the whole hotel was occupied by visitors from Israel. We don’t know if they were all family or friends of the owner, or had just heard from word of mouth, or what, but there were at least about 15 or so of them. Whenever we were in the restaurant at the hotel we were pretty much the only ones speaking English, and it wasn’t because everyone else was speaking Spanish, but Hebrew rather. Who knew that a trip to little Bocas del Toro, Panama could provide one with the opportunity to meet and be surrounded by more people from Israel than I have met in my entire life?! That is just part of what is great about traveling, I guess!
Thursday was a sad morning as it marked the end of our time for my parents and I. We had another great breakfast at our hotel, packed up their stuff, took a few last photos, and got a ride from the hotel owner to the nearby airport (and by nearby I mean about 2 minutes away). It was a cute little airport with not nearly the same levels of security clearance that we have in the US so it wasn’t a problem for me to come in and do all the check-in and paperwork and customs stuff, then wait with my parents for their flight to take off. Their plane was a little prop plane with about 12 passengers, headed to San José, Costa Rica, where they would land at 10:30am then transfer to the main international airport and take off on their way back to the states at 1:30pm. It was a bummer to have to say goodbye to the ‘rents. I had truly enjoyed the time hanging out with them, and I had really gotten used to not only not being alone all the time, but always having “friends” around. For the past 5 months I had been pretty much on my own, save the week that my friend Jessamy was here, so to have both my parents around and spend almost every day with them for 2 weeks was a whole new experience, and one I had grown accustomed to. So it was a little strange at first, wandering around Bocas and back to the hotel on my own. And playing cards with one person doesn’t quite work the same way. Ha. But I managed and adjusted, and survived the rest of Thursday and then Friday morning on my own in Bocas before taking the 12:30pm boat back to the mainland and starting the return trip. I arrived safely back in Limón around 6:00pm Friday night and now am thinking about all that I need to and want to do during these next 3 weeks, which are my last ones here in Limón. I can’t believe it will be October soon, and before I know it, my time here in Limón will be finished, at least for now…