Apr 3, 2013 - Alloutta Sanctuary, Chiriqui Highlands, Volcan Baru Bocas Del Toro

Hey guys, Right now I should be in the Naso community of Bocas Del Toro along the Rio Teribe, however two days ago at the STRI station in Bocas I came down with some sort of sickness/allergy and broke out in hives that have yet to leave. A few days before that I felt sick in other ways with an upset stomach, a bit of nausea, but above all else just an extreme feeling of constant fatigue. About the time the hives came those feelings left so I now I feel fine except for the hives. I didn’t think this was going to pose a problem as they aren’t...

Feb 15, 2013 - Fun In The Sun

Have you ever cursed at a dolphin or gecko? I did. Both in the last 24 hours, as a matter of fact. First I yelled at Charlie, the gecko, last night when he was chilling on my lotion and scared the living hell out of me when I reached for it..."DAMNIT CHARLIE!", he tried it again later, but I was prepared so he didn´t catch me quite as off guard. He´s a mischevious one, that Charlie. Then today, out on my trip to Isla Zapatilla (more on that in a minute), we stopped to watch a pair of dolphins frolicking around the boat. I´m at the front,...

Feb 14, 2013 - A Perfect Day

HAPPY HEARTS AND LOVE AND CANDY DAY! And all that sappy, mushy, Hallmark crap we all say we hate, but secretly love. ;) So what did you do today? I have many reasons for writing an online journal of my travels...but three stand out as the most important...1. is a way to share my day with the people I care most about in the world (without having to send a dozen emails), 2. not everyone has the ability/desire/time/whatever to travel, so this is how I take them with me...to experience it with me just a little (and it´s just nice to have you...

Feb 13, 2013 - A Collection of Thoughts

And I´m back! Sorry for going MIA, but the internet cafes were closed for the Carnaval holiday! Today was a day spent at the beach (Red Frog Beach, to be exact), so it was a perfect one for reflection. I decided instead of boring you with my usual recap of my daily activities (for the past 3 days) I would give a snapshot of things I´ve seen, things I´ve realized/experienced, and things that have made me smile during my time in Bocas. Enjoy! Things I´ve seen: - A man in a head-to-toe cheetah suit (think, not a speck of skin visible)...

Aug 2, 2012 - No Hablo Espanyol!!

We emerged from the bus a groggy mess in almirante, the port to use to gain access to the archipelago of bocas del toro on the Caribbean side of panama near the border to costa rica.  This bus was far removed from the luxury of SE Asia last year.. Instead of the comfortable sleeper buses we were sat upright with passport checks every 40mins to an hour making proper sleep very hard (not to mention some wagon of a big black woman putting her feet in the back of my seat to be sure I was awake!  The world over though there is always someone...

Jul 26, 2011 - Boquete

Boquete is a town located in a mountain valley with a beautiful river running through it. This town has been listed as one of the best places in the world to retire because of it's low cost of living, outdoor beauty, and great weather. I had the opportunity to try horseback riding for the first time and it was amazing. My horse was pretty big and certainly had a bit more spirit than the other horses in the group. At first I must admit it was a bit intimidating getting on this large animal but I soon got the hang of riding and had no trouble...

Jul 24, 2011 - Bocas del Toro

We ended up leaving Costa Rica and took a bus trip into Panama and our first stop was to Bocas del Toro. Bocas del Toro is a small town with a Caribbean style feel. The first full day we were there, we had all signed up for snorkelling and even though it was raining a bit in the morning, it ended up being a wonderful day. The water and coral here was amazing and the sailing boat that our group took was great. The water was warm regardless of the cloudy day and the coral was very interesting. I was generally one of the first to jump into the...

Jul 16, 2010 - Volunteer time

This past week we spent in two different locations working with leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles. Our accomodations were very much on the rustic side - no running water and no electricity. We did night patrols to monitor the turtle activity which was more difficult than we had ex pected, walking the beach at night with no light. It felt like we were never dry the entire week! But T an and Alec were rewarded b y seeing a mama turtle making her nest and laying the eggs and then also seeing some new hatchlings make their way out of the...

Jul 10, 2010 - Scuba Certified!

After 3 full days of training and testing, the whole family is now officially PADI open water scuba dive certified! It was challenging but we all did it - some easier than others. Tan had a bit of a problem with the swimming requirements and I freaked out a little taking the regulator out underwater but we all managed to get through it. Alec scored a 96% on the final exam and wa s definitely the best out of all of us both written and in the water. They gave us 2 free dives the next day which were really fun (no testing, so that made it fun...

May 6, 2010 - Bocas del Torres

Woken up at 5am by howler monkeys that sound like chubacca being harpooned, and other very loud jungle noises - is crazy and cool. Minibus pick up at 6am - drove to border - very low key easy border crossing (walk accross bridge) then another mini bus to port Almirante - quick breakfast (apple,pear and coffee for matt, katie was more desperate so took the ham out the ham sandwich she was offered). Boat to dolphin bay to see... dolphins! Then onto to Coral Cuay for snorkelling to see most amazing rainbow coloured coral and tropical fish....

Apr 25, 2010 - Bocas del Toro, Panama - Pics Need Captions

Sunday Got wrong info from Charlie of Cabinas day before...he said buses leave every hr beginning at 7:30 am, so we take taxi to bus stop only to find out bus for Sixaola leaves at 8:30! (one at 7:30 goes to SP). A wait in the covered bus stop place - it's raining - and promptly at 8:30 bus pulled up, we got on, and some 15 min. later it stops. Engine trouble...tho we hear nothing wrong that might indicate trouble...oh well, we wait for the 9:30 bus to come by, which it does, we pile on and off we go. A bit worried since the LP says the...

Mar 6, 2010 - Bocas del Toro beach and sloth

Hi Everyone, Wow how time flies. I hadn´t realised it was so long since I last wrote. We have travelled through the whole of Costa Rica since leaving Granada. It really is a beautiful country with volcanic mountains rising high almost as soon as you leave the coast. Still I´m jumping ahead. The most fascinating thing we did in Nicaragua as far as I´m concerned was to stay with a farming family for a night on Omotepe, an island in the vast Lake Nicaragua. They do not own a motor vehicle so we were introduced to horse and home made cart...