Bocas Del Toro
We flew from Santiago to Bogata, Columbia and then to San Jose. From what
we can find out the damage from the earthquake a few weeks agp
at Santiago was at the airport. The airport is a mess with a lot of the
parking damaged and the main building is closed and they are operating out
of tents and other building that were not damage so badly they can not be
used. Bogota is an interesting airport in that things are outrageously
priced and they do the check in from the hall into the rooms quite often
so we ended up sitting on the floor in the hall until the flight ahead of
us left. They searched everyones bag. That all took so much time they
just let us board with no checks other than the check in out in the hall.
They definitely need to work on this. We got a good look of Columnbia
from the air. North of Bogata it turns to mountains and jungle and is
really green. We could see no towns so it seems thinly populated in this
area but of course most places in Columbia have lots of people. It is
quite safe now in most parts of Columbia. We met two girls from Canada
who had just finished traveling by bus and airplane all over Columbia.
We we got to San Jose our one check bag did not show up. People in Costa
Rica are not very service orientated and really don't take things very
seriously. You can ask for coffee and they say they are busy and ask
later or they are busy and will come later but they never come. There
was]
no one from Avianca at the baggage claim area. Someone from another
airline was kind enough to call and said it would be 15 minutes. It was
more like 30 minutes. Edith went outside as we had a ride waiting from
Melrost B&B. That was a hassle with the customs but we solved that by
filling out two forms where normally it just takes one. Eventually they guy
showed up and called to be sure the bag was not somewhere else and
confirmed it did not show up. I filled out the form and of course they want
to know what is in it which you just don't remember exactly. They needed
an address. I had it in the bag which was outside with Edith so that is
a lesson to keep the place you are going to stay and phone number on you.
Anyway I said I would have to go out to get it and once I
did I could not get back in. He did not want to take the time to go out
with me. I went out and found Edith and the ride from Melrost who had
now been waiting 45 minutes and apologized to them. The Avianca rep
said he would be upstairs in there office. I had a hard time getting into
the entrance as I had no luggage and worse yet no ticket but talked my way
in and found the office upstairs. Well he was goine and they did not
have my form which I had to have as they had taken my claim tag. They
made a copy of the address and phone number where we would be for one
night and then we were leaving for Bocas. They said he was downstairs at
the entrance but I went down and he was not to be found so I went back to
the office and by now I was getting frustrated! They sent someone with me
and she got us back into the secure bag claim area but with a good deal of
difficulty and I had to show my passport several times. We finally found
him and I got the form and they wanted to send it to Bocas if it did not
show up before we left. We said no as we could just see it getting lost
again if it was found. I told the fellow he should keep his word and be
at the office or at least leave the form as it is very
difficult to move around in an airport with all the security.
Fortunately for us we were coming back to the Melrost B&B after Bocas for
a couple of days so they can just deliver it there or keep it at the airport
if they won 't do that.
Bocas Del Toro is a group of islands off the coast of Panama in the
Caribbean. They are just southeast of Costa Rica. We took a bus from
San Jose but a road had a mudslide so it took much, much longer than
expected and when we got to Sixaola on the border it was closed so we had
to stay in a hotel that less than 1 star. This area of Costa Rico on the
Atlantic coast south of Limon is very tropical and is the most jungle
we have seen anyway. There are a huge number of banana's produced here as
well as lots of fruits and vegetables as well as monkeys and sloths.
The roads are full of potholes and most of the people are black but speak
Spanish.
You check out of Costa Rica and cross a run down bridge on foot and find
you can not check into Panama without a ticket back out. This regulation
is in some other countries and is a hold over from before computerization
where people went to a country and never left and because there really
was no way to identify them they often could stay permanently. Anyway we
had to buy a ticket back out. There just happens to be a ticket office
to do this just a few feet away.
These borders always have "TOUTS" that say they are helping for free or
working for someone but eventually they want a big tip!!! They will tell
you whatever you want to hear so don't count on it being accurate.
They wanted $30 to get a shuttle to the boat to Changuinola but ended up
getting a taxi for $25 which was not so bad as it is a long ways. He got
us to the water taxi in Almirante to Bocas Del Toro which costs $4.00
each. It is about a 20 minute ride.
The main town is on the island of Colon which is called Bocas Town. At
Bocas town we ask for directions for Hotel Angela which was recommended
by Louis and Yadi we know and visited last year at Boquete, Panama as
they used to run a tourist business in Bocas Town. Interest a fellow is
talking to us who says he works for Hotel Angela and he will walk us there
as people have trouble finding it. Well on the way we find he also does
tours. Of course we get to the hotel and then he wants a tip!!! These
"TOUTS" are really slick!!! He lied about working for the hotel just like
the guy at the border lied that he worked for the water taxi.
At the hotel Claudio the owner was gone but the receptionist knew about
the e-mail he had sent us. She gave us the Senior discount which is 50%
so instead of $70 a night it was $35. We met a nice couple here from the
US who had retired and sailed the Caribbean and have settled down here
and lease and run the cafe here. They have great food! It was not cheap
but nothing in restaurants are cheap in Bocas. However there is a bakery
called Johns where you can get chicken or hambergers, fries and a drink
for less than $5.00. The other option is to buy some things at the
grocery store so there is usually a way out if you are getting out of
budget.
We took a boat tour to the north end of the island to Bird Island and
Bocas Del Draco which is scenic and to Starfish Bay where we seen lots of
Starfish. We were not able to swim or snorkel because our swimming suits
and sunscreen were in our lost bag. It was not worth all the money to buy
as sunscreen cost $15.00 here. The snorkeling in our opinion was not that
good for coral reefs or fish here. The good snorkeling and places to see
fish at the same time in the world is the Great Barrier Reef of eastern
Australia, Belize Reef of of Mexico and Belize east coast, Andian Reef
near San BLas and Provincia Island in the Caribbean, Ningaloo Reef of the
NW coast of Austrailia and Pawalan Reef in the Phillipines to name some.
We took another tour and seen dolphins and some nice beaches. It is
hotter here than we liked but the air conditioning in our room was good
and on boat trips they had a canopy and there was generally a sea breeze
when we were not moving. Micheal the chef and his wife Babette were
wonderful! They close about 10 am and opened again at 4 pm but during
those times we could be in the cafe and relax and enjoy the sea breeze,
bring our own banana's or pineapple and use there stuff to cut them up and
wash things up afterwards. We toured a Botantical Garden called Finca Los
Mones and the Smithsonian Station on the Island. Finca Los Mones is
private and is run by a couple. She was from England and he
is from Australia. They traveled the world and settled down here in 1998
and started these gardens with plants from all over the world. They give
tours twice a week and for $10 each the two hour tours is just the
greatest. They also have lots of monkeys and some Sloths. You can do a
search for Finca Los Monos and learn more about it. There are also
some pictures on the web site www. w0sd.com
We spent 4 lazy days in Bocas Del Toro. We had sea food all the time
which made it much more expensive but it was good. The trip back was
again a hassle at the border with long lines and we had to show we had a
ticket out of Costa Rica. When we got back to Melrost B&B they had our
bag and they had got our Chile money changed to Costa Rica money which was
no small feat. There seems to be only one bank in San Jose that will do
it. We did not change the money in Santiago because the fellow at the
hotel said we would get a much better rate at the airport but we found the
airport all tore up from the earthquake and we could not find a money
place that early in the morning. Based on our experience last year of
having a lot of Costa Riva money left when we got home we
found it is nearly impossible to exchange in the USA other than one
airport place will do it but they have an outrageous 25% fee.
So as we wind this trip down what new things have we learned about
traveling. Most robberies are opportunity ones and these people are very,
very good. They distract you and make noise and someone else takes your
stuff. There usually are more than one. Often someone you would not
expect are part of the team such as a bus driver, taxi driver, tour
operator, you child with a mother, etc. etc. We heard two first hand
stories of someone making noise and distracting a driver while another
opened a back door and took everything out of the back seat. Another was
sitting on the hood of a car with things in it and a group were diving and
making lots of noise and getting his attension while someone pried a
window open and got the car door open. Remember his job was to watch the
car. Another lady said she did not notice that her bag in the over head
rack was being moved toward the back of the bus. This bus had a back door
and a guy grabbed the bag and ran out the back door and dissappeared into
the crowd. We were at a bus counter at Arica, Chil
filling out our Peru immigration forms with our three bags by us and
someone came up along side 0f us like they were waiting to be helps which
must of sheilded the outside red bag enough that another person was able
to pick it up and walk away with it. The point is to hang on to your
stuff and not be distracted You could run into this sort of thing on a
cruise or a tour bus on a cruise, tour buses where and how ever you travel
or with a rental car. Of course having a vehicle broken into in the USA
is a common thing. Keeping things covered or in the trunk helps.
Another potential place are hotels, motels, sports and other events,
shopping, etc.
One solution that really helps is you can get a back pack or fanny pack
that has wire mesh in it so it can not be cut. It has a cable on it with
a
combination lock. You can put the cable around something that is solid
like a bus rack, pipe in a hotel room, major piece of iron on your car
seat or in your trunk. Most of the time there are looking at a very quick
theft.
It could happen in an airport but of course all the securty makes it less
likely to happen. The bottom line is that this sort of thing does not
happen that much in the USA except for some areas in big towns. It also
does not happen a lot in Europe, Australia or New Zealand our southern
chile and Argentina. It seems to happen a lot, lot more in the rest of
the world. As Americans or Europeans our white complexion and especially
our speech makes us stand out and usually when you add it up we have quite
a bit of valuables. Before I forget often guides for tour operator work
with 0thers. One would think cleaning people in hotels would be a problem
but we have not heard off any. However an in room safe is great for
things. We always carry our passports, money and have our photos backed
up on a flash drive and carry it with us on a body pouch. However
somethings need to be used and more handy. The best would be the special
wire mesh with cable fanny pack or document holder that can
not be jerked off you. A zipper pocket with a velcro flap is not bad.
Obviously be aware of your surrounding and be with other people as there
is strength in numbers and daylight. By numbers I don't mean large crowds
or crowded places as that is where pick pockets work. Here you can shield
each other so people have a harder time getting close to you. Obviously
try your best to not show you have money or valuables.
Why do I say all this because most of us in the USA are pretty nieve when
it comes to this sort of thing. So remember snach and run, distraction
which can be part of the above, giving oportunity, break ins be it a
hotel or vehicle and pick pockets. The truth is unless you are in a
terrible part of town or a very lonely place it almost never happens.
Also ask the tourist information places, the place your are staying and
locals. We have had several instances of locals going out of there way to
tell us to be sure and watch our stuff or don't go there!!!
We could tell you lots and lots about bus travel but most of you don't do
that so we will skip that. One thing even if you have a rental car you
should have the address and telephone number where you are staying. It
can help you get directions back, or get a taxi back or give the proper
information if your bags are lost.
We have found ATM's are the best way to get money as banks charge about
the same when it is all said and done. One problem with either is the fee
is about the same for a small or large amount so we always try for]the
biggest amount but remember the goal is to leave the country with
none of there money and this is not an easy thing to do. Be sure you know
the exchange rate. For example in Costa Rica it takes about 528 colones
for $1.00 so to get $300 worth of Colones 158,400 colonies. It can make
you a little nervious punching in 158,000 on the ATM key pad so
you need to be sure of what you are doing. If possible use an ATM
that does not take the card internally.