’09 Panama

Flight into Bocas del Toro could only be described as lumpy but to be expected when crossing a range in the equatorial regions. The low rain front nearly obscured any sight of land for most of the trip. But the Airport! Shades of an Oz Airport – basically a tired shed on the edge of the strip with the local Soccer field hard against the fence line.

Pools of water to splash through and next to no idea which is the ‘in’ door of the building. Soon solved and we’re inside a 3x5m room just milling around with the other 12 passengers when a knee-high door in the corner of the room opens… and our bags are being passed through and for the 1st time we need our luggage stubs for collection – no where the heck are they?

Our hosts find us and we’re loaded into a dual cab Toyota (no Taxi signs on it so I’d have probably been stuck in the water covered mud parking lot for hours – actually as with most regions there’s a competitive edge as Taxi drivers seek your business)

It’s a quick km drive into Bocas and a bit of a hike along a 50m gangway to the ‘punga’ (7m open deck boat). We’re about to run across the bay the Isla Carnero to secure our gear when I realise that for the 3rd time since leaving Bermuda I’ve misplaced my 2 piece Greenland paddle – holy Toledo there it is sitting on the edge of the road; panic session over and offload our gear @ our hosts guest-house. We return to Bocas via a Water Taxi to shop for a week.

“The Bocas Archipelago is a 4 zone ethnic area. Basically the native Indians (Panamanians) live on the true coastline and outer Isles, Colon Ilsa (Bocas) is Native and Gringo. Carnero Ilsa has been taken over by the Ex-Pats as accommodation; whereas Bastiamantos still holds it strong West Indian culture”

Rapidly work out that our hosts are frenetic… its all go! Groceries @ the Gourmet Store; Fruit & Vege @ the Street Stall; staples @ the Chinese Supermarket. And for only $1 it’s driven to a dock and loaded onto a H2) taxi. Back to Isla Carnero; reload the punga and a damp 37km run across bays and through Mangrove channels to a corner of Laguna de Chiriquí (known as Cauchero)

“The Hole in the Wall”

…once upon a time there was a Panamanian house built over the water… now there’s a ‘boathouse’ and tis ours for 5 weeks.

It’s the end of the rainy season and after 2 days no sunshine. Front after front of white rain* has swept down off the hills or across the bay as the wind twists and turns.

It’s an Island (Ilsa in Spanish?) about 750m off the mainland at the southern aspect of Bocas del Toro. A mere 37km to the nearest Restaurant by water or 6 ½ hr paddle by kayak.

The Boathouse is connected to the low-tide end of the Ilsa by a gangway with clear water views on 3 sides.

*White Rain because when it settles in, any geographic feature is shrouded behind the rain as if there is a white curtain and enclosed in featureless seascape. Most of the time I can see the southern aspect of “L de C’ and the 1st line of the surrounding mountain range. On a clear day the range extends in an arc encompassing the Laguna and filling ¾ of the vista.

Next is the “Split Hill” paddle…

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