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Red Frog, Bocas Del Toro, Panama
John and I have really enjoyed our time here in Red Frog Marina, Bocas Del Torro. We get out almost daily and walk or ride our bikes around the many trails and paths.
We have an uphill trek. This takes us up a steep hill, passed different villas, (homes owned by expats, but they call them villas). Under tall trees that shade the lane nicely so it’s cooler than the blazing sunshine. We scan the trees for sloths and birds. We know where one sloth lives and usually can spot him.
The birds are harder to see, we hear them all around us but so far have only easily spotted the parrots. One day we did see a whole flock of green parrots and often we see vultures swooping over the jungle. Along the top of the hills we enjoy the views.
Next we follow overgrown pathways to the bottom. And choose which way we return to the marina.
Another trek is along the Oceanside lane which connects to a rough track behind the beaches all the way to Polo beach.
Polo beach is wonderful. Protected by reefs the waters are much calmer. The palm trees shade the beach which is normally deserted. There is a fellow who sells coconuts and coconut water to visitors from a “stand”, but we have not see him yet.
Along Polo beach we walk and then cut onto a pathway that leads behind the beach coming out onto a lovely cove and a small lagoon. The whole area is gorgeous!
We also ride our bikes along the seaward trails. These trails are very bumpy, not that it bothers John.
After one ride we stopped at Macho Mamas for lunch. After a long rough bike ride we both have a good appetite.
Going to Macho Mamas for lunch is always a treat! The tacos are the best ever.
Plus sitting looking out over the beach is always fun.
Much of our time has been spent getting Aeeshah ready for our departure. There was the entire boat, inside and out to clean. Every cupboard, cubby, box, nook and cranny had to be cleaned, debugged, sorted and repacked.
Then the toilet plumbing acted up, that nasty task had to be seen to by John. Yep, he had to take it apart, de-bung it and put it back again. I think that was the nastiest job.
My hardest job was the cockpit. It took a full day to clean, demold and prep the cockpit. That was hot work being out in the midday heat. Meanwhile we have paper wasps that are determined to live under the solar panels attached to the arch. Chico enjoys watching them. I think he now prefers them to birds.
We went into Bocas town several times a week to stock up on cat food and litter.
The water taxi leaves Red Frog at 10:00am and then returns at 1:00. We have now become accustom to the town and know where most things can be found. It really is a nice, quiet town, clean and artsy.
Our friends Don and Pam arrived at Red Frog as arranged. They stayed at Selina a very nice hostel on the island, for their first few days.
We spent the time teaching them about Aeeshah and of course Chico. Plus we went and had some fun. Our first day outing with them was along the lane to the beach.
We spotted the sloth and some Red Frogs along the way. It was a drizzly day but still the scenery at the beach was outstanding.
We checked out the lookout, then walked the beach to Macho Mamas for a taco lunch. Again the fish tacos were wonderful.
The next day we hired a golf cart and headed out to see as much as the lanes around Red Frog allowed.
All the way up the steep hill lanes we went, stopping to check out the “villas” and the views. We all agreed that the small homes that look out over the hillside and the sea are rather tempting.
We traveled all of the hillside lanes then took a track that John had ridden, but I had never seen. This lane was narrow, winding over undulating hills through the jungle.
The trees were just amazing! The birds we could hear made screeches and calls none of us had ever heard. Halfway along we had to carefully maneuver the golf cart under a fallen tree.
Further along we stopped to look at some caves.
The colors of the caves walls with the lichen and mosses were just lovely. And hanging down from above were very dramatic vines.
At the end of the lane we found the squatters home by the beach that we had walked to from Polo beach. I was quite disturbed by a poor dog that looked like it was starved.
We headed back down the lovely lane and off towards the beach for lunch.
This day we went to the other beach restaurant, at Palmar beach lodge. Here we all enjoyed a wonderful lunch while looking out over the beach.
From lunch we rode the golf cart to Polo Beach. Described as one of the most beautiful stretches of beach on Isla Bastimentos, this secluded section of coastline is ringed by a gorgeous coral reef, keeping the water calm and providing one of the most optimal environments in Bocas del Toro for snorkeling. As is usual we were nearly the only ones enjoying Polo Beach.
It is only accessible by a jungle hike, a golf cart ride down a very rough track or direct shoreline access by boat during calmer seas. The beach gets its name from an infamous “Polo” character who left the norms of life to make this stretch of land his home for years on end.
Apparently he can still be spotted occasionally in the area. We all enjoyed a stroll along the beach and then following the jungle pathway to the very end part of Polo beach.
The beach, the sea and shoreline along with the jungle makes for stunning scenery.
Traveling back to the marina in our golf cart we stopped to see if we could find “our” sloth, the one and only we had found. Sure enough he was there.
Then we spotted another in the same tree, a much smaller one hidden away in the tree top. One of the security staff stopped and pointed out another across the lane….then another, making a total of four. This was high excitement for us, but it became all the more interesting when, low and behold….one climbed a palm tree by the side of the lane.
Then she/he climbed out onto the fonds overhanging the lane……grasped just a tiny branch of a tree across the lane….and believe it or not crossed over to that tree, effectively crossing the lane without going on the ground.
Sloths can move moderately fast when they wish to as he/she was across within 5 minutes, and sitting in the other tree grinning down at us. It was just amazing!
I love this area of Bocas del Toro!
We also headed into the town on the water taxi to show Don and Pam where to find the odds and ends they might need. We enjoyed a stroll around the whole town.
Don loved the fire station with its old fire engine. They both agreed that the town is delightful.
And then came the next morning when we had to leave Aeeshah and Chico to travel homeward. Pam and Don, who we have known for many years were moving on to Aeeshah to boat-sit and cat-sit while we flew home. We lugged our bags to the end of the dock to get the water taxi into Bocas. They climbed aboard Aeeshah with their 2 back packs. We arrived at Isla Colon, walked through the town to the airport, dragging our bags. There we boarded our flight to Panama City.
The flight took us over the Bocas Del Toro region. Even from the air the region is lovely.
Landing at Albrook airport we caught a taxi to a hotel near Topumen International Airport.
2 days later we were home in Bermuda.
