Caribbean Cowboys
Greetings from the Bocas del Toro islands in the Caribbean. The last thing I expected, was to run into a rodeo on my first night in Bocas town! But cowboys, horses and cows were there, and everyone is wearing cowboy hats (sometimes two).
I think we caught the very end of a long day at the rodeo. The only competition we saw was lassoing calves.
By the time we got there all the competitors and organizers seemed to be a bit worse for wear.
More calves had beer accidentally spillt on them than were successfully lassoed. But a good time was had by all.
Another surprise was that for the first time on this trip, it has been overcast and even, at times, rainy. They less often show the Caribbean islands in this light in travel brochures.
Ah, a rainy day on the beach. Certainly not crowded and the restaurants are none too busy.
On the good side, the temperature reamains a non-stifling 26-or-so degrees.
And fear not, the sun has come out to play often enough that previously unexposed bits of my thigh are now the colour of pickled shrimp.
Panama is not a big country - around a quarter of the size of Finland. Yet arriving to the North coast and the Caribbean has been like coming to a different country. Here much of the population is of African descent, houses are colourful, food is spicy, the vibe is chill, nobody seems to be in a hurry and life is lived on the streets.
Yesterday I did a bit of catching up on myself. I’m going to cross over to Costa Rica tomorrow - so I thought it might be a good idea to give the first cursory glance at guide books to find out, where I’m going and what I’ll be doing in Costa Rica. It’s still all a bit of a blur, but at least I’ve worked out that I’ll make the first stop-over right after the border at Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. I’ll just have to work out the rest once I get to it. That’s the way most of my trips unfold - I’m not too much of an advance planner. This give more flexibility to stay on in a nice place if the mood takes me or move on if it doesn’t.
But relocating to Costa Rica also means the end of a beautiful travel partnership, as Uupi will remain in Panama. We’ve had a good innings - and perfected the art of taking panoramic selfies by switching the camera from one to the other half way through the shot.
We’ve done some amazing hikes,
beautiful snorkeling,
But relocating to Costa Rica also means the end of a beautiful travel partnership, as Uupi will remain in Panama. We’ve had a good innings - and perfected the art of taking panoramic selfies by switching the camera from one to the other half way through the shot.
lots of coffee and fruit shakes (with or without rum)
waited for buses to come
and mucked around on beaches.
But here on the shores of the Caribbean it’s time to say hasta luego. I will now continue this trip with just you, my trusted reader, for company.
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