Drive to Bocas

I wasn't going to post today Dave, but Harry tells me that if I don't you will be disappointed so I will begin to tell about our sailing trip, since I was unable to post at that time. Old news to me but new news to my friends.

We sailed from the marina in the town of Bocas del Toro on the Island of Colon, the largest Island in the archipelago. To get there from David it is a 3 1/2 hour drive over a mountain range. The landscape changes dramatically to rain forest as you decend down the Caribbean side of the mountain. There is a dam at the top of the mountain which you can see in the first 2 pictures. The road is excellent by Latin American standards but, as you can see by the barrels lining the washout, could use a bit of maintenance. Every now and again, just to keep you on your toes there will be a car launch, unmarked of course, where the road actually drops away 6" to a foot. They fill the drop with a pavement 'ramp' but just a short one. The result is that by the time you see it and nail the brakes there is a short screech followed by the sensation of being tossed into the air. The car then lands and you carry on your way wondering what just happened. I think that there were 4 or 5 of these kamikaze spots, some providing more excitement than others. Too many for my liking. As is evidenced by the bent up guard rail on one of the many twists in the road this drive is not for sissies.

We stopped for lunch along the way at a roadside 'restaurant'. This brought back memories of my recent food poisoning (not here but at home) episode. I ate it regardless and was fine.

The wildlife, as you can see has changed from the 'moose' and 'deer' signs we see. There were also pictures of monkeys, butterflies and an armadillo to name a few. We didn't see any critters at all. The only picture worthy animals we encountered (which left me rolling on the floor in the back seat) was a man on horseback in the ditch with a big pig on the end of a lasso. He was trying to lead the pig. The horse was backing up keeping the rope tight but the pig still had it's face planted in the grass and had no intention of moving. One of those things you couldn't get a picture of but could have won an award with had you been able to.

It is possible to fly to Bocas from David, but the drive is a must if you have never been there before. I will post more later about the boat ride from Alimantre, that is another story....Later