Everyone I've talked to on the road told me Bocas is the place to be. Big town surrounded by islands. Friday morning I grabbed a taxi to Albrook mall, got lost a few times in there and finally found the bus terminal. $27.00 for a bus that left at 2100. Needless to say, I had a lot of time to kill. So I walked for miles all across the mall, never knowing where I am. I finally figure out if you're at the smoothie shop you turn left (it's up against a wall so you can't turn right), walk till you find Audio, hang a left, find the down escalator, go until you see Surf, turn left. By this point you have walked about a mile. Keep going till you find Cinnabon, than you realize you should have made a right, so you turn around and finally find the door outside. Cross four lanes of non-stop taxis and busses and you have arrived at the bus terminal.
I met a couple from Amsterdam there who I hung out with till the bus came along. At this point we couldn't get through the gate. They told us we needed a card. We had no idea what they were talking about. So we go find the information booth and they told us we need to trade our tickets for boarding cards. Too bad we had to pay another buck for that AFTER we bought our tickets. So we get our cards, get pass the gate and hop on the coldest bus you will ever find. The bus ride was 11 hours, so we had plenty of time to sleep.
I arrive in Bocas and hop on a boat going to the main land. From there I grab another boat taxi to the hostel I am currently staying in. The owner is a French guy who opened it up about ten years ago. This place is paradise. It sits right over the water! It has a water-trampoline, water-swings and a swimming area. Words can not describe the view. Every night is party night here. So be prepared if you stay in this hostel. Thankfully everyone is very respectful of each other. Going to bed before midnight is not the norm. Too bad for them, I do. I want to relax, not go crazy.
There are two American ex-pats that live here, and they loved me from the moment I arrived. Cameron is a retired engineer and Kirsten works from her laptop. They have been filling me with information about life here. Cameron showed me around the mainland where everyone knows who he is. Crazy old guy who loves to have fun. His two rules in life are 1) be nice and 2) don't do anything stupid. Words of wisdom. The town is very nice. I met a few more ex-pats from the States that gave me advise about moving here, and who to talk to. That was a hug help.
After a couple free drinks we head back to the hostel for Open Mic Night. This is Cameron's big night. He came up with the idea to bring local business in. I'll tell you what, he certainly has done a great job with it.
One of the guys that works at the hostel gave me a surf lesson. I'll tell you right now, it's a lot harder than it looks! After about four waves, I was beat. I rode a few waves, but was never able to stand. Hey, it was my first day and I had fun. That's all I was looking for.
I'll leave this hostel Thursday and head to one that's about a five minute lark down the beach.
This place could very easily be my new home. Life in paradise my friends.
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