Bocas del Toro- Retro 70

The name Bocas del Toro (mouths of the bull) has several meanings in this region of the Caribbean Coast near the Costa Rican border.

Firstly there is the province of Bocas del Toro. Then there is the archipelago of Bocas del Toro and finally the town of Bocas del Toro that is also referred to as Bocas Town located on Isla Colon (Columbus Island). It was Christopher Columbus who discovered the area in 1502.

The province is made up of the archipelago and the town is the capital of the province.

Just the combination of the words "archipelago" and "Caribbean" are enough to set the imagination on fire. Could this be the place in Panama that reserves all that Panama has not been so far -- tropical islands with beautiful stretches of white sandy beaches under swaying palm trees lapped by crystal clears waters? The short answer is yes.

During my travels in Panama I encountered many travellers and expats and invariably I would ask the question: Where did you like it best? That question mostly resulted in the answer -- "Bocas del Toro".

The more adventurous would reply with "Kuna Yala", commonly known as the San Blas Islands. As nice as the Bocas del Toro archipelago is, the San Blas Islands apparently are even nicer. For one thing they are located on the "Comarca de Kuna Yala" that is a semi-autonomous indigenous region populated by the Kuna people. It is remotely located and accessed by air or four-wheel vehicle and boat.

Unfortunately, I did not have the time, courage or inclination to take my expensive malaria pills to access this area. It would have made for a great blog but let's not cry over spilled milk and get on with Bocas del Toro.

Speaking of malaria pills, before leaving Canada I got an update on all my travel vaccinations at a Travel Clinic. What I was told about Panama is that yes, malaria medication should be taken but there are two different types of medication -- one for the eastern part (Kuna Yala) and another for the western part (Bocas del Toro)

It is very confusing and discouraging at the same time when you look at the side effects of the various malaria medications including hair loss.

I opted for the more expensive malaria medication (Malarone) that could be started once I had arrived in Panama.

When I met travellers and expats I would not only ask "what destination did you like best" but also "did you take malaria medication"? The answer was invariably "no".




Read more: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1266052694/tpod...

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Travel & Events

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• Bocas
• del
• Toro
• Carnival