Some of the Nature around Red Frog

Red Frog Resort, Bastimentos Panama

Since we love the beach so much we wanted to spend the end of the stay at a beach location. In doing   some checking I found villas located at one of the best beaches here in bocas del Toro, red frog beach.

 The place is called red frog resort which is a bit deceiving calling it a resort as it is only villas at the moment. If you know that in advance which we did you will have no issues.

The villa they put us in is huge, on top of the hill with lovely view of the ocean & canopy below. We come to enjoy bird watching over the last couple of years making this perfect for us.

Monkey's and lots of them @redfrogbeach #bocasdeltoro

There are plenty of white-throated Capuchin monkeys in and around red frog beach.

We have seen a few everyday. We watched this group eating in the trees for about an hour. I just love watching them.

Watching the dolphins play at sunset on our deck at Eclyspe de Mar

What a beautiful site

At the beach I am watching as this small boat is narrating the waves close to the shore. We do not see many boats on this side of the island as the waves can be pretty rough.

There are 4 guys on the boat and one puts on flippers and jumps over. Now this has my attention. I watch as he swims ashore and heads for the restaurant.

Learning espanol from a 11 year old nino

About a week before we came to panama I decided to learn Spanish. At least try to know a few words. We travel to Spanish speaking places all the time and I know a few basic greetings & can ask for a beer along with where is the bathroom but that's it. I got a few apps on my phone, a small dictionary that seems helpful & started daily lessons. This one app has lessons which you can't move on until you get the test right.
After a week I can say the woman (man,girl,boy,dog,cat) eats an apple along with drinks milk plus a few more words & sentences. Not sure how often I am going to be using these sentences but it's a start and I can read most of a menu now in Spanish.
 We got here and for the first few days everyone spoke English. While renting bikes the man had a apple. I was super excited to finally use a sentence I learned, el hombre come una manzana. The man eats an apple. It actually wasn't an apple but another red fruit but close enough for me.

  When we got to Bastimentos I learned from Suyi they speak creole Spanish knew as guari guari. I tried a few words here and there.

A little of the wildlife @redfrogbech #bocasdeltoro

As a kid the only part I liked about going to the dentist or doctors office were the children's magazines in the waiting room. I loved the puzzles where they gave you objects to find in the picture. It was always disappointing when someone before you already found them all & circled them. Funny what you remember sometimes.

Looking for wildlife is much like the seek & find puzzles. It's all there it is just a matter of slowing down and really looking at what is around you.

Eclyspe de Mar Acqua Lodge isle Bastimentos, Panama #bocasdeltoro

If you ever dreamed about staying in an over the water bungalow, Eclyspe de Mar Acqua lodge in Bocas del Toro is the place to go.

A 3 toed sloth spotted while hiking to the bat cave in Bastimentos

Here are a few pictures of hike to the bat cave.

Exploring the Bat Cave, #BocasdelToro

When first thinking about going into a bat cave where the water can be up to your neck I was not too sure how I was going to like this but what a cool thing to do.  Suyi who works here at Eclypse de Mar told us her father could take us to the cave. Papa pick us up at 10:00am and off we went to the bat cave.

It was an nice peaceful trip down to the far end of Bastimentos and through the mangroves to the spot where we got out to hike to the cave.

KoKo Resort Bocas del Toro, Panama

Koko resort is a special place and the host Jack & Lee try very hard to make your stay a wonderful experience but that being said the place is not for everyone. If you do your homework and embrace the experience you will have a fabulous time, we certainly did.

I loved the location just out of the hustle of town and in a quiet local neighborhood. I read a few reviews about noise, we experienced very little other than a dog barking once in a while and we slept with the windows opened all night long.

Happiness is a purple bike in Bocas

There are a couple ways to get around the isle Colon, taxi, foot, water taxi, or bike. A taxi cost $1.00 and there are always plenty of them. The walk to the town of Bocas del Toro or just Bocas as the locals say is about 15 minutes from Koko and very safe. There is also a grocery store not very far from Koko. We got 6 bottles of water and 3 bottles of white wine for $25.00, things are inexpensive here. 

A day on a boat around isle Bastimentos

Our first official day in Bocas started with breakfast made by Jack. As part of our stay we get breakfast each morning made by Jack and served at the B & B Bahia del Sol.

 It is a great way to get to know the other guest along with finding out what there is to do plus an excellent meal.

 Jack had arranged a snorkel trip for 2 other couples and there was room for us as well. The weather was not looking so good, rain but the captain was sure it would clear up soon. Off we went for the day having really no idea what the trip had in store for us. The ride out started as a drizzle than the heavy stuff started coming.

Our captain Cristobal also known as Boy, made a pit stop at a local restaurant for us to get dry and wait for the rains to slow down a bit. In 100 percent humidity it’s hard to actually get dry so it became more of a drinking stop. 

We arrived in Bocas del Toro after a long travel day.

We arrived in Panama City where I had arranged to have someone meet us and take us to a different airport for our next flight but when we got there no one was waiting. This was the second time this has happened. A gentleman was kind enough to make some phone calls for us to the company and after about a half hour Janet showed up to get us. She was sorry and offered some excuse so to make up for it she decided to take so on a little tour of the city. It was nice but we really just wanted to get something to eat since it has been hours since our breakfast at 5:00 am and it was now 2:00pm. Finally we got there just in time for the flight, so much for lunch. 

The plane ride to Bocas del Toro was 55 minutes, we even got some cookies in flight. It was cool flying over all the islands seeing where we would be exploring for the next couple of days. 

Getting ready for the next adventure - Bocas del Toro, Panama

For a few years now we been talking about going to the islands in Panama known as Bocas del Toro. It got our attention for many reasons, beaches, nature, rain forest, culture, snorkeling, surfing, and from what we have read a very laid back atmosphere which we love. The islands are located on the Caribbean side of Panama right at the border of Costa Rica and Panama. Since it is a rainforest it does rain most months. March has been said to be the sunniest. We will be finding out very soon if that holds true.