In the little research we´ve done about things to do in and around Bocas, Jeff found a guy who for a few bucks will take us on a tour through a cave he found.

Think about that for a moment. In any civilized country on the planet you simply can´t find a cave then start dragging tourists with you to check it out. There´s something called liability and insurance and permits and licensing and safety regulations. Not here in Panama. Strap on a head lamp and you´re good to go.

So to see the cave goes something like this. Take a water taxi to the island of Bastimentos. Find a bar called Roots and ask for Oscar. Make arraignments with Oscar and you´ve just booked yourself a cave tour.

This morning we woke up and it was sort of raining although not really. Seeing as how the beach was out, we figured we´d find Oscar and see about this caving expedition. We took the water taxi to Bastimentos and getting off the dock we turn right and start walking. Sounds good right? Then we hit a little crossroads, the street goes into the interior of the island and there is a narrower street that continues along the waterfront. Jeff consults the map, gives a confident nod and we stay along the water. Soon this street turns into some wooden planks laid over mud then the planks disappear and we`re on a muddy path. Then the path disappears and we´re walking over mounds of trash that have washed up on the island. Seriously. We were walking over an open landfill. Then the trash disappears and we´re walking on ... marsh? I´m not entirely sure what we were walking through but it was muddy and wet and smelled like death everything I took a step. Then we hit a patch that was overgrown with trees and our choices are start swimming or turn back. Luckily as we had camera equipment with us, Jeff deemed that it was alright that we turn back and ask. Had we not had that equipment I´m sure he would have just suggested we swim to the next dock over to continue looking for this bar.

So we turned around and brave the marsh and trash and mud ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT WE TURNED THE WRONG WAY WHEN WE LEFT THE DOCK. And while Jeff claims that he read the map right and that the bar or one of the landmarks must have moved, I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHOSE FAULT THIS IS. Yeah, so maybe a hundred meters from where we originally had gotten off the water taxi and half way up a hill we find Roots. And Oscar is gone for a couple of days, no word when he`ll be back.

I`m not entirely convinced that all this wasn´t on purpose. Jeff`s been getting antsy the last couple of days as there aren`t any steep hills here on Bocas that he can run to the top of with reckless abandon. I think that he thinks that I´m getting too comfortable. For example. This morning we find a water taxi to Bastimentos. Now the docks that these taxis pull up to aren´t anything special but at least they´re proper docks and are at least a couple of feet wide. Not the one Jeff found. This was one board about ten feet long and a foot wide that ran to another board that was maybe ten feet long and six inches wide. Of course, he looks at this, shrugs and walks over to the boat. I´m stuck standing there looking at Jeff then back at the guy running the taxi, then at Jeff then at the guy. And everyone is looking at me like what are you waiting for, walk the scary plank. Finally I inched my way over to the taxi and believe me, the look I gave the guy didn´t need any translation. It said NOT HAPPY.

Posted by Ben Corman at 8:00 AM

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