The roosters didn't make too much noise last night so we were able to have a quieter sleep last night. Unfortunately, Eric and I all started to have diarrhea, and his case is more severe than mine. I hope it'll pass quickly.
We gave our car a quick wash off the mud and got on our way to Boca Chica. The drive took 4h due to highway work. In our rush, we also forgot to check out one destination (the church in San Francisco which we skipped on the way in).
Boca Chica was even smaller than I expected. There was only one narrow main street! We parked our car at the private lot behind the church instead of risking it on the side of the narrow main street. We then transferred to a local water taxi to take us across the channel to reach our hotel on Isla Boca Brava. Just when we arrived and ready to get off, I realized I had forgotten my luggage back in the car. The boat had to take us back all the way again. Although an one way trip takes less than 5 minutes, it's still a hassle. To add injury to insult, Eric commented that now he understands that it was Mom who had been taking care of me on all these trips before!! How else can he explains all these blunders that I have been making lately! Ouch!
The hotel/hostel is very nice and perches high on the island. There is a fantastic ocean view from the restaurant. The owner is an American while has not lived in USA since 1996. We struck up a good conversation and I learnt a great deal of Panama and their society. He offered me an upgrade to a room with private bath and better ocean view for $5 more (instead of $10 normal price) and I took it. Tonight we can try to sleep with the sound of ocean wave crashing over the shore!
Unfortunately, it seems difficult to organize a snorkeling trip tomorrow since we're the only two people interested. We'll see if he can help us hook up with another couple to share the boat cost ($100). He also warned that the water clarity isn't good now due to rainy season. Otherwise, we'll go sea kayaking instead.
The hotel property is at the East end of the island and the owner had sold off various lots to raise fund to build the hotel. We walked the trail to two beaches and saw several hummingbirds and several howler monkeys. I also found my biggest shell on the beach so far. Inadvertently, Eric and I crashed a family's beach party too. When we got there, we saw this naked guy rushing back from the water to put on his pants. I can only shake my head as he has two young children with him all that time!
On the way back from our trail walk, Eric started to complain about all the mosquito bites that were killing him. I almost forgot that he has very sensitive skin and is a magnet to mosquitoes just like Mommy. No wonder there were surprisingly fewer bites than I had expected these past two nights!
How are you feeling? How did you get the diarrhea? Water or food? The island looks really peaceful and the room sounds like a wonderful deal! I hope you get to snorkel tomorrow! I agreed with Eric that you had been well looked after by yours truly during all the trips we had taken, despite your subjective (and bias) perception. The facts speak for themselves 😉. Don't feel too discouraged though given that you are doing exceptionally well despite the few blunders 😊. These will only deepen your memories of the trip!
ReplyDeleteYup! Definite a sign of getting old. Have to watch out more and sharpen the mind using mental exercises.
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