This past week was Semana Santa- or Holy Week. It started Friday the 11th and ended on Sunday the 20th. A group of friends and myself decided to take a four day trip to Bocas del Toro in Panama. We left Friday the 11th and returned home on Monday the 14th.
The first day in Panama was full of rain and clouds. We spent our first night walking through town trying to avoid the rain and looking at the shops. Many of the shops offered handmade items from residents of the island- Bocas del Toro.
Our first full day, Saturday, we traveled to a part of the Carribean where we could see dolphins jumping in the water. I couldn't get any pictures because it was raining very hard and I didn't want my camera to get wet, but it was nice to see dolphins just feet away from our boat. We were also going to be able to snorkle with the dolphins, but the rain was so heavy it would have seriously hurt to get out of the boat. After seeing the dolphins, we traveled to La Playa Estrella- Starfish Beach.
The starfish could be seen under the water, but signs on shore read- do not touch the starfish. When they are not in the water, they cannot survive.
On our second full day we spent almost 8 hours on La Playa Rana Roja- Red Frog Beach. Although we didn't see any frogs, the sand, waves, and beautiful shoreline filled our day.
Each night we ate somewhere a little different than the night before. One night I decided to try some octopus! It was delicious and wasn't expensive at all. Seafood in Central America is much cheaper than it is in the states because it is so abundant and close by.
Bocas del Toro was a great way to spend a few days of my Semana Santa. It was nice to travel by so many different modes of transportation- small bus to the border, by foot across the border (which was a little scary because its just a long wooden bridge!), by taxi from the border to an area halfway to our launch point, by foot through an area that was impassable by vehicle, then by bus to our launch point on the water, and finally by boat to Bocas del Toro! It was a long process both to our destination, as well as back to San Jose, but it was worth the trip.
The rest of Semana Santa, I spent here in San Jose. It was interesting to see the city without many people. Usually the city is full of people, especially downtown, but during Semana Santa many people leave San Jose, or don't leave their homes. I spent the last 4 days of Semana Santa walking downtown with friends. We explored the Artesian Market, as well as looked at many of the shops that were open. We enjoyed churros, conversations with some locals as well as other toursits, and of course all the exercise we experienced walking to, from, and through downtown!
Can't wait to tell about the many more experiences to come!
PURA VIDA!
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