Red Frogs, Blue Bees, Turquoise Butterflies and more

PHOTO ALBUM——>>> https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZdRAX3FMqrtjeizR8

Bocas Del Toro again

John and I flew via Atlanta, back to Panama City. There we booked into a brilliant hotel Wyndham Panama Albrook Mall, which was attached to the Albrook Mall and next to Albrook airport, very convenient for us.

We had most of the afternoon and then the next morning to visit the mall and get a few odds and ands that we needed. This mall is huge, and contains absolutely everything one could possibly need. The best buy was some hiking sandals for us both!

The flight back to Bocas took an hour. It’s a smaller plane with only about 30 passengers.

We flew over the Panama Canal, across to the Bocas del Toro archipelago right over Red Frog beach and swooped down onto Isla Colon.

After getting our baggage we sent off down the road dragging the bags behind us, through town and to the panga dock that serves Red Frog. Within 10 minutes we were at the dock of the marina and down to our Aeeshah. Don, Pam and Chico were aboard waiting for us.

Pam and Don stayed at Selina for a few days and spent the days with us.

We enjoyed several walks around Red Frog, a great breakfast and a lunch at La Palmer by the beach. And then they were gone ……

Life has been very much back to normal for us.

We have continued and more or less finished a few boat chores we had lined up. John had the water maker seals to redo, a new water pump to install and the engine to bleed as it was air locked and secured the new solar panels.

Me, I’ve had the sewing repairs of canvas, (yet to do), the laundry of curtains etc, the cockpit to de-mold and set up, overall boring chores. Plus I had an infected spider bite which gave me hell….

We have been walking the trails everyday, up the slopes, down the paths, along the beaches around and about.

Blue fluorescent bees, Turquoise butterflies, huge yellowy, brown crickets

As for what we have seen, the theme this month are insects; many huge grass-hoppers are just everywhere. They are quite magnificent, intricately designed with bright yellow, green and brown bodies, but bright red wings when they fly.

Blue bees, yes bright blue bees; apparently called Mason bees buzzing around 2 particular manholes.

And turquoise butterflies swarming around fluffy white blossoms in tall trees. Brilliant Red Dragon flies

Once again the birds are wonderful, so many and such varieties. From tiny little humming birds to bigger Montezuma oropendola, which are my favorite.

An American pygmy kingfisher that alighted on a rock right next to me.

And bigger still the Black hawks and raptures.

It seems like we see sloths so very easily now. Everyday I look up and voila there is another looking down at me. One of our 1st beach walks we saw a sloth in the trees just behind the beach.

Another time there was a sloth hanging by its 2 hind legs eating off another tree while being upside down. Then there are the sweet shy ones that just sneak a peek at us down below where they chill.

There was one beach walk that we came across a very unusual character. He was dress just like Tarzan in a brown loin cloth, had long blond dreads and had a machete he was using to chop coconuts.

We stopped and chatted. He was breakfasting off the coconuts he had cut down, was from Bosnia and seemed to imply he lived in the wilds.

Everyday we set out wondering what we might see or who we might meet while enjoying the scenery and wonders of Red Frog.

An ATV adventure on Isla Colon.

We went for an ATV adventure on Isla Colon. We hired from a place that rents electric bikes and ATVs…. Flying Pirates.

Our venture started off following the roadway down the center of the island. The road was in a very poor state, it couldn’t have been rougher, all loose rocks, huge potholes.

We traveled through what looked like some farmland, some forested areas with small rivers and some excavated areas. Overall a pretty ride.

At the end of the track we can to the shoreline of Boca del Drago, a small settlement where we parked and set off on foot.

Following the shoreline we walked a track, here the scenery was quite lovely, palm tree lined beach.

Past a few mangrove areas where you had to get over a rickety bridge and climb around some obstacles.

After about 20 minutes you come to Starfish beach. This is a well know tourist attraction, but we were lucky in that there were few tourists that day.

At a shoreline table we ordered lunch and a pineapple fruit drink form the food huts.

The fruit drink was exquisite, just wonderful. Our lunch of fish, rice plantains and coleslaw was very good too.

After our lunch we set off back the way we had came, along the shoreline.

Then back onto the ATV and back down the hellish road.

As we still had time when we reach where we had started we rode passed the rental place, and onto Playa Bluff. This “road” followed the shoreline and was sandy.

At some stages we had to literally ride through the water or on the beach. The scenery was very pretty, with long beaches and tall tall coconut palms.