Toques and Tan Lines: A Week of New Things!

Words can't quite describe how beautiful it is here in Bocas del Toro. The Bocas del Toro district is an archipelago of islands in the Carribean, near the border of Costa Rica and Panama. I was on the Isla Colon, but most of the nicer beaches are on the other islands, some of those being the Isla Zapatillas. These 2 islands are at the edge of the archipelago and are almost completely uninhabited. I spent a day with my classmates on a tour out to these islands and they are proabably the most untouched pieces of land I've ever seen. Reefs surround the island and you can see the open ocean crashing on them maybe one kilometre from shore. I was able to walk around the whole island in maybe half an hour (I've completely lost track of time down here), and it is probably the smallest land mass I will ever set foot on. Had a fantastic nap on the beach just listening to the waves. Jealous yet?

This weeks goal was to get my PADI open water scuba certification. I know I've talked about these guys before on here but they were so professional and I had such a positive experience at La Buga Dive. Such a crazy feeling to know that you're somewhere you shouldn't be and yet your there anyways. My dive instructor Leandro was fantastic, super professional when we're in the water and getting ready to head out, but also tons of fun and knows how to put a smile on your face. I've seen more marine life in 2 afternoons than I've seen in my entire life and I think I've found a new addiction!

A bunch of my classmates and I went caving on Wednesday and oh boy was that an experience. I have never seen so many bats before in my entire life! There must have been hundreds if not thousands hanging out in the cave. I personally don't have any pictures from that day because we had to walk waist deep in water through the cave and my camera isn't fancy and waterproof. This made me a bit sad because the cave had amazing limestone formations hanging from the roof. The tour ended at a 5 footish waterfall where you could climb to the top and jump into a super deep pool. Even though I'm sure the water was super dirty it was nice to have a quick swim in fresh water again. The only downside to the tour was the giant spiders crawling along the walls. You wanted to use the walls for balance but were so reluctant to touch anywhere cause there could be something crawling there.

I made a big decision this week and decided to leave the hostel I was planning on staying at my whole time in Bocas. Another student and I checked out a couple places and, with the help of Habla Ya, we were able to find an awesome apartment/condo on the Isla Carenero. This means I'll have to take a water taxi to school every day but having privacy, quiet, and having my own place to cook will be totally worth it. I came here to learn Spanish and have awesome outdoor adventures and it's difficult to do your homework with so much else going on around you.

Not many pictures this week as all my activities involved water and my camera can't swim!