We almost had to turn back to Bocas when we attempted to go over the mountains to return to Boquete after our Christmas Holiday.

My son was surfing Paunch Beach in Bocas Del Toro for his holiday from college in Orlando Florida so instead of him traveling to Boquete we thought a beach Christmas would be just right this non- traditional year.  Admittedly we needed a chance to “thaw out” from The Boquete climate that many of our Canadian friends seem to think is just wonderful. Unfortunately for our middle aged bones and bodies accustomed  to sunny and tropical Florida this “eternal spring” gets a little cold and damp for us. Yes we do love the rainbows but really how many do you want every day when you have to have the Barajeque (misting rain) to get the rainbows? Oh well, a butt for every seat as they say.

We drove to Almirante and took the Taxi 25 to Bocas, Isla Colon where our son and his friend met us in a 4 wheel drive ready to get some sun, salt air and sand.

We spent time at a lovely hotel called La Coralina right on the beach near Paunch and had great food, outstanding company and a memorable lobster dinner with outstanding side dishes. The owner Stacy works really hard to see that everyone is happy and comfortable.

La Coralina from the bottom of the driveway looking up.

We stayed in Bocas for 2 wonderful nights and then headed back over the Bay to pick up our truck in Almirante. We arrived in Almirante to a friendly face telling us that we had left our lights on and had a dead battery so immediately began to look for help and as is typical in Panama (even in Almirante) we quickly found some. While this transpired we were told that the road was closed over the mountains and I was thankful for earlier lessons learned in Panama. We are always ready with some drinks, extra clothes and the attitude necessary to sleep in the truck if the need arises.

Once we arrived in Punta Pena we stopped to visit with a friend for an hour or so and found out that the road over the mountains had just opened and would not stay open for long since it would soon be dark. So off we went to get on our way to Boquete.

The road has gotten much worse since the previous landslides. Willie Mazu which was a lovely little eco birding park in the National Forest on the Bocas side has been turned into a lake, cabins are under water and the “moving lake” continues to wash over the road creating havoc.

Here is what we found along the way….

Our first indication of the traffic jam

Approaching Willie Mazu on the Bocas side above Mali.

I have never seen so much mud!

This pipe is taking some of the water but with no where to drain really.

Off to the right is where Willie Mazu used to be; the road washed away on both sides.

And it is as nerve wracking as it looks, really a white knuckles ride!

Everybody is either working or waiting.

This was the next big problem area.

What is left of the road is the little part to the left of the yellow tape.

There is a lovely but very busy waterfall right there just around the bend.

I am not sure why the front end loader is working on the waterfall but I am sure there is logic to it somewhere that I am missing.

This washout opposite the waterfall.

Yikes! Looking back is no less scary!

From here we had relatively smooth sailing and luckily there was no rain or fog.

If you are going to the Bocas Del Toro mainland side just be very careful and plan for delays. You will want to plan your crossing for daylight and have water and snacks just in case. More rain will mean more damage and slow the work down so if we have more rain on that side it would be good to check to see if the road is still open. Once again these guys working on this road mess are amazing in a crisis and working so hard to make the road right again. I can’t help but think though that It would just be grand if PTP (the oil company that is responsible for the road maintenance) would grasp the concept of “maintenance” rather than emergency management!

Too much to hope for???  Oh well, Happy Holidays and safe travels!

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