Escape from San Jose!

Hola todos. Today, Monday the 1st Dec we finally start our way out of San Jose! It was a 5am start and I was up in good order showered and packed and ready to go… I even celebrated by cracking open the last tinnie I had in the fridge for breakfast. Downstairs we soon went – yes I walked the bags all 7 stories down the stairs – we not chancing getting stuck in a lift today!

I’m over to the pickup point and after some waiting here comes Caribe Shuttles to pick me up and get me out of here. It is not a busy shuttle and there are a few others on this bus who I get to talking to. After about an hour we stop for breakfast and also to change buses. This goes fine and soon the new bus shows up, bigger than the first with a few more people off we go. We are then dropped at this little hotel restaurant place by the beach after 2 hours for a lunch where then a third bus will take is over the border. We have a lunch that included. A chicken wrap that is pretty nice. We chit chat a bit though in still quite quiet after the last few days.

Bus shows up and this one is taking us straight to the Panama border. Now this one was a slot quicker and easier than coming in was. You have to pay an $8 USD exit tax either in person or online and present the receipt to the official and he stamps your passport. We were all done within 30 mins. We then walk across a bridge and go queue up for Panama immigration, this again is quick and straightforward but again are asked for proof of onward travel. We are in. We have to pay. 3 dollar entrance tax and then we are put on our last bus to take us to Almirante.

2 hours later we arrive at Almirante and are quickly put on a boat to Bocas del Toro island. We arrive and it’s a quick 10 minute walk to the gaff. It’s a nice little room with AC, a fridge and even a stove to boil water for £20 a night. Lovely stuff I can develop PTSD in here quite happily!

I head out and have some dinner and a drink at a few places round town, pretty uneventful, I end the night at this one bar and get chatting to some Canadian fellas who are pretty cool. I’m starting to feel human again slowly slowly.

Overall was an easy day just made a bit tedious with all the stops and bus switching.