Steve and Glo's travel blog

Bocas del Toro, Panama

A few months ago when we were in San Miguel de Allende we met Dave and Suzanne, who own an eco-resort in Bocas del Toro, a series of islands on the Caribbean coast of Panama. So we decided that we had to make a side-trip there while we were in the area.

We were definitely not disappointed! We spent the first week or so in the main Bocas town, which is a backpacker-friendly town which reminded us a lot of our time in Thailand. Then we headed up to the northern, quieter part of the island for a few days by beautiful Playa Estrella, or Starfish Beach, where there were indeed many starfish.

Finally we headed to Dave and Suzanne's amazing resort Casa Cayuco, which was definitely a highlight of our trip so far. We spent a week lazing by the beach, taking walks through the jungle, and looking for animals - we spotted sloths (or "lazy bears" in Spanish), caimans, sharks, stingrays, lobsters, octopuses, and many more creatures.

Nelly and Clementine loved playing with their friend Mina again, and we even got a chance to spend some time together snorkelling while the kids played. All in all, it was a great way to end our time in Central America.

El Valle de Anton

After leaving Panama City we spent a week in the small mountain town of El Valle de Anton, which is situated inside a long-extinct volcano. We rented a lovely house with a pool and gardens, which was a nice spot to spend Glo's birthday.

We did a couple of short hikes to waterfalls, and one really long hike where Nelly once again showed what a trooper she is. For nearly 5 hours she walked uncomplainingly up a super-steep mountain path, littered with slippery rocks.

We were dreading the journey down again, when we were rescued by a local worker who had just hauled a 40kg sack up the mountain and was heading down again. He happily picked Nelly up and had her down the mountain again in a few minutes!

Panajachel

We first met Seth and Beth, and their kids Ezra and Milo, on the beach in Sayulita a couple of years ago, and we kept in touch. When we found out we'd all be in Central America at the same time, we made a special effort to meet up in Guatemala.

We rented a house together on Lago Atitlán and had a blast. The kids got to make and eat chocolate while the adults learnt how it's actually made (who knew that mosquitoes are required to pollinate the cacao flowers?)

We took a boat to some lakeside towns together and enjoyed chilling and toasting marshmallows by the fire at night. Thanks for a great time - it was a fantastic way to finish up our month in Guatemala. Until next time!