In the old days captains used to tilt their ships on there side on the beach to do maintenance to the hull. It is called careening, and apparently Columbus did it here in 1503 so the place is now called Carenero Island. It is part of the Bocas del Toro group. Columbus also named the islands after a waterfall that he thought looked like a bulls mouth, so Bocas del Toro.
To get here I last at 7.30 this morning and got here about 1pm. I had bus to the border at Sixaola. Then the border was a shambles. On Costa Rica side I had to go to restaurant over the road and pay departure tax $8, then get stamped out. Walk over the bridge and go to window behind the building and pay entry tax $4 for Panama. When I paid this a guy made me fill out a customs form. Just the usual stuff but he kept it? Then I gotta go over the road, past the duty free shop, and get stamp from immigration. I don't know how they know I filled out the form? I had to buy $4 worth of wifi so I could show them my exit air ticket. I think they make it soo hard so all the helpers can get a little bit of the action.
Then bus to Changuinola, that was easy there is a bus terminal. Then bus to Almiranti and boat to Bocas. When I got off the ferry at Bocas I was met by Joan. She Si middle age and speaks English and offered me a cottage over the water on Carenero. It was a very good price, and I was coming here in a couple of days, so I jumped at it. A $1 water taxi and I was there in no time. Weeeelllll when I got there they said not over the water but dawn the back. I said I don't want it get the water taxi back. She said come and look at it. It is a nice room but next to maintenance hut and looking over a swamp. We negotiated a little more and I said OK. Since being here I am regretting that. I have walked a long way in both directions and it is a long way to get water etc and I still can't find a beach. I will look some more tomorrow. You wood think I have been travelling enough to NOT get caught in such a cheap scam?

Yesterday I covered the area north of here. There are rich houses then swamp then a bluff covered in jungle and I can't get past there. So today I went the other way. This way goes through a swamp, then the slums and eventually to town. When you get there the only option is left. I walked for a couple of hours there and back. Along some beaches and some rocky 'beaches'. This is what I imagined the Caribbean to be like, all the small beaches with palm trees. It was a great walk and I stopped for a swim a few times. There are also some nice resorts over there, including the one I was going to stay at.
This arvo I went for a walk looking for somewhere to have dinner. Long story short, the first place had no food the second was closed so I back at the overpriced resort. It is only a couple of bucks but I not happy giving it to them. Oh well I'm on holiday so suck it up and move on.
This morning I am booked to go to Popa Island to go snorkelling. It is one of the few things I have booked, and I only booked it yesterday. The weather today is raining? There is thunder and lightening and rain and looks like it is set in for the day. This is a very expensive trip so I hope the rain is the usual for here and it clears up this arvo. I havnt had a day where it has rained all day so far so I hope today is not the first.