I managed to finally get out of David, not to Bocas Del Toro but to the Pacific coast. On a tip I headed to a location on the Pacific coast called Las Lajas. This was a very low-key beach area which was absolutely beautiful - not much in the way of shops/restaurants/accommodation, but sunshine and a beautiful beach. A spent a few days there before heading back to David and eventually onto Bocas.

I finally made it to Bocas town a week later than I intended to get there. On the bus trip into Bocas I could see the damage that had been done to the road by the rains over the past week - it was quiet scary in some spots, with the road appearing undercut by erosion.

My main reason for going to the islands was to finish my open water dive certification and spend some time underwater. I went first to do my certification at Bocas Water Sports a dive shop located adjacent to the water taxi arrival jetty. I had a fantastic time there with great instructors and dive-masters and managed to finish my open water and get in another four dives in the four nights I spent on the island.

Whilst diving I managed to see some cool wildlife such as a frogfish, spotted drum and some cool little translucent shrimps. There was also a neat wreck of a small car ferry that I dived on twice in my time in Bocas town. I'm absolutely loving diving and can't wait to get back into the water again……….like I needed another expensive habit.

Once again I just want to emphasize what a scarily small place the world is. The owners/operators of the drive shop, Jon and Stacey, had lived in Wilmington (NC) prior to moving to Panama (Wilmington is in the area that I am heading to for a few months after Panama). They gave me some good tips on what to see and do in NC (and where to eat) once I get there.

After Bocas I headed up north into Costa Rica to Puerto Viejo. Once across the border I remembered how expensive Costa Rica was and how cheap Panama was. Puerto Viejo was a really nice place but in the process of becoming overtouristised - yes, this is a new word that I've invented. I would have liked to spend a couple more days there but due to the David saga only managed to spend one night before making my last big road journey in Latin America (to San Jose)!