Red Frog

Tuesday, July 03, 2007
8:05 AM

Right now it is 7:00am on maybe a Tuesday morning. I decided to wake up early today to go around Bocas to take some pictures as well as catch up on my travel blog from yesterday. I think I got a couple good pictures, but not sure they were worth waking up early for.

I am continuing to love Bocas Del Toro, especially after yesterday's visit to Red Frog Beach. It was a short 10 minute boat ride from Bocas town. Following the boat ride, we had a short walk through the rain forest to get to the beach. They wont drop you off directly on the beach because of the difficulty in navigating the large waves that in part make Red Frog so famous in Bocas.

The beach was awesome. It was definitely one of the nicest beaches I have been to here in Panama, or in the world for that matter. The water was crystal clear, the sand was white, and there was plenty of shade to take it all in and enjoy (yeah, most people don't want shade when they go to the beach, but for Haley and I it was a welcome site). After putting our stuff down on the beach, I decided to head off and do a little exploring while Haley and Michael stayed behind to get situated.

Here's my funny story. When I was walking back on my walk, I walked by these two bikini-clad women lying in the surf. When I walked by, they were both smiling and waving their hands in a flirtatious manner. The reason this is a funny story is because of my reaction. It was the last thing I was expecting and I had no idea how to react. I'm sure I must have blushed and I think I half-waved, but it was so incredibly awkward for me I'm surprised I didn't trip over my feet right there and get a face full of sand. Nice to know I still don't have it (and don't need it).

After the warm up walk, Michael and I set out to find the ever more elusive Red Frog that gives this beach it's name. The Red Frog has been on the decline since the commercialization of Isla Bastimentos, where the beach lies. The problem is that this island is the only location where the Red Frog is found in the world. I don't suppose we were helping the problem by visiting the island and then hunting out the frog to get a picture. However, Michael and I were careful and our "hunting" paid off. We ended up finding two frogs on our trek. Though you can't tell from the pictures, they are scarcely bigger than your thumbnail. We had to walk through the mud and back in all of this tropical ground cover, following the call they were making. We found plenty of the uglier females (at least I am guessing it is the males that are colorful and the females that are a drab brown color), and finally a couple males. When we were walking back, I kept imagining tropical snakes, like the Fer-De-Lance, crawling down by my feet ready to strike at any time. Luckily we got a few pictures off without any snake venom entering our bodies.

On our hike, we found another beach after following another trail through the rain forest and over a rather large hill. The beach was really nice also, but with more rocks than Red Frog.

When We got back, I decided to give body surfing a try. I was hesitant to do so after reading about the strong undertow, but after seeing some other older gentlemen doing so, I thought I could handle it. The waves were probably 6 or 7 feet tall and very consistent. I couldn't believe how much fun I was having riding those waves in on my belly and even managed to convince Haley to come join me. After riding some nice waves and consequentially showing her boobies to the world one too many times, she decided to call it quits. I stayed out there for another half hour tiring myself out. I wish we had more time to lounge around and explore, but we had told our boat guide that we would leave at 3.

Then last night, we had an amazing dinner at "La Pirata." I had the 2lb snapper which was flavored and deep fried to absolute perfection. It was some of the best fish I have ever had. Even Haley was a bit jealous as she ate her spaghetti pomodoro. Haley was happy, however, with her ice lemonades (which were quite good). We sure haven't been saving any money with the food down here, but we have been eating well.

Today we travel to Boquete, up in the mountains. It should be much cooler, temperature wise, and will give us some time to relax from our more adventurous sides.