Blue eyes in Panama...... :o(

My Bocas del Trauma experience:

Wasn´t sure whether to include my latest shenanigans from Panama in my blog or not but since it´s all part of the travel experience, here it is.

I arrived in Bocas del Toro yesterday afternoon, psyched to the max about seeing out the remainder of my trip on my own timetable and going wherever my feet take me. 1st thing I noticed - no smilie faces. Not so much as a grunt in my general direction when I chirped the customary ´hola!´. 2nd thing I noticed - missed my previous travel pals way beyond my expectations. Maybe the 2nd is a side affect of the 1st. Or maybe I just don´t like to admit any attachments. Oooh, I just did! 3rd thing I noticed - the tourists were the wrong sort for my taste. Too affected, too oxbridge and definitely not economy class, yeeeurgh. Give it a chance, stay 1 night I thought.

Hostel was a necropolis. Joined a group for a promising sounding party at a place called Aqua Lounge with multiple dive boards, pool sized holes in the deck for dipping directly into the sea, banging music, free drinks for chicas. Started off well. Just getting into the spirit so joined the majority of the crowd in the water and began making acquaintences. So far so good. Headed up deck for only my 2nd drink when I discovered my sandals were not where i hid them. Nor was my bag. With my dry clothes, money, camera...

For next 10 mins, I remained cool. Having just gotten over the fact that I had already lost nearly 3000 trip photos on Archos, hadn´t listened to music for days - determined not to go insane from this fact alone - it took a while to sink in that losing my camera meant not only having lost the precious few new photos I´d taken since the Great Loss, but I now had no means of taking any new ones. Or getting a taxi boat back to my hostel. For the 1st time in my life, I begged for cash from strangers. Not bueno. Only $1 but it stung my pride like hell. Armed with $1, sandals and 2 strips of wet cloth covering my bits, I started home. Should I really walk strange dark streets alone in this state? Do I look for a nice person to escort me? I saw only men around so I took my chances alone.

I´d taken a can of maize (spelling?) in my bag but that obviously went too. I got lost and the street lights started going out as a storm had started and at that point I broke down. Uncontrollably, like I haven´t cried in years and years. Maybe decades. Good job because that just made me determined again. A fat local took pity and walked me home, which I allowed because, a) it was that or remain on the street, b) I could have out run him and his 20 stone arse, c) in my state of mind, I could have ripped the teeth off a wild boar with my bare hands I was so angry, if he so much as looked below my face. But he was cool. I made it back. I didn´t even mind that I had to sleep on a drenched matress, or that I had compulsory AC blowing straight at me from 12 inches away. being on the top bunk! Because I made it back... phew!

It wasn't this experience per say that shook me up so much, It's my loss of photos, my memories albeit only my recorded visuals of them but still somehow it was theft of my personal temporary brain snaps I was looking forward to keeping for life. Ah well, it all turns to dust in the end.

What next ? Getting the heck out of Bocas. Not sure where to but I think a day on the beach eating ice-cream and reading my book is a bloody good idea. I´ll take it form there.....

Oh, and BTW I do not think I will buy a camera so maybe no more photos :o(

Asta la huego amigos,

D x