Spending the day with dolphins, sloths, and starfish

It poured in a biblical fashion all night long. Our lodging remained completely dry, and our mosquito nets kept us bite-free. Only Luke had a hard time with the sound of the rain on the metal roof – it put me and kiddo to sleep immediately.

We had hopes of exploring Isla Bastimentos and the surrounding area today if the weather was good. While the morning looked ominous, our host assured us it would be an OK day, weather-wise, so after a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, a frittata, homemade bread, and crepe-style pancakes, we boarded our boat and head off for the day.

First up, we went looking for the dolphins who live in the area. Found ‘em!

We headed off to Isla Zapatilla, part of the Bastimentos National Marine Park. These islands are key nesting sites for several species of sea turtles, and was Panama’s first marine reserve, created in 1988. While the island had some nice jungle paths, I got positively eaten alive by bugs, so we didn’t stay too long. (My family like traveling with me because bugs chew me up and leave them alone; I probably got 20-25 bites from our hour on the island, while Luke and Anna-Sophia would be hard pressed to find 8 bites between the two of them).

We stopped at an over-water restaurant for lunch. The food was fresh, but what we most enjoyed was the parrot above and the fish below. Luke and Anna-Sophia claimed to have seen a 4-foot long nurse shark, too, but there are no photos, so…

Next up was some snorkeling in Coral Cay. I am not a strong swimmer by any stretch of the imagination, so snorkeling in open water always generates some amount of fear for me. I got into the water, got my snorkel gear working properly, pushed off from the boat, and within the first 30 seconds, kiddo taps me to point out the jellyfish nearby. I do not do jellyfish. Not at all. It’s not even so much about the sting (although I don’t want to experience that), but about panicking while in the water. I’d be that tourist who gets stung and then dies from drowning. Needless to say, I was basically attached to Luke or Anna-Sophia the rest of the time we were snorkeling because there were quite a fair number of jellyfish around and being near them helped to keep me calm.

When I wasn’t obsessing over the jellyfish, I was able to admire the stunningly vivid coral all around us. Fish were pretty, as well, but I was rather spoiled by Tahiti in that regard so I’ve seen these guys before.

Along the way back toward town, be stopped at a spot called Hollywood because of all of the starfish on the sea floor. I don’t think I’ve ever seen wild starfish before coming here, and I am now a fan. They are a vibrant array of orange, and these starfish are big. Probably 8-10” in diameter, and at least 2-3” tall in their middles (centers? bodies? what do you call the non-arm parts of a starfish?). The second such place we stopped also had a lot of jellyfish, which helped to remind me that despite starfish being benign, the ocean is full of things that are ouchy.

We looked for white-faced monkeys in a stunning mangrove. No monkeys, but the mangroves were truly amazing. They do so much good for the ecosystem, yet are imperiled all over the world. This one looked quite healthy and vibrant, and I hope the marine park protections keep it that way.

There were a few 3-toed sloths along the way back. Surprise, surprise, they were sleeping. 😁

Our biggest treat was when we got back to our lodging, where one of the local sloths (2-toed) was up and active. We watched this sloth for probably half an hour – it’s fascinating to see them move so deliberately and s-l-o-w-l-y.

I’m incredibly grateful that today’s weather turned out to be decent. It wasn’t a sunny beach day, but it was mostly dry and an excellent day for being on the water, exploring the natural beauty of this area. We are in for another delicious dinner tonight, and then we get to pack up, yet again. At this point in the trip, there’s precious little clothing that is even remotely clean, so we at least don’t have to worry about preventing wrinkles!