Towards Panama

Although Dominical is reputated to have monster waves, it actually had the best conditions we had seen yet - not as angry and dangerous as before, and on my last day it was really really good. It´s also a nice town to relax in while not riding waves. But enough surfing for a while, and onto Bahia drake, the main wilderness area on the Pacific coast. The trip here was great, ending with a boat taking us from Sierpe through pretty mangrove forests and pods of dolphins after passing through some pretty scary waves.



Bahia Drake itself is really pretty, and the place im staying in, el Mirador, is really nice, located high above with a great view, with nothing but the sound of crashing waves and candlelight to lull you to sleep. Apart from Saturday night that is, with the local disco beats vibrarting to ruin the ambience.
I did a couple of dives as its touted as the best diving in costa rica, and though I did see loads of white tipped reef sharks, as well as several large schools of pelagic fish, poor enough visibility coupled with pretty ordinary coral meant an ok rather than great dive experience. And it aint cheap around here... I passed on a day hike costing 95 dollars...they do take the piss sometimes in Costa Rica.



Still theres a fair bit to see for free here, with loads of pretty birds like hummingbirds, macquaws, parrots, warblers, frigate birds tanagiers and loads more, as well as lots of iguanas and other lizzards, and the plant life is really beautuful and vibrant. But Panama calls, and a boat - bus - border crossing - minibus - chicken bus ride later, via a brief stop in David, Im in Boquete, where Im going to stay put for a bit...