Our marina is just a hop, skip and a jump from Bocas Town. We’re at the bottom left of this photo, out of sight.

Being so close makes it convenient for us to go into town for groceries, hardware store items and such. Bocas Town is a low key place, with lots of artsy stores, neat restaurants and people of all types. There is little traffic overall, and sidewalks begin and end, so most people just walk in the street…with or without shoes.

The marina’s water taxi schedule brings us in town midday to run errands, dropping us at a pier right off of the main street.

Our first two weeks here were mostly grey and rainy, making our trips to town sometimes wet, but cool. The last ten days have been much more sunny, and brutally hot (the intensity of the sun here is no joke)! Luckily, we’ve discovered The Pub. It has great margaritas, nice views and a cool breeze in the afternoon as we wait for our taxi back to the marina.

I think we’ve been in nearly every hardware store here, as Scott searches for this and that, while working through his to-do list. They’re packed with inventory, and hot, hot, hot inside. I usually choose to wait outside while Scott shops, to avoid bursting into a soaking sweat. The salespeople often wait on two or more customers at once, which is terribly frustrating to Scott (we also have this problem in grocery stores).

Many things catch our eye when we’re in town. One day Scott spied this tiny, clown-car-type work van, making him feel like a giant.

Another day, we noticed what Scott called an above ground dog cemetery…did I mention that it’s hot?

I spied a bit of home when we stopped into Toro Loco, a local expat hangout; Baltimore proudly represented…Go Ravens!

The last marina taxi goes into town at 5pm, and we’ve ventured in once or twice for dinner, when the temperature is much more tolerable. Many more small eateries are open, and the delicious smell of grilled meat is in the air. Most restaurants don’t start to fill up for dinner service until after 8pm, when sounds of music and conversation blurr between the open air seating of waterfront restaurants.

During the day, we’ve discovered a few places with early happy hour specials, giving us a chance to grab an affordable bite before heading back to the marina with our bags of groceries and hardware (there are many backpackers in Bocas, so no one looks twice when you enter a restaurant loaded down with backpacks and bags in tow).

My biggest shock of our cruising journey so far?? Scott choosing to order a sushi special! He proudly picked up a roll with his hand, and applied wasabi to it with a chopstick before shoving it into his mouth.

And, he’s up for eating it again. Will wonders never cease…I cannot even imagine what could top that. Here are many more photos of our sights and scenes in Bocas Town.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”