Blatts in Panama: Back in Bocas del Toro

We arrived by watertaxi at the Cosmic Crab and met our doppelganger family.  The owners of the seaside hotel were Jews, with 13 year old boy/girl twins.  For 3 days, the twins jumped into the fish-filled ocean, paddled on surfboards and chowed down on junk food at the beach.  

Playa Estrella is still gorgeous-- so nice that we went there twice.  But, sadly, poor care by people and boats have driven the once numerous sea stars away.  We saw about 10-20, when 1.5 years ago we saw 3-4 times as many.  

One day, we took a touristy boat tour to Isla Zapatilla, a white sand island surrounded by turqouse green water.  Our hunt for the perfect beach continued.  As part of the tour, we did some snorkeling at a reef, saw a speedy sloth in a tree, waiting while our guides ate their lunches, and then went to dolphin bay.  The boat driver killed the engine and not 2 minutes later, a group of dolphins emerged from the depths to do what Ilana describes as a "mesmerizing water ballet."  

This was our second time in Bocas and I have to say that it has it's charm.  It's a tropical Venice, with its canals, and waterways, and waters teeming with tropical fish, dolphins, and sea stars.