Leaving Panama City was a long haul on a bus for 10 hours and then a 1 hour boat ride to one of the six main islands of this archipelago. We arrived last night and we are staying in a hotel that was an old-styled afro-caribbean house that is pratically over the water on stilts. We are staying on one of the less developed islands called Bastimentos, and the small town does not have any motorized vehicles. Paradise, once again.
Today we had a lecture from the Smithsonian Research Institute, where we learned about the ecosystems on this side of the country. The coral reefs are in danger, just as the turtles, of going extinct due to uncontroled tourism, environmental exploitation, increase in population and lack of regulations. The main island of Colon has the most important beach for turtle nesting, and every year less turtles come to nest. There seems to be so many environmental problems and not enough social organization to protect the negative impacts, yet.
We lucked out too, because Bocas del Toro is celebrating their yearly festivals this weekend. So, after full days of learning, we will continue to learn through experience about their socio-cultural life. =)
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