We spent the day on a rented catamaran, floating between the islands, and enjoying the calm waters of the Caribbean. It was the most relaxing sailing experience that I've ever had. Staring at the open water and watching the dolphins swim by was unreal. I felt completely at peace.
We basked in the sun, and lounged around soaking up the salty scent of the sea and taking in the picturesque views of the islands surrounding us. Our captin docked in the middle of the water, and we took snorkels to the mangroves. While not quite as impressive as Hawaii, the ocean was teeming with life and vibrancy.
I felt like we could cruise forever on that boat, and that I'd never lose that feeling of contentment...
Another beautiful city in Panama...it just goes to show that Panama has a diversity of beautiful places to see.
Bocas Del Toro is a chain of little islands off the coast of Panama on the Caribbean side. It's only accessible by way of water taxi--a speed boat that jets across the water as you rip past postcard perfect scenery and little islands of greenery.
There are a lot of cute waterside restaurants, which to dine at in LA would cost a hefty sum, but in Panama everything is very reasonable. Dinner every night came with a perfect view and our eyes were treated to the occasional lightning storm. It was majestic to watch it light up the sky, and the clarity of the ocean water was incredible too.
We stayed on the main island, Isla Colon, which is a big party island and backpacker's haven. The bars alternate locations for ladies' night, so on any given night there is somewhere that girls can drink for free. There is a definite hostel-backpacker vibe to the busy island, and it may be a little more on the touristy side than I normally would like, but it was a blast.
Our first night we hopped to different happy hours and sampled the island's party life. Then we headed over to Aqua Lounge, host of ladies' night. Aqua Lounge is a bar located in the middle of the ocean. It's accessible only by water taxi. The dance floor is a deck. There are whimsical swings, and you're swinging right over the ocean! I felt like I was eight years old again playing on the swings. There is a big hole cut in the middle of the deck where the ocean water filters in like an inviting swimming pool. And the best part? A trampoline a few meters from the bar floating in the ocean! 
It was just too tempting to resist. I thought to myself, "how many times in my life am I going to get the chance to be on a bar in the middle of the ocean, and get to go on a trampoline?!" I brought this point up to my traveling mates and convinced them all that we should go for it, and after a couple of drinks, we were all taken by the idea. We linked up our arms and jumped into the ocean, jeans and all. We swam to the trampoline and had a merry, jumping good time.
After the initial shock wore off, other people started to take our lead, and ten minutes later, half the bar was in the water. We'd like to think that we started the movement for that night. There always has to be someone to jump in the ocean first, but I'm sure at Aqua Lounge, it's a nightly ritual that gets repeated time and time again.
It was a crazy night, and while I regretted my clothing choice--tight, wet jeans are not much fun--it's definetely an experience I'll always remember...
