Finally, the Real Caribbean

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I think I have found my potential honey moon destination when I eventually marry my imaginary boyfriend,Pablo, a millionaire by virtue of his international fame as a top model. Isla Bastimento in the group of islands known as Boca Del Toro, is everything that you would imagine the Caribbean to be: chilled out, picture post card beaches, friendly Patois speaking locals and all the rum you can drink. It is a romantic and dreamy place that entwines Jamaican and Latin culture in a melting pot of tranquility. In short, I loved it.

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Isla Bastimento is the least touristy of the islands. Avoid Isla Colon at all costs- it´s one of those places that could be anywhere in the world. I went straight to Bastimento by boat from the mainland and entered a tropical world of rainbow coloured houses overlooking the calm Caribbean ocean. There a few tourists here. The locals want it to stay that way and I couldn´t agree more.

My daily itinerary consisted of the following. Wake up to the sound of the gentle lap of the waves of the sea. My hostel was built on stilts over the water and between the cracks of the floor boards I could see the green of the sea. I would then walk to breakfast, trying to avoid the owner´s own special offer : a joint and a beer. Apparently it is normal to engage in such terrible activities early in the morning, as I was soon to find out. I would then head down to the beach, either Wizard Beach or Red Frog Beach and chill on the white sands looking out to the horizon. For lunch I would have fresh fish and maybe a cold beer. I would then walk back later and chill on the hammocks that are at the end of the pier of our hotel. Then go to dinner and bed. That is just to give you an idea of the level of relaxation you can expect here, stress and hassle free from our hectic civilisation. In fact , there are no roads on the island, only a wide footpath in the only town and a few tracks beaten into the jungle.

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A part from the vivid colours of the houses and the people, music invades every corner of the place. Every house that you pass has a different type of music blaring out of the windows at full volume. Here, music and culture mingle freely creating an explosion of Afro- Latino rhythms. After a while, your hips move automatically to the music. In the words of Shakira, my hips certainly don´t lie. I wish they would though (i.e. we are not big really).

The locals here speak a fascinating mix of Patois and Spanish. They may start off speaking in Spanish and then change suddenly into Patois. I had no idea what they were saying to me when they spoke in Patois at one hundred miles an hour. When they do speak Spanish, they do so with a Jamaican accent. I am not sure what the translation of ´bambaclot man ! ´is in Spanish. Any ideas ?

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The other great thing about this place is that everyone is friendly here. They greet you whether they know you or not.In fact sometimes they are too friendly. A highlight of my stay there was being hit on by a seven year old boy. I nearly clipped him around the ear. But his cute little accent got the better of me and I promised to marry him when he was over the legal age.

My idea of paradise is encapsulated by the desert island of Zapatilla. There are no buildings or inhabitants. The beaches are made of powdery white sand that looks like icing sugar against a green sea. The water is as warm as a baby´s bath and as still as a swimming pool full of multicoloured fish, If you get thirsty you can open up a coconut and drink it´s water. Turtles come here to nest and I saw the mounds where they leave their eggs, ready for the next generation.

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I also snorkeled at Old Point and Polo Beach which are on the other side of the island. Lewis, our captain, took us out on his speed boat and told us that he needed a beer and a joint to drive. So he drank and smoked away as me and Chris ( a guy from Essex that I met in my hostel) looked at eachother with a slight look of terror in our eyes. He told us not to worry and I suppose sometimes you just have to have faith. We had to cross the open sea to get past a coral reef on Old Point up to Polo Beach. It was at this point that I started to think I was about to meet my maker. The sea suddenly got really rough and with a slightly stoned Captain and a tiny speed boat, we were being tossed about and at times I thought the boat was going to be flipped over. Thankfully, Lewis had his wits about him and we survived. Obviously.

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The beaches are very similar to what I have already described but the coral reef provides an underwater play ground for marine life. I snorkeled with playful bright green and yellow striped fish and came face to face with a Dog Shark which thankfully had no teeth. I felt like a little mermaid discovering a new place to hide from sailors, alone with my maritime compatriots and my breathing.

One romantic feature of the island is the rain. It punctually rains at six o´clock every day. It doesn´t mess around either. The lightning illuminates the sky in forks of electric and watching nature´s fire work display was my evening activity before and after dinner in my hammock. It was the perfect way to wind down after an exhausting day at the beach.