Panama Adventure: The Caribbean

After our amazing time in the hills, we jetted off to the East Coast of Panama:

To Bocas del Toro, or Bocas:

And water taxied:


To our over water bungalows at the spectacular and eco-friendly Eclypse de Mar:

As we checked out our room:


We were greeted by some new friends, Crabby the Crab:

And Ginkgo the Gecko:

Snacks arrived:

(for some reason we will never know they loved pringle chips and green olives??)

And I settled in:

Each night we headed to the 'Hotel' Restaurant for an amazing meal.

These were appetizers with coconut bread, green peppers and some sort of coconut milk sauce- gasp, I'd fly down there right now just to have these:

And of course we had to have the chocolate dessert with organic chocolate grown just a few islands away:

For the next three days we headed out by boat on various day trips around the Bocas del Toro Archipelago with our trusty guide, Salsa.

We went every where, every ounce if it was amazing!

We started off at Dolphin Bay in the South-eastern-ish corner of Isla Bastimentos:

Then headed to the marine reserve at Cayos Zapatilla for snorkeling:

And a walk through a deserted island:

We visited 'Bird Island' on the Northwest side of Isla Colon:




And Star Fish Beach on Isla Colon:



And on our last day Mr. Peep secured us a visit to the organic chocolate farm mentioned above. Run by an expat couple from Portland, OR, they do everything themselves. And at the end of the tour you can buy bars of 100% chocolate and a recipe book on how to use it. Rest assured, we pretty much bought the place out and I've since made THE best brownies for my family and friends. Here's the raw/fresh cocoa straight off the tree:


Did I mention that all the islands have poison dart frogs?

They change color depending on what island you are on. And the brighter the color the more poisonous they are. I didn't get a pic of the red ones. But the guy at the chocolate farm assured Mr. Peep that the green ones were the least poisonous.

And while it rained almost every afternoon:

It always provided the perfect opportunity for our daily naps.

And it always cleared up just in time for cocktails and sunsets:








And in general, we had the time of our lives:





Really, I can't recommend Panama or taking a honeymoon enough. I've traveled a fair amount, but traveling with my Husband for two straight weeks with barely a care or a bicker in the air was the perfect way to solidify our life long journey. And while I know a marriage is measured by how you handle the hard stuff, it sure is wonderful to reminisce in the best times together.

Even if it's just for a few days, take sometime to warm up the marriage with just the two of you.