Today we decided to take a 45 minute, 20 km ferry ride on Barco Calypso to Isla Taboga (The Island of Flowers). It was settled by the Spanish in 1515 and has the second oldest church in the western hemisphere. The big attraction here though, is its beaches. They have soft white sand that slopes gradually into the warm, blue water. Taboga used to be the favorite place for English pirates and some places look like scenes out of "Pirates of the Caribbean". (As Johnny Depp would say, "But where's the Rum?"). Here is a glimpse of what we saw coming into the Isla. We rented three mats and an umbrella for $7.00, ate our peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches, and had a great time sunning, swimming and snorkeling. Keith swam to the east point of little Isla Moro and saw "a ton" of VERY large fish...of course he did not have his camera or his spear gun with him...hmmm...




We decided to take a walk and explore the town. I loved the splash of color from all of the flowers! Nothing beats colorful flowers against white stucco, with a background of blue ocean water!

This was the church mentioned at the top of this blog. It was built in the 1500's, and I wonder how it survived during WWII when the US Navy used this island for artillery fire.



This was taken at the front steps of the church. Notice the peeling paint behind me. Everyone is constantly painting and re-painting their metal railings around here. The salt water and humidity creates havoc.



Keith and I tried to hike up to the top of the Island to see the old WWII bunkers and the ruins of an old Spanish fort, but the trail became hidden in the jungle, so we turned back.


No, this is not a postcard. I took this from a restaurant that overlooked the canal tonight. You can see how it is going to be hard to come home in two weeks. We have talked with several people that came to Panama for a vacation and never returned. Now we can see why...


Kathy