so why rush off to Panama?

As a guest in Costa Rica, you have a visa good for 90 days. Then, to remain in the country, you need to step out for 72 hours. The easiest way to do this is to go visit the neighboing countries of Panama or Nicaragua. I was curious about Panama, especially the Boquete area, which many travellers had told me about, and also about the Bocas del Toro area, which is supposed to be a nice beach town. When Linda said she would be going with her son Eli, I decided to join them. We decided to take busses through the country, to see a part of the country we haven't seen before. We went from Paraiso (the next town) to Turrialba, to Siquirres, to Puerto Limon. We missed a few quick connections, and realized we weren't going to make it to the border before they closed at 5:00, so we decided to head for Bri Bri for the night. Puerto Limon and Bri Bri were not exactly my favorite places. By 4:00 we were in Bri Bri, which had exactly two restaurants and almost nothing else. We got up early, and got the bus to the border in Sixaola, where you walk across a bridge into Panama. Eli is pictured on the bridge as we began the journey. From there, we took a taxi to a boat dock, where a water taxi service leaves 3 times a day for Bocas del Toro, an island in the Carribean very close to the mainland. En route, we saw some wildlife, and a couple of guys in the handmade dugout canoes.