“Wild Hogs” in Bocas del Toro

Bocas del Toro

Wild Hogs! Five of us on four scooters, each of which had its own unique mechanical problem. Mine kept stalling in idle; Trevor and Sandy’s was smoking like a chimney and stinking up the place; Jennifer’s handlebars were crooked; and Drury’s had minimal suspension. At $60 for half a day, it was pretty expensive, but off we went.

There are essentially two roads on this island – one following a big wide bay on the east side and the other pretty much following the middle out to the north end, to a place called Bocas del Drago. We started out thinking we would run along the east side, but gave up after about 90 minutes of circumnavigating mud puddles (lakes!) in a road made of sand. The star of the day was Jennifer, who broke trail most of the way, zooming boldly through the puddles, daring the depths. I provided comic relieve, falling once when the scooter stalled as I was trying to get up to the footpath from the road, and taking a spectacular header while avoiding a puddle with a damned navigation aid in it! Too bad – it would have been a beautiful trip, as this bay is where many of the new “resorts” are planned to be built. It’s their trucks that have been digging up the road. So we ran back to the main road for an enjoyable run 18 kilometers to the end of the island, stopping here and there to ooh and aah at the scenery and try to spot wildlife.

We stumbled into the restaurant on the beach at Bocas del Drago, me looking for all the world like something the cat dragged in – covered in mud, ripped pants, and helmet hair. All in all, though, it was a splendid day.