The 28th of April was the day we left for Bocas del Toro . We got up early and drove from San Jose, Costa Rica to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca , a town close to Sixaola , which is where the border crossing to Panama is located. I had made prior arrangements to leave the car at the "Rocking J's hostel" and "Carribbean Shuttles" picked us up and took us to the border. The border crossing was uneventful and we continued our journey to Almirante , the town from which the "water taxis" take you from the mainland to Isla Colon. The arrival dock is in Bocas town and it is associated with our shuttle service. The final leg of our journey was another short water- taxi trip to Isla Carrenero where we had made lodging arrangements at "Hotel Tierra Verde".
One of the primary goals for going on this first trip was to reacquaint myself with Bocas del Toro and make contact with Gary Curtis Mitchell , owner of "Greenacres Chocolate Farm" and director of "Planet Rehab". I had been to the archipielago back in the 90's on a surf trip , and had a vague recollection of that area , but was surprised at how much everything had changed. I definitely needed a refresher!
I met Gary through a post I made on Facebook targeted at the expat community of Panama, where I was trying to assess if anybody was interested in macaw conservation. Gary immediately commented on my post with considerable interest as his organization's goals are very much aligned with Proyecto Ara's objectives of reintroducing a breeding population of scarlett and great green macaws in this area of Panama. Gary is very knowledgeable about birds and has considerable aviculture experience. He is aslo very much involved in rain forest conservation . The "Green Acres Chocolate Farm" is Gary's showcase of his conservation efforts. The property is spectacular , rising from the ocean and overlooking a beautiful cove encased in jungle. Gary's property is quite exceptional in that it has a stand of mature "Almendro" trees (Dipteryx oleifera). Ecologically, this tree is considered a keystone species. Its fruits are an important source of food for more than 100 species of animals during the dry season , including the great green macaw. Gary is actively involved in producing Almendro seedlings and distributing these to neighbours and individuals interested in planting and replenishing the dwindling counts of these trees in that area.
Our vist with Gary at the Green Acres Chocolate Farm took place on April the 29th . Gary gave us a very comprehensive and educational tour of the property giving us detailed information about many plants and trees, their medicinal usage asf. Green Acres Chocolate Farm is also working organic cocoa farm, with most of the land set aside as a nature preserve. Gary went on to explain the entire cocoa been processing , from harvest to various end products that he makes and markets. Our last activity of that visit was to snorkel in the seagrass bed located all along the shore of his property and amongst the fringing red mangroves , in order to observe and appreciate this unique ecosystem.
The remainder of our trip top Bocas del Toro was a combination of recreation and exploration , consisting of boat trips to nearby tourist places , some of them more appealing than others. Overall we had a very succesful trip , where most of our stated objectives for the trip were met . We managed to establish a working relationship with Planet Rehab , managed to reconnoiter the area the best we could , while sticking to a limited budget and time frame.
Tag:
Planet Rehab