Partying @ Bocas

Well, what’s really special in Bocas beside the islands, beaches, jungles and surfing, is this cool, low-key and partying atmosphere made by the people passing by. Surprisingly, and in a good way, I had the feeling that most of the people I met would spend few weeks here… to learn Spanish, surf, or just relax, in a quite cheap and easy way to live by.
So that brings a big advantage… after few days, I just start bumping anywhere into people you’d have met earlier, and given the town is small and the bars & restaurants offers limited, it is easy to make friends and go out.

Baracuda
1st place I went to, on my Sunday arrival, bupping into Americans at the hostels… Local “arty” exhibition coupled with a party… There was an electricity shutdown for 30mn, so we ended up in the dark and without music, but the party was still fun & late for a Sunday night!

Barco Hundido

Ohlala… another infamous place of Bocas… a classic set-up with a wood deck over the sea, with a pool beside the bar, a boat wreck 2-3m down (thus the Spanish name ;) and very loud music.

A mix of latin & international music, and I have to say that while I had some great time there, the mix isn’t so great, and the DJ crying loudly in his microphone almost made me death few times.








Aqualounge
What amazingly good parties I spent there! As you have to take a boat to go there, and this is around pools… always went there at night without the iPhone, as the risk (or chance?) to go in the water was very high (and it always happened). Being a day-bar / beach-club too, the dance-floor is open-air, and the 1st party there we had a big storm. I had never danced like this under the rain, and it was so fun. After 2mn dancing you would just be completely soaked, could jumped in the sea, get rinced by the rain, then keep dancing and drinking… this doesn’t happen often, and clearly the 29°C water and air temperatures help to do this!

Iguana
Last bar on the main street (at least when you come from the Tungara base!), this is another good place over the waterfront to party.

It is quite famous for its regular ladies night, as well as for its on-going “iPhone robbed or falt in the sea”. We’re in Panama, let’ts not forget about it, so of course some locals are around and will try to benefit of all the wealth tourists / foreigners are carrying, even if you’re just a young backpacker.


The music mix there is great, it’s easy and very tempting to swim, and waitresses are very nice ☺.
Many good parties of this Bocas time happened there, definitely missing it here now!

The Bocas time
So staying 2.5 weeks in a place I didn’t even know 3 weeks before to go there was not in the world-tour plan, but this combination of nice location, atmosphere, activities, and parties with friends made all the difference.
Sleeping 2 weeks in the same bed has been such a relief that starting to be on the road again hasn’t been that easy… and that’s why I kind of wasted 3 days before to move to Boquete / Costa-Rica. I’ll for sure remember this great time, thanks to all the good friends or just 1h/1 evening / 1 day friendly persons met during this time