Bocas Day 2

Friday dawned clear and of course hot.  I spent a lazy day checking out the shops - sampling the food and people watching.  This was a holiday weekend as it was the start of carnival- which is huge.  Most towns have some type of celebration and parades as did Bocas.  It consisted there of men dressed in devil type costumes and dancing around and around - taking a rope type thing and hitting people - and it appeared to really HURT and glad I stayed back.  It started around 5pm and went on most of the night with music and lots of drinking.  But it was confined to an area near the park and where my hotel was and with the air conditioning I did not hear all the carrying on. 
I most enjoyed watching the little kids - many were fascinated yet others were nearly petrified with fear.  I walked the streets taking in all the many people and interesting traditions that seemed to be a part of the days. It was an eclectic group as Bocas being a tourist area for foreigners and Panamanians alike, so people watching was easy.  I sat on benches with my camera and soaked it in.  But also knowing that I was a woman traveling alone because of the amount of drinking etc going on that I needed to be aware of all around me.  I did not have any problems and it proved to be an enjoyable day.

I also spent time watching the kids play in the water - there was a larger than normal group because of the holiday and the little kids were joined by teens and older boys.   Then there were the teens trying to scale the palm tree for its coconuts- they crawled up on a roof of a store and then were pulling the tree sideways only to be stopped by a local policia. 
Supper was once again out at a local restaurant sitting and watching the sunset - cold margarita in hand.  I was thankful that the electricity stayed on all day and that my room was cool. 
The next day it was time to leave- my flight was not until the afternoon so just sat for the most part and enjoyed the views.  My cab arrived to take me to the airport - it was a hefty $1 cost.
I did have something happen when checking it that really threw me. I checked in my bag then he asked ME to get on the scale too - I wondered just how much weight I had put on that  or what.  I think I would rather go thru security than be weighed in!!! I was glad to see others also had to step on the scale though.
I arrived back in Panama City and back to my "home" at Mary and Goldie's and to once again enjoy the view of the canal from their roof top.