bocas del torro

so i thought i needed a bit of a beak, kind of a holiday from my travels and headed off to bocas del torro, in the caribbean of panama :)

the town, bocas, is very colourful and island style, lots of restaurants, bars and cafes - most floating on the water
i loved all the different colour wooden houses

paradise island.....

the island i stayed for the week is about 20 min by boat from bocas
i stayed in the house on the right :)))) - there are only two !

stairs to the houses from the deck....

my house ! :))))


the owners took me to a deli in bocas to buy food for the week. the house is fully equipped with a kitchen, lounge, huge bathroom,TV, DVD player AND wifi ! (now i have a benchmark, this is really in the middle of nowhere and they have a connection..)

so this is my view...

i spend most of my day here... the water is warm and there is no waves
i floated on a 'yellow fish' for hours...i even have a tan !!!!!
you will just have to believe me on that one ;)

i read a lot !
now i can drink verve a bit more educated in future :)

i did yoga....

i had naps in the hammock...


and i went for walks in the forest...

more beautiful sunsets from the deck...


this week was seriously my idea of bliss !
sleep, eat, swim, yoga, eat, swim, sleep, nice local beer, eat, movie, sleep X 6 = :)))))

mad about mexico

i loved mexico city ! the people are incredibly friendly and sincere, even though most people do not speak any english, they still try and talk to you :) very funny
the smell of corn is everywhere ! maybe also because street food is a big thing, it seems everyone eats from the street , even the suits! (oh, and the food is GOOD )
there are the most beautiful,well maintained buildings in the historical part of the city. public transport is excellent and dirt cheap - a nice change and overall it is not an expensive place to visit....so all good ! :)

the metropolitan cathedral took almost 300 yrs to build and as a result has a mixture of architectural styles.
it makes a big impression


inside the cathedral everything is very ornate, lots colour and gold...
loved it x


beautiful church organ

the zocalo also called the 'plaza de la constitucion' and is one of the largest public squares in the world
it sort of forms the heart of the historical city


at the time, the city was preparing for their 200 year independence celebrations
nice decor ;)

snake sculptures guards the stairs of pyramids

templo mayor was the main temple of the aztecs and was dedicated to the rain god and the god of war
what makes it bizarre, is that the ruins are in the centre of the city, and everyone passes this ancient areological site from the street ! (the cathedral is in the background)


in this photo you can get an idea of how the site just sits in the middle of the city

one of many human skulls found in the temple..
one of the altars is actually adorned with human skulls

this house, covered in blue and white tiles, dates from the 1700's

'angel de la independencia' is a sculpture that was built in honor of mexico’s war for independence

'fuente de la diana cazadora' is a fountain depicting a beautiful woman pointing an arrow at infinity

the fine arts palace with an art nouveau exterior and an art deco interior

beautiful,beautiful,beautiful,beautiful art deco details inside- stairs, railings, signage,lights,floor...amazing !

the walls on the top floor is covered in murals by famous mexican artists, this one is from diego rivera

the central post office

inside the post office
really WOW !

it gives a whole new meaning to 'schleping to the post office'

the latin american tower was for many years the highest building of the city with 44 floors
the observation decks are on the 43 rd floor




the city is HUGE !

another beautiful cathedral

close up of the outside wall detail