Turbo – Capurgana (by boat)
The next morning was “take 2” as we moseyed to the port. The boat was cramped,
both by people and luggage. To such an extent, Ernest had to sit right in front on
top of the bags. This wouldn’t have been such a bad thing if it had been a smooth
ride. Unfortunately, the ride was extremely rough (to put it mildly). The boat
pounded the waves at high speed, and passengers bounced right out of their seats
while hanging on for dear life. In fact, it wasn’t unusual for people to suffer neck
injuries during those trips.
After two hours of being jerked around, we reached Capurgana with stiff necks and
sore backsides. Arriving at this tiny, remote village, the ride from hell was soon
forgotten. The sea was a true Caribbean blue, and with no road to Capurgana, this
was as remote as it gets.
We discovered a room right along the water’s edge, swam and snorkelled in the
clear, lukewarm water and enjoyed the evening breeze from our tiny balcony. I
bought a bottle of papaya wine which we sipped, enjoying the sunset.
From Capurgana, boats ran the short distance to Puerto Obaldia in Panama. As with
Capurgana, no road ran to and from Puerto Obaldia. Still, we received our exit
stamp from the small immigration office and were all set to move on to Panama the
following morning. Ernest, as usual, dragged his heels and we decided to take the
boat to Puerto Obaldia, Panama, the next morning - a decision later regretted.