2 water taxis, 4 buses and 3 border crossings

I'm back in Costa Rica after 2 water taxis, 3 buses and 3 border crossings (as the title suggests--I'm waiting for the 4th bus currently) today. Three times across the border because on the first trip across the rickety bridge there was no one on the Panamanian side whose job seemed to be stamping passports. So the jerk official on the Costa Rican side made me return to Panama for a stamp (this time with a line pointing to the obscure office), thus making me cross that stupid bridge between the two countries three times. It's obviously old and has oddly placed planks and is filled with people, so the multiple crossings made the whole situation even more annoying. I'm coming from Isla Bastimentos in Bocas del Toro, which is highly preferable to Isla Colón, the main island there. It's so strange to go from absolute tourist trap (albeit with excellent Indian food) with 40 hotels to an island with no cars or roads where the nightlife is nonexistent and the "street" is quiet by 9pm. There was a consensus among all the travellers on Bastimentos as to how horrible Bocas Town on Isla Colón was. A bunch of 20-year-olds Americans who can't drink at home so they come here to form little cliques in the hostal. Very strange. I also had some amazing food on Bastimentos. There's a Thai restaurant run by an American man and Thai woman up this slippery, muddy slope into the jungle. It was delicious--as I had been lacking Thai food for 2 months now. I also had some of the best fish of my life: red snapper with a "Caribbean sauce". I don't even know: riquísimo. I met some pretty cool people there, too. Three Texans who had graduated from UT Austin (Texas, I know, scary but) who basically convinced me to go to that university instead of the one in Montreal. I am just kidding but I've had great luck with finding out about possible grad schools while I've been here. Saw a British guy I'd met a couple weeks ago in Boca Brava. Three hilarious Germans who are in Panama studying bugs and other creep critters who taught an enthralled audience about various tropical diseases we had never heard of (Chagas disease, anyone?) and how long we could go before we lost a limb or our life after various types of snakes bit us. The mating habits of small, introduced lizards. The weather wasn't great and the beaches weren't very accessible but I really enjoyed myself.

So, back in expensive Costa Rica. It's going to be a shock, I'm sure. Getting used to this currency again... I'm going to miss Panama. I loved the country and especially some of the food. Ceviche (also found in CR), hojaldres (fried dough which sounds kinda gross but excellent), rice and beans with coconut milk (also CR I think), various type of fresh juices (superior to CR), that "Caribbean sauce". I wish I could have spent more time here and gone further south/east. I'm excited to be back here too; tomorrow Emily and I will attempt to hike in to Punta Mona, something of a communal organic farm where someone we met a long time ago now is staying. I do hope we don't get bitten by a terciopelo or get lost in the jungle!