Save a Life! Join Panama’s New Online Blood Donation Database
Introducing a game-changer and a literal life-saver: the I Go Panama Blood Donation Database Over the years, The Bocas Breeze has received many messages with requests to share urgent needs for blood donations; “O+ needed in Changuinola” or “B- on Isla Colon.” We always broadcast it on all of our channels immediately, with optimism that […]
Milford Peynado: Campeón de la cultura de Bocas del Toro
El 16 de abril de 2021, Bocas del Toro se despidió de uno de sus legendarios hijos, Milford Franklin Peynado Goldburn, conocido cariñosamente por sus amigos como “Pinto”. Le sobreviven su esposa Xiomara (Doña Mara), su hermano Luis, su cuñada Marissa, 11 hijos, 4 nietos y 5 sobrinos. THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS […]
Bocas Rainforest Reforestation Initiative Is Launched
Every June, Panama celebrates National Reforestation Day and this year a newly formed organization, Bocas Rainforest Reforestation Initiative (BRRI), held an event in Dolphin Bay, where over 150 tree saplings were planted! The day was organized by the founders of BRRI, Brian and Amy Wilcox of Dolphin Bay Hideaway, along with Dr. Peter Lahanas and […]
Our Escape Clause: Lazy and Unethical Travel Blogging That Is Harming Our Community
Our Escape Clause has recently caused a bit of commotion within the community of Bocas del Toro, Panama. They have a review of the community’s tourism offer that currently ranks high on Google, they have a very limited understanding of the destination. The content of their article from 2017, along with the fact that they […]
Bocas First Guari-Guari Talking Rescue
The “Bocas First Guari-Guari Talking Rescue” was held on May 28, 2021. W’appin deh?! (What’s happening there?) When you first reach Bocas del Toro, you will notice Jamaican-style English being spoken by locals -especially in Old Bank and Almirante- and all over the province where families speak it as a first language, along with Spanish. […]
Wasteless World: A Proposal for the Bocas del Toro Plastic Problem
Bocas del Toro recycling is coming! – Tom Wright has a vision of a world with community-lead plastic recycling workshops so that small villages everywhere can do something productive with their plastic waste. – Wright founded Wasteless World with this first objective in mind and the overall mission of being able influencing global policy to […]
For The Benefit of Bocas del Toro’s Youth: The Institute for Afro-descendant Excellence is Here
“If you don’t have a cultural identity, you don’t know who you are. You don’t know where you are going, or why you came to this world. We have come to stay; to create a legacy within the history of Bocas del Toro’s youth, so that they know who they are, where we come from, […]
Live Like Andy: A Paddle Out Ceremony Honoring the Life of Bocas del Toro Legend, Captain Andy Crawford
This morning the Bocas del Toro community paid their respects to the great Andy Crawford. Gathering off the point of Isla Carenero, there were at least 30 surf boards in the water, with many others in boats and dinghies, all tied up for a flotilla-style funeral of 60+ people honoring the life of Captain Andy. […]
Get To Know Our Mayor ◈ Honorable Alcalde Emiliano Torres
español abajo Emiliano Torres won 2nd place in the Feria del Mar fishing tournament while in his third month as mayor and he still plays softball in the local league. Torres refuses to change from the man that led him into office. “I don’t want to change just because I’m the mayor and I won’t […]
Atlético Isla Colón Football Club Powering its Way Through the Copa Cable Onda Tournament Despite Home Field Disadvantages
Anyone who has lived on an island will recognize that life surrounded on all four sides by the ocean presents certain challenges that just don’t exist on the mainland. The act of facing challenges and following up with solutions can fortify one’s character in a unique way. For instance, some of the most decorated professional […]
Back To The Bocas Basics
In September 2018, the Bocas del Toro municipal government prohibited the use of styrofoam polystyrene containers, plastic utensils and straws in all restaurants under the Acuerdo 023 del 18 de julio de 2018.
High School Marching Band Represents Bocas del Toro on International Tour to Mexico
Panama is known all over the world for their rich contributions to the musical arts- from artists like Rubén Blades and El General, to vibrant interpretations of calypso and reggae in Spanish. The music of Panama is now known in Valle de Bravo, Mexico; and all thanks to the Jose ‘Pasito’ Anderson Banda de Musica […]
Bocas says “No!” to Even More Plastics: The Municipality Takes Out Styrofoam
2017 was a big year for Bocas del Toro environmentally. The municipal government enacted some very progressive laws in the banning of plastic in many forms. In April of 2017, the a decree was signed that banned plastic bags (specifically targeting shopping bags). The law was effective April 2018, allowing a year for community outreach […]
BOCAS HISTORY WITH CLYDE STEPHENS EPISIDE ONE: WORLD WAR II & BANANAS
(Tracuccion español abajo) You could fill hectares and hectares of banana plantations with all the things I didn’t know before sitting down with Clyde and Phyllis Stephens one afternoon at their lovely estate at Hospital Point on Solarte. Clyde is a trained entomologist (bug scientist) whose expertise landed him a long and fruitful (pun intended) […]
Lic. Virginia Vasquez: A Bocas Boss-Woman
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text](Tracuccion español abajo) by Nancy Trascik and Nicholas Corea Editor’s note: It was the morning after Panama had qualified for the world cup and I was just getting back from a morning run on the beach when I ran into Virginia and her two dogs Toby y Napo, “Today has been declared a national holiday […]
Classifieds November *UPDATED*
BOATS AND ACCESSORIES CONTACT Earl Meck 6480-6325 or earlmeck@yahoo.com and Dan Wentworth 6571-3455 FOR PHOTOS AND SPECS: BOATS AND BITS * new and used outboard motors * motor paint and repairs * fiberglass work and paint * quality bottom paint and repair -22 ft Broussard with fresh paint. 115 HP 4 Stroke Yamaha. T Top […]
BOCAS HISTORY WITH CLYDE STEPHENS EPISIDE ONE: WORLD WAR II & BANANAS
(Tracuccion español abajo) You could fill hectares and hectares of banana plantations with all the things I didn’t know before sitting down with Clyde and Phyllis Stephens one afternoon at their lovely estate at Hospital Point on Solarte. Clyde is a trained entomologist (bug scientist) whose expertise landed him a long and fruitful (pun intended) […]
Introducing…THE SUPER DELI!
(Tracuccion español abajo) The Super Gourmet Deli is the super deli of Bocas! With over 30 almost identical Supermarkets in Bocas del Toro, Super Gourmet has decided to jettison the can and focus on providing high quality sandwiches and prepared salads. While their deli sandwiches have been adored by patrons for years, the unveiling of […]
Hangin’ with Sir Duke
Stories from Friends of Casa Asilo By Nicholas Corea “Stories from Friends of Casa Asilo” is a new series where the Bocas Breeze will interview the Friends of Casa Asilo. Who are the Friends of Casa Asilo? They are the residents, the nurses, the volunteers and basically anyone who finds themselves at the Asilo de […]
EDITORS NOTE: JULY 2017
The more I get the pleasure to cover news in Bocas del Toro, the more unity and solidarity I see within the community; as well as more and more environmental and social consciousness among its residents. There will always be room for improvement, but take a look at the plastic bag ban (p10 and 11), […]
Mission Accomplished: 100 New Trash Cans for Bocas del Toro
On the morning of Saturday May 6th, the final series of metal posts were secured into the ground and are made ready for the last 20 of the 100 new trash barrels to be fastened to them. This whole project started in October in a collaboration between the NGO Unidos por Bocas […]
US AMBASSADOR JOHN FEELEY VISITS BOCAS
The US Ambassador John Feeley came to our beloved islands to hit the pavement and to get to know the US citizens living in Bocas. He also got the opportunity to hit the sand and the water to experience the natural beauty of the islands. The Ambassador’s appearance in Bocas was the first part of […]
DICKENS44 & HIS ART TOUR (THE QUEST FOR HIS MARIN COUNTY STUDIO)
The following is a tale about an extremely inspired and internationally recognized artist that has been creating unique art in Bocas for the last 7 years. He’s an artist with over 1,000 original artworks sitting in a studio 4,000 miles away. He would be able to return to his studio however his family’s bank doesn’t […]
Editors Note: Jan 2017
Happy New Year everybody! We kick off 2017 in Bocas del Toro with lots of sports, art and compassion: surfing, yoga, boxing, cayuco, re-psychedelic art, calypso and reggae music, health food, local products and fund-raising for the Asilo elderly home, just to name a few. Thanks as always for reading and you are very encouraged […]
Joseph Archbold: The Power of Food
Joseph Archbold left Panama in 2010 to travel, study and cook in the US and Europe, all the while phoning home to Bocas del Toro to see what’s going on with his family and friends. He was also curious as to the evolution of tourism on the islands and of course with his greatest passion: […]
Editors Note: November 2016
Happy Fiestas Patrias to the country of Panama! I am very happy to be here and would like to thank the people of Panama and especially of Bocas del Toro for opening its doors to me and giving me the 7 best years of my life. I was not born in Panama and in Bocas […]
Mayor Martin Downer and Unidos por Bocas Unite to Keep Bocas Beautiful
On the evening of September 26th members of Unidos por Bocas (United for Bocas) had an extremely productive meeting with Mayor Martin Downer, expressing their concerns and ideas for modern living in the archipelago. In the August issue of the Bocas Breeze, Emily Talentino wrote a profile on the mayor where Downer assured the community […]
Editors Note & Letters to the Editor
This month a few people wrote me. Thank you for reading and writing! The Bocas Breeze always loves hearing from our readers and you can send your thoughts to editor@thebocasbreeze.com. “I am visiting from Wales, UK and just read your editorial in the June edition. Wales was one of the first countries to introduce a […]
Keepin’ it Local
Tourism is the life-blood of the Bocas del Toro economy. It has the potential to feed families, stimulate economic growth and further develop education and specialized skills. This column is dedicated to highlighting businesses in Bocas del Toro which both benefit tourism and the socio-economic prosperity of the area. Whether locally owned or a product […]
Editors Note: September 2016
This month I’d like to simply share a picture from our good friends at Super Gourmet.“A picture is worth a thousand words” and I’ll add a few more. With so many plastic bags used every day in Bocas, this is a great initiative to prevent plastic bags ending up in land fills, or even worse, […]