how red frog beach inspired my first tattoo: bocas del toro travel story

As I mentioned in my previous Bocas del Toro blog, it can get flat for days at a time. It’s the nature of the Caribbean. 

On one of those flat-day runs, I hiked to the famous Red Frog Beach on Bastimentos Island, a roughly 5-8 min boat ride from the main island. If you’re worried about doing this hike on your own, make sure to book a guided hike. 

Back then, I met a group of people in my hostel, and we all planned to hike together, even though no one really knew the exact path, and it wasn’t well marked. 

We were seven, a mix of boys and girls, and one particular girl I was kind of falling in love with. We started the hike where the boat dropped us off. Everything went well, the weather was perfect, the path was clear, and everyone was vibing. 

Until we reached a fork in the path. Going right was probably the safe bet and the original path, so that’s where everyone went. But something called me to take a left. I let the girl know I’m going alone, so at least someone knows where I am if something happens. 

I started walking and immediately realised this is not a path. I had to climb a rock that was essentially above the sea; the waves were crashing, and I had to time it just right so I wouldn’t get smashed and fall. The path continued through a thick bed of dead plants; walking on it was sketchy, and I couldn’t help but think of all the potential snakes under those plants. 

After a good 10 min, a clearance in the forest, finally, I thought. But suddenly I see a family of monkeys playing around, and weirdly enough, a parrot standing on the ground, yes, it’s not a typo, on the ground in front of the monkeys (see pic above).

I wasn’t sure what was happening, but something felt weird; the energy in that place was off. Almost like the monkey and the parrot were fighting. 

I walked slowly to not alert the monkeys, but then I found the most beautiful feather. It had yellow, green, and red on it, so I had to grab it. I will give it to the girl, I thought to myself! 

In the last couple of steps, I hear someone shouting my name. It’s the group they were worried about, I shout back, “I’m coming!” But then I saw it, the famous Red Frog that the islands are famous for.

It was so tiny I almost stepped on it. I bent down, took a closer look, took a picture, and thanked the frog and that path for teaching me something. 

Conclusion

Don’t be tempted to follow others; if you truly believe in your path, method, or whatever you think of, stick with it. That day, I promised myself never to follow others blindly, because you’ll never know what you might be missing. 

Oh, and BTW, I ended up giving the feather to that girl so she can remember me. Two weeks later, we traveled all of Central America together and had a two-and-a-half-year relationship.

Hope this short story will inspire your next surf adventure! Thnx for reading.

Red frog beach- faq