Great luxury next to great poverty in Bocas del Toro.

You cannot fail to notice the poverty in parts of Panama, often right next to the greatest luxury - and nowhere is this more apparent than in Bocas del Toro, with huge cruise liners stopping in the archipelago, massive luxury yachts ploughing past simple dugout canoes, massive gated communities planned, right next to tin-roof shacks.

To be fair, the Panamanian government is working hard, and, for the most part, sensibly, to bring foreign capital into the country, and the lot of many people has markedly improved. However, in Bocas del Toro, I was struck by the difference in attitude of the local, mainly Caribbean, people. Whereas in the other parts of Panama, I felt the people welcomed the "gringos", and appreciated that they were transforming the economy with their dollars, in Bocas del Toro I experienced much more of an "edge" in attitude, a feeling that, with a little push, things could change here into something really nasty. Here I found begging beginning to take on an organised form (small gangs of children), belligerent taxi drives charging far greater prices than in the rest of Panama, and very little in the way of smiles or greetings from the locals.

Watch your stuff (disappear) in Bocas!

"I have traveled the world and the only placed I have ever been robbed was in Bocas. Out surfing at Paunch (Beach) by myself all day. My girlfriend alone on the beach. (Great 5 ft surf btw). The moment we took our eyes off our stuff someone stole it (new fancy camara, etc). We were on what we thought a deserted beach. It turns out they hid all day and spied on us until that precise moment ... Moral of the story, Bocas is poor and run down. Sure there are nice "resorts" but the town isn't so nice. Looks like a favela from Rio but in the middle of nowhere, with people having nothing to do." (taken from the article by Kyle Denuccio, Panamanian Paradise Bocas Del Toro In Danger)