Surprise! Trip to Panama

So we woke up at 5:15, early Friday morning ready for our trip to Panama to begin! All smooth sailing from here. A short shuttle to the airport, a one hour flight on one of those little planes that connects Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro and at 9:30 we were to be met at the airport by Cookie, a friend of Cassidys uncle and owner of a cute little resort on the beach. We decided to get to the airport plenty early, so took the airport shuttle that left at 5:40 for our 8:30 flight haha. Arrived at Nature Air airport at 6:30 which was an hour before we needed to check in. SO with our free time we hit up their second floor restaurant, got some sweet plantains and a cappacino. A good way to start out the perfect day, right?
At 7:30 we head downstairs to check in for our flight... low and behold the airport checkin guy looks a little confused and starts asking us weird questions like... do you have a printout? and talking to other people. Then he tells us the flight left at 6 NOT 8:30... and the next flight is sunday. Of course we were completely dumbfounded... stood there for a second like thats not possible! Poor Cass was the one who made the arrangements and got the confirmation emails and wrote down the times like fifty times, its hard for me to believe she made that mistake, and even harder for her to believe. To make things worse she is sick, had a temperature the day before so she was not in the right state of mind for this mood.
So we had to wait for the manager to get there which was supposed to be any minute, in the meantime we called Henry who told us a bus would leave for Panama in one hour and he was close enough to pick us up. Luckily a taxi driver let us use 2 of his phones (the first phone cass dropped haha) because neither of us had time on our phonecards. The manager showed up shortly after and we were informed (luckily since theres a no refund policy with no exceptions) that we could be refunded half the money minus a 25 dollar fee, and could still take the return flight. Which was a pretty good deal in my book.
So Henry came and we darted off to a bus stop to Panama. There, our real journey began, 9:00. We took that bus down to the border which took about 5 hours probably... good news is we got to pass the infamous Boca Chica where we spent our first miserable week of our trip haha. At Panama we had to get out at the border of course (this was the beginning of the pouring rain...right when we had to get off) and get our passports checked of course. We were initially under the impression that this bus crossed the border and went straight to Bocas. However, a lady who spoke fluent spanish and english told us we could all split a taxi to the ferry to Bocas for 5 dollars each. We decided thats a good deal because the bus did not go there. There were two shuttle vans which we were supposedly going to Bocas. This lady in our van was freaking out cuz they charged us 5 each and them 10 each, and then a big group of Europeans were charge 7 each. It was chaos waiting for everyone to get everything at the border taken care of so that both vans were full, and of course everyone waiting wanted to take off. So our bags and us got completely soaked going back and forth between vans trying to figure out exactly what was going on from the lady who spoke English, and also because we were told to switch vans, then there wasnt room.
FINALLY we left after about an hour at the border, took off in the pouring rain to Bocas in a completely PACKED van full of loud, crazy people with a driver who was a bit out of control (and just about turned back around because he thought somebody hadnt paid). After an hour van ride when i thought we might be smeared across the road a couple moments, we arrived at the ferry. By ferry, i mean they packed about 35 people on a boat, put the sides of the boat down so we couldnt see and then sped off at what must have been like 50 miles an hour in a can of sardines to the island where are resort was. I have grown to have a fear of boats, and i thought the was going to sink or tip over, it didnt help that you couldnt look outside and see the surroundings. After a LONG 30 minutes, we got off that boat (at this point it is about 4 in the afternoon...but dark and STILL pouring rain).
So we are at the island, and Cassidy asks where tierra verde is, the boat driver says its on the neighboring island, about 50 yards across the water, but we need a dollar fifty each to get there. We spent our last cash taking the taxi and ferry. All we have are costa rican colones which they dont take. So at this point we run around the streets of Bocas looking for the bank so Cassidy can use the ATM, meanwhile its dark and STILL pouring. We finally get there, get back to the boat station and take a boat right to the dock of Tierra Verde where we are finally greeted and at our hotel.
so we went 5 in the morning to 5 at night, when we thought it would be an hour plane ride haha. But it will make us appreciate the place and the plane ride all the more for it. The place we are staying is really cute. We have two beds and a bathroom, TV, airconditioner, free internet, free breakfast, free coffee. Its REALLY cute, right on the water with its own dock. It was an unexpected adventure getting here but i think we will be able to relax now and really enjoy it. PHEW that was a long one...