Carbe Shuttle suspended the Bocas – Puerto Viejo service  after striking banana workers around Changuinola, Panama, blocked streets and turned violent. Calm was restored a couple days ago after workers called an end to the protests and signed a pact with the Panamanian government.

Other unions representing a minority of workers in several trades met yesterday in Panama City to make a call for a general nation-wide strike and protest. That meeting apparently turned out to be mostly hot air, and nothing happened.

The official end of the strike and the non-events from the meeting in Panama in combination with the general feeling around Bocas and Changuinola that everyone wants to return to normalcy and the peace that has prevailed there for several days led Caribe Shuttle to the decision to resume normal service.

“We feel confident that the border and roads will now remain open and safe” said John Wheatley, founder and General Manager of Caribe Shuttle. “All our associates and friends on the ground in the affected areas feel that the tension has passed, and it seems nobody is interested in returning to the tragedies of last week. We will continue to monitor the situation, and of course, if we feel that tensions are starting to build again, we will cancel our service again. But we don’t foresee that  happening.”

If you would like to make a reservation, please visit our CLICK  HERE to visit our reservation information page. Rates and schedules can be found HERE.

However, there is a threat of a new strike starting tomorrow (Tuesday, 12 July, 2010). Labor organizations and other groups are talking about staging a nationwide strike starting tomorrow in opposition to Law 3o, which includes changes to existing labor law. Caribe Shuttle urges caution when making plans to travel to or through the area, including international travel between Costa Rica and Panama at the Guaybito / Sixaola border crossing. For that matter, caution should be used regarding ANY travel plans to or around Panama.

Caribe Shuttle feels that there is a high likelihood that this meeting will result in a  nationwide strike lasting between one and three days starting tomorrow, but we have no way of knowing what will happen for sure. We are waiting for reports hopefully later tonight.

Therefore, the Bocas Shuttle which offers daily private shared-ride transportation between Bocas del Torro, Panama and the Southern Caribbean communities of Costa Rica including Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Playa Cocles, Playa Chiquita, Punta Uva and Manzanillo, will not resume operations tomorrow and not until further news.

We will keep clients and agencies informed via this site, so please check back.

Bulletin from Bocas Warden

To those hotels/hostels this email sent to, please inform you guests.

Today, Friday 9 June:  It is not a good idea to travel to, near or thru Changuinola or mainland Bocas Del Toro Provincia.  It is not a safe to be in this area, and there are road blockages preventing transit, due to protests between Panamanians and their government.

If you need to travel from Isla Bocas to anywhere, it is advised that you leave only by air, to Panama City, David or San Jose, Costa Rica.  Either, remain in Isla Bocas until the protests end, or change you travel arrangements accordingly.

When it is save to travel by boat/road from Isla Bocas, an advisory will be sent.

At 7pm, Friday 9 July:  Per Isla Bocas Alcalde, Joe Anderson, and Isla Bocas Hospital Emergency, Dr Luis Mou, condition in Isla Bocas is very normal, no problems reported.

Larry Shane
Bocas Warden, US Embassy Panama

We are having trouble getting information other than rumors. If anyone has more reliable information about the strike, issues surrounding the strike, negotiations, clashes and violence,  conditions in the area, etc, please comment here or send us and email. We would also like to hear your opinions. Thanks.

We will post more news as appropriate, and of course we will let you know when travel is safe in the area and when Caribe Shuttle begins operating the Bocas Shuttle between Cahuita / Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica and the archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama.

At least one person is dead, a union leader, and an estimated 100 injuries, 18 of those serious enough to be helicoptered out. These numbers are coming from the AP wire.

There are rumors coming from behind the lines and from web sources that four people were killed earlier today.

These rumors are unsubstantiated and we only cite them here to illustrate the potential danger of the situation. Caribe Shuttle strongly discourages anyone from trying to cross the border into Panama until further notice.

The Caribe Shuttle will not operate the Bocas Shuttle Route traveling from Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro until the situation is safe again. We will keep you informed of any changes. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.

(For more information on the strike, refer to the story below: Strike in Panama Paralyzes Transportation to / from Bocas del Toro!)

In addition to the clash at the border, road barricades  near Chiriqui Grande will keep travelers from getting to Bocas del Toro or gettting away from Bocas del Toro in that direction. For now, options appear to be by sea or air, or travelors can walk, but a VERY long way and around reportedly angry mobs with machetes, axes and rocks and police in riot gear and tear gas launchers! We do not recommend it.

Another strike of 700 workers in the province of Colon is paralyzing work on the Panama Canal extension.

These strikes are the latest in a series of strikes which date back to the government of ex-President Mireya Moscoso Martín Torrijos revolves around labor law and criminal codes which were voted into law in September 2009. Panama’s current administration reportedly stands by the laws, claiming they will encourage development and bring investment.

So far, the government of Panama has responded by sending military to the 11 strike sites throughout Bocas Del Toro and Colon. With 28 current arrests, the threat of escalation, and the local report that strikers won’t stop till the president comes (who reportedly is scheduled to fly to Europe tomorrow), no end is in sight.

At the moment, the strike has frozen all traffic between Costa Rica and Bocas del Toro, Panama. This effectively cancels Caribe Shuttle’s daily route between Costa Rica South Caribbean and Bocas del Toro.

Caribe Shuttle will continue to monitor the situation. Please watch for our update at www.caribeshuttle.com. We will start operating the Bocas shuttle again as soon as it is safe to do so.

Tomorrow, Sunday May 16 is census day in Panama, meaning the country attempts to count every single person in Panama in just one day between 7:00 am till 7:00 pm. This seems like a daunting task and will be interesting to see how it unfolds.  One thing is clear: all types of business will be disrupted, including international transportation.

In response the Caribe Shuttle is changing the schedule for travel between Bocas del Toro, Panama and the southern Caibbean coast of Costa Rica. This change is for one day only on Sunday, May 16, 2010.

On this day everyone in Panama must remain in the building where they slept the night before until they are given a document that confirms that they have been counted. If they are on the street they will be fined and possibly arrested and held until they are counted. This applies to boat captains, van drivers and tourists, everyone. This amounts to everyone in the country being under house arrest, but it is the only practical way for the government to count everyone in one day.

There is a lot of confusion as to exactly what will happen. For instance, will the border be closed until the border official is counted and can leave her house? We are told that there is a system for pre-registering some people in special circumstances, so we assume that officials like police, fire and immigration will be pre-counted and that the border will be open. But will a taxi be available when you cross the border? We are told that “transportation can not be stopped” under the rules, but it is not sure how to interpret that. We assume that most taxi drivers will not risk being find and arrested and will take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in. And we assume that because there will be no passengers, public bus companies will shut down. We do know that the water taxi / ferry between Almirante and Bocas del Toro will NOT operate until enough employees are counted and released to operate safely.  We are also told that a table will be set up at the border by census officials to answer questions and issue documents to travelers that they have been counted.

We are told and it is assumed by most that most people should be counted by noon, so business can resume semi-normally. We also assume that the confusion and restrictions will create delays and backlogs even when transportation does resume.

So to try and avoid problems and delays, on Sunday, May 16, 2010, the Caribe Shuttle will operate as follows:

As always, times are approximations, especially this day. Clients should be warned that there may be delays beyond our control. The schedule will resume as normal on Monday morning.

If are in or traveling to panama, please be patient and follow the rules. Try to think of it as a cultural experience.

(English version above)

Vamos a cambiar el horario por un día el domingo 16 de mayo, 2010. En este día, en Panamá van a hacer un censo y todos en el país deben quedarse en el edificio donde durmieron la noche anterior hasta que se les de un documento que confirme que ya fueron contados.

Si están en la calle, serán multados y posiblemente arrestados y detenidos hasta que sean contados. Esto aplica a capitanes de los botes, conductores de las busetas y turistas, todos.

Esto equivale a que  todo el mundo este bajo arresto domiciliario, pero es la única forma práctica para el gobierno pueda contabilizar a todos en un día. La mayoría de las personas deben ser contados para el mediodía, por lo que las empresas pueden reanudar sus tareas de una forma semi-normal.

Así que para el Domingo 16 de mayo, 2010, el Caribe Shuttle operará de la siguiente manera:

Desde Bocas:

Pick up en el hotel 1:00 pm
Pick up en Taxi 25 1:25 pm
Salida del Bote: 1:30 pm

Desde Puerto Viejo

Pick up en hoteles 1:00 pm

No habrá salida del shuttle en la mañana.

Como siempre, las horas son aproximadas, especialmente este día. Los clientes deben ser advertidos de que puedan haber atrasos fuera de nuestro control. El Horario normal volverá a trabaras el domingo en la mañana.

From Puerto Viejo to Bocas del Toro:

7:00 am & 1:30pm

$32 (one way)

(add $6 if your pick up is in Cahuita, Manzanillo, Playa Chiquita & Punta Uva)

From Bocas del Toro to Puerto Viejo:

8:30 am & 1:30 pm

$32 (one way)

(add $6 if your drop off  is in Cahuita, Manzanillo, Playa Chiquita & Punta Uva)

We have limited space. To make a reservation click here

A Mi Modo is a fine Italian restaurant located on the beach on the main road a couple hundred meters southeast of the canter of Puerto Viejo. For more information about this event or for information about what to do in Puerto Viejo or Bocas de Toro, you can call the Caribe Shuttle / Bocas Shuttle in Puerto Viejo at (506) 2750-0626.

The Caribbean border between Panama and Costa Rica reopened again yesterday, Friday, November 28, after a week-long closure. Extensive flooding in the border towns of Sixaola, Costa Rica, and Guaybito, Panama, and surrounding areas shut the border crossing down as of last Saturday morning, November 22, the last day that the Bocas Shuttle was able to operate.

I have never seen rain like we had in my life, and I’ve lived in rain forests for over ten years. Moreover, older residents of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca who spent their whole lives here have been telling me the same thing. This might have been “the storm of the century!” I hope so, because I don’t want to see this kind of storm again. In just the Talamanca area alone I’m told that there are nearly 4000 homeless, and Panama was harder hit than Costa Rica. Happily, things are quickly going back to normal in Bocas and Puerto Viejo, and we are enjoying our second day of beautiful sunshine. I’m going surfing!

In the mean time many communities in highlands and border areas are still cut off and suffering. Find out you can help.

Though the border opened yesterday, a lack of fuel in the area kept boats, water taxis and ferries from running, so the morning shuttle was not able to operate. All transportation on the roads leading to Bocas de Toro were shut down for a week, so all supplies including fuel, food, water and medical supplies are in short supply. Now, however, we are happy to announce that as of today the Bocas Shuttle between Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, and Bocas Del Toro, Panama is now operating normally!!

Stay tuned. Passengers on the last shuttle to Bocas before the closure are writing reports for us on their experience on their journey to Bocas and their days stranded on the islands.