This ia a little editorilizing(is this a real word?) on my part after our trip to this region. As a "responsible eco tourist" there are things I am supposed to do. Take only pictures, leave only footprints, be gentle on the earth, travel in a way that does not harm the environment in which you are operating and so on.
Water is a BIG issue in this area. We heard and saw signs of a great deal of development going on in this area. We also saw firsthand that the demand for water and availability are not keeping up. We also read an article saying that the water system was not designed for the amount of use it has, was going in areas that had not been planned for and people were not making necessary repairs to leaks. We were in the area for seven days and left on day eight. The first two days we had no problems with water but after that the water was off from a couple of hours to at least one entire day while we were on Bastimentos. If people have water storage tanks they are in better shape but if you do not, you either draw up water and you dont have any. As we were leaving, we left from the dock of one of the restuarants that was dealing with the issue of should they open or not? They had storage tanks but they were dry and the water was off on the island. Along with the water being off was the sanitation issue. Some of the places had the sewage going directly into the ocean. So when you flushed your toilet you were contributing to the problems of the area. This coupled with the fact there were local children having a wonderful time swimming in the water not 75 feet from you! Questions that came up for me were--Is any of the tourist dollar going to help alleviate this problem? What about disease from the water people are swimming in? How can businesses stay open? pay employees with the water shortage. The gringo gentleman at the Rooster restuarant on Bastimentos waterfront said his being totally out of water does not happen all the time. Because the water that comes from the tap is not safe to drink, you buy bottled water. Fortunately for us, Hotel Heike had a water purification system for the water coming from the tap in the kitchen so we were able to drink that while we were staying in Bocas town. Heike Hostel is also to be commended for having an explanation of the water shortage and ideas for conserving posted in the banyos and kitichen.
But once we got to Bastimentos, we had to buy bottled water. Our latest greatest water purification uv lamp got dropped and broken on Isla Boca Brava, where we drank water from Franks wells in the resturarant and ice in drinks and did not get sick. We can afford this, but what of the trash? We were able to give some of our bottles to Steve, who in turn took them to the local marina where they used them to fill their small outboard motors on their boats. Not only the trash, but what about the local people on the island? As we left, we saw an elderly lady with some water jugs going to look for water.
Bastimentos island is home to the red frog and nesting ground for the sea turtle. So besides the water issue there is the issue of developmentnad protection of the environment. There is a plan to build a resort right on the Red Frog beach. When we wsere leaving we heard that the bank had raised rates on their loans and so this may be on hold. But as our friend Andrew said, he guessed the turtles could do their nesting in the sand traps of the golf course at the resort.
In conclusion, when you travel to a place such as this, it does make you stop and think what can you do to help and what can you do to make as little an impact as possible?
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