Panama Update #8
July 20, 2008
We went with another couple, David and Yazmin, to Isla Grande for Saturday night. It is on the other side (Caribbean/Atlantic) of Panama and it took about 3 hours to drive the 75 miles. Twenty minutes into the drive we saw a huge outdoor stadium from a distance and all of us wondered what it was. As we drove by we saw the name on the stadium: Estadio Nacional Rod Carew. I looked it up on-line and found this: Rod Carew was born in a train in the Panama Canal Zone to Panamanian parents, who named him after the delivering doctor - Rodney Cline. He moved to the United States as a teenager. On January 19th, 2004, Panama City, Panama's National Stadium was renamed Rod Carew Stadium. For those of you who don't know (or possibly don't care): He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 8, 1991 by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 1999, he ranked Number 61 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
David and Yazmin had already done a trip like this a couple of months ago, so they knew how to rent a car and find the way there. They picked us up at 11:00 AM on Saturday morning and droped us off at 1:30 PM today (Sunday). David is a geology colleague of Nikki’s and Yazmin came with David from Southern California. David grew up in Northfield, Minnesota and has been in Panama City for his post-doc for 3 months. They plan to stay here until December when he starts a job at Florida State University. Yazmin is a bi-lingual (Spanish) graphic artist who does some volunteer work with the blank during her stay in Panama City. David and Yazmin graduated from the Jaula (cage) dormitory where Nikki and I are staying and now have a studio apartment in the area, still close enough to walk to work at the blank. They pay $450 per month and have a working AC and think the hot water will get fixed soon. We haven’t seen the inside of their place yet, but it looks nice from the outside. When they leave in December we could probably take over their apartment, but we would like to get a bigger place since we are expecting some guests in a few months. They have two pet turtles that they will also need to find a home for when they leave.
After arriving in a town called Portobelo, we had to take a 10 minute boat ride to get to the island. According to the guidebook, Portobelo was once the greatest Spanish port in Central America. Gold from Peru and treasures from the Orient arrived in Panama City and were carried by mule to Portobelo (at least 150 years before the canal was built). Portobelo was the target of constant attacks by English “privateers” (I think that means pirates). The island is a small, casual resort town where people from Panama City go to get away from the city for the weekend. We found a cabana style room which cost $60 for one night for the four of us (two double beds). It is about 100 yards away from the beach and many restaurants, where people spend day and night listening to music, cooling off in the water, snorkeling, and drinking/eating. All of us wore goggles and looked at the corral, and David and Jasmine spent quite a bit of time snorkeling. There is a 15 K hiking trail around the island, and you can also walk up a steep hill for 30 minutes through the thick forest to a 20 ft high lookout/lighthouse which is at the highest point on the island. There are astounding views of the sea and surrounding area. We have posted several pictures that we took from the top of the tower. Nikki and I liked the walk so much that we hiked up there on Saturday afternoon and early Sunday morning. I liked the hiking better than the snorkeling and I think Nikki liked both equally as well.
Along the hiking trial that goes around Isla Grande, just 10 minutes from where we were staying, Nikki and I discovered a one person hut which sits open-air, right on the edge of the water, facing the sunrise. It is very beautiful and well-made (see pictures), but the door was locked. A sign above the door said the key to open it is available to anyone and can be found in the lobby of one of the near-by hotels. It is called Capilla La Mar (Chapel on the Sea) and has a sign which says “Muchos Religiones and Solo Dios.” Just as we were looking at it we saw a double rainbow overhead.
Vegetarian Cuisine: Restaurant Review 1
July 20, 2008
Restaurant- Villa en Sueno (Village of Dreams)
Location- Isla Grande
For $3 we had a filling and tasty pile of coconut rice and green lentil dahl with a side of cooked carrots, green beans, and some sort of white root vegetable. This item is not on the menu so you will have to ask if the cook can prepare a vegetarian dish of arroz, lentegas, and vegetales cocinados. If the cocinero (or cocinera) says yes- you are in luck! All restaurants on the island seem to have coconut rice and tropical fruit salads available. Many also have listed on their menus french fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, green salads, as well as various breakfast options, with and without eggs, in the morning hours.
