Keith's Panamanian Travel Ramble

The wanderings of Andrea and Keith around Panama

Posts from the ‘Gorgona’ category

The Gorgona Fishing Fleet

Hi Travellers,

Early most mornings we can stand in our living room and look out over the Pacific to see the local fishing boats from the Gorgona fishing fleet heading east across the front of our resort, heading to their fishing grounds for a day of fishing.  Later in the day we can hear the constant purr of outboard motors as the fleet returns across the front of our resort to Gorgona.  Some travel  far out to sea while others are just off the shore.  From time to time, a fish boat with a heavy escort of large black birds will pass by with the operator throwing some fish scrap out of the boat as they travel.

I decided to have a look at what went on in Gorgona as the fishing fleet arrived back with the day’s catch.  A short 15 minute walk down the beach took me into the middle of the busy activities.  The whole fishing community turns out, from small children to aging adults, on the beach to greet the returning fishermen.  If you look carefully you will see that the chaotic activities on the beach are actually quite well controlled.  A man on the beach directs each boat, one at time, to run up on the beach in a designated place.  The boat takes a run at the beach from about around 100 yards out, building sufficient speed to shoot the boat up on the sandy beach some 10 or 20 feet.  The boatman tilts the outboard motor out of the water at the last-minute as the boat hits the beach.

Once the boat has stopped, several men gather around the back of the boat to remove the motor and carry it up on the beach to a secured locker.  At the same time, a crowd descends on the boat to find out how successful the day’s fishing was.  They bring brightly colored plastic buckets to load the catch and separate the different kind of fish.  Once the fish is loaded others, two at a time, haul the filled buckets up the beach to a large assembly line cleaning station, where some fish are fileted.

Once a boat has been unloaded, a group of 10 or so people gather on each side of the boat to drag the unloaded boat higher on the beach so it will be safe from a high tide.  They place a couple of round rubber or plastic floats on the sand on each side and actually drag the boat up the beach over the floats, making the job easier.  It reminded me of some of the programs on TV where they were trying to illustrate how the huge stone blocks were hauled up the side of the pyramids in Egypt using round wooden tree trunks.

The chaos continues until all the boats have been brought ashore, unloaded and hauled up the beach to safety.  I am struck by the total community involvement.  The work could not be done if each boatman had to work individually.  The crowd on the beach approached 75 or 80 people to handle around 25 boats.  It is an amazing process to witness.

As we travel westward down the Pacific to other towns there does not seem to be any other significant fishing activity to see.  The fishing fleet from Gorgona is the only sizeable fishing operation we found.  It was nice to know that the fresh fish we enjoyed in restaurants up and down the coast, were supplied from a place so close.  If you have a few minutes, take this interesting local activity in.  You will find it fascinating.

The Beauty of the Gamboa Rainforest Resort

Howdy Fellow Travel Fans,

When I hear the name Gamboa Rainforest Resort, it congers up all kind of images of the tropics, dense jungle, exotic animals, and the Panama Canal.  What it doesn’t so much bring to mind are things like a luxurious and beautiful environment, a remote location or a great base for tours; all of which it also is!

I have known about the Gamboa Rainforest Resort for years as an RCI timeshare resort.  I have tried many times to book in but they never seems to have any  availability, even a year or so in advance.  Our first time in Panama, I had to go and check this place out.  What could be the draw?  Why is it always full?

This resort is located close to a place called Gamboa which is a small town where the Chagress river flows into lake Gatun, which is part of the canal.  Before the canal existed , three miles further up the Chagres river was the town of Las Cruces, where 19th century travelers and cargo disembarked from river barges to take the overland Las Cruces trail by mule, to cross the isthmus.  Gamboa was built around 1911 and eventually became the base for the canal company dredging operation in 1936.

Gamboa is in the old canal zone and is only a short 30 minute drive from the outskirts of Panama City.  Is well worth a day trip.  On the way you will pass the zoo at the summit of a small mountain you cross on the way to Gamboa.  It’s worth a stop as they have lots of native Panamanian specimens including the Harpy Eagle, which is the national bird of Panama and the largest most spectacular eagle.  It has a wingspan of over seven feet.

At the end of the small car and rail bridge crossing the Chagress river, turn right and travel down a local road with bamboo growing on both sides.  It is beautiful with the muted light filtered through the vegetation that arches over the road.  Pass the Iguana Crossing sign and once through the security gate (just say restaurant) where you can go straight or up the hill.  If you go straight, you will come to a beautiful old open air restaurant covered by a huge palapa roof that is built out over the Chagress river.  It is an incredible spot!  You won’t find one with better atmosphere.

If you go up the hill, you will pass by a number of two-story canal style homes before arriving at the resort.  When you enter the lobby of the resort you are immediately struck with the stunning vistas of the Chagress river visible through the massive floor to ceiling windows that offer vistas of jungle and the Chagress river.  It is an old resort that has been carefully maintained.  If you walk down the outside deck of the hotel, you will come to a ballroom with a beautifully painted oval sunken ceiling.  It is a real showplace.  The views of the Chagress from the deck are amazing.  You feel that you are really out in the jungle.

The Gamboa Rainforest Resort has a good choice of tours available that leave from the resort so it becomes a great base for a number of tours.  There is a onsite tour that involves riding up a chair lift to a platform that provides beautiful vistas of the valley and canal.  There is also a butterfly house down by the river that is a great spot to visit with a camera.

Even if you aren’t staying here, pay it a visit.  It is an amazing place with beautiful vistas right out in the jungle.  It shouldn’t be missed.

Pot Luck at Sueno Mar

Hi Travellers,

Out little community here at Sueno Mar in Gorgona is interesting and very friendly.  Today, we have been invited to a pot luck dinner which apparently happens quite often.  The occasion?  It’s Friday!  We have been instructed to bring something for everyone as well as whatever meat we want to eat for a social gathering of all the occupants of this place starting around 5PM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are two large bohios here, each with a very nice gas barbecue so the plan is for everyone to visit for some time then cook their own dinner and eat together.  Very civilized!  It is an interesting crowd here from literally all over the world.  There is a couple born in Holland who have spent their last 20 years living in Australia and have just moved to Panama, there is an Argentine family who moved to Panama several years ago and live in Panama City.  There is a couple from Quebec, a couple from Kelowna, a couple from Cranbrook, a family from the US and us.

I threw in a few photos of the group.  They are so diverse that someone out there may recognize someone.  What a great way to conduct a vacation!  We like small places because it gives you a chance to meet people and find out what they are up to.  That is possible in larger places but it just seems easier at a small resort.

The Surprise at Vista Mar

Howdy Fellow Travellers,

Today we invested the day enjoying the beach and the pool at our little Panamanian hide away in Gorgona.  The day disappeared quickly and soon it became time to go and pick up our friend Octav, who is staying at the Bayview Resort, and head out for dinner.  We found him in the restaurant talking with a woman from Switzerland.

We headed for a restaurant at a resort that we knew from previous trips.  Vista Mar, meaning Sea Vista, is a large resort with several towers, a couple of villa complexes, some private homes, and a golf course.  It is west of but not far from Coronado.

On our first trip we visited this place on a real estate tour.  We rented a villa here the last time we were here.  That experience was, shall I say dry!  The first nine holes had been built for some time but the second nine were under construction while we were there.  There were daily water outages, sometimes for the whole day.  Hopefully someone would remember to turn the water back on at the end of the construction day but sometimes, they didn’t.  It was a frustrating experience.  I was there with three women, trouble enough on its own but when they don’t have water it can get downright ugly!  It really wasn’t that bad, they were pretty good sports about it but it was problematic.

Our little villa complex had its own pool which had no shade.  Down on the beach, the resort had a very nice restaurant as well as a small well landscaped pool area.  There was sun and shade and a very nice little waterfall.  It was a really pleasant place to wile away an afternoon.

We were not sure that the restaurant would be open as most restaurants here seem to close one day of the week due to the staff being required to work all weekend.  When we arrived, we were pleased to find they were open.  Before we went in for dinner, we walked down to the beach where we found a surprise.  The beautiful little landscaped pool was gone and had been replaced by a huge commercial looking infinity pool thing that looked like it would hold 500 people!   Deck chairs were lined up side by side just like a huge resort.  The vegetation was gone in favor of a wall to wall concrete deck.  There was actually a concrete wall with astro turf on it.  Imagine!  They had also built a couple of wooden walkways for people to wander on.  The charm was gone!  The intimacy was gone!  The pool contained a huge statue of a fat woman that should be gone, if you ask me!  It was disappointing to see such a perfect little Panamanian space replaced by a commercial monstrosity that seemed to belong more in Florida than here in Panama.

We were seated in the restaurant outside on the deck.  It was in the early stages of sunset and the view of the ocean was exceptional.  The overhead fan along with the gentle breeze from the Pacific made for a most pleasant and comfortable environment.  Dinner was grilled shrimp in a coconut sauce, roast pork, and I had the Sea Bass.  Everything was perfectly prepared and served by attentive wait staff.  We lingered over dinner enjoying good food, good conversation and a perfect environment.  Dinner for three including wine and desert, just over $100.  It is a little more expensive here but still less than home.  If you want a nice dinner in special surroundings, head to Vista Mar.  Just drive up to the security gate and tell them you are going to the restaurant.

Sueno Mar on Malibu Beach

Hi Travellers,

We are finally at the beach, where we will be for the rest of our trip!  Temperatures are higher here, around the low 30s, but there is a gentle constant breeze off the Pacific that blows through our spacious 113 square meter two bedroom two bathroom condo.   We are in the community of Gorgona at a small apartment complex called Sueno Mar which means Sunny Sea and it is right on Malibu Beach, one of the nicest in Panama.  This place has grown dramatically since we last had a close look, several years ago.  The main drag is paved but many of the other roads are very rough gravel with pot holes that would break an axle.  I think this is the local protection against speeding.

The beautiful beach is a mixture of black and grey sand so it has a constantly changing appearance.  You can walk for miles on this beach where if you walk eastbound, toward Panama City, you will see that the beach is lined by a mixture of beautifully kept private homes along with some empty lots and derelict properties.  There is even a high-rise tower, called the Biltmore.  It is not a hotel but private apartments.  If you chooses to walk westbound on the beach you will eventually get to the Gorgona Fish Market and the town itself.  If you continue, you will come to the community of Coronado.

With the exception of Sunday, when the locals appear from other places, it is pretty quiet on this beach.  During the day you will see the odd person walking, mostly early in the morning or around sunset.  Occasionally, a quad will appear from somewhere on its way to Gorgona transporting three or four people but for the most part it is very quiet.  Local fishing boats from Gorgona pass both directions across the front of Sueno Mar on their way to and from their fishing grounds.

Sueno Mar was built a couple of years ago and still has some units for sale.  There are six two bedroom units and nine one bedrooms all overlooking the ocean.  There is on site management and security gates, a couple of large bohios on the beach side each with their own barbecue and a lushly landscaped and beautifully kept pool area.  We got upgraded when we arrived, to our delight, to a two bedroom unit.  It is on the third floor so has an unobstructed view of the Pacific from the wall to wall windows across the expanse of our living room.  The kitchen is well equipped with everything you might need to survive here, including an ice and cold water dispensing fridge and freezer, micro wave oven, six burner gas stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer, air conditioning, large screen TV to play as many Spanish-speaking stations as you wish to listen to, and the always necessary WiFi which is supplied from the cable company so is truly high-speed.  Oh, and there is a honkin’ big Karaoke machine that I have to learn to run before Carnival starts next week.  It will be my pay back to compete with the loud music that locals tend to play at that time!  You need a truck to move the speaker around, I swear!  Because our unit is on the third floor, it also has vaulted ceilings that I would estimate go up to about 4M with seven, yes I counted them, seven ceiling fans to keep the air moving.  The unit runs the full depth of the building with the two bedrooms at the back with a mountain view.  When you open all the windows, you get a great breeze that blows right through the whole place.  We have not yet felt the need to run the air conditioning as the breezes keep the unit comfortable.  I have put a link to the Sueno Mar Website in the right column under Businesses We Support.  You can get prices there for rentals and for buying.

For dinner tonight, we headed back into Coronado to the Malibu Restaurant.  It is before you reach the security gate on your left just past the stores at the entrance to Coronado.  We came here on purpose because they serve a great Cashew Corvino.  That’s right, a piece of grilled sea bass liberally loaded up with fresh cashews.  Yum Yum!  It was as good as in the past but a bit pricier.  It was up to $10.50.

Impressions of Santa Fe

Howdy All,

Sadly, today we leave this beautiful place and head for our next destination which is at the beach in Gorgona and is about a three-hour drive without stops.  After another great breakfast, we packed up and hit the road.

Yesterday, I mentioned a blockade of the Pan-American, west of here closer to David.  It turns out that the local Indians (Ngobe-Bugle) had blocked westbound traffic on the highway for several days.  They were protesting the changing of some legislation around mining and the Cerro Colorado mine, which has one of the largest copper reserves in Latin America.  There have also been some short-term interruptions to traffic eastbound headed for Panama City.  The westbound blockade has held the second largest city in the country, David, hostage and there are reports of stores being short of food stuffs and fuel stations closing as they are out of fuel.  The police were directed to clear the road last night and the ensuing scuffle resulted in a number of injuries and one death.  Several police were hospitalized.  Further investigation into the death found that the bullet was of a caliber not used by the police.

President Ricardo Martinelli has blamed the opposition and “foreign elements” for inciting chaos.  I did a little Internet research and oddly found that an Indian band in Ecuador held a protest at the same time over a similar issue.  When you look at the pictures of the Panama protest, I cannot help but draw the conclusion that this was organized by someone or group other than the natives that knows the techniques of how to successfully protest today.

Now our friend Octav that left Santa Fé a couple of days ago, was headed to Boquete.  He took the bus from Santa Fé to Santiago where he found out busses were not running due to the blockade.  He had some quick scrambling to do but managed to secure a place back at the Bayview Hotel in Santa Clara, the other direction.  As it is on our way, we decided we will stop and see how he is doing.

We have only been in Santa Fé for a few days and most of that time was spent at the Casa Mariposa Boutique Hotel.  Our top 10 impressions of Santa Fé are:

1.  Book a few days here at the Casa Mariposa.  You won’t believe the experience.  See the link at the bottom of the right column under Businesses We Support;

2.  Don’t miss the “Lunch with the Toucans” at the Mariposa. You will love it;

3.  Be sure to top up your gas tank in Santiago before leaving for Santa Fé. There are no fuel stations in Santa Fé;

4.  Santa Fé is a hilly mountain frontier town, full of friendly locals, around 3,000 of them;

5.  This area is starting to develop, thanks to publications like International Living Magazine.  There is a growing expat community and people from all over the world are starting to settle here;

6.  There is lots of hiking and things to keep you busy in the area;

7.  Check out the Santa Fé National Park.  If you are a birder, your hotel can help you pick up an inexpensive guide to make sure you get to see what you want;

8.  Expect the place to be a bit remote.  There are only cell phones and a high-speed internet connection is still in the future;

9.  On the way to Santa Fé, don’t miss stopping to see the restored old church in San Francisco.  It dates back to 1621; and

10. Be open to all the rugged natural beauty and incredible variety of birds that you will find here.

The trip back to Santiago takes us through Santa Fé and the rolling hills as we proceed southbound back to the Pan-American. Along the way we met a herd of cattle being driven right up the road to us. The guys were friendly and waved as they forced the cattle off the road on the far side to allow us through. One of my favorite pictures so far is this one of the rider on his horse climbing the hill after crossing the bridge. It really kind of describes the character of this area; slow, casual and laid back.

Further down the road, we spotted a hawk flying beside us.  We went around a corner and Andrea said the hawk had landed and was standing beside a blue bag on the road behind us.  I grabbed my long lens and got out of the car as quietly as I could.  This is a Yellow-headed Caracara, a beautifully marked bird.  He was very cooperative.  He posed on the road for a bit then took off away from me and circled back.  I think the markings on this bird are magnificent!

After negotiating Santiago we were again eastbound on the Pan-American, headed for the Bayview.  Watermelon is now in season and it is starting to show up in markets and roadside fruit stands.  We stopped at this place to stock up on some fruit for our next week and bought one cantaloupe for $1.50, three pineapples for $1 and a good-sized watermelon for $3.

We found him on the deck of the Bayview, entertaining a couple of young women from the US!  Octav wasn’t expecting to see us but was glad we stopped by to visit with him on the way to Gorgona.  We made plans to get together over the next couple of days for dinner and a visit then were off to Gorgona to find our new home, Sueno Mar, which means sunny beach.