Advertisement
Published: August 19th 2006
Edit Blog Post
A sampling of the courses we enjoyed at Manolo Caracol
Here you can see a few of the appetizer courses we were served - langostino in some kind of delicious tomato-based sauce, octopus in mustard sauce, and roasted red peppers stuffed with shrimp. Oh, and a yummy orange bread dip, made with olive oil and (we think) pumpkin. After a long morning at Wekso we headed back to Bocas - Tio Tom was full so we stayed in a very cute house in Bocas town called Hotel del Parque, right on the town park. We got a hot shower - which was SO very necessary after Wekso! We both smelled absolutely horrible, and didn't have a stitch of clothing that didn't smell terrible. We washed all our clothes and hung them up, and even after that our clothes - and us - still smelled. I guess that's what a couple of days in the rainforest with no shower can do to you! But it still felt great to feel somewhat clean. We went back for ceviche at the place on the water in town (right next to Hotel Bocas), and then ate at a place called Lemongrass that was pretty terrible! Josh wanted me to write that he had the Worst Massaman Curry Ever - and my assortment of samosas was pretty terrible too - they didn't seem to understand the difference between won ton and samosa dough. And they didn't have herbal tea, which was absolutely key for me! Josh insisted that we go to this place called
What do you do when it's raining in Bocas?
Alternate between CNN International and "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" all morning...and if you're Josh, sip Atlas, the most decent Panamanian beer :) Barco Hundido (boat wreck) that we had heard about from tons of gringos. The place itself is actually the coolest bar I have ever been to - it is literally built over very shallow water over the sand, with lights in the water lighting up the paths and crabs crawling around through the sand. The whole thing is a series of docks over very shallow, clear water, and it's absolutely beautiful, until the hordes show up! We went early to have the place to ourselves, but it was closed - we came back after dinner but the music blasting was beyond unbearable (it was one of those places that plays the worst of gringo music - think Britney Spears - to attract gringos). But I recommend strolling through there before they open, it is definitely unique.
The next day we had planned to spend snorkeling, but serious rain had set in on Bocas! We knew we were going during the rainy season, but had been told this amounted to maybe 2 hours of rain per day. This was full-on pouring, all day, all night. But we had had such good weather in Bocas the week before we figured it
was only fair, and spent all morning taking advantage of the cable t.v. we had until 1pm in the Hotel del Parque! Then we had lunch at a great sea-view place called El Pirate, which has a traditional
almuerzo (set lunch menu) for $4 and a very good (though not best) ceviche - oh, and the best-priced and least watered-down fresh juice in town ($1.50 for a large glass of fresh-squeezed fruit of your choice). We headed back to Bastimentos in the afternoon, to spend our last night at Tio Tom, where we had a reservation. We spent the afternoon doing business (school and such) on the internet (which is free for guests there), then playing gin in our room overlooking the water. We had planned to have our last meal at Roots, but it was closed so we went back to El Pelicano. It was packed, so Marco and his girlfriend scrambled to cover the floor and make the food. We had run into the Canadian we met at Wekso, and he came to dinner with us - we spent the first hour and a half commiserating about Wekso and how weird it was! Then I finally insisted we
View of Tio Tom
It's right there in the middle, with the thatch-covered dock and little yellow and green house behind it. move on, so we talked about our respective travels and destinations and experiences. It was a lot of fun, and the food was better this time. The highlight was toward the end of the meal, when we got to meet a local legend, Polo. The Isla Bastimentos is famous for, among other things, Red Frog Beach, which is home to a special kind of red dart frog, or strawberry frog. Naturally some U.S. company was able to pay enough money to buy the beach and is building some awful development on it (there was a protest about this in Bocas town while we were there). Polo is an old man who has been living on his own beach for decades, and he was offered $10 million for it - and refused!! Amazing. So he is locally (and increasingly internationally) revered for holding his ground and continuing to live as he has all this time. We could hardly understand a word he said - his accent was as strong as the strongest Jamaican accent you've ever heard - but we tried to communicate that we appreciate his resoluteness. It was one of the only times we actually hung out with a
Rainy morning in Bocas
This was taken from the boat so it's a little shaky! local in Bocas.
The next rainy day we checked out of Tio Tom and headed to Bocas town for breakfast at El Pirate. We spent the morning doing business on the internet and trying to make a reservation for dinner in Panama City, and then playing gin on the (covered) deck of the Hotel Bocas restaurant. Then we had lunch at El Pirate (we really liked that place!) before walking to the airport for our flight back to Panama City. The rain made it much easier to leave, I can't imagine having to break away had it been sunny like when we arrived! We also had something to look forward to in Panama City - we were able to get a reservation at a fantastic restaurant, Manolo Caracol. It's written up as a favorite in our favorite guidebook (Moon), and it did not disappoint! The most amazing part is that it doesn't break the bank for students like us. The menu changes everyday, but it's centered around seafood (whatever is fresh). You pay $16 per person for around 8 or 9 courses, and we paid $12 for a carafe of sangria. Definitely a splurge, but so worth it! The
What do you do while waiting for a plane in Bocas?
If you're Josh, drink pre-mixed Cuba Libre in a can, of course! It was pretty gross. Trivia: the difference between a Rum & Coke and Cuba Libre, we learned, is that the latter has lime. food was super fresh, and beautifully-presented. The atmosphere is not stuffy at all - the waiters all wear jeans and t-shirts tucked in, and the kitchen is open to the dining room (as you can see from the photo). Local artwork is also displayed throughout the dining room, which is nice, and the restaurant's doorway is divided from the dining room by two glass panes filled with wine bottle corks. To top it off, it's housed in a beautiful part of the old town, in a beautiful colonial building. The only bummer was that one of the waiters who served us wasn't the friendliest. In a place like that, where there is no official menu and you are served whatever is fresh, you want to know what you're eating. This guy acted like it was a pain every time we asked him what a course was. He set a dish down with what was clearly raw fish - we asked him what it was and he gruffly said "pescado" (duh!!) and walked away. Luckily our other waiter was much more willing to describe the food and explained it was tuna tartare. For dessert we had a small flan, paired with
a candied fruit we readily enjoyed throughout Ecuador - the tree tomato (which is what
aji, that delicious Ecuadorian condiment, is made from). It was a fantastic end to our fantastic trip.
We hope you enjoyed the blog! Although not nearly as exciting or timely, we will also be posting photos from last year's Italy-Croatia-Slovenia-Czech Rep. trip - so for that large majority of you addicted to this blog, the show's not over yet 😊
Love,
Josh and Martina
Advertisement
Tot: 0.071s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 13; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0223s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 2;
; mem: 1.1mb
jim and estelle
non-member comment
personal view points
looks like beauty and beast, with no further clarification. Josh seems like the literal laid back type, only thing missing is the remote on a couple of pics. the mandatory cuisine pics for dad are there, still looking for my hummingbird pic. hope to see you when you are in Houston. keep well