Traveling While Introverted

Once we arrived in Bocas del Toro and settled into our Bed & Breakfast, we headed into town to do some exploring. Besides getting lunch (more on that later), I had two primary goals: visit the local public library and exchange the book I had purchased in Costa Rica. The National Library of Panamá lists a branch in Bocas Town on their website and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the interior. (Spoiler: we plan on visiting the National Library when we’re in Panamá City again before we head off to our next country.) We found it quite easily, since it’s very close to the main square/park in the heart of downtown. The building is a beautiful shade of blue that helps it stand out too.

When I walked in, only one person was in the library, deeply engrossed in his work. He didn’t speak any English, so I used a translate app to explain that I’m a librarian visiting Panamá and could I walk around and maybe take a few photos? He agreed, which I’m very grateful for, but I couldn’t ask all of the probing questions I wanted to ask. Just a few that went through my mind: How many people come to the library? What kind of programs do you do for the community? Do you do outreach on the other islands in the archipelago or invite them to visit? Is literacy an issue? What is funding like? Do you have ILL (inter-library loan) and how does it work? (For those who don’t know, ILL is a ginormous network that allows libraries from all over the world to borrow items from other libraries. If you’re visiting a library, be it public or at a university or wherever, and you don’t see the book/article/whatever you want, ask the circulation desk if you can request it through ILL. Chances are, the answer will be yes and it’s free for you to use! )

What I did see, though, was a struggling library. The entire space is just two large rooms. Adult books are in the main room, while the children’s books are in the second room. Long tables and piles of chairs are scattered throughout, which hints at potential community events. I saw books in English and Spanish and of course everything was organized in good ol’ Dewey Decimal. I had read that the Department of Culture is working to improve public libraries throughout the country. Hopefully, the program will make it to Bocas del Toro too. The top row of photos are of the first room and the second row are from the second room. Note the obligatory, but very cute, keep quiet sign.

Next, it was time to find a new book to read. Though the mission was a bust in Boquete, I was hopeful. I had seen that a little free library was on a map near the main square/park and it took a bit, but I found it. Sandwiched between two businesses in a hallway in front of another business was a Take-a-Book/Leave-A-Book library spanning quite a few shelves. There were enough books for some basic organizing, which made it easy to browse. I counted three books in Hebrew: a Harlequin romance, another romance novel translated from English, and a copy of Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It’s a favorite of mine (at least the Hebrew translation), but I’ve already read it twice and wanted something new. Eventually I settled on The Years with Laura Díaz by Carlos Fuentes. As of writing this, I’m about 80 pages in and so far so good. I’m learning a lot about 20th century Mexican history and upheaval, which is always fun to do through historical fiction.

With those missions accomplished, let’s talk about food. This time, instead of just focusing on what we ate in Bocas del Toro, I want to also share some more classic Panamanian food we’ve had a chance to try in Boquete too. Get ready fellow shmendoozles. Here we go!

There are about a million restaurants in the Boquete area (not really, but A LOT) and we found two that were more cafeteria-style that piqued our interest. We ended up visiting the same one twice for breakfast since we liked it so much. Both times we were the only gringos in the room. The first time, pickings were slim since we got there relatively late for breakfast, but we made do. On the left is Adam’s plate: boiled yucca, an empanada, fried dough, and salchipapas (hot dogs in a tomato sauce). The right-hand photo is my plate: boiled yucca, a cornmeal fritter, and beef. What kind of beef? I wasn’t sure but I rolled with it because I don’t really like salchipapas. As I was eating it, I kept thinking that it wasn’t quite the right texture for a roast or a steak and then I realized what it is was: liver. That’s right: folks around here eat beef liver for breakfast. Why not start the day with heaps of iron? Both plates kept us full for hours.

The second time we visited this cafeteria, we had many more choices. On the left is Adam’s plate: boiled yucca, salchipapas, fried chicken, fried pork, and a corn empanada. My plate was pretty basic: fried pork, boiled yucca, and an almojábano (a type of cornmeal fritter). This food kept us full for hours, which we needed for a long travel day.

While in Boquete, we were excited to visit an upscale Panamanian restaurant called Donde Giselle. We ordered a bunch of little dishes to try and everything was excellent. Top row, left to right: fish ceviche with plantain chips; chicharrones with almojábanos (corn fritters); tacos with stewed beef. Bottom row, left to right: sancocho Panameño (a traditional chicken soup); a chicken stew; and, a maracuyá (passionfruit) pie that Adam said was heavenly. (Just look at that meringue and thick custard!)

Once we got to Bocas del Toro, Adam and I were determined to eat Caribbean cuisine whenever possible. It didn’t happen quite as often as we had hoped, but we did visit one Caribbean restaurant that was extremely affordable and delicious. I ordered the chicken that was reminiscent of Jamaican Jerk seasoning while Adam ordered the whole fried fish. The side order of lentils was hearty and reminded me of a mulligatawny soup. Obviously Adam ate my order of macaroni salad.

Once we were on Isla Bastimentos, the food options were pretty basic. However, we did manage to visit one Rasta restaurant that we enjoyed very much. We both wished it was open more often so that we could have tried more dishes. Adam ordered the pork chop and I ordered the vegetarian plate. They may look the same, but his pork chop is hidden under some cooked veggies in the left-hand photo. In addition to our excitement about the veggies, the coconut rice was some of the best I have had in a very long time.

Our perfect beach day on Red Frog Beach included an excellent lunch. Typically, we try to order different food so that we can taste each other’s dishes when possible. (Yes, I am Susan from Ted.) However, this time we were both excited for the same chicken dish. Our server told us that it’s the traditional chicken pretty much everyone eats on Isla Bastimentos and the one locals order the most. Everything was flavored beautifully and the chili pepper on top of the rice wasn’t spicy at all.

One last meal of note was the very delicious Mexican-inspired food in Bocas Town. We’ve found that Mexican food can be very hit or miss, but I was really craving tacos, so we wanted to give it a try. To be very frank: the 2 for 1 deal on jamaica margaritas was a strong selling point too. Adam ordered nachos (without cheese). In the background you can see the tray of hot sauces. When the server learned we eat spicy-spicy not just gringo spicy, he brought out the big guns. I ordered a bunch of tacos. Take a look at the taco in the middle with that white sauce on it. It’s a house-made salsa of blended hearts of palm and was the perfect topping for a veggie taco. I love hearts of palm and they’re so expensive in Panamá, so it felt like a treat. (I won’t judge you too harshly if you don’t like hearts of palm, unless you don’t like other pickled things and then I’m not sure we can be friends.) Also, the Alabama game was on in the background! As soon as Adam pointed it out, I turned to the server and yelled, “I went there! Roll tide!” He sort of smiled and nodded. He might have been extra confused since I didn’t actually watch the game. (I know, I know. I tried. I don’t get what is so appealing about watching people sweat and run after a ball when that is the last thing I would ever want to do, but whatever floats your boat…and Roll Tide damnit.)

I’ll have one more post about food and libraries in El Valle de Anton and Panamá City before we move on to the next country. Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe to Traveling While Introverted so you don’t miss it!