Isla Grande and Portobelo, Panama
Morning found us entering the port of Isla Grande under a partly cloudy sky. Isla Grande is a sleepy little town of about 1000 people and is located about 15 km east of Portobelo and is therefore a popular weekend destination for Panama City’s party animals. Most of the people from this area are of African descent and make their living from fishing and coconut production. The French built a lighthouse on the island in 1893, which sent red, green and white light over 100km out to sea. The lighthouse still functions today, but the light is now white, and is visible for only 70 km. We headed ashore and set out to explore the island. The view from the lighthouse area was spectacular and we could see the waves crashing onto the large rocks that jutted out from the island below. We visited the “End of the World Ecological Resort” and were treated to Panamanian hospitality by our host Efrain Halax. Soon, it was time to move on to our next destination and we were in the Zodiacs heading back to our ship.
We then motored on to Portobelo and set down our anchor inside a lovely protected bay. Portebelo has a population of about 3867 people. This bayside town was given the name “Puerto Bello” by Christopher Columbus in 1502 because of its natural harbor and in time was changed to Portobelo. It was to here that the gold from South America was brought across the isthmus, and was then recorded and stored until it could be shipped to Spain. To defend his bullion and galleons from invading pirates, King Felipe II ordered forts to be constructed at Portobelo and by 1601 two had been built near the mouth of the bay and in the years that followed many more would be built.
Today, Portobelo is a quiet little town and most of the people that live here make their living from the sea or agriculture. The homes here have been constructed among the ruins of military buildings. Most of our guests braved the heat and climbed up to the top of the Fort of San Fernando and were awed by the panoramic vista. From here we made a short Zodiac trip to the little town and walked through the rustic streets and enjoyed the local color. By evening, we were once again on our way to our next stop in our odyssey- Escudo de Veragua, Panama.
