"Explorers and Pirates, welcome!" Portobelo by Assenczo

Customs house without the gold

Portobello is a little place with big history. Indeed it is nice bay surrounded by jungle stuffed with life. It is oppressively humid and hot. The compensation is that it is one of the places visited by the greatest explorer of them all – Christopher Columbus. Latter on it became a staging point for the galleons of the Armada for transfer of the loot from the new properties on the new world. Naturally it attracted the attention of the pirates, British, Dutch and so on, whose respective governments did not have the means to plunder the Spanish property or were afraid of the consequences. Handy comes one of the most brilliant pirates, Henry Morgan, who with the help of the oppressed manages to land at a distance and attack the Spanish fort from behind. The prize is massive amounts of gold and other goodies for the initiated and freedom instead of serfdom for the helpers.

Dark omens perched on ruins

Nowadays Portobello is on the tourist map with a bran new road connecting it to Via Trasistmica, tourist office and recently renovated customs house - things that do not usually happen in “untouristy” Panama. There is an effort to capitalise on history and develop an obviously depressed region. Luckily enough there is enough leftovers from past times to make a serious claim in the highly competitive environment of the tourism industry. There are black and white beaches nearby, easily reachable by car. The only downside is the lack of cooperation on side of the weather. For the month of December it offered showers, heavy rain, and some sticky moments in between. The pleasure seekers need more than that. On top of this misery, the geography of Panama offers quick solution to this malaise – the Pacific and Sunny coast is just 3 hours away. May be some cloud-dispersing technology would be a good investment if the locals are ever going to be able to see it that way. The answer to the question: “Do you know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow?” is generally “Whatever it is, I do not particularly care”.

• Pros:The good and the bad locked in eternal struggle
• Cons:Damb hot and soaking humid
• In a nutshell:Lust and greed molding the past, tranquility steeping the present