Photo Gallery

Back

Back in Portobelo

Click here to read the story

Portobelo

The night we got back from Panama City was the day of the Black Christ (Christo Negro), so we watched the procession go through the town.

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

We took the dingy for a spin around Isla Drake to see if we could catch a fish for dinner. No luck this time

Portobelo

Isla Drake, apparently Sir Francis Drake is buried somewhere around here in at the bottom of the sea in a lead coffin

Portobelo

Then we took a spin down a couple of the rivers, no wildlife spotted again. We always go to late in the day and the engine is so loud if anything was around it would have scarpered long ago

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

Stu waiting with a beer for me to finish the laundry, outside the supermarket

Portobelo

The customs house where they used to keep all the gold! A third of all the gold in the world used to pass through this building, on route to Spain. It came from the Spanish territories, on the Pacific coast, across Panama by mule, then was stored here until being loaded up on a boat back to Spain.

Ingots of silver was piled up along the street during the trade fair to wait to be loaded on a boat and taken back to Spain. Its a very interesting history, full of pirates and treasure and cannons and stuff!

Portobelo

Fort San Fernando another of the large forts erected to protect the treasure from pirates

Portobelo

Portobelo

One of the streets in Portobelo

Portobelo

The town square at the front of the Customs House

Portobelo

Portobelo

Portobelo

One of the more expensive bars that we don't go in, but it looks rather nice!

Portobelo

Portobelo

One of the fantastically painted local buses, as with Guatemala these are the old American Blue Bird school buses. They live forever!

Click here to read the story

Back