When in Panama, one of the places talked about about is the Pearl Islands. Panama has a rich history in the pearl trade, which is where the islands get their name. The best known island is Contadora Island. Contadora is said to have been used by Spanish Conquistadors to count their ill gotten gains before heading back to Spain. Contador means counter or bookkeeper in Spanish, hence the name.
And while there are several of the islands that are inhabited, only one or two have any real infrastructure set up for “tourists”. We found an OfertaSimple offer, which is the Latin American equivalent to Groupon, for a discount on the ferry to Contadora Island that leaves from the Trump Ocean Club International Hotel. We got ahold of a friend who knows about all things Pearl Islands and he told us the discount was a good deal. So we purchased the deal and my wife got us a 2 night stay at the Trump. After all, we WERE saving money on the ferry, right??
We caught a ride into the city with some good friends, who dropped us off at the hotel. We were checked in to a room on the 19th floor. A nice room with a king size bed and a tub as an accent piece.
The next morning, we made our way to the ferry dock behind the hotel.
The ferry makes daily runs to the Pearl Islands. It takes about an hour by sea to get there. On the day we went, it was raining and the sea got rougher and rougher the closer we got to Contadora.
To quote a famous three hour tour, “The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed…”
We disembarked the ferry onto a fishing boat which delivered us to the beach at Contadora Island. In the rain…
And the rain continued to fall…
Even the cat was looking for cover…
Contadora is about a mile and a half long by a half mile wide and it does have an airstrip.
As the day wore on, a couple of planes flew in, passing right over our heads to land.
As the afternoon wore on, the rain kept falling. Just not a good day to go to the island.
So we boarded the ferry and headed back to the city. Sad, but not defeated…
Fast forward the clock a month, and we were ready to try another trip to Contadora Island. The rainy season is over and we are hoping for a much better time. We made our reservations at the Hibiscus House, a bed and breakfast on the island. And as a special treat, a friend arranged for us to FLY to the island with the owner of the Hibiscus House. We arrived at the Chame airstrip at 9am and found Allan, our pilot, gassing up his plane.
Once the plane was fueled, he loaded our luggage and his supplies.
Next, time to load the passengers.
Once inside the plane, Allan went through his check list, warned me to keep my knees and feet out of the controls, and we’re off.
Once up in the air, it’s a short 30 minutes to Contadora Island. Along the way, we saw Panama City off in the distance.
All too soon, the airstrip on Contadora Island came into view and we got ready to land.
Can you spot the Iguana on the runway? The pilot did…
Once we came to a stop, and I got my 6’4″ self OUT of the plane…
we headed up to the Hibiscus House, a very peaceful place on a quiet street on the island.
We settled into our room to unpack…
We then got our golf cart, the preferred mode of transportation on the island, and set out to discover what Contadora Island had to offer.
Yes, those are shells in the walls…
With interesting tile work…
On our second day on the island, our host arranged for a local fisherman to take us out for some snorkeling. The fisherman took us around to several of the different islands in the area, including, the island that was used for theTV show Survivor, Panama. At one point, we were escorted by a couple of dolphins.
The snorkeling was amazing…
Our last morning, we spent just riding around, enjoying the beauty of Contadora Island.
Our time on the island came to an end and we loaded back up in the plane for the short flight home.
Our 2 days were over too soon. We will remember our trip to the Pearl Islands and the Hibiscus House and will count it as one of the many highlights of being senior nomads.
