Page 145 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Penonomé and eastern CoClé Central Panama 143
large flatscreen TV and laundry service. Plus there’s a rather faded en-suite rooms with decent beds and noisy a/c
business centre, gym, pool and bar-restaurant. Buffet units, offering reasonable value nevertheless. $40
breakfast included. $77 Pensión Los Piños Interamericana, 200m east of Av
Hotel Dos Continentes Interamericana, at the J.D. Arosemena T997 9518. Easily missable, squat
junction with Av J.D. Arosemena T997 9326, building offering eleven cheap basic rooms with bathroom,
Whoteldoscontinentes.net. Long-standing labyrinth of a/c & cable TV. $25
eatInG
Inexpensive places serving traditional food are dotted along the main street and around the market, with more varied
cuisine served in the hotel restaurants.
Gallo Pinto No. 1 C Nicanor Rosas. One of several in town Cortés T908 5311. Delightful restaurant in a converted
in this local chain, which offers comida típica for $3–4 in all church, with a spacious courtyard decorated with artwork
its outlets; you can’t beat this branch for people-watching, laden with religious motifs. Specializing in Panamanian,
on the corner overlooking the market. Daily 6am–8pm. Chifa (Chinese-Peruvian) and Spanish dishes, it offers
Hotel Dos Continentes Interamericana, at the plenty of choice and the quality is good. Don’t miss the 3
junction with Av J.D. Arosemena T997 9325. The glass- sangria. Mains from around $16. Daily 11am–10pm.
fronted hotel restaurant is justifiably popular, serving a El Paisa Av J.D. Arosemena, near Plaza Bolívar. Bakery
good range of international dishes and Panamanian with a couple of stand-up tables and some outdoor seating.
staples. Breakfasts are excellent. Daily 6.30am–10pm. Good for a cup of coffee or a fruit juice and a sticky bun.
El Mesón de Santa Cruz Paseo Andaluz, off C Damian Daily 6am–9.30pm.

La Pintada
Aficionados of Panama’s hats – as opposed to Panama hats, which are made in
Ecuador – should consider making a detour out to the village of LA PINTADA, 15km
northwest of Penonomé in the foothills of the cordillera, which is famed for its
high-quality palm-woven sombrero pintado or “pintao” (see box below). It is a major
and expanding business in the village and surrounding area, involving several thousand
individuals. The Mercado de Artesanías La Pintada (daily 9am–4pm), which displays
the crafts of around a hundred local families, sells a wide range of hats in addition to
decorated gourds, soapstone carvings, pots and various knick-knacks, though finding
the place open can be tricky, especially in the rainy season. Not so with master
hat-maker Señor Quirós, next door, who lives at the back of his shop, Artesanías
Reinaldo Quirós (daily 8.30am–4pm; T6963 0945), and also has a good collection.
Both are on the left-hand side of the football pitch and are easy to spot.

PANAMA’S HAT – THE SOMBRERO PINTADO
though not as famous nor as sought after as its ecuadorian cousins, Panama’s own straw hats
are growing in reputation. Ubiquitous in rural Panama, worn by men and women, both as
everyday work attire and a luxury accessory, they vary in style according to province and
function. But while the hats have their origins in indigenous societies, Coclé’s sombrero
pintado or pintao (“painted hat”), which takes its name from the black and white design,
has become the most popular and emblematic.
Quality (and therefore price) is principally determined by the number of rings (vueltas), but
takes into consideration the consistency and fineness of the weave. a coarse seven-ring weave
takes a week to make and costs around $20–30 whereas a 22-ring fino usually requires four to
six weeks and can sell for more than $700. the cost may seem high, but immense and skilled
labour is involved. once cut, the fibres are stripped from the leaves and cooked to be made
pliable before being dried and bleached in the sun. For a high-quality sombrero pintado, the
finest fibres are culled from bellota alongside coarser junco fibres, naturally dyed by being
boiled with chisná leaves and buried in earth for several days, to form the distinctive black
rings, while fine threads of sisal (pita) are used to stitch everything together.

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