We are going to Contadora Island!!
Contador means counter or bookkeeper in Spanish. This is the place used by the Spanish conquistadors for making a stop to count their “booty” before returning to Spain.
Contadora was developed in the 1960s as the getaway for the rich and famous … the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, John Wayne, Julio Inglesias, Christian Dior, the Shah of Persia … to name a few!
Now the island is developed. It has paved roads, electricity, gas stations (although there are not many cars), a police station, a medical center, supermarkets, restaurants, …even an airport.
Contadora Island is part of the Pearl Islands of Panama, and it is the most visit of the Pearl Islands. In addition, it has been the base for the TV show Survivor.
And did I mention we are going by PLANE … a tiny PLANE!!!! To say I am excited is an understatement. Now, I have been planning this trip since I heard about the island. But Covid-19 kind of put a damper on travel, especially with Panama´s severe lockdown (a topic for another day.) And I thought our time had come for NEXT week. The plan was to leave July 2 and return July 5. But I got a message yesterday asking if we could move up our trip to this weekend. So here we go! Next week you will get a rundown of our trip.
From what I have read … it is a fantastic island, and I plan on seeing all of it! We are staying at the Hibiscus House, an Airbnb on the island owned by Karyn Saunders and Allan Breadner. I feel like Karyn is one of my best friends as she was the person that kept all of Coronado updated on the happenings during Covid on FaceBook.
So watch for more next week. Until then …