![\"Portobelo](\"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Portobelo-Bay.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Portobelo Bay – a sleepy port on the North shore of Panama, enamored me in the same way it has far more intrepid explorers throughout history. \u00a0The morning mist is like lingerie\u00a0over\u00a0voluptuous\u00a0green mountains. \u00a0It’s serene in a way that’s unique – even in the Caribbean. The humble condition of the small town belies its importance in history. Yet, when you consider the sheer number of cannons which guarded it, you realize that it was once far more than it is today.<\/p>\n
One of the aforementioned intrepid explorers was Sir Francis Drake<\/a>. \u00a0Drake was born a commoner, but early in life apprenticed with a wealthier shipowner who had no other heirs, and bestowed him with enough to launch a nautical life. To the English, he was a great and\u00a0courageous Admiral. \u00a0To the Spanish, he was “El Draco” (the Dragon), among the most feared pirates intent on stealing their “rightfully stolen” goods before they could be returned to the motherland.<\/p>\n His story is one of many that set the standard for pirate tales – one that includes\u00a0camaraderie\u00a0and betrayal, thrill and hopelessness, and of course, gold. \u00a0It weaves a thread around the world – for what else could you expect from the man who was likely the second to complete the circumnavigation of the globe? \u00a0And it’s a story that I likely would never have known (or, more likely, remembered), had I not made my way into Portobelo Bay and heard mention that the remains of “The Dragon” were within a lead coffin, deep in the waters off from the island that bears his name.<\/p>\n You see, I find infinitely more meaning in my discoveries with even just the slightest taste of local lore. \u00a0Learning more of Drake led me to research other early adventurers like Rodrigo de Bastidas<\/a>, Vasquez de Balboa, and\u00a0Martim Afonso de Sousa<\/a>. \u00a0Reading these names may invoke the thought that these men were greedy conquistadors more than they were adventurers. \u00a0And if you’re considering only the genesis of their original interest, perhaps you’d be right. \u00a0But read the histories of these or any others and you’ll find that in the end, their thirst for exploration often outraced their zeal for treasure. \u00a0Knowing that creates a bit of a bond, and all of the sudden, the fact that the California Redwoods I visited with my boys in Muir Woods were just 30 miles from Drake’s Bay – a crescent-shaped harbor named after the selfsame seafarer \u00a0who anchored there on his way around the world – makes every experience that much more significant.<\/p>\n What I’m getting at is that even though there is so much eye-candy on every trip you go on, the real sweetness is in knowing what’s behind everything you’re seeing. \u00a0One of my favorite (though obvious) tools is to use Wikipedia.com to get a quick overview of particular sites, individuals, movements, and other intriguing facts about an area.<\/p>\n Beyond that, I tell you that there’s nothing like reading a good non-fiction piece or even a novel set in the area you’re traveling in. \u00a0For this trip to Panama, I started into David McCulloch’s Path Between the Seas –\u00a0<\/em>a phenomenal overview of the construction of the Panama Canal. \u00a0Now I’m into a novel with factual settings about a merchant in Panama in the 17th century – The Merchant of Panama<\/em>, by Paul S. Jennings. \u00a0When I get home, I’d like to read more on the Kuna Yala indian people, who, as Sheldon told you, inhabit the San Blas\u00a0Archipelago.<\/p>\n This is all in an effort to make a rich experience even richer. \u00a0How do you add excitement to your journeys? \u00a0What resources do you use? \u00a0Any specific stories you’d like to share? \u00a0I’d love to hear your comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Portobelo Bay – a sleepy port on the North shore of Panama, enamored me in the same way it has far more intrepid explorers throughout history. \u00a0The morning mist is like lingerie\u00a0over\u00a0voluptuous\u00a0green mountains. \u00a0It’s serene in a way that’s unique … Continue reading