Taboga: My New Love Affair

In the twelve years Erinn and I have lived in Panama, we’ve visited the island of Taboga many times. We have always done this, however, at her insistence.

Taboga is only a fifty-minute ferry ride from Panama City, and it’s a fabulous place to spend a day laying on the beach … if you like that sort of thing.

The problem is that while Erinn loves the sand, I don’t.

As a result, whenever we’ve traveled to Taboga, I’ve done so grudgingly.

I do, nevertheless, enjoy strolling through the town to take photographs of the lovely scenery and the quaint architecture—much of it colonial.

Also, when I visit Taboga I try to imagine moments from the pivotal role that the island played in the continent’s history. Because of the deep surrounding waters, Taboga became the perfect place for Francisco Pizarrro to build and launch the ships that went on to conquer the Inca Empire.

Today, however, Taboga is a sedate place with a population that—judging by the countless niches with images of Mary and other saints—is profoundly Catholic.

What made our most recent trip special was that, for the first time, we decided to spend the night on the island. I found the experience magical. After sunset, once the daytime tourists had returned home, the locals reclaimed their community, giving Taboga the sparkling charm of a pueblo.

I also loved that the islanders’ sense of aesthetics includes the scallop shell. With my current passion over the Camino de Santiago, I took this as a good omen.

In the morning of our second day there, after breakfast, Erinn and I went our separate ways: she to lay on the beach and I to climb to the cross, located on the highest point of the southern tip of the island.

The views there were breathtaking. In one direction, large ships waited for their turn to pass through the Canal.

But the most precious view was of the bay and the town. Since I was the only person up there that morning, I felt as if I owned the island.

After this experience, I’ll be thrilled to return to Taboga any time Erinn wishes. There is, however, one condition: we must spend the night.