Isla Contadora is one of the Las Perlas Islands in the Golfo de Panama on the Pacific side. It's a 15 minute plane ride from Panama City; four hours by sailboat. It's a popular get away for the city dwellers and those who are better off. Las Islas Perlas used to be loaded with oysters and pearls; hence the name. They were stripped of their jewels and are now a Panamanian tourist destination. After transitting the canal we could not sit still and we had to catch up with Alex and Leah on Reflections. We hadn't seen them since the early fall in Vancouver. They were about to launch for the Galapagos and it seemed silly not to see them off when we were so close. We snorkelled. Randy and Alex caught fish with their spear guns. I cleaned and cooked our fish but Parrot Fish have the texture of mud and taste like sand. We found out later that because they eat coral; they are not good fish to eat. Besides, I told Randy not to kill the pretty fish. Later that night we went out for dinner to a fancy hotel restaurant where I ordered a whole snapper for $14; normally they are $6 or less. We stayed for two nights. By then our friend Paul Belna was a regular salty dog. We said good bye to Reflections at dawn and made our way back to the big city. The winds were about 15 - 20 and the seas relatively calm. It was beautiful. For contrast, on arrival to Panama, all three of us took over our friend Matt's house; listened to music, made pizza went for steak dinner and yes, even did laundry. Thanks Matt for always being such a generous host. Sometimes we feel like crusty cruisers but Matt always welcomes us.
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