During my time in Panamá, in order to avoid suicidándome, I occasionally had to escape the hustle and lunacy of the Capital for a quieter, browner, locale. I can admit to not exploring as much of Panamá as intended, but the place I did become familiar with was Portobelo, a gorgeous, quiet Black town on the Caribbean side of the country, in Colón province. During my 19 months in Panamá, I visited this sleepy village three times and it became my go-to escape destination. No asinine taxistas and stress-inducing customer service tragedies, just beautiful, welcoming Black people, comida caribeña, and a peace not found in Panama City. While there are white people (they will build a business anywhere), I felt completely at ease there. It felt good to be able to blend in for once. As I prepare to return to Panamá in the coming days, this is one more thing that I look forward to. Here are a few of my favorite images from my time in Portobelo.
Many thanks to Alex Hardy for this wonderful contribution! To get to know more about Alex, be sure to follow him on Instagram @colredboy, Twitter @chrisalexander and podcast The Extraordinary Negroes.
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I could definitely spend some time here walking around the fort and enjoying the food. #wkendtravelinspiration
It’s nice when you’re away from home to find places where you feel at home. Those dishes of food look really delicious, especially the fish.