Customer Reviews

Is There a Hole in the Boat?: Tales of Travel in Panama without a Car

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Whatever the genre, I enjoy books that intrigue my mind and engage my emotions in unexpected ways. This ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Finalist managed to intrigue and engage in the first page and didn't let up until the last word. Darrin DuFord shares a charming account of his Panamanian travels, through vivid descriptions of the country's topography, humorous details of his attempts to accept each new experience, and respectful acceptance of the cultural differences. As indicated by the title, this is NOT a dry how-to, where-to travelogue.

DuFord deliberately set out to travel Panama as the natives do. By land, he hikes, bribes and barters his way from place to place in colorfully painted buses, dilapidated taxis and pick ups. By river and sea he crams his American frame into dugouts made for natives half his size, forced to bail water from leaky boats. Other times, he experiences the unique flora and fauna on foot with native guides who take delight in pointing out poisonous snakes and spiders and rats as big as cats. DuFord meets all the biting wildlife you can imagine close up. For nourishment, he bravely eats and drinks whatever the natives offer, delicacies not found in the North American diet.

Except for the Canal Zone, most of Panama is a land without Western amenities. Potable running water is a luxury. Public transportation is a raucous adventure. Areas of clear cut rainforest deplete native food sources at an alarming rate. Still, Panama's people are hopeful and adaptable, cheerful, warm and welcoming. From native kings to sly guides to scientists, the stars of DuFord's travels are the people he meets along the way.

This author's writing style is personable, his book delightful. Readers will learn a lot about Panama and its people, and enjoy themselves immensely in the process.

I'm not sure exactly what it is I was expecting when I started reading this book, but whatever it was, it wasn't what I got. I'm not saying I hated the book, because there were parts of it that I did enjoy. Other parts of it though, I found to be..well..boring.

The book is about the author's travel through Panama, and is filled with tales of politics, food, and day to day life in a tropical no man's land. Parts of the book made me laugh out loud, and there were times when the world around me seemed to disappear and I was there in Panama with the author, up to my knees in mud. Other times I found my mind wandering, completely uninterested in the story before me.

If you enjoy travel narratives, or are just interested in Panama, you should definitely check out this book. True, parts of it may have bored me, but just because it doesn't fall within my realm of interests doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. This book is full of information and description; those of you interested in Panama will LOVE it. The author also includes a pretty extensive bibliography at the end, for further reading pleasure.

Darrin DuFord's tales of wanderlust provide an invigorating read as he explores untamed lands and weaves in historical details to give context. Curiosity leads him to new discoveries in this travelogue filled with stories of hunting and fishing in a wild terrain. As he paints a vivid picture of life in Panama, his writing reveals an exotic tour of culinary feasts.

He drinks a lemongrass tea, quenches his thirst with sea grapes and samples exotic fruit shakes. The villagers' love of music gives him opportunity to exchange his band's CD for a boat ride and he learns how to barter and survive through creative means. The stories of fishing tilapia made me hungry as he describes everything from the boat ride to the final preparation and delicious feast.

Many of the most intriguing stories include details of the lives of the villagers and how they survive, even in places where they must find creative means to obtain water. A journey to find a fresh palm heart from a tree becomes as much an adventure as stories of medicine men, ancient curses, celebrations and trips to a famous hermit's beach hideout. Villagers must travel to the city to check their email and they seem to face their life challenges with a sense of humor and patience.

Darrin DuFord's powers of description glow with a precision that creates flashes of images in the mind's eye making this as visually stunning and creatively intoxicating. As an extremely talented travel writer, his articles have also appeared in The Panama News and Transitions Abroad. His latest recipes and articles can also be found on his website "Omnivorous Traveler." I can highly recommend this to you if you enjoy culinary adventures and vivid descriptions of exotic locales.

~The Rebecca Review

I throughly enjoyed this easy to read and fun book about the real Panama. If you're interested in Panama at all, it is a must read. Panama is so much more than the canal and this book proves it.

Wow, makes you want to seek the Thoreau in all of us . Travelers often miss the reason they left the States....to experience life through the simpler lifestyles and content souls of those who exist light years away. Since we can't hop on the Enterprise, better settle for our own planet, which according to Duford still has a lot of mysteries to offer. He has managed to find in his travels the evasive, beguiling and intriging....and transform same into prose that enlightens and educates.

Is There a Hole in the Boat? is a book of travel stories about the author's visits to Panama. This is not a standard "go here and see this" style of travel book. DuFord takes you on his journeys through the country of Panama. On the way he reveals a great deal about the geography of this county that surrounds the Panama Canal. You are introduced to Panama's history, ecology and the indigenous people of the country, but DuFord uses stories that are both amusing and revealing.

Each chapter in the book takes you to a different area of the country. With titles like "186,000 Chickens" and "Hiking to the Bush Rat Buffet," DuFord captures your interest.

He writes in a clear, transparent style that allows the peoples and cultures of Panama to speak for themselves. He isn't above laughing at himself, but he doesn't let his ego get in the way of telling the story. The people he meets and writes about are as diverse as the country of Panama itself. Through the author we are introduced to people ranging from the last King in the Americas to the chef of the Bush Rat Buffet.

Though the stories are entertaining, DuFord also provides an education into what it like to live in a country where the average wage is $7 a day. He chooses to use public transportation and see the country from the same vantage point as the Panamanians. The diablos rojos, the wildly painted school buses that are the backbone of the public transport, weave in and out of most of his tales. The Panamanians, like their buses, are shown to be determined and colorful. DuFord never patronizes the people that he meets, but neither does he romanticize them.

Whether or not you are planning a trip to Panama. Is there a hole in the boat? is a worthwhile read. Darrin DuFord brings a country and its people to life, and in the process tells some very good stories.

Armchair Interviews says: Unique view of Panama all will enjoy.

Is There a Hole in the Boat? is the authors account of traveling through Panama using the same transportation methods that are used by the locals. Those methods of transportation include bus, by foot, riding in the back of trucks through paved and unpaved roads. The author introduces us to Panama's history, ecology and the indigenous people of the country as well.

This book is about his experiences and discoveries made while traveling Panama on three seperate occassions. DuFord mixes with the locals, samples everything, the food, drink and experiences their cultures, observes the peoples everyday lives and participates in their traditional celebrations.

Darrin DuFord writes his accounts with vivid descriptive detail, making this a engaging read. This is not to be confused with your normal travel guide of rating places to stay and eat. DuFord takes us on a journey into the lives and cultures of the Panama people and makes this both an enjoyable as well as an educational reading selection.

Reviewed by Lisa Kisner for Reader Views (3/07)

Darrin DuFord tells of traveling through Panama using the same transportation as the local people. He travels by foot, bus, and in the back of pick-up trucks across miles of paved and unpaved roads. In his travels he immerses himself, and the reader, in the multiple cultures to be found in Panama, some of which remain indigenous. Sampling the many foods and drinks of the cultures while observing everyday life and participating in some traditional celebrations, the author shows that there is much more to Panama than the Panama Canal. Along the way, the author also touches on some of the issues facing the Panamanian people, such as the destruction of the jungle and the declining iguana and lobster populations.

Mr. DuFord has a style of writing that brings the landscape to life and makes even the most questionable meal, such as bush rat, sounds delicious. He makes you feel as if you are experiencing Panama along with him and gives you enough of a taste of a lesser-known Panama to make you want more. The reader will enjoy his descriptions of riding on the Panamanian public buses as much as when he meets the King of the Naso people or when he visits a hermit who lives alone on island. You will appreciate the ease of traveling in the United States, traffic, potholes and all, once you read the entertaining descriptions of the his trips across the country, yet, at the same time, you will find yourself wanting to take those same journeys in order to get to know the real Panama.

Mr. DuFord gives the reader a glimpse into Panama and the people who call it home. If you are interested in travel or other cultures, add "Is There a Hole in the Boat?" to your reading list. You will not be disappointed.


Received book free of charge.