Isla de Paraíso

Just over the border from Costa Rica, off the coast of Panama is an island called Bastimentos, its jungled mass standing proudly in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro in the Caribbean Sea.

There are no cars on the island, only a sidewalk flanking the Old Bank barrio, where it’s possible to meet almost all the locals in one afternoon, walking from the harbor through town, past one and then the other tiny grocery store, to our bargain-backpacker hostel (with kitchen access!) at the far end.

Everyone is in town when it’s not raining – surfer entrepreneurs offering professional tours, kids playing with toy boats or chasing the chickens that roam aimlessly under stilt-raised houses, Rastafarians selling knit hats and marijuana, hotel owners enticing you with seaside hammocks and special prices, even next-door-neighbor chefs selling food out of their homes.

The first night, we enthusiastically attempted our version of a Caribbean meal – vegetables in coconut sauce with rice. It was tasty, albeit improvised and somewhat novice. In steps Javiar, the hostel manager and chef, who then taught us how to cook real Caribbean food, a different dish each night. Here is a sampling of the dinners that stuffed our bellies and fed my appetite for learning new cuisine.

Warning: the following contents include graphic images – fish heads, onion rings, garlic bits, hot pepper spices, sweet pepper sticks, cilantro sprigs, tomato flesh and coconut juices.