29 Places I’d Love To Go Back To

If time and money weren’t an issue, where would you go?

We’ve spent the past two years working while traveling.

Both time and money have been a daily challenge.

But the work we do ,(and the people managing the Internet and power grid in the countries we’ve been to) has allowed us to successfully work and travel for over 2 years.

We are now returning back to America because we want to once again spend time with our families and be part of their lives in-person.

But given unlimited time and money…

Here are 29 places we have already been that we will love to return to.

(In some cases we’ve noted the things we would do there.)

1. Tanzania, Africa – tour the tanzanite mines, see the Serengeti
2. El Cid Resort, Cancun, Mexico
3. Munich, Germany – Could live here
4. Germany – Pretty much most places we’ve been
5. Puerto Iguazu, Argentina (see the falls at midnight with the rainbows)
6. Mendoza, Argentina – spend another weekend enjoying the wineries
7. Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
8. Chichicastenango, Guatemala
9. Granada, Nicaragua
10. Boquete, Panama
11. Quito, Ecuador – neurotic crazy city, but awesome too.
12. Cuenca, Ecuador – See the surrounding hill country and take Spanish classes
13. French Polynesia – this time I would go to Bora Bora or Moorea
14. New Zealand – almost anywhere in New Zealand. We could probably live here if our family did.
15. Bali – do more diving and see more of the island
16. Malaysia – but see more of the country outside of Kuala Lumpur
17. Hong Kong (Hong Kong Island)
18. Brunei
19. Chiang Mai, Thailand – stay inside the old city walls during a cleaner air quality season.
20. Hoi An, Vietnam
21. Udaipur, India
22. Bilaspur, India
23. Hyderabad, India – Nothing can prepare you for a trip to India except a trip to India. This time we know what to expect – and the food… oh the food was so good.
24. Slovenia – Viktorija and family, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!
25. Krakow, Poland
26. Budapest, Hungary
27. Northern Italy
28. Rome, Italy – live in an apartment for a month
29. Mallorca, Spain – Stay at an all-inclusive resort, see the castle on the hill above Palma, see the old defensive castle on the water, go diving.

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My Four Favorite New Food Experiences (up to now)

The most commonly asked question of a frequent traveler is “What is your favorite place?”

And that’s a hard question to answer. People who ask me what my favorite place is usually get a question back.

“My favorite place for what?”

But I understand it’s easiest to categorize information in list format, so if you’re really interested (and not just asking to be polite), I’m going to be writing multiple posts about my “favorite” things.

This post is about my four favorite plates/new food experiences.

In order to make the list, these things had to be new to me since October, 2009

Caveat: EVERYTHING I ate in India I loved. Even the Pani Puri was good (it’s a crunchy thing filled with a very thin curry/mint flavored sauce that seems to explode when you put it in your mouth.) The same goes for almost everything I ate in Thailand.

So in the interest of keeping this post short,

Patacones (Ecuador)
Plantain is such a versatile plant. Patacones are simply sliced, smashed, and fried plantain, lightly salted. Awesome and simple.

Chiang Mai noodles (Thailand)
The city of Chiang Mai is known for a specific kind of dish which has noodles in it, and then has fried noodles on top which give it this awesome crunch. It includes shallots and cilantro and a bunch of other pure goodness.

Paneer Butter Masala (India)
In particular the one made by Bhavesh and Pravin’s mom in Mumbai was my favorite, but also the one at Jaiwana Haveli in Udaipur. I knew paneer existed, but the one we had in Mumbai on Carrie’s 30th birthday amazed me because I didn’t know that cheese could be both solid and schmelzy at the same time, and absorb so many amazing flavors from the masala used to flavor it.

Kumara Fries, Ginger Beer, and Feijoas (New Zealand)
Okay, that’s three things, but whatever – these were all new to me in New Zealand. Kumara is a kind of sweet potato that gets turned into what Americans call fries (what the Brits call “chips”). Ginger beer is the best from a restaurant called Dux Delux in Christchurch. Feijoas only grow during March/April – but I’m shocked they’re not more known.

There are so many more delicious items to add to this list. So I’m stopping now. Those are my four (6) favorite (new) food experiences since October 2009.

(Pictures coming soon.)

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Thoughts After Seven Months of Travel

It seems a shame to me that in the last 7 months, we didn’t see more, do more, meet more people.

We had plans to do and accomplish different things, and I kind of feel like we planned to do *more*) during the past 7 months of our lives.

My friend Patrick Shaw says that people greatly overestimate what they can do in a year, but greatly underestimate what they can do in ten years.

So maybe we should talk in ten years.

But thinking about it, I realize that we did do a LOT over the past 7 months in central and south America, and laid a foundation for coming back to this part of the world throughout our lives.

However, we had plans.

This post talks about what we had planned to do versus what we did.

(I have written this post to remember what we planned to do, actually did and didn’t do, and also should help others traveling through Central and South America to discover some great places and things to experience.)

Lakes:
We didn’t see lake Titicaca (Bolivia), or Lake Nicaragua.
But we did get to see the beauty of Lake Atitlan (Guatemala).

Islands:
We didn’t see the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Isla del Omitepe (Nicaragua), or the San Blas Islands (Panama).
But we learned to SCUBA off of Isla Colon (Panama) in a town called Bocas Del Toro.

Animals:
We didn’t get to see whales or dolphins.
But we helped guard baby turtles and were part of their introduction into the world.  We saw monkeys in lots of places throughout central America; saw llamas mating; hummingbirds and butterflies in Mindo, Ecuador; and many other animals and critters.  We loved the variety of animals we saw, even if the insects were sometimes disturbing.

Language and culture:
We didn’t spend time living in an indigenous community, (though we spent lots of time around indigenous people).
But we speak Spanish pretty well now.  (Thanks Maribel!)  We speak well enough to be well understood, to receive compliments on how good our Spanish is, and to understand even difficult topics like politics and religion.

Business:
Because of taking Spanish class every day, and the time involved with both planning and getting from place to place, we didn’t grow our business in the way that we wanted to.
But I know 100% that our videos and written reviews of the places we’ve stayed in Antigua, Guatemala; Boquete, Panama; Quito, Ecuador, and Cuenca, Ecuador; have resulted in more bookings for the owners of those places.  Our knowledge of marketing on the Internet has helped other people to grow their businesses.  That’s exciting to me.

Ancient Cultures and Civilizations:
We didn’t get to San Augustin, Colombia; or in Peru – the Ruins of Kuelap, Macchu Picchu (due to flooding in March), or the tomb of Sipan near Chiclayo. But we saw the remnants of powerful and amazing ancient civilizations at Copan, Honduras; Tikal, Guatemala; Guayabo National Park, Costa Rica; Ingapirca, Ecuador; Cuenca, Ecuador; and Cajamarca, Peru.

Land Travel:
We did not see Belize; visit Santiago, Chile; return to Buenos Aires, Argentina; nor did we get to most of the countries in South America.
But we saw every land country in Central America (except Belize); went to or near the top of five volcanoes in three countries (Irazu and Poas, Costa Rica; Pacaya, Guatemala; Masaya, Nicaragua; and Cotopaxi, Ecuador); we covered thousands of miles by bus, plane, car, in the water, and on foot; saw amazing markets at Saquisili and Otavalo, Ecuador, and at Chichicastenengo, Guatemala; got to the capital cities of Guatemala (Guatemala City), Nicaragua (Managua), El Salvador (San Salvador), Costa Rica (San Jose), Panama (Panama City), Ecuador (Quito), and Peru (Lima); and met many amazing people along the way.

Personal Growth:
I’ve recognized and let go of some of my own ethnocentricity (which I didn’t know I had); become a Spanish speaker; learned that the jungle is a great place for me to visit, but for short-term visits only; and have learned that even though the longest we’ve been apart in the last 7 months is 4 hours, Carrie and I love and appreciate each other as much or more now that we ever have before.

I feel like a year or more could be spent exploring just Ecuador and Peru, with a mention to the lifetime that could be spent exploring Colombia and the other countries in South America.

I do think that these are areas which we will return to at some (as yet undetermined) future point in our lives.

At the same time, 7 months in central and South America has given me an even greater appreciation for the country I call home, the place where I grew up.

The United States of America is a place where stores almost always have change for a $20 bill, many stores are open 24-7, the bathrooms nearly always have tissue paper and toilet seats, and the spirit of the people, more than anywhere else I’ve ever been, says both in word and in action, “we can do it if we’ll just work hard at it.”

I am so grateful for the opportunities provided by our travels of the last seven months, and I’m very grateful as well for the opportunities and life I’ve been able to have growing up and living in the United States.

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Sunset in Ecuador, Sunrise in Peru

AKA – How to travel by bus from Cuenca, Ecuador to Chiclayo, Peru.

One of our homework assignments while learning Spanish was to read about Atahualpa (the Incan King who “surrendered” to the Spanish).

This happened near Cajamarca, Peru. (Stay tuned for more on Atahualpa and Cajamarca.)

When we were looking into traveling from Cuenca, Ecuador to Lima, Peru (by bus – about 30 hours), we wanted a way to break up the trip a bit. Cajamarca was our answer. So, we did this instead:

(FYI – in trying to plan our route we found no one who told us the name of the bus companies… so this post is to help others find their way.)

The bus from Cuenca to Machala, Ecuador:

Pullman Sucre is the name of the company, and their office is inside the Cuenca bus terminal (Terminal Terrestre). In Machala, we switched buses (and bus companies) to CIFA International.

But, the tickets for both buses were purchased in Cuenca through Pullman Sucre.

This bus took us from Machala, across the border of Ecuador, and into Peru.

The border crossing at Tumbes was pretty basic and relatively easy as far as land crossings go.

However, the “no-man’s land” was huge! I would not have wanted to be on my own to find the two in/out offices.

The CIFA International bus was pretty nice. It was much better than Pullman Sucre’s.

It wasn’t the best, but it was good enough.

Through Pullman Sucre, the tickets from Cuenca, Ecuador to Piura, Peru were $15 each.

Cuenca to Piura took 11 hours (with a 30 minute stopover in Machala for the bus change).

In case you didn’t know…it’s a desert in northern Peru.

Here’s the view.

Travel by night if you can.

When we arrived in Piura, Peru (where CIFA ended their route), we had to change buses and bus companies.

We took a taxi (because a Peruvian woman traveling the same route as us told us to).

And, Jonathan forgot what the exchange rate was… either that or he wasn’t awake yet.

In any case, he paid our taxi driver $7 for a 3 block ride. (That should have cost about $1-$2.)

We didn’t need a taxi… Transportes Chiclayo’s terminal is located (as said) basically just 2-3 blocks from CIFA International.

We took Transportes Chiclayo from Piura to Chiclayo.
(3 hours, $6 each for the “Bus Cama” (nicer) seats)

The bus was really nice!

We arrived, finally, in Chiclayo at about 10:00am.

This time, when we got a taxi, the driver first took us to get our tickets to Cajamarca.

Tonight, we will be traveling with Tourismo Dias on a night bus to Cajamarca (approx. 10 hours, $12 each).

Now, we’re in Chiclayo at a restaurant with internet our taxi driver recommended. It’s great!

It’s called Hebron, and they’re really nice and the food is good, and the internet is fast!

Check it out the next time you’re in Chiclayo.

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Testimonials and Videos from (a few of the) Places We Have Stayed

Apartment in Quito, Ecuador
(March, 2010)

Since you stayed at the apartment (I have in Quito) last month, I have gotten a lot more bookings.  I’m booked through the end of the summer, (2010).

It’s been really great… having you stay with me was more like having someone working for me because with the video you made and pictures you took while you were here, I have had MANY people want to book the apartment… I wasn’t sure at first since I gave you the discount to stay here, but having you stay at the apartment was one of the smartest things I think I could have done for future rentals.

Pablo Proaño
Quito, Ecuador

(November, 2009)

We loved having you guys stay in one of our casitas. Our favorite experience with any renter we’ve ever had was the night when you made us the most delicious Italian dinner of eggplant parmesean I’ve ever had. (And we were super impressed you offered to cook for us while you were renting from us)!

We were so happy too that we invited you to house-sit for us while we went to Florida in January 2010. During those two weeks in January, it was so nice to know that we didn’t have to worry about anything while we were in Florida.  Thank-you for taking great care of our home, taking care of the challenges and repairs at the casita rentals, and for getting messages to the neighbors for us.

Since you made the video of our casita “B”, we’ve had a nearly full booking schedule.

You guys are the best renters we’ve had… From our perspective, you guys being here felt like having family stay with us, but getting paid for the visit.  Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!

David and Cora Kent
Boquete, Panama

Hi Carrie and Jonathan!

Thought I would let you know we just had a month-long booking come in from someone who watched the video you made of Kookaburra.

Thanks so much for your interest in Kookaburra and its success. We had noticed the networking you did on our behalf and so, although this note comes just a little belated and with prompting (since it resulted in this rental), it comes nonetheless with our genuine gratitude.

Chris and I hope your travels are still wildly satisfying and endlessly awe-inspiring. Take care of each other!

Warm wishes,
Jenny

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Hostal Casa Del Rio in Cuenca, Ecuador

A Review of Hostal Casa Del Rio in Cuenca, Ecuador

As you might expect with the name Hostal Casa Del Rio (House of/by the river), the hostal sits next to one of Cuenca’s main rivers.  This means that from many of the rooms at Hostal Casa Del Rio, you actually do have a view of the river.  You also get the sounds of the river at night.

The Casa Del Rio has hot showers, quiet spaces, cable TV (which we never turned on) and is very clean.  Most of the rooms are $25/night… ours was a little bigger and had two windows looking at the river, so we paid $30/night.

We stayed for three nights here in Cuenca.

We stayed in Room 201, and liked our room.  It was very comfortable.  The owner of the hotel, Eugenio, was very nice and almost always on-hand to offer advice or helpful tips.

Those are the things we liked about the Hostal Casa Del Rio.

What we didn’t like:

The water pressure for the hot water is basically a trickle.  You can get super-hot water, but if you want to take a shower with any kind of water pressure, you’ll have to turn on the cold faucet and take a warm shower.

The Internet worked in the lobby area, but wasn’t strong enough to reach to our room.

The Internet wasn’t fast enough to make calls via Skype.  (Admittedly, I only tried this once, but I’m pretty sure it’s just not fast enough to make Skype calls.)

The sheets weren’t big enough for the bed.  There was plenty of comforter, but we fought over the sheet all night.

All of these things are not a big deal.  The hotel is pretty quiet and a good place to stay.   They cleaned our room and made the bed every day, and gave us a new bar of soap and a new shampoo daily.

If you want a good, quiet, clean, and relatively inexpensive, (absent of luxuries, but still nice enough) place to stay in Cuenca, Hostal Casa Del Rio is likely a great option for you.

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A Great Video About Ecuador

As we wrap up our time in Ecuador, I’m feeling like there’s so much more to see.

That’s a good thing to know and experience when leaving a place.

It’s the feeling of “I want to go back”, and I’m having the feeling before I’ve even left.

I came across this video today from the Ecuador Tourism board, and thought I would share it here.

I don’t regret any of the time we’ve spent here, in Spanish classes, or on quick trips to Mindo, Cotopaxi, Saquisili, the Mitad Del Mundo, Otavalo, or Cuenca.

At the same time, there’s so much more to see.

As the text for the above video says:

Ecuador: Me voy a volver (Ecuador – I’m going to return.)

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Visiting Ingapirca, Ecuador: Ingapirca Ruins Of the Cañari and Incans

We took the bus company Trans Cañar to visit Ingapirca.

We got a later start than planned and didn’t get to the Terminal Terrestre (Bus Terminal) in Cuenca until 11:10 AM.  We took a taxi there for $1.25 from the center of the city.

The Trans Cañar bus didn’t leave until 12:20.

• The lady for Trans Cañar told us that the bus wouldn’t leave for a while when we bought the tickets.
• What she didn’t tell us is that the journey to Ingapirca from Cuenca takes nearly 3 hours (not 2 as we’d previously been told).
• She also didn’t tell us that the last Trans Cañar bus from Ingapirca (which is the only bus with a direct route back to Cuenca) leaves Ingapirca at 3:50.

Because we had an hour and were hungry, we asked someone if he knew of a “nice” restaurant nearby.

He sent us to Pio Pio, a South American equivalent of KFC.

It wasn’t what I would consider a “nice” restaurant, but the chicken was good and pretty cheap.

We got on the Trans Cañar bus and it left on time.  However, the bus took nearly 3 hours.

This means that our bus arrived at the ruins at 3:10 PM, and left at 3:50 PM.

40 minutes total.

Not exciting, but we didn’t know before we left.

As is the case with nearly every bus we’ve been on in Central and South America, our Trans Cañar bus picked up (and dropped off) a lot of people on the way.

At one point, when the bus was particularly crowded, an older indigenous woman got on the bus.  Before I’d had a chance to offer her my seat (because she would have had to stand), she sat down on my lap.

Well, okay…  But at least introduce yourself first!  (She never actually did introduce herself, but then, neither did I…)

5 ½ hours of bus time for 45 minutes of Incan and Kanari ruins.

That’s about a 6 to 1 ratio.

This is the largest bus-time-to-attraction ratio we’ve had in 7 months of travel.

(The bus-time-to-attraction ratio is something I think we may use going forward… it’s the amount of time you have to spend on a bus (or other transportation) in travel time there and back, vs. the amount of actual time you spend at the event or attraction you’re going to see.)  There’s no question in my mind that 6:1 is the largest ratio we’ve ever had.

On the plus side, I would still say visiting Ingapirca was worth it.

We got a guide in Spanish (by choice) and understood 99% of the WHOLE 30 minute tour.  Our Spanish skills have REALLY improved.

Okay… so on to the ruins:

This spot at Ingapirca was first home to Kanari people who inhabited and build in this area from 1,000 BC to about 500 AD.  Then the Incans came through and built on top of the Kanari area.

Researchers know this because the Kanari built their homes and temples in circles, while the Incans built in squares and rectangles.

The two blend together in a few places at Ingapirca, but it’s really visible in the main structure at Ingapirca.

This is a large temple which was constructed around a boulder that was already protruding from the hillside.

The blocks they cut for the temple fit so well together that no mortar was necessary.

Even today, 1500 years later, there’s still no possibility of getting anything between them.  It’s absolutely amazing to see, and marvel at how they must have been able to do this kind of laser-quality cutting work with such precision.

Tips:

• When you get to the entrance of Ingapirca, mention that you are a student for a $3 entrance (instead of a $6 entrance).  The $3 student entrance also includes a guide for free.
• When you go to Ingapirca Ruins, you will want to give yourself more time than we did… like a half day or a full day. Our 45 minutes definitely was NOT enough time, and we weren’t able to see all of it.
• Private transport ranges from $45-$60/person, without park entry (of $6/person).  By contrast, our bus cost us $5/person, but took a little longer and gave us a lot of the local flavor (and smell as well).  We liked it, but it’s not the way everyone prefers to travel.  If you do want the less expensive and more local route, rather than a private transport, take the early bus from the terminal terrestre (bus company again is Trans Cañar) so that you won’t have to rush through the experience.  Ingapirca really is an amazing place.
• You can stay the night at Ingapirca, at a place called Posada Ingapirca (or perhaps one of the local townspeople would take you in for the night), but we don’t necessarily recommend it.  Of course, we didn’t try it, but in the 45 minutes we were there, we heard very loud animals ranging from llamas in heat and fighting for dominance (quite funny to watch, but also quite noisy), birds, cows, roosters, dogs, and sheep.  If you don’t mind these sounds (some people actually enjoy them – who ARE these people?), staying in Ingapirca (the “modern” city near the ruins) might be something you would like (just don’t expect to have a lot of services there).

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Kookaburra Café And Accommodation In Cuenca, Ecuador – a review

A review of the Kookaburra Café In Cuenca, Ecuador

Finding a vacation rental/hotel/café built and run by Australians in the middle of Cuenca, Ecuador, was a very nice and fun surprise.

Jenny and Chris decided to build the Kookaburra Café because they love Cuenca and wanted to be part of the local community and economy here.

For expats, visitors to Cuenca, and locals here in Cuenca, they provide a great place to hang out in the city.  I’m also quite certain that their thriving café brings additional revenue to all the people who supply the café with food and supplies



Our biggest regret about the Kookaburra café is not booking sooner, because we would have liked to have stayed here longer.

But Jenny and Chris have a traveling businessman who stays with them about once per month, and he booked the Kookaburra Café long ago for this Sunday and Monday night.

Ah well.

Our only complaint about the Kookaburra café is that because they were so busy on Sunday morning (completely packed with a 30 minute wait time), that we waited 45 minutes for breakfast.

We asked for a hot chocolate and a cappuccino with our order, asked for it again a second time, asked for it again a third time.

When it hadn’t come still, we gave our waiter a knowing glance to see if he would remember that he had forgotten our request (or gotten busy with other people) again.  1 hour and 15 minutes later, we received the cappuccino and cup of coffee. But, you know, they can’t really help that the entire town decided to come for breakfast (because it’s so good here) on the same day.

By contrast, our breakfast the day before, when the Kookaburra Cafe wasn’t ABSOLUTELY full of people, came right away and came with a free refill on both the cappuccino and the coffee.

If  our only complaint after spending two nights here is that we had to wait a little bit on a hot chocolate and cup of coffee, that gives you an idea that we liked it here at Kookaburra Café… a lot.

If you’re looking for a great place to stay in Cuenca, stop reading this post and contact Jenny and Chris at the Kookaburra Café.

If you need help getting in touch with them, please send us an email from the contact form on our site.

Tell them that you Carrie and Jonathan referred you to the Kookaburra Café.

You *might* get something special when you’re here!

Here’s our video review of the Kookaburra Cafe Accommodation in Cuenca:

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Panama Hats: The Man and Woman In the Panama Hat

Panama Hats originated in Ecuador.

In fact, Panama hats originated very close to Cuenca, Ecuador.

So why are they called Panama hats?

Well, that’s a long (perhaps sordid) tale involving:

• One of the journeys of Eloy Alfaro to Panama
• Teddy Roosevelt
• A hat

But that’s not the story I will tell now.

Yesterday, Carrie and I went for a little walk from the Kookaburra Café (where we’ve been staying here in Cuenca).

We wanted to visit the museum and workshop of Hormero P Ortega & Hijos, one of the most famous Panama hat makers in Ecuador.

After about 40 minutes of walking, we arrived at Hormero P Ortega & Hijos (Hormero P Ortega and sons), to have the man at the gate tell us that the workshop is closed on Saturdays.

Lots of places are closed for some or most of the day on Saturdays/Sundays in Cuenca.

That was a bit disappointing, but at that point we were close to Cuenca’s Terminal Terrestre (where the buses leave from), so we went to check out the best options for leaving Cuenca on Tuesday night or Wednesday.

From there, we took a $4 taxi to Turi, which is a town and church on a hill above Cuenca, with a beautiful view of the whole city.

We wanted to eat lunch up there… we assumed there would be lots of restaurants with the beautiful view (and had been told as much by a few people). We found one restaurant with a great view, but it appeared to be some kind of dinner theater place, and it was closed.

So we took a taxi back to the city, wandered around a bit, and on our wandering back to the Kookaburra Café, we ran into this place just 2 blocks away from our hotel.

Rafael Paredes S. y Hijos, Panama Hat makers since 1957

Wanting to do the appropriately touristy thing and learn how Panama hats are made, we entered the exhibits.

Did you know that Panama Hats are made out of one single reed that is shredded, braided, pressed, and steamed into the shape of the hat? That was really interesting to see.

Rafael Paredes S. y Hijos apparently is also the hat maker of choice for many of the contestants in the Miss Universe contest. Their hats have also been featured in advertisements (on beautiful women who wear attractive hats on posters in order to get men to buy beer, and women to buy hats).

We played around trying on different hats, with no real intention of buying them for ourselves.

But then, I found a Panama hat that I liked.

Carrie said it looked *really* good on me.

Finding a hat I like is one thing, but having my wife say it looks *really* good on me kind of makes it a done deal.

One problem – the hat I selected was too small.

Turns out that in Ecuadorian Panama hat sizes, my head is not an XL.

It’s not even a XXL.

My head is HUGE.

I’ve known that for some time, but Rafael Paredes S. y Hijos is specially making, just for me, a XXXL (that’s three X’s) Panama hat in the colors of my choosing.

The women working there in the shop thought it was quite funny that I had such a “gran cabeza”.

(They actually said “cabeza grande” (giant head), but I preferred to say “gran cabeza” (which is more like “grand head”). It sounds more like a compliment – at least to me.)

To have a hat specially made to fit my head, in the colors of my choosing, costs $25.

It takes just 2 days to have one made, so I’ll be returning tomorrow to pick it up.

Carrie’s head is between a medium and a large, but they had a large in these fun colors, which looked great on her, so she got the large.

When you buy a Panama hat at Rafael Paredes S. y Hijos, they also give you a carrying bag for your Panama hat at no additional charge. This will be great for us for as much as we will be on the road in the next 4 weeks.

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