Shopping help!

[HiMagicFan]

I am trying to budget for my Panama cruise in March fr LA to Ft. Lauderdale on Island Princess.

 

I have set aside about $50US per port but have not been able to find out what the "thing to buy" at the stops might be to figure out if I have budgeted enough.

 

I have no clue if it is pottery or blankets or jewelry to figure out if I need to budget more or less.

 

Am hoping you can help. Thanks

[Richard in Panama]

I am trying to budget for my Panama cruise in March fr LA to Ft. Lauderdale on Island Princess.

 

I have set aside about $50US per port but have not been able to find out what the "thing to buy" at the stops might be to figure out if I have budgeted enough.

 

I have no clue if it is pottery or blankets or jewelry to figure out if I need to budget more or less.

 

Am hoping you can help. Thanks

 

Diamonds International and the T-shirts that are supposed to change colors in the sun - is there anything else? Oh, yes, Tanzanite International!

 

What I'd buy?

 

Aruba - nothing. T-shirt heaven. Go to the beach. Don't waste time in the stores . . . but you didn't hear that from me.

 

Cartagena - assuming no emeralds, some local crafty stuff, but not a lot

 

Panama - Kuna Indian molas run around $20-30 for the 12"x12" size and are great, Embera baskets start around $20 and go up to several thousand for the really big ones

 

Puntarenas - "Shade Lady" Tarazzu coffee from John at the end of the pier

 

Acapulco and Cabo - Lots of Mexican stuff. Depending on where you're from the pull-over shirts may be nice for your kids or grandkids. Blanket if you're into that kind of stuff. The Talavera pottery is very nice. Also in stores Tasco silver is really good.

 

Hope that helps! About the money, of course more is always better. But average of $50 per port should work if you get one thing per port.

 

Regards, Richard

[HiMagicFan]

You bet it helps! I didn't know where to begin but you have giving me some wonderful tips!

 

thanks

[h2odad]

Diamonds International and the T-shirts that are supposed to change colors in the sun - is there anything else? Oh, yes, Tanzanite International!

 

What I'd buy?

 

Aruba - nothing. T-shirt heaven. Go to the beach. Don't waste time in the stores . . . but you didn't hear that from me.

 

Cartagena - assuming no emeralds, some local crafty stuff, but not a lot

 

Panama - Kuna Indian molas run around $20-30 for the 12"x12" size and are great, Embera baskets start around $20 and go up to several thousand for the really big ones

 

Puntarenas - "Shade Lady" Tarazzu coffee from John at the end of the pier

 

Acapulco and Cabo - Lots of Mexican stuff. Depending on where you're from the pull-over shirts may be nice for your kids or grandkids. Blanket if you're into that kind of stuff. The Talavera pottery is very nice. Also in stores Tasco silver is really good.

 

Hope that helps! About the money, of course more is always better. But average of $50 per port should work if you get one thing per port.

 

Regards, Richard

Hello Richard-

am enjoying reading your 'canal book' and have a question. We hope to visit the Embera village - can the baskets be brought back to the US thru customs ?

Thanks

[Richard in Panama]

Hello Richard-

am enjoying reading your 'canal book' and have a question. We hope to visit the Embera village - can the baskets be brought back to the US thru customs ?

Thanks

 

Glad you like the book - and please write a review! You will have no problem bringing back baskets, tagua nut carvings, cocobolo wood carvings, etc., that you purchase in Panama. The work is outstanding! I remember when we lived in Ventura, California going to the museum in Santa Barbara which every year has a market where sellers come and bring craft items from around the world. This was just before we moved to Panama, and there was a nice, but not fantastic, Embera basket there for sale for $300! Same basket at the village, maybe $35-40. It is really beautiful, hand made work. The baskets are woven from a part of a particular type palm tree which the men have to climb up to the top of the palm tree to harvest. It is then dried, stripped into long strands, and died using natural dies from plants, rocks, soil, seeds, etc.

 

Have a great trip!! If you end up going to the San Juan de Pequini village - the one that's about a 45 minute dug out boat ride up through the jungle - tell them I said hello! Regards, Richard

[h2odad]

Hello Richard - and thanks for the reply.

I've just e-mailed Ellie, of Embera Village Tours, to get registered for their tour ( inspired by your book). I asked her a question which I would like to pose to you as well :

 

we took a similar tour several years ago to Fanning Island in the South Pacific, where we were able to visit a village which had limited contact with the outside world. Their only outside supplies arrived every three months from a supply ship. For that trip, after I asked, I took several things that I either gave as gifts, or in a few cases, traded in exchange. Examples as fishing hooks, guitar strings and pics ( as replacements for their stringed instruments), kites for the children, and a few Swiss Army Knives ( for trading with the adult males- proved very popular and interesting).

After reading Richard Detrich's book CRUISING THE PANAMA CANAL , I realize that there are some issue's about gifts for the children, as held by the village chiefs. Any guidance in this area would be appreciated.

[swedish weave]

If you are interested in Molas, you will see a lot of them in Cartagena at the dungeons. They sell a lot of bags with a mola on them, and they are nice.

 

Regarding gifts to children. I am not familiar with the Embera Indian customs, but I learned that in Mexico, it is better to give the gift to the father and let him presnet it to his child. It is an issue of respect.

[Richard in Panama]

Regarding gifts to children. I am not familiar with the Embera Indian customs, but I learned that in Mexico, it is better to give the gift to the father and let him presnet it to his child. It is an issue of respect.

 

Good observation! The Embera don't want their children to grow up being beggars so that's the problem. They need school supplies, children's books IN SPANISH, pencils, etc., so give them to the village chief, or ask who the school teacher is, or some cases ask the Peace Corp volunteer. Go to Boca del Valaria on the Amazon and you'll see what happens when you've got 60 or so kids grabbing for chocolates - without local dental care - and begging for money largely because cruise passengers have taught them this behavior.

 

Want to help the kids and their families? Buy some fantastic craft work to take home.

 

Regards, Richard

[lina1]

Can you buy really good coffee at thr grocery store? If not, where can you buy and what are the best coffee beans you can buy in Panama?

 

I want to buy coffee in both Costa Rica and Panama and I am looking for the best coffee beans I can find. All recommendations are welcome.

[Keith1010]

Yes, you can get coffee at the supermarket. In fact I find it's often a great place in most countries to get those types of items or spices and the like.

 

Keith

[lcmslady]

OP thanks for the questions - I had similar ones but just hadn't gotten around to asking them.

 

The answers prompted some more questions :)

 

Any idea if the emeralds in Cartagena are any more reasonable than I would find in the states?

 

What is a mola?

 

Are the Embera Indian baskets similar to the Caribe Indian baskets? I've purchased some of those on Dominica and they are beautiful.

[kathy16]

Also interested in shopping ideas- we are on the WindStar Costa Rica-Panama cruise.

Kathy

[BillB48]

OP thanks for the questions - I had similar ones but just hadn't gotten around to asking them.

 

 

 

 

 

What is a mola?

 

 

Since shopping isn't my strong point... I can help you with this one. Molas are multiple layers of fabric and sewn together by reverse applique. They are made by the Kunas of the San Blas Islands which are off the Northern coast of Panama. Here is a link from Wikipedia that shows some examples and history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mola_%28art_form%29

[Richard in Panama]

What is a mola?

 

Are the Embera Indian baskets similar to the Caribe Indian baskets? I've purchased some of those on Dominica and they are beautiful.

 

"Mola" is just cloth, but the Kuna create marvelous art work out of ripped (not cut) pieces of cloth that are sewn together. There are cheap touristy molas, and molas that are deserving of being displayed in museums, and some are.

 

The Embera baskets are unique and are all hand woven out of the fiber from a particular type of palm tree that is dyed using natural dies. They also have wood carvings from a very hard wood called cocobolo, and carvings made from a palm tree nut called a tagua nut ("vegetable ivory.")

 

 

That's the uncarved nut in the lower left and then the two pictures next to it are when it is carved.

 

Regards, Richard

[NoleMini]

Wow, gorgous Molas (glad you posted the link, I had no idea what they were either) and the baskets/carvings as well! We are taking a PC transit in October, so I will be lounging on these boards a lot.

:cool: thanks for the help!!

[swedish weave]

A couple of sellers just off the pier at Puntarenas have Mola's, and they also have wooden puzzle boxes. The boxes may be made in China, but are neat souveniers. DW bought some to put money in for the grandkids at Christmas.

Another item I find interesting there is the feather paintings. Some of them are very well done.

 

The grocery store in Puntarenas has Costa Rican coffee at a much lower price than the sellers at the pier. It about five blocks from the pier.

[adventurenerd]

We cruised on Coral Princess in Dec 2012.

Some of the gift we bought at ports include:

 

Cartagena Colombia: Coffee at the grocery store in Walled City ($7ea) Juan Valdez Coffee at the port store($8ea)

 

Fuerte Amador panama: Mola (See picture, 7"x7" $10)

 

Puntarenas Costa Rica: Wood puzzle box (See picture $5 at the shop by the port gate) Wood framed painted feather art (See picture, 7"x12" $10 at a shop by the port gate toward the end ) Coffee at a grocery store in town...about $6ea

 

I think the painted feather art was the best buy. The CostaRican coffee was better than Colombian one.

[Azulann]

OK here goes:

Just home from 15 day Panama cruise:

Here is what I bought:

Cartegena: coffee from a coffe shop, and I bought a emerald ring in a gold setting at the Joyeria,Caribe Emerald Museum and Factory. My Christmas present.All the men and one woman I was with bought Panama hats. I think half the ship bought these. At the pool the next day you could see many,many Panama hats. t- shirts, 100 cotton.

 

Colon: molas from a Indain woman outside the church in Portobelo. I know about molas and these were very good.One I will frame and the other I will put on a pillow cover.

Costa Rica: two lbs of coffee, went to a coffee plantation. wooden placemats,wooden bracelets, decorative hair binders with little wood flowers (for granddaughters).

Guatemala: two more lbs of coffee beans from a coffee shpo on the main plaza in Antiqua. hand woven purse and hand woven large bag with zipper in bright colors, small hand carved religious statue, wooden flute and beaded necklace with small painted indigenous girls on necklace (bought from street vendors), a jade pendent from the Jade museum. Beautiful cotton shirts with nice trim for my adult sons.

Puerto Vallarta: silver chain, cotton dress with hand painted flowers for my granddaughter.

 

Cabo: small pottery bowls to use for salsa, t shirts from Del Sol store,beaded bracelets.

Home now and everyone loved their gifts. and I love my coffee:D