Popa Paradise Beach Resort

Carnival celebrations are observed throughout Panama.  The town of Las Tablas hosts the most famous, but other towns including Bocas del Toro still throw quite a party.  This year, Carnival takes place from March 4^th – March 8^th.  Revelers in costume dance throughout the day and night.  There are parades, music and of course, dancing.

Origins date back over 5,000 years in Egypt, Greece & the Roman Empire.  Festivals celebrated the return of Spring. Momo, Greek god of mockery and madness, was famous for entertaining the gods of Olympus. By the middle ages, parties of mockery and madness were attended by people in costume. The carnivals were incorporated into the christian calendar, known as a period of excess before the abstinence of lent. Customs spread across Europe and to the Americas.

In Bocas they celebrate Fiesta de Rey Momo – The party of King Momo, the carnival devil who loves to dance.

Panama is located 9 degrees above the equator.

This means sunrise and sunset only vary within one hour throughout the year.  Also, the weather doesn’t change much.  We have dry and rainy seasons, but the temperature is always warm and balmy.  Our annual average temperature is 82 degrees fahrenheit or 27 celsius.  Tropical breezes always help cool us down in the evening.

Bocas del Toro has it’s own unique weather patterns that differ from the rest of the county.  Often we’re lucky enough to get rain at night and sunshine during the day.  This keeps the plants green and our water reserves full!

Thanks to our geographical location, hurricanes do not reach Panama.  However, we can see some good rains when they pass us by.

Here’s another great photo by Jaron.

Happy Birthday to Popa!  February marks Popa Paradise Beach Resort’s 2nd anniversary.  Thanks to all who have made this place so special over the last two years.

To begin our third year, we’re happy to welcome Chef Cody Meyer for the Spring season.  Cody brings his winsome smile and unique spectrum of know-how to Popa.  His experience ranges from fine dining in Ohio to cooking in remote science camps in Alaska, Costa Rica and Antartica.  This summer, you may find Cody in Greenland after he bids farewell to Popa.

Panama as a destination brings interesting folks from around the world.  In the last six months we’ve played host to guests from Australia, UK, Canada, US, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, Italy, Israel, Columbia, Ecuador, Chile and Costa Rica.

We meet such interesting people, and stay in touch with many.  This picture was taken by Jaron while visiting Popa over the holidays.  Thanks Jaron for sharing this lovely image!

Like every country, Panama has some great New Years traditions.

One favorite is the burning of effigies.  Locals create elaborate life sized dolls or ‘muñecas’, that look much like a scarecrow.  During the New Year’s Eve festivities, these dolls are burned in celebration of the passing year.  Often the dolls resemble famous people or characters.

This photo was taken by Chef Emily, who celebrated the stroke of midnight with employees on Isla Tigre, our neighboring village.  The muñeca was created by Onilda, our breakfast cook and bread baker.