Vamos Travel Blog

Panama Hat - originated in Ecuador as Montecristi hats, named after the town where the Toquilla plant is grown. The leaves are dried and the fibers separated and used to make hats. The Spanish recognized the quality and exported them via Panama to Europe. Since they came from "Panama" they got the name Panama hats. Also the workers digging the Panama Canal used these light and very durable hats to protect themselves from the sun.

How to Buy the Perfect Panama Hat

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:March 20, 2019
Post category:Ecuador
Post comments:0 Comments

What do actresses Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow and celebrities like Miss Ecuador have in common? And when they were alive, President Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Humphrey Bogart and Gary Cooper…

How to be Fish Bait

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:March 20, 2019
Post category:Greece
Post comments:0 Comments

Home of a fish spa in Rhythmno, Crete I am in Crete where life appears more laid back than my home country of Canada where a spa on the west…

Family-sized scooter

Motorbikes…..Yikes!!!

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:March 19, 2019
Post category:Thailand
Post comments:0 Comments

Motorbikes----Yikes! A sinister looking stranger---streaked with black dirt, smeared with black asphalt--- loomed over my sunbathing body on this Greek Island beach. He cast a shadow, forcing me to open…

The Elusive Elephant

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:March 19, 2019
Post category:Thailand
Post comments:0 Comments

“Come ‘ere! Come ‘ere!” One of our tour companions waves excitedly. Points. We rush to where he’s standing. Hopeful. “Right there! See them trees moving! Right there!” Squint…

heatherr1 on Ecolodging in Panama
Arlene on Ecolodging in Panama
heatherr1 on Ali Part 1
Arlene and mike on Ali Part 1

What do the Chapel of Bones, Cork Trees, and Megaliths Have in Common?
All are located in or near the UNESCO heritage site of Évora, Portugal. Taste of the Past Évora, beautiful walled city of about 60,000 citizens, lies 1.5 hours east of Lisbon by bus or train. Its beginnings provide a taste of the past in Portuguese history. Tourist information here. Influenced by the Moors and […]
Ecolodging in Panama
More than Panama hats Indeed, the famous Panama hat is actually made in Ecuador. You can read about this phenomenon in a previous Vamostravelblog. On this trip, however, we experience more of Panama’s natural world at Los Quetzales, a mountain ecolodge in Guadalupe village not far from the border with Costa Rica. Cloud Forest […]
Singapore-The Trip That Never Happened
One year ago this month, we planned to fly to Singapore. Then COVID restrictions appeared, we cancelled, and now we drool over the sights, sounds, and tastes of the trip that never happened. Singapore Singapore is a republic, a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is about the same size as Bahrain. Singapore […]
The Secret War in Laos
Secret War After a visit to the local night market in Luang Prabang, Laos, we learned about The Secret War. Backgounder. Landlocked Country A communist country, Laos is landlocked, almost hidden in southeast Asia. ‘Simply Beautiful’ Luang Prabang We were in Luang Prabang, Laos. Described in travel brochures as ‘Simply Beautiful’, this former Royal capital […]
Eats ‘n Treats in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Street Food, Fine Food in Northern Thailand From the Cowboy Hat Lady cook in a street stall to a more refined Northern Thailand restaurant, your tastebuds will find delicious rewards in Chiang Mai. Spicier Northern Thai food is known for its more fiery, hotter taste than its southern counterpart. You are often invited to order […]
Petra – One of the Seven Wonders of the World
Why a Wonder of the World? The ancient city of Petra in Jordan became one of the 7 New Wonders of the World when it was chosen in 2007 by a vote of 100 million people. Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Empire, an ancient Arab state that grew rich due to its […]
Casanova and the Bridge of Sighs
Venice, Italy The Lover, the Bridge and the Doge The great lover, Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, once crossed the Bridge of Sighs on his way to prison in a dingy, dark, small cell. Known as the Leads, these dreaded cells were in the attic of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Casanova was only 30 and had […]
Hoi An, Vietnam – Falling in Love
Falling in Love in the Rain The year is 2006. We are touring Vietnam from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. On a rainy, misty night we arrive in Hoi An. Located on the South China Sea, the city lies in the middle of the country, about 30 km […]
Dragon’s Blood in An Eco Park
Where? High above the city of Medellín in Colombia sits a large Eco Park with dragon’s blood. Forgotten Parque Arví is rediscovered. Once a forgotten area for hundreds of years in the land above Medellín, it is now fully restored. Origin of name Arví is the name of the Indigenous people who once inhabited this […]
Santé at Millévin in Avignon
Côtes du Rhône wine: to your health A festival of wine, feasting and camaraderie awaited us in Avignon in Provence, France, two years ago. Santé! Millévin, an annual event held in mid-November, celebrates this area’s new and old Côtes du Rhône vintages along with gastronomic delights. Throughout ancient cobbled streets, one can hear the word […]

Subscribe