Sunday, August 17, 2008
La Ruina Inn, Gorgona
Part of the pleasure of travel is getting to eat out "locally". It is particularly nice to eat somewhere memorable or a little “different”, somewhere with a history, or a background story, and La Ruina in Gorgona is such a place. Just a stone’s throw from the PanAmerican highway, follow the signs into Gorgona Village and enjoy a totally heart-warming experience.
Gorgona itself is a small Panamanian village with a few local stores and supermarkets. Following the road past the houses, it becomes increasingly more bumpy and rough, but after about 2kms, it reaches the sandy beach. There is an excellent fish market here each morning, where the local catch of the day can be purchased for anything from $1 per pound and up. It is the freshest produce, guaranteed, and usually includes corvina, snapper and yellow-fin tuna.
Back in the village, there is also a restaurant/tavern appropriately named "La Ruina". The heartwarming story of its development goes back many years, to when Frank, a soldier from Atlantic City met and fell in love with his Panamanian bride, Dilcia. Like all young couples, they had a dream, and their dream was to open a true Tavern in the old ruin which sat neglected in the village of Gorgona. But like many dreams, it was not easy to materialize into reality, and many years passed as they tried in vain to buy the old ruined building. Finally, their hopes came true and they had the opportunity to buy and renovate the dilapidated building. Together they opened the doors of their Inn to serve drinks and beers in true “pub” fashion, along with burgers, ribs, corvina and salads with Frank at the bar, and Dilcia in the kitchen.
The walls of this homely establishment tell the tale of another Gorgona, many years ago, when it was located inland on the banks of the Chagres River. This was one of the villages which was relocated to the Pacific coast when Lake Gatun was dammed and flooded, to make way for the Panama Canal. On the Tavern walls, the old pictures and photographs show schoolchildren gathered outside the old wooden schoolhouse. These fascinating antique photographs capture the primitive wooden housing and way of life of Panamanians more than a century ago.
Although not haute-cuisine, this is a meal you will remember, for its warm welcome, its heart-warming tale of perseverance of a dream, and a glimpse of times past in Panama.
Gorgona itself is a small Panamanian village with a few local stores and supermarkets. Following the road past the houses, it becomes increasingly more bumpy and rough, but after about 2kms, it reaches the sandy beach. There is an excellent fish market here each morning, where the local catch of the day can be purchased for anything from $1 per pound and up. It is the freshest produce, guaranteed, and usually includes corvina, snapper and yellow-fin tuna.
Back in the village, there is also a restaurant/tavern appropriately named "La Ruina". The heartwarming story of its development goes back many years, to when Frank, a soldier from Atlantic City met and fell in love with his Panamanian bride, Dilcia. Like all young couples, they had a dream, and their dream was to open a true Tavern in the old ruin which sat neglected in the village of Gorgona. But like many dreams, it was not easy to materialize into reality, and many years passed as they tried in vain to buy the old ruined building. Finally, their hopes came true and they had the opportunity to buy and renovate the dilapidated building. Together they opened the doors of their Inn to serve drinks and beers in true “pub” fashion, along with burgers, ribs, corvina and salads with Frank at the bar, and Dilcia in the kitchen.
The walls of this homely establishment tell the tale of another Gorgona, many years ago, when it was located inland on the banks of the Chagres River. This was one of the villages which was relocated to the Pacific coast when Lake Gatun was dammed and flooded, to make way for the Panama Canal. On the Tavern walls, the old pictures and photographs show schoolchildren gathered outside the old wooden schoolhouse. These fascinating antique photographs capture the primitive wooden housing and way of life of Panamanians more than a century ago.
Although not haute-cuisine, this is a meal you will remember, for its warm welcome, its heart-warming tale of perseverance of a dream, and a glimpse of times past in Panama.
Labels: eating out, Gorgona, La Ruina, Pacific coast, Panama, Restaurant
# posted by Your travel girl @ 1:11 PM 
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