Panama Hat

"He wore tan shoes and pink shoelaces
A polka-dot vest and man-o-man
Tan shoes and pink shoelaces
And a big Panama with a purple hat band"

Was this guy trying to attract a woman or a man? One would wonder nowadays, but back in 19- fifty-whatever it was a woman (“Dodie Stevens”) (THE Dodie Stevens) who sang this ditty, quite smitten by this dandy dresser. I didn’t know what a “panama” was at the time, and I never got around to asking what the word meant.

Somewhere during the ensuing years I came to understand that a Panama hat was light-colored hat worn -- and manufactured right? - - in Panama.

Not so fast Carlos. Recently in a place called Manta, Ecuador I got a quick education in Panama hats. The first thing one needs to know is that Panama hats…..

…..are not made in Panama. It’s a classic misnomer. These hats have always been made in Ecuador, especially in the city of Manta in recent decades. I’m told they’re made from a unique fiber derived from the “plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant” in Ecuador. However, the hats were in big demand by Americans involved in the Panama Canal project in the early 20th century, thus the mis-naming of the hat.

The ship visited Manta recently, and everybody was encouraged to go to the shops and factories where the hats were made. I found myself at a small local place, where an old woman could be seen weaving the hat.

I guess I fancied myself at the piano with a tropical linen jacket and Panama Hat, so I made a purchase. The front of the hatbox had a photo of Elvira Lopez, the very woman who was weaving that day. A bi-lingual crew colleague chatted with her and established that she’d been weaving hats since age 15, and it’s been her life. I got her autograph on the box, and display it in my cabin.Elvira Lopez

.......and her photo & autograph on the box

The hat is back in the box, and may stay there for a while. I haven’t gotten the linen jacket yet, and I’m sure there’s none for sale around here. As I write this entry, the ship is in Southern Chile and all 1800 of us are freezing our buns off and taking photos of glaciers and snow-capped mountains. Panama hat, yeah right.

But I hear the temperatures are above 80 degrees in Rio. Back and forth between hot and cold areas, from Panama hat to woolen hat, for the next few months.