The Joy of Cooking

My first stop in Panama was Bocas del Toros, a collection of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama that boast a ton of tours, amazing clear waters, and hostels that back directly onto the ocean.

I stayed at the Selinas hostel in Bocas Town my first night. It’s a relatively new hostel and it shows. The mattresses were thick and comfortable, all bathrooms were clean and functioning, and the decor was super cute and hippy-inspired. When I checked in I was offered to sign up for that night’s communal meal of fish tacos for $5 – so of course I did!

When you’re backpacking one of the easiest ways to save money is usually to cook your own meals. If your hostel has a half way decent kitchen you’re in business. What’s even better is sharing the groceries with a few people and making one big meal to share. Turns out it was the first time the hostel had tried a communal meal night so we were guinea pigs for the whole process. Initially I thought I would just be eating the tacos, but it turns out we had to help cook, which was a lot more fun! (The happy hour beers helped as well.) And ultimately, cooking together with other people is an amazing bonding experience. Everyone is pitching in towards a common delicious goal, and I don’t know about you but the best conversations always happen in the kitchen, whether I’m at home in Toronto or away.

There were four of us who signed up along with two employees from the hostel who helped out and actually had cooking skills to make sure we didn’t make a huge mess of things.

Take a look.