According to the Gregorian Calendar today is Good Friday, a very Catholic holiday celebrated intensely in Panama. In Panama Good Friday means no alcohol sales; a blow to bars, merchants and restaurants. It means fish sales have been up for a week and so have fish prices, with the normal complaints about the increases cost of living. Today is also by a rare convergence of calendars, Passover, a celebration of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. The Hebrew calendar is lunar, the Gregorian solar and these events are not often on the same day.

Being a former Boy Scout I prepared for both celebrations. On Wednesday I went to Pedregal the port near David for a Seafood Fair where I bought some shrimp, clams and fish.

Fish on ice, direct

I also stocked up on beer, wine and rum, all required for a non religious celebration of stores being closed. In my meandering through David I stopped to pickup a Watermelon. Hint, if you want a good one go to the truck in the Super 99 parking lot. His are $.25 a pound and consistantly good.

Sandia - Watermelon

Today in honor of Panama and it’s Catholic customs, Mayra will fry some Corvina for lunch. Later in honor of my heritage we will attend a Passover Seder at the Bistro Boquete.

I met two Rabbi’s from the US who have come to officiate. They needed to do what ever routine was needed to kosher the kitchen at the Bistro for one meal. I am sure Craig will be servering ham and eggs by breakfast tomorrow. Their combined ages would not equal mine. I hope they are enjoying Boquete it is vastly different than Brooklyn and Connecticut, their homes.

Tomorrow, Saturday, in the evening the spigots get turned on the party gets hot. There are two discos setup at the Boquete Fairgrounds in anticipation of the pre-Easter Sunday celebration. Easter Sunday in Panama must be spent nursing a hangover.