Bananarama

A block and a half west of our casa is a restaurant that everyone likes called The Red Lobster.  It is owned and run by a local family and we have enjoyed getting to know them.  Antonio is the father and he is quite the entrepreneur. He runs the restaurant and he also leases land where he has a banana plantation operation.  He has taken it a bit farther by combining the two operations so that people can have the experience of visiting a plantation and enjoying a day of food and drink.

If you can put together a group of 20 people, you can enjoy this experience for the small cost of 250 pesos per person. Here is how it works and what you get.

In the morning everyone arrives at the  Red Lobster where you have breakfast. This includes a menu item prepared the way you like it, including toast and coffee or juice.

Then once everyone is finished we loaded into vehicles and drove east of Melaque. Off the highway we followed a dirt road up a river to a banana plantation where we spent the day in a fresh water irrigation pool.

The irrigation pool is filled with clear clean water that comes directly out of the ground and pumped into this concrete storage pool. The water flows through the area and eventually ends up watering the banana plants.

We lounged around under the shade of banana trees, drank, ate and swam all day.  Some of us took a hike up the river and many of the gang just rested in the shade and swam.

Around 2:00 PM we were fed a wonderful meal of either fish, chicken or ribs.  It was quite the day and the service was wonderful. Once had our fill we rested and then at about 5:00 PM we drove back to town.

The irrigation pool looking at our group arriving.

Yes, bananas!

A vermilion fly catcher.

Tilapia in a pond near our pool.

Dennis.

Art playing cards.

Ken and Bruce looking at a Moose.

Our bartender Pablo!

Iris.

Maggie.

Posing!

Ted playing his mandolin. 

Tom enjoying the source!