Is There A Hole in the Boat? by Darrin DuFord Search Amazon for other books by or about Darrin DuFord. Rating: Reviewed by: John L. Hoh, Jr.

This book is subtitled "Tales of Travel in Panama Without a Car." In it Mr. DuFord takes the reader on an anthropological journey through the nation of Panama.

The reader begins with the author's visit to the Naso kingdom, an entity recognized as autonomous by the Panamanian government. It seems, though, that to meet the king is something of an adventure. You see the king is elected by the 2,000 or so subjects of the kingdom. (Of course the Nasos can only vote for someone from the Santana lineage.) Tito Santana is the duly elected king, but his nephew seized power while Tito was in Panama City. The point of contention? Whether to allow a dam to be built. When the author visits the kingdom the royal palace is not as opulent as one might think.

The title seems to come from the trials of trying to maneuver Panama by car. The canal, as great an engineering marvel ever to grace the History channel, does divide the nation in two. There are two main completed bridges and a third under suspended construction dubbed "The Bridge to Nowhere." Hey, Milwaukee once had such a bridge as well! (The Milwaukee bridge was featured in The Blues Brothers.) The author tells of the trials of using the bridges. The one nearest the Atlantic Ocean is a swing bridge. It swings into place when the "coast is clear." It may take 15 minutes for the bridge to set in place and the light turn green-or hours. I guess shut off the engine and enjoy the scenery.

Along the way there are many fascinating peoples in Panama. There is the island if Isla Caña (Cane Island) where 700 residents cultivate sugar cane. The island has water and electricity piped in from the mainland. But unlike the mainland Isla Caña has no bad roads. The flip side is that when a place has no roads then bad roads are hard to come by.

Darrin DuFord is a modern-day Herodotus traveling through Panama and treating those of us unable to get to that idyll nation a chance to meet the peoples living there. The book was an enjoyable read about a nation with whom the United States has had a long, storied history.