Oftentimes, I get a
little frustrated with
travelogues. Some contain nothing but funny stories about their travels. I read,
I laugh, but not much of these stories actually stick with me for any length of time. When asked, I say the book was funny but that’s about all I remember. Conversely, some such books are incredibly dry. These books tend to be quite anthological in nature so they have a good deal of cultural information. I love learning about other cultures, beliefs, and lifeways. I also enjoy
little tidbits of information or trivia. Therefore, I tend to enjoy the actual content of these books but truthfully they are hard to get through. Is There a Hole in the Boat? takes the best of both types of
travelogues and makes them into entertaining yet substantial whole. I came away from this book with more insight into Panama; its political and social issues, and most importantly its people. Panama is so much more than a canal.