Kaleponi Craig
A-List Customer
- Messages
- 418
- Location
- Just North of San Francisco
I just got back from 12 wonderful days in and around the city of Merida in the Yucatan peninsula. They make their own version of the Panama hat here. It is made out of a palm leaf and they can be quite nice, like a fine Quenca. They certainly don't the fine weave of a Montecristi, although they call their finer hats finos. The better ones are made in caves in the state of Campeche, as the humid atmosphere of the cave is good for weaving hats. They are made in the town of Becal, but in Merida there is a large selection.
Real finos they aren't, but you can buy a pretty good lid for $80 to $150. I bought what I would call a 'travel hat' for around 200 pesos, or around $15. Funny thing is, they don't come finished. They are blocked, but none have a headband, even the expensive ones, and you get a hatband, but it's never sewn on, so it is always coming off and finally I just put it away in my suitcase. Anyway, I've uploaded a few pictures on my Picasa, so here they are...
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigt55/PanamaHatTrailInTheYucatan
Just click on the slide show, but the pictures go by rather quickly, so drag your curser to the bottom of the screen and increase the picture time.
Enjoy, KC
Real finos they aren't, but you can buy a pretty good lid for $80 to $150. I bought what I would call a 'travel hat' for around 200 pesos, or around $15. Funny thing is, they don't come finished. They are blocked, but none have a headband, even the expensive ones, and you get a hatband, but it's never sewn on, so it is always coming off and finally I just put it away in my suitcase. Anyway, I've uploaded a few pictures on my Picasa, so here they are...
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigt55/PanamaHatTrailInTheYucatan
Just click on the slide show, but the pictures go by rather quickly, so drag your curser to the bottom of the screen and increase the picture time.
Enjoy, KC
