My Panama Hat

In my journey towards fogeydom I have long cherished the ambition to own a Panama Hat.

I don't know why. I have no ambition to look like Harry S. Truman or Doctor Who - DH7 - for that matter. Nor even a secret hankering to look like I'm on my way to a Crown Green Bowls match in my Honda Civic ...

So, the other day, I was idly browsing through eBay when I saw an offer of Panama hats direct from the makers in Ecuador - yes, who knew? Panama hats are from Ecuador.

After a little wait - it is a handmade, virtually to order item after all - during which I was regularly kept up-to-date by the vendor, a hat box with an Ecuadorian postmark turned up in the mail.

To say I couldn't be more delighted would be an understatement. I bought a fairly basic model, but if this is entry level, then the higher grades must be fantastic.

You can see for yourself at http://panamahatsdirect.com/ where you can watch videos of hats being made and prepared. The vendors seem to have a good relationship with the makers so I'm hopeful that everyone gets a fair deal.

I highly recommend this site.