Keith's Panamanian Travel Ramble

The wanderings of Andrea and Keith around Panama

Posts by Keith

Sueno Mar on Malibu Beach

Hi Travellers,

We are finally at the beach, where we will be for the rest of our trip!  Temperatures are higher here, around the low 30s, but there is a gentle constant breeze off the Pacific that blows through our spacious 113 square meter two bedroom two bathroom condo.   We are in the community of Gorgona at a small apartment complex called Sueno Mar which means Sunny Sea and it is right on Malibu Beach, one of the nicest in Panama.  This place has grown dramatically since we last had a close look, several years ago.  The main drag is paved but many of the other roads are very rough gravel with pot holes that would break an axle.  I think this is the local protection against speeding.

The beautiful beach is a mixture of black and grey sand so it has a constantly changing appearance.  You can walk for miles on this beach where if you walk eastbound, toward Panama City, you will see that the beach is lined by a mixture of beautifully kept private homes along with some empty lots and derelict properties.  There is even a high-rise tower, called the Biltmore.  It is not a hotel but private apartments.  If you chooses to walk westbound on the beach you will eventually get to the Gorgona Fish Market and the town itself.  If you continue, you will come to the community of Coronado.

With the exception of Sunday, when the locals appear from other places, it is pretty quiet on this beach.  During the day you will see the odd person walking, mostly early in the morning or around sunset.  Occasionally, a quad will appear from somewhere on its way to Gorgona transporting three or four people but for the most part it is very quiet.  Local fishing boats from Gorgona pass both directions across the front of Sueno Mar on their way to and from their fishing grounds.

Sueno Mar was built a couple of years ago and still has some units for sale.  There are six two bedroom units and nine one bedrooms all overlooking the ocean.  There is on site management and security gates, a couple of large bohios on the beach side each with their own barbecue and a lushly landscaped and beautifully kept pool area.  We got upgraded when we arrived, to our delight, to a two bedroom unit.  It is on the third floor so has an unobstructed view of the Pacific from the wall to wall windows across the expanse of our living room.  The kitchen is well equipped with everything you might need to survive here, including an ice and cold water dispensing fridge and freezer, micro wave oven, six burner gas stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer, air conditioning, large screen TV to play as many Spanish-speaking stations as you wish to listen to, and the always necessary WiFi which is supplied from the cable company so is truly high-speed.  Oh, and there is a honkin’ big Karaoke machine that I have to learn to run before Carnival starts next week.  It will be my pay back to compete with the loud music that locals tend to play at that time!  You need a truck to move the speaker around, I swear!  Because our unit is on the third floor, it also has vaulted ceilings that I would estimate go up to about 4M with seven, yes I counted them, seven ceiling fans to keep the air moving.  The unit runs the full depth of the building with the two bedrooms at the back with a mountain view.  When you open all the windows, you get a great breeze that blows right through the whole place.  We have not yet felt the need to run the air conditioning as the breezes keep the unit comfortable.  I have put a link to the Sueno Mar Website in the right column under Businesses We Support.  You can get prices there for rentals and for buying.

For dinner tonight, we headed back into Coronado to the Malibu Restaurant.  It is before you reach the security gate on your left just past the stores at the entrance to Coronado.  We came here on purpose because they serve a great Cashew Corvino.  That’s right, a piece of grilled sea bass liberally loaded up with fresh cashews.  Yum Yum!  It was as good as in the past but a bit pricier.  It was up to $10.50.

Impressions of Santa Fe

Howdy All,

Sadly, today we leave this beautiful place and head for our next destination which is at the beach in Gorgona and is about a three-hour drive without stops.  After another great breakfast, we packed up and hit the road.

Yesterday, I mentioned a blockade of the Pan-American, west of here closer to David.  It turns out that the local Indians (Ngobe-Bugle) had blocked westbound traffic on the highway for several days.  They were protesting the changing of some legislation around mining and the Cerro Colorado mine, which has one of the largest copper reserves in Latin America.  There have also been some short-term interruptions to traffic eastbound headed for Panama City.  The westbound blockade has held the second largest city in the country, David, hostage and there are reports of stores being short of food stuffs and fuel stations closing as they are out of fuel.  The police were directed to clear the road last night and the ensuing scuffle resulted in a number of injuries and one death.  Several police were hospitalized.  Further investigation into the death found that the bullet was of a caliber not used by the police.

President Ricardo Martinelli has blamed the opposition and “foreign elements” for inciting chaos.  I did a little Internet research and oddly found that an Indian band in Ecuador held a protest at the same time over a similar issue.  When you look at the pictures of the Panama protest, I cannot help but draw the conclusion that this was organized by someone or group other than the natives that knows the techniques of how to successfully protest today.

Now our friend Octav that left Santa Fé a couple of days ago, was headed to Boquete.  He took the bus from Santa Fé to Santiago where he found out busses were not running due to the blockade.  He had some quick scrambling to do but managed to secure a place back at the Bayview Hotel in Santa Clara, the other direction.  As it is on our way, we decided we will stop and see how he is doing.

We have only been in Santa Fé for a few days and most of that time was spent at the Casa Mariposa Boutique Hotel.  Our top 10 impressions of Santa Fé are:

1.  Book a few days here at the Casa Mariposa.  You won’t believe the experience.  See the link at the bottom of the right column under Businesses We Support;

2.  Don’t miss the “Lunch with the Toucans” at the Mariposa. You will love it;

3.  Be sure to top up your gas tank in Santiago before leaving for Santa Fé. There are no fuel stations in Santa Fé;

4.  Santa Fé is a hilly mountain frontier town, full of friendly locals, around 3,000 of them;

5.  This area is starting to develop, thanks to publications like International Living Magazine.  There is a growing expat community and people from all over the world are starting to settle here;

6.  There is lots of hiking and things to keep you busy in the area;

7.  Check out the Santa Fé National Park.  If you are a birder, your hotel can help you pick up an inexpensive guide to make sure you get to see what you want;

8.  Expect the place to be a bit remote.  There are only cell phones and a high-speed internet connection is still in the future;

9.  On the way to Santa Fé, don’t miss stopping to see the restored old church in San Francisco.  It dates back to 1621; and

10. Be open to all the rugged natural beauty and incredible variety of birds that you will find here.

The trip back to Santiago takes us through Santa Fé and the rolling hills as we proceed southbound back to the Pan-American. Along the way we met a herd of cattle being driven right up the road to us. The guys were friendly and waved as they forced the cattle off the road on the far side to allow us through. One of my favorite pictures so far is this one of the rider on his horse climbing the hill after crossing the bridge. It really kind of describes the character of this area; slow, casual and laid back.

Further down the road, we spotted a hawk flying beside us.  We went around a corner and Andrea said the hawk had landed and was standing beside a blue bag on the road behind us.  I grabbed my long lens and got out of the car as quietly as I could.  This is a Yellow-headed Caracara, a beautifully marked bird.  He was very cooperative.  He posed on the road for a bit then took off away from me and circled back.  I think the markings on this bird are magnificent!

After negotiating Santiago we were again eastbound on the Pan-American, headed for the Bayview.  Watermelon is now in season and it is starting to show up in markets and roadside fruit stands.  We stopped at this place to stock up on some fruit for our next week and bought one cantaloupe for $1.50, three pineapples for $1 and a good-sized watermelon for $3.

We found him on the deck of the Bayview, entertaining a couple of young women from the US!  Octav wasn’t expecting to see us but was glad we stopped by to visit with him on the way to Gorgona.  We made plans to get together over the next couple of days for dinner and a visit then were off to Gorgona to find our new home, Sueno Mar, which means sunny beach.

No Bread from David

Hi Travellers,

Today we thought we would take a little trip into Santa Fé to do some Internet and check out the town.  After another sumptuous breakfast, Kevin offered us a lift down the muddy clay road to our car.  The road had dried out some to the point where it was no longer treacherous to walk down the hill but we thought it was still bad enough that the Toyota would not be able to make it.

Kevin had assured us that it was safe to leave the car back at the intersection where the dirt road started.  He said that people left vehicles there all the time due to the condition of the road and that there was never a problem.  It’s nice to know that this is a safe area.

We drove down the hill to the bridge, around two kilometers from where we had parked.  This area is hilly cattle country and you will see lots of cattle in the fields along the side of the road.  You will usually see Cattle Egrets (buff-backed heron) hanging around the cattle as they feed on some of the bugs the cattle attract and the cattle tolerate them because there are less bugs when they are around.

The Santa Fé town site is  hilly, somewhat reminiscent of the hills in New Westminster.  You have to be careful the nose of the car does not scrape the pavement when you reach the bottom of one hill and the start of the next.  It is a poorer area although the houses are, for the most part, kept painted and clean.  It is not uncommon to see people on horseback here.

We headed to the Information Center where we found a small building containing computers lining the walls.  An empty table was in the center of the room so we sat down and dug out our computers.  Of the dozen or so computers available, about five or six were being used.  Once I was connected, I found 115 emails waiting to be loaded.  The connection was very slow so I investigated and found that although the wireless connection was the most current technology the place was connected to the Internet by satellite which means not very good performance for anything more than email and basic Web surfing.  There are no land lines here either so you cannot get a telephone and the DSL technology that accompanies it.  Everyone here uses cell phones.

The process I use to produce this blog is to write the text offline using Windows Live Writer.  Once I get a connection, I upload the text to the blog and then I have to upload all the pictures, which takes more time.  So, in Santa Fé, I could upload the text but I could not wait long enough for all the pictures to load.  Both text and pictures need to be assembled using a live connection.  So we elected to stay incommunicado until we get to our next destination in Gorgona at the beach, tomorrow where we will have a solid Internet connection in our suite.  Bet you thought Andrea was in jail!

We stopped at a little hostel that had a restaurant attached, thinking we would order lunch.  The menu came, delivered by a young man from the Netherlands.  It had the customary Spanish and English descriptions that we are now used to.  We ordered sandwiches and after consulting with his cook he returned to apologize that they had no bread due to the blockade of the Pan-American Highway west of here nearer David (pronounce Da Veed).  We thought that this must be pretty special bread to be coming all that way, especially when we went into the grocery store on the corner and found the bread shelf full.  Anyways, we had a drink and left to return to our resort.

We elected to walk from the junction of the paved and mud roads.  The clay had dried pretty well but the ruts were still a problem.  Here are a couple of shots of that short road.  The last one is of the rutted hill that kept us from driving the last 25 M to the resort.

Back at the resort, I visited one of the feeders again for the last time and got a few more Motmot images for you.  The duck , today’s feature image, decided to sit on this fence post which is also quite close to the feeder.  I guess he was wondering what he was missing.

Square Trees Hold Up Our Deck

Hi Fellow Travelers,

Today or friend Octav leaves for Boquete by bus.  He takes a bus from here to Santiago where he changes to a bus to David and then from there to Boquete.  We will next meet up with him on 12 February.

As today is our first day alone here, we decided to catch up on a few things like the blog.  Internet here is from a place in town called the Information Center which is about two kilometers or so from Mariposa.  We will go in tomorrow and update the blog as well as prowl the small town of Santa Fé.  How long can it take with only a population of around 3,000?  Also, I meant to tell you that although we are in the hills, the elevation is only 461M, according to my GPS.

 

 

If you like fresh juices, this is a good place to come.  Each unit is equipped with a juicer and the property is full of orange trees.  You can drink as much as you can make!  We can almost reach a couple of the trees right from our kitchen patio.  The units here are well equipped with all the gear you need.  The owners supplied things here based on their experience of what was missing from kitchens when you travel.

 

 

The posts that hold the front of the decks up are unusual.  If you remember, one of the things to do in El Valle was to go and see the square trees.  Well the deck supports are square trees.  They are now endangered and you cannot cut them any more but you can still buy them from a few people who have a permit to sell a previous inventory.    They are really quite decorative!

 

 

 

There are two people here that also play a key part in making this place special.  Graham and Rachel who come from California.  Because of them, a restaurant complex is under construction.  Graham is a horticulturist and a chef with lots of restaurant experience.  His creations so far have been sumptuous!  Rachel provides Shiatsu therapy here and is the server.  We can attest to her serving capabilities and intend to check out her Shiatsu skills before we leave.  They make a great team to fill out those necessary extra services here at Mariposa.

Tomorrow I will show you a bit of Santa Fé.

The Birds of the Casa Mariposa Boutique Hotel

Hi Travellers,

We awoke to a nice sunny day again and the spectacular view that yesterday we were not sure was possible, was still there.  Breakfast here is a little different.  It is included in the fare and they supply all the things you want for breakfast and you prepare it.  They give you a little menu that you just check off the things you want and magically they appear!  I could get used to this.  Fresh eggs from the chickens on the lot, fresh squeezed orange juice from the orange trees here and Erica’s fresh homemade bread are all delivered to your villa either in the morning or the night before.

Rooms are tidied every day and the floors and outside patios and walkways are all swept as well.  It’s a better job than you get in some higher end hotels.  Each unit has a fully stocked kitchen.

Here at Casa Mariposa they have an event that is a must try.  It is an experience that you probably won’t get anywhere else!  Its called “Lunch with the Toucans”.  You order your lunch and when you are done that you go to the owner’s house where you will find a number of spotless aviaries containing a variety of large billed birds.  Kevin and Erica have a registered bird sanctuary here.  They specialize in large billed birds and take in injured birds that are brought to them by locals or birds that owners no longer can care for.  We have seen Toucans in the zoo but the condition of the birds looked nothing like these.  The Mariposa Toucans all have beautiful bright colors and look like they have just flown out of a Photo shopped photograph from National Geographic!  Kevin attributes their condition to diet and that they eat 30 to 40 Kg of Papaya per week.  These Keel-billed Toucans love Papaya and it is in season all year round here!  Kevin says that these birds are naturally curious and friendly.  These are used to being around people so do not fly to the back corner of the cage and hide when you enter.  They hop down on a branch close to you to meet and have a good look at their visitors.  They will politely take food pellets from your hand and seem to enjoy the attention they get.  Kevin tells us that these birds cannot be released into to the wild because they are too comfortable with people and  that probably would get them into trouble if they were released.  They live about 25 years in captivity.  One pair are a breeding pair and it is their intention to keep the young birds as wild as possible so that they can be released back into the wild when they are old enough.  There is also a pair of Collared Aracaris here.  Along with their big colorful bill, they bear wide horizontal stripes of several colors across their chest and have a white outline where their beaks meet their heads.  Such a show of color!  Erica and Kevin present their spectacular birds to the public in such an intimate way that you can’t help but come away feeling that you have experienced something very special.  You should not miss this!

That is not the only thing that is special about this property.  There is a small pond where a couple of Black Bellied Whistling Ducks, residents of Panama, have decided to move in and set up housekeeping.  They are interesting because of their distinctive orange bills and that they are never very far from each other.  They also have an unusual whistle and not the usual quack.

Attention to detail around here seems to be the norm.  There is careful attention to strategies that use nature to make living better.  There are two-man made ponds on the property that have been stocked with carp.  Mosquitos lay their eggs in the ponds and the carp eat the larvae.  At the same time, there is a large red dragon-fly population here that also lays their eggs in the ponds but the carp do not eat these larvae.  This provides a secondary defense against mosquitoes as dragon flies eat mosquitoes.  There are also bats in the area that help with the mosquitoes.  Bats eat their body weight in mosquitoes daily.  Since our arrival we have noticed only the odd mosquito but nothing that could be considered problematic.

There are also a number of bird feeders around the property that are stocked twice a day.  I spent some time at one of the feeders in the late afternoon and eventually caught a picture of a Motmot.  They are beautiful birds with a blue hat.  The blue hat is not solid but rather just circles the head and the end of the tail has an interesting detail.  The little grey birds with the blue trim are Blue Grey Tanagers.  Kevin tells us that most of the birds in this area are fruit-eating.

On the Road to Santa Fe

Hi Travellers,

We checked out of our little resort and went for breakfast around 9AM.  We were at the Artash Restaurant to get one last bacon wrap and an Internet connection to catch up my posts before we left El Valle.

We had agreed to pick up Octav from the Bayview Hotel on the beach in San Carlos at around 11AM to give him a ride to Santa Fé.  Its only a couple of kilometers out of our way just off the Pan-American Highway.  We have been here before.  It has a restaurant right on the beach with a magnificent view from the deck.

On our way to Santa Fé, we decided to check out a little restaurant in a place called La Pintada (pronounced La Pin Tada) that we really enjoyed the first time we were here.  When we were here the second time, we drove up to find it closed and out of business.  Now, I read that it is open again so we want to check it out for a potential day trip with our friends who are coming in mid February.  La Pintada is 13Km north of Penonome (pronounced Pen a no me), which is on the Pan-American.  La Pintada is a beautiful small town with really nothing much to draw people but the restaurant.  We arrived to find the beautiful little town was once again equipped with a great little restaurant.  Restaurant Casa Vieja La Pintada!  If you are in Panama, this place is well worth the little scenic detour you will take to get here.  There is a beautiful small recently painted white church on one side of the well-kept square with this restaurant on the other side facing the church.  The restaurant appears to have fresh paint and our server was a little Panamanian girl who was attentive, had a big smile and spoke enough English for us to get by.  We just had a cool drink, snapped a few shots and were on our way.

On our way back to the Pan-American, Andrea spotted a small fruit stand in front of a house at the side of the road with a supply of grapefruit stacked on the shelf.  We stopped and this little guy sold us six beautiful big grapefruit for $0.50, (total, not each) once he had his mother’s permission.

We continued back toward Penonome but in a few minutes our GPS wanted us to turn west.  We looked at the road and found it wide and paved but with no lines.  Now normally, Andrea won’t take advice from the GPS but this time, with two of us encouraging her, she agreed to follow it.  It turned out to be a nicely paved secondary road that our GPS called “Road”.  It basically, just cut off the need for us to go back through Penonome.  It brought us out on the Pan-American 20 or 30 minutes west of Penonome after taking us through beautiful rolling hills and past lots of fields of cattle and horses.  Out in the back country I might have thought we would find unkempt properties and homes but that was not the case.  Homes were neat, tidy, artfully landscaped and painted bright colors.  There was no junk lying around.  Then I remembered, we were in Panama not Mexico and this is the norm here!  There is a pride of ownership that shows everywhere.

Shortly after getting back on the Pan-American, a motorcycle carrying a police man passed us at a high speed.  In a few minutes we came around a bit of a gentle curve and saw a little white car of some kind on its side in the middle of the median.  The shot is a bit blurry but I think you can get the idea.  There was shattered plastic everywhere.  We wonder what actually happened because the road was flat and almost straight. In a few minutes we saw an ambulance approaching from the other direction.  It was not in a hurry and the emergency lights were not on.

We arrived in Santiago on the Pan-American which is where we turn north for Santa Fé.  We joined a line of mostly little yellow taxi cabs at a service station to load up our trusty Toyota with fuel before leaving Santiago which, we were warned, is the last place we can get gas.  Strange!  This busy little fuel stop was the first service station we have found that takes credit cards.  We left Santiago, heading north along a nicely paved two lane road with yellow center line and white lines at both edges of the road.  The hills are rolling and every now and again you get a chance to see the beautiful hilly vistas from the road.

We had planned to stop in a place called San Francisco which is 17 Km along the road from Santiago, to see a very important historical church that dates back to 1621.  Restoration work has been recently completed.  San Francisco is a tidy small village with narrow roads.  The whole place looks recently paved and again we find the homes all beautifully landscaped and well-kept.  Here are a few shots of the church.  The interior is amazing.  It is full of beautiful intricately carved pieces that show so well because of the fresh restoration work that has been done.

We continued north on the little hilly road for the remaining 35 Km to Santa Fé.  The GPS is not up to date with the roadway.  It looks like the road has been modernized somewhat and the map has not!  It showed us travelling in the general area of the road but not on it.  We eventually met one of the little Toyota Coaster busses that runs from Santiago to Santa Fé and followed it part of the way.  There is very little on this road.  No houses, no cows, no people, just tall grass, fields of nothing, lots of vegetation, beautiful distant hills and one small Toyota.

Our resort had provided us a map to get us from Santa Fé to their property, which is just a little over two kilometers.  We got to within a couple of hundred meters from the main gate and, following the map, turned off the paved road onto a dirt one with a hill on it.  Now a dirt road here means slippery red clay with no gravel and lots of deep ruts.  When you add an incline and water from a recent rain to this recipe, you need four-wheel drive, which our little Toyota doesn’t have.  Andrea managed to get us almost up the hill before we lost traction and could not go forward.  I hope no one from Budget is reading this!  We were probably 20 meters from the resort gate.  I got out and walked to the resort to get help and she backed the Toyota back down the hill.

As I walked through the front gate of Casa Mariposa, I was immediately faced with terrain sloping off into the distance and an  amazing view of hills, mountains, and jungle that unfolded at my feet.  First impression?  I was mindful of Shangrala!  It was stunning!

I met one of the owners, Kevin, who said to take the car back to the intersection with the pavement, and that he would meet us there with his four-wheel drive to bring us and our luggage to the resort.

There are two new villas right inside the gate at the top of the hill.  Each is beautifully landscaped to maximize the privacy between them.  Our villa is called Toucan and the larger one is called Motmot, after the bird.  I will show you a couple of pictures of the Motmot in the next post.  We were warmly greeted and oriented to the ways of the Casa Mariposa by the owners Kevin and Erica, who are from Ontario.  The routine here in this brand new resort is like in a five-star resort.  We sat and visited with Octav on the large deck of the Motmot, where he is staying, trying desperately to take in all the amazing view.  Rachel came to explain the dinner specials and to take our order.  They have a menu of around a dozen items or so.  Graham, the chef will prepare the meals and he and Rachel will them serve them to us on the Motmot deck.  So far we have experienced friendly helpful owners, who are attentive and follow-up on every small detail as well as a wonderful gourmet dinner capably served in the most beautiful restaurant, the deck of the Motmot!

The dinner selection I chose was horseradish and parmesan encrusted red snapper filet with home-made rye garlic bread and braised green beans.  Andrea chose the homemade french onion soup featuring Erica’s homemade bread, then the stuffed chicken with mozzarella, shiitake mushrooms, olives and bacon served with a shiitake mushroom white wine sauce along with purple nayami (a local root vegetable something like potato)and braised green beans.  For dessert we chose the pineapple upside down cake with a ginger sauce.  Amazing!  Now tell me!  What other jungle can you think of that serves gourmet food like this with such a view from the dining room?

El Valle Final Impressions

Hi Travellers,

It rained a bit during the night and the normal winds that keep our cabana cool were with us again.  Today is our last full day in El Valle and the weather is, once again, beautiful.

Breakfast was at Brochettes in the Anton Hotel.  I think this is the most westernized restaurant in town.  You even get jam with your toast!  It is right on the main drag across the street from the library and they have WiFi.  Bacon and eggs for two with fresh juices and coffee $15.  A day without bacon is a day without sunshine!

I got thinking this morning that I may have given you the wrong impression about El Valle.  We really haven’t done much of the tourist stuff here because we have been here before and already done it.  There is a good supply of things to keep you occupied for about three to four days according to out hotel.  We have stretched the time out a bit to meet our next reservation block which starts tomorrow.  When you come here there are waterfalls to hike to and mountain hikes that will keep you in shape, a small zoo to see with the endangered golden frog, a serpientium if you are into snakes and bugs, zip lining to get your adrenalin flowing, the public market on Sunday to empty your wallet, the Orchid Garden for some of natures beauty, hot springs or rather warm springs to experience, horse rentals if you are from Saskatchewan and square trees.  Yes, square trees!  (some imagination required) There are no banks but there are two ATMs.

Our impressions of El Valle are many but I will try to distil the list down to a top 10.  They are:

1.  Don’t miss it.  It is cooler than the beach areas and almost always has a cool breeze.  Don’t worry about the threatening clouds racing through the sky.  If they do give a bit of rain, it doesn’t last long;

2.  Be careful driving here at night.  I have never seen a place where people walk and ride bikes with no light-colored clothing and no lights or reflectors on their bikes.  People stop and talk in the middle of the road and don’t move quickly to get out-of-the-way.  That combined with very few street lights makes it really difficult to see.  The whole town is posted at 40K and that is plenty fast.  Also, dogs are slow to get up from their naps in the middle of the road;

3.  Experience the market on Sunday.  The crowds are invigorating;

4.  Take in the zoo but be ready for a place that does not house animals to the standards you are used to seeing.  It is worth seeing because of the variety of local species they have;

5.  Don’t be afraid to try any restaurant in town.  We never found one that provided a bad meal.  Like at home, some are just better than others;

6.  Enjoy walking around town.  There are some beautiful estate homes to be seen by just walking down a side road for a few minutes;  There is a bus that runs around town that you can always grab if you get tired.  I think the fare is $0.50;

7.  If you have a sweet tooth, take in the bakery.  It is right on the main drag across the street and down a little from the public market.  Your dentist probably wouldn’t be happy;

8.  Internet is available at the public library next to the church;

9.  Enjoy the people.  We have met some great folks here.  Everyone is so helpful; and

10. Don’t just come for the day, as many do.  Stay a few days and really get into this slow-paced place called El Valle.

We headed out to dinner intending to try O’Pedros Pub.  We killed some time there waiting for the Casa de Lourdes Restaurant to open last night.  The menu looked interesting and the interior of this place is done in stone and dark woods.  Besides, a pub called O’Pedros can’t be too Irish, can it?  When we arrived we found a tour bus and a buffet dinner set up and the place closed to the public.

On the way back into town, on the main drag, we saw red and blue flashing lights off in the distance and a crowd of people.  Just as we were thinking accident and that we should find a way off the street, a police truck approached and pulled across the road, effectively blocking it for oncoming traffic.  At first I thought the police had finally figured out where Andrea was but it ended up being traffic control for a procession.  Now almost every time we have been in a Latin country, we have at one time or another, encountered a procession.  Some are large and elaborate some are not.  The procession here today was a solemn event led by what looked like the Catholic priest and others in Catholic garb.  There was a statue on a wheeled cart being borne down the street and then what looked like most of the town following.  It was interesting to see the level of involvement by the citizens here in this church based event.  This was a procession for Saint Don Bosco who was responsible for taking care of the young.

Dinner was at Pinocchio’s Restaurant and Pizzeria.  We were the only ones there.  We ordered a house special 12 inch pizza and a couple of drinks for a total of $13.  Nothing special but adequate.

Tomorrow, we move from El Valle to Santa Fe. We will head down the hill to the Bayview Hotel, in San Carlos, on the beach to pick up our friend from Victoria, Octav, who will accompany us to Santa Fe for a couple of days. We have been cautioned that high-speed Internet connections are limited in Santa Fe so my posts may be a bit more sporadic for the five days that we will be there.

Speak Kind Words, Receive Kind Echoes

Hi Fellow Travellers,

“Speak kind words, receive kind echoes” the decorative plaque on the wall of our little room here at Cabanas Potosi says.  That phrase is descriptive of the attitude of the owners of this place.  Their helpfulness and concern for their guests manifests itself in many ways.  We have seldom experienced this kind of service and attention at any of the places we have stayed.  They make El Valle extra special for anyone visiting here.  I put a link to them under the Businesses We Support heading in the right column.  If you come here, we would highly recommend Cabanas Potosi and the rates are, to say the least, reasonable.  For $44.50 per night, with the 7th night free, you get an extra clean room with a fridge, fans a bathroom with hot water and louvered windows that let the breezes through.  There are two beds per room and the mattresses are firm and comfortable. There are only four rooms so you get to meet everyone else that is traveling through.  Also, the grounds are beautifully landscaped and impeccably maintained.  You also get an endless supply of cheerfully provided helpful information from the English speaking owners Mireya (pronounced Marayah) and Dennis.

I have told you about the beautiful birds here in Panama but there is so much more.  Today we went to see the Orchid Garden here in El Valle.  We were told that about 12 years ago, the Japanese government sent a high level agriculturist here to help Panama with their orchid cultivation.  They built an education center and rather than collecting local samples, they started all their plants from seeds.  Apparently there is a problem here with locals collecting orchids from the wild and selling them and they did not want the Orchid Garden to contribute to that problem.  Apparently the Orchid Garden will lose its Japanese funding this year in March and nobody knows what will happen to it.  Without the grant money, or another benefactor stepping up, the center is expected to close and much of the knowledge to be lost as the Japanese agriculturalist will return home.

Our guide for our walk through the Orchid Garden tells us that there are 1,500 native orchids to Panama.  Almost all orchids attach themselves and grow on existing trees.  There are very few that actually grow in the soil.  They attach to the bark of their host and grow.  Other than for some medicinal uses, orchids are simply decorative.  They do not harm the trees that they are attached to, with the exception of one species which kills the tree but continues to live on the dead host.  Orchids need a humid lightly breezy environment with not too much direct sunlight.  They draw their nourishment from the air as the breezes  pass them by.  Here are a few pictures of some of the vegetation at the Orchid Garden.  They have much more than just orchids.  I think it is as beautiful as the birds here.

We have been searching for a good massage since arriving here in Panama.  When we first arrived here in El Valle, we asked around and were told that there was only a few places that provided massage.  We checked the new spa in town run by some European doctor.  It is a splashy new building with lots of staff but at $100 per hour for a massage, we kept looking.  Next we checked the spa at Lourdes.  It looked adequate and their offering was $65 for an hour, the same as we pay at home.  We decided to try it but were really disappointed.  This is a case of somebody finding out the going rate for a proper massage in North America and applying that price to massages performed by staff who have no idea what they are doing.   We have had better $15 beach massages!  It was at best disappointing and I am not used to having the zits on my back popped during my massage, but that’s what you will get here.  If you need a massage, give this place a pass!

Eventually, we were told about Natasha, who performs a Thai massage that was supposed to be good.  We decided to give it a try.  Now my recollection of massages that we got while in Thailand was that there was lots of rubbing and slapping involved and you couldn’t go near a pool for about a week afterwards without leaving an oil slick.  For our Panamanian Thai massage, we were taken to an outside raised platform on a shaded covered deck with lots of gentle cool breezes.  The vegetation around the deck providing good privacy.  The atmosphere was perfect for a massage.  This experience was different from other Thai massages!  It involved assisted stretching, firm muscle presses along with limb manipulation and deep tissue massaging of problem areas.  There was no oil used.  I came away from the experience feeling like I had actually had a massage.  My sore neck was back to normal.   Natasha learned this skill while living in Thailand and she appears to have learned it well.  I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a massage that is effective and a little different.  A one hour massage will cost you $28 which is a very good value for what you get.  Just go to the Artash Restaurant and ask for Natasha.

For dinner tonight we decided to check out Casa de Lourdes, the most expensive place in town, but it has been worth it in the past.  By the most expensive place in town I mean a fine dining restaurant with prices that we would expect at home.  Generally speaking we are finding restaurant meals at about half of what we pay at home.  We have been here before for Sunday lunch and have needed reservations.  It is an opulent European style building with thick stone walls and a beautiful lobby full of gigantic cut flower arrangements.  The eating area is outside on a covered deck beside the pool.  We have friends coming to Panama in mid February and wanted to check if the place was still as good as it had been in the past.  We arrived just when they opened at seven PM and were the only customers for the evening.   I had the roast pork while Andrea had the chicken with goat cheese and a tomato sauce.  We shared a salad with apple and pecans and a desert of pear crumble with vanilla ice cream and a caramel sauce.  Along with two very tart lemonades and a coffee, the total ran us around $63 for two.  Our impression is that the place is slipping a bit.  The building is getting to the point where it needs a paint job and many of the magnificent flower arrangements in the lobby were well past their expiry dates.  The food was good however the lettuce in the salad was a bit wilted and the ice cream had been frozen and thawed and contained ice crystals.  Now I think most of the food deficiencies can be written off to this being a Monday night after their busy time on the weekend and that we may have got leftovers.  We will bring our friends here on a weekend during the day so they can see the wonderful setting, perfectly manicured gardens and impressive mountain views and hope that the flowers and food problems do not repeat.  Until then, you will just have to use your imagination to picture what this impressive place looks like because I won’t have and pictures of it until then.

The Mystery Car

We awoke this morning to the distant beat of jungle drums echoing off the mountain walls as the sounds made their way down the valley to our ears.  When I opened my eyes, I realized it wasn’t jungle drums at all but rather the base from some Panamanian dudes stereo off in the distance being played at the only volume setting permitted for music in Panama, that being maximum!  The always barking distant dogs were strangely silent this morning as if they knew why the veterinarians that I told you about yesterday were in town. Oh well, there was still the roosters!

Breakfast today was at the Restaurant Artesanias in the Hotel Residential El Valle.  It’s right on the main drag and looked inviting.  It was also close to the already busy public market where we were headed after breakfast.  The menus here, as in most other places have the offerings written in Spanish with the translation to English in brackets following.  It works pretty well and we have not had too many surprises yet.  Today we ordered fresh fruit smoothies, pancakes and coffee.  I can’t believe a day without bacon!  The food was fine, nothing special but the smoothies were huge and very flavorful.  Breakfast for two $10.  This place would be worth another try but we are running out of days to double up on restaurants.  Give it a try if you are in town.

Last night, while at dinner, we saw a beautifully restored old car drive up and park in front of the Catholic church.  The occupants headed in for Mass.  I had left my camera in the car and the lighting was poor so I did not get a picture of it.  Today, it was loaded aboard a trailer hooked behind a Toyota Tundra capped pickup and parked by the side of the road.  I got a couple of shots of it but still don’t know what make it is.  There was no recognizable (to me) insignia on the car to identify it.  Maybe someone out there could tell me what it is so I can pass it on to the other readers.  I took a pretty close look and the quality of the restoration workmanship was perfect.  Even the wide white wall Firestone tires were in perfect condition.  I love the color, which I know could never have been authentic.  Can anybody help?

The main drag was starting to back up with all the traffic headed to the market and the church.  Crowds spilled over into the street.  Lots of small vans from resorts in other places arrived filled with tourists looking for bargains.  A couple of large tour buses were parked in an empty lot across from the church.  When we walked around the market it seemed a bit smaller than we remember from earlier years.  The back part of the market behind the plant section is empty and not full of vendors selling plants and flowers.  The tent behind, where many of the Kuna artisans display their Molas had fewer tables.  Up front, in the craft area was still busy with many good quality Panamanian crafts being offered.  The fruit and vegetable part of the market is a bit bigger with fresh product piled high on the tables and lots of locals availing themselves of the expansive choice.  I prowled and got a few pictures to give you an idea of what goes on here on Sunday at the market.  Tomorrow, the streets will be empty again and El Valle will return to its more normal slower pace of life.

We headed back to the resort for a little quality hammock time.  I have to keep my tan up!

For dinner tonight we decided to try Chinese.  There is one Chinese food restaurant in town in a new mall called Pekin.  It has a convenience store, hotel and a Chinese food restaurant all called Pekin.  We went in and ordered.  We found the food a bit disappointing compared to the other meals we have experienced around town.  They don’t take credit cards as many of the restaurants now do and the servers appeared to speak no English where most other places we have been they can at least speak some.  The food was hot and the service adequate but we wouldn’t bother with it again.  It was an unremarkable meal.  Dinner for two $23.

Fierce Mud Covered Natives of the Backwater Jungle

Hi All,

Today we awoke to a bright sunny perfect day here in El Valle.  There was quite a wind storm last night and one of the metal roof panels got pretty noisy during the night, rattling with the breezes but by morning we still had a roof and everything was back to normal; that being perfect!

We went to Artash for breakfast and an Internet connection again and got talking to Natasha.  She is a pretty Russian born Canadian girl who is now living in Panama and has an interest in Thai yoga!  She speaks several languages.  Sounds a little united nations like to me but she has a studio out back of the restaurant where she practices her yoga and even leads an occasional class or two.  She gave me a short tour and posed for a few shots of her in a couple of yoga positions.  She has striking big blue eyes and a huge smile!  Here in Panama you find people from all over the world.

Later in the morning we decided to check out the local hot springs.  It is located in a small public park down by the river and is a popular spot both for tourists and locals.  You park at the end of the road and run a gauntlet of small boys all offering to watch you car for you.  I think it is the only English they know and they all have huge friendly smiles.  It’s not really about security but more about trying to separate a few coins from the wallets of the patrons.  After paying the $2.50 entrance fee you walk across a small bridge that spans a lazy small river and leads to an area containing covered picnic tables, change rooms, a massage room, showers, and a number of concrete pools of varying sizes.  The place is well used but neat and well-kept.  There is no trash around.  The bathrooms were immaculate and cleaned after each use.  I was surprised at the number of people around wearing the official purple park golf shirt signifying they were staff.  They are there to direct the public in the use of the facility.  There is a mud bath that seemed to be pretty popular.  I got a couple of shots of people with mud covered faces looking a lot like the fierce natives of the backwater jungles in the past must have once looked except they wouldn’t have been wearing the designer bathing suits sported by todays users.  The sign said the temperature of the pools was 38C, which is not really hot but just kind of warm.   I didn’t do the mud facial, even thought somebody I am travelling with told me I needed it but I did try the pool which was a comfortable temperature for a warm day.  After being in the hot pool for about 30 minutes, the shower, when you get out of the pool was very cold!

I told you the other day that I would try to show you some of the elaborate estates around here so on the way back to the hotel we stopped a couple of times for some pictures.  Girls, if you are looking for sugar daddies, it seems that this might be a promising place to start.  What do you think?

When we got back to the hotel we met a new couple that had just arrived from California so we joined up with them and our friend Octav for dinner.  Tonight we chose Brochette’s Restaurant on the main drag right across the street from the library.  It is the restaurant that is part of the Anton Valley Hotel.   As their name implies, they specialize in brochette, five different kinds and they are all scrumptious and loaded with garlic.  We ordered main courses as well and enjoyed a leisurely meal of excellent food and good companionship.  Dinner for two, including drinks, appetizer, main courses and coffee $26.  We have eaten here before and they consistently produce good food to an often full house.  Don’t miss this place for at least one meal.

El Valle is actively working on some things to improve their community.  One such thing is to try to get the large population of dogs under control.  There is now a local ordinance where owners of dogs not tied up are subject to fines.  Tomorrow about 50 veterinarians will arrive for the day to spay as many female dogs as owners will bring to the free clinic.  The population here is quite progressive in tidying up some of the annoying problems that seem to get ignored in many other places.  Impressive!