Venao is such a beautiful little town. When we had family visiting a month or so ago, the three of them….not me for sure…. took surfing lessons. Apparently it is a good workout although I have no firsthand knowledge 🙂
When you take lessons, you go to the far end of the beach where the waves aren’t as big. They looked plenty big!
A couple of days ago we saw an ad for a ‘castle and sand sculpture competition” in Venao and thought it might be fun to go.The last time we went to a sand sculpture exhibition was in Portugal a couple of years ago. That was an incredible amount and display of sculptures.
Portugal, 2020
Under a hot sun on the beach there was an area roped off, and the fun was just beginning when we arrived.
It looked like the kids, both big and little, were having fun. We did not stick around for the awards.
On previous trips to Venao we have pulled into the first parking lot. Today we decided to go further down the road. We found there is so much more to Venao,
There were literally dozens and dozens of surfers in the water.
My favourite way to surf, is to sit on a comfy chair, in the shade, on the beach, with a cold libation. There is a sail boat anchored out in the bay that is just visible under the tree, might also add watching from the beach is my favourite way to ‘sail’…
My phone does not have a good enough camera to do this picture justice.
A cell tower that resembles a palm tree from a distance.
Perfect camouflage in my opinion!
My phones excuse for a close up, does give an indication of just how many surfers there are in the water.
This gigantic swing gives the illusion that one can even get a bit of exercise while on the beach:)
Sunset is not far off, time to call it an afternoon.
As we squint into the sun we will say cheers from another stunning Panama location.
This has been a different year for us in Panama with fewer adventures than usual. That might have had something to do with the time consuming process of residency, now that’s a story for another day.
Yesterday we went to Cambutal to do a little exploring. Daryl had been there to go on a fishing trip, but I had not been. It is only a 90 km drive however takes a good two hours as the speed limit ranges from 40-60 km/h. And the last 30 km is even slower as you have to dodge potholes. But so pretty, and another hot sunny day. At one point the car thermometer was showing 35C.
Colour wise the dry season here is very much like driving through the Okanaghan in the summer. Lots of brown. A lot of the trees also lose their leaves.
Cambutal is a tiny little town on the ocean that seems to be an up and coming tourist place. It has a lot of new construction happening with hotels right on the beach.
On our way home we took a side road to a little town called Bucaro. It is another incredibly beautiful town right on the ocean. When we turned off the road from Cambutal to go towards Bucaro, Maps showed us travelling across country. In actual fact we were on a nicely paved road!
After we went through the town, at the very end of the road there was a gated community that seemed to have some pretty sweet houses.
So many trees have lost their leaves, not sure what this tree is but it has pink flowers. Such a stark contrast when growing besides a shiny green palm tree.
At one point the road was filled with cows. They are so skinny here. Shortly after working our way slowly through the cows, we came to a sign advising “Cattle Crossing. Danger”.
Cattle Crossing
We ended our day having Pescado Frito entero, the entire red snapper was deep fried, including the head and tail. One of my favourites!
Another day trip in the books. A little too isolated for me to want to live there, but sure sweet to visit.
Playa el toro is the closest beach to Pedasi and is well used. The road that went to the beach was in rough shape at the end, and getting worse every year, but still drivable. Over the past year there must have been some very big waves as the road has totally collapsed.
At the entrance to the beach you can take a path that starts a little further up the road. Not in great shape but an alternate way to get to the beach.
We have been coming to this beach for several years now. Last year we were able to park besides the blue fence. Not anymore!
Total collapse. So sad.
Once on the beach, if you turn to the right you have tons of rocks and a short area for walking. However, if you turn to the left, at low tide you have lots of sandy beach and can walk for kilometres.
As you walk up the beach there is much erosion with many exposed roots.
This structure is standing proud. Last time we were at this beach a large group of people were enjoying this space, and the food smells were fantastic.
There are a lot of fallen trees.
The further you go up the beach, the shoreline becomes flatter and with fewer trees. The destructive power of nature is not evident here. It just looks like a sunny late afternoon walk on a calm day.
It is amazing what happened from one year to the next.
We had been told there is a beach quite close to Playita, out favourite swimming place, that was just about as calm, at Villa Marina.
Villa Marina is a lodge and condo development between Playa Playita and Playa Vanao, with a very short drive between them. It is an absolutely stunning location.
The grounds were beautifully manicured, with the pool pretty well on the beach. We had been told the staff are quite amendable to restaurant guests using the pool. We didn’t and only one person was in the pool while we were there.
It was hot! I would be the person lying in the hammock in the shade, rather that around the pool in the bright sunshine.
The lodge was checking in guests while we were there. It would be an incredible place to stay, however for us it is only a half hour drive.
While this was a fabulous location, for me it was not a swimming beach. In the picture below you can see the town of Venao in the foreground. Venao is a busy surfing beach, so just the opposite of calm. Playita is in the other direction and well protected.
The food was delicious.
Daryl had a chicken empanada, corn tortillas, local chorizo and a local cheese which is very mild.
Mine was tortillas de yuca with the same chorizo and cheese. Four mini pizzas with a base that kind of tasted like a potato pancake, and so filling I could only eat two.
We were the only people in the restaurant.
My take so far. Playita is still the best swimming beach. Villa Marina has the better restaurant (and they gave the 15% jubilado discount). Has to be some benefit to being retired! Because they are located so close to each other, we can enjoy the best of both on the same day.
Playita Resort is about a half hour from Pedasi. We have never stayed at the resort but pay a fee and go to the beach. There are lots of beaches just a short distance from Pedasi that are fabulous for walking. For me, they are not for swimming as the waves are too big during the dry season. Every time we have been at Playa Playita the water has been calm, maybe not glass but close!
This is one place where you can go and almost always see Scarlet Macaws. They are not shy about letting you get close. The staff at Playita put food our for the critters. This fellow was having a good feed of sunflower seeds. Truthfully, we have found it hard to buy raw sunflower seeds for humans, but birdseed is available just about everywhere.
This area has a lovely wind and surf break that keeps the water calm. Also no ‘chill factor’ when you dip your toes in.
Often when walking on beaches we can hear monkeys in the forest. Rarely do we actually see them. At Playita the monkeys are fed bananas. We just happened to arrive at their lunch time. There had to have been a couple of dozen monkeys up in the trees. They were very quick at coming for a banana then running back up the tree to eat it. They came in different sizes and genders.
What a fantastic view from the bohio.
This is probably the busiest beach we go to. Even though the beach and water doesn’t look very crowded, the bohios, or maybe palapas?, have been full every time we have been here. You need to be in the shade as the sun is blistering. The sand also gets too hot to walk on barefoot.
This last visit, we were sharing a table with another family as the place was full. They came prepared with lunch and very generously offered to share their food with us. We didn’t eat their lunch but we sure did try the ceviche and tuna spread on crackers that were offered. Both were very good. We have met some truly generous people. Us not speaking much Spanish and other people not speaking much English has not been a barrier to friendliness.
After our swim we stopped at the restaurant for a bite to eat. There was not a very big selection, but what we had was good, deep fried whole pargo rojo (red snapper) with pataconies (smashed flat and deep fried plantain). I did not get a picture but that fish had to have been a good 14″ long. Of course, that did include the head and tail.
We have been barbecuing whole pargo at home. It works and is very good but nothing like the deep fried. However, the one time I got an eyeball in my mouth was the end of cooking with the head still attached!!
We have heard there is another private beach that is as calm as Playita. We will be sure to check it out as Playita can get very busy and finding a shady spot to sit can be difficult. So far, this is still my favourite swimming beach.
This is our first trip to Panama where we are staying more than 3 months. In Pedasi you can get pretty well everything you need, and most of what you want. But maybe this year it’s time to look a little further afield. So many people have told us about Price Smart, kind of equivalent to Canada’s Costco, that we had to go check it out. This year we both ended up getting sick, (at different times, of course), therefore in this first month our outings have been few and far between.
The closest Price Smart is in Santiago, about a two hour drive away. Certainly a long way to go shopping, but a great way to spend a day when not feeling 100%.
We had driven this road during a previous Panama visit when we had gone to Santa Catalina for Daryl to do some diving. (Remember that fabulous trip Marie).
Thankfully it’s an easy drive. Once you get to Las Tablas there is a double laned highway all the way. The last half hour or so is on the Pan American.
Shortly after leaving Pedasi we were pulled over by the policia. As with previous times when stopped by the police, the only item of interest is the date of arrival into Panama stamped in your passport. A Canadian can only drive in Panama for three months after arrival date. Daryl’s drivers license barely got a glance.
It was a short stop. In seconds we were on our way.
When we arrived at Price Smart it was such a treat to pull into a covered parking lot. It was 34C, not a breeze, and felt like being in an oven.
Once inside it only took minutes to fill out the form, get our pictures taken (always flattering) and be issued our Price Smart card. Out first Panamian ID of any sort! All the employees were wearing masks, very few customers.
My first impression is that it is like going to a big box store anywhere. Even the layout is similar to Costco. When we arrived it was lunch time on a Friday, my other big impression was that the place was not busy or crowded, not even close.
There was a big optical dept directly inside the store which we did not check out. Might have to do that if go back as it is time for new prescription sunglasses. Previously we paid less than half of what it would have cost at home.
And, of course, you have to walk through the electronics department to get anywhere. Not sure if you can see the price but that JVC 65″ smart tv is $479. US$….but still. All the TV’s were showing video’s of winter wonderland.
The rest of it was the same as any big box store. We did not buy any produce or meat as we can get that in our little town, although the strip loin looked good. And look at that! we found Canadian maple syrup.
What made it worthwhile for us, apart from the sheer pleasure of being on a road trip, was being able to get lots of nuts. Gluten free breakfasts can be a bit of a pain when it is hard to get nuts and seeds (or they are super pricy when you find them). The other biggie was beer. It is cheap here anywhere, but at Price Smart it was ridiculously priced. The brand that Daryl generally drinks (except for when he can get craft beer) costs about $10 a dozen. At Price Smart it was $13 for 24 beers! We had a happy camper.
The only way to finish a shopping trip is to visit the food court, so of course we did. The salad and ice cream were both good. We have heard their pizza is good as well, but that gluten thing again.
Now that we have a card we can order online. Unless of course we need another road trip to visit the shiny new mall that has just opened up. It was practically next door to Price Smart so we took a peek inside one of the entrances. It is massive and we have heard it rivals Albrook in Panama City. Couldn’t stay and shop as our groceries would have been melted or cooked. Liquid butter was not an option.
After a full day of driving and shopping, it’s great to come home and be able to go for a sunset beach walk.
Life is good. If we had to be sick, at least we did not freeze!
For the past few years I have followed a Pedasi Facebook page. Shortly before we left Calgary there was a post for aerial yoga that looked like something I would try. I replied with ‘interested’, then forgot about it until I got an inquiry back. By this time we were already in Pedasi.
As it turned out, the instructor is also our property manager. We arranged an assessment session and I went with very little knowledge of what to expect. Armed with only a list of essentials to bring, and instructions to not eat a big breakfast before starting as it might not sit well, I set out for my destination. Hestor and her husband have a house that has a deck totally surrounding it. It is very functional. The yoga studio is the back deck.
I had not done any yoga since online Iyngear during covid lockdown, The brochure looked a little intimidating but I am already at the studio. Nothing to do but go forward. And those listed benefits, well a few pop out! A full class would be three students.
So far I have been to three classes, all private. The first was 90 minutes showing how to use the hammock while incorporating ‘normal’ yoga poses. The other two were an hour each. I don’t know the proper names of the different poses but the basics is pretty well the same as I have done previously. Being able to hold onto the hammock or a strap sure helps with balance! You are also supposed to get a deep tissue massage from the pressure of the hammock.
The inversion is not as hard to get into as I thought. Of course it helps to have the instructor guiding you through every step. The one thing she did say was don’t be surprised if you get a headache when initially doing this pose. I did and it lasted for a day the first time, a couple of hours the second time and none the third. Getting out was even easier than getting in.
Something must be working as my quads are killing me! There is a lot of stretching, and squeezing, and holding and breathing. When I get home and squat to sit down it’s a big ouch.
The sessions end with a nice gentle swing and relax lying in a cocoon.
As you lie, sit or stand during the workout looking out over this garden, it is not at all unusual to see a hummingbird enjoying some of the flowering shrubs.
The plan is to carry on doing this a couple of times a week. I have to believe the need to say ouch every time I sit down will eventually go away.
It is hard to believe it’s almost two weeks since we left Calgary. We arrived in the rain and the first night here felt cold as it was only 24C. I actually wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. It might have also had something to do with fatigue! Since them no more feeling cold.
This week we have been settling in, getting the needed supplies and such. We are also in no rush to do anything as we have time. Sometimes it is hard to remember this is not vacation but where we are living for the winter.
A priority was getting a bbq. Luckily someone had a little Webber for sale and we were able to get it. Other than needing a bit of a cleaning it is in really good shape.
I went to a yoga class early one morning. It is within walking distance from where we are staying. Just before arriving at my destination, I passed a fisherman with a fresh catch. This tuna was a good size and for sale… a good deal at $4 a pound. The fisherman very generously kept the five pound piece at his house and I was able to pick it up after yoga. The filets were amazing, seared and served with soya sauce and wasabi. The best part is we still have three meals in the freezer.
The fruit and veggie truck also comes by at least a couple of times a week. Matter of fact, several different vehicles drive around the streets selling ‘stuff’. My favourite is one specific car that comes by weekly selling fresh ocean caught camarones. We actually got a couple of pounds of the shrimp yesterday, and it will be dinner tonight…bbq skewers…yummm.
The shrimp still only cost $3 per lb.
We have only been to the beach once since arriving. Not exactly sure what we are doing with our time, but we are busy. Playa El Arenal is a couple of kilometres out of town. The day we went the ocean was calm, and the beach was empty except for fishermen coming home.
Lots of well fed vultures on this beach.
I can say with a fair deal of certainty we will be back to this beach many times. It just never gets old. We, on the other hand, have no choice but to age. However we are doing our best to make every minute count.
We left our house in Calgary about 3:45 AM to get to the airport in plenty of time for our 6 AM flight (thank you Heather, much appreciated). It was so cold, at least -23C. Even though we were going to be in Panama City by evening, I decided to wear a warm jacket ‘just in case’ we didn’t make our connections. With a 50 minute lay over in Denver, and 70 minutes in Houston (which included a change in terminal), I had no comfort level that we would actually make those connecting flights. But we did! Everything went like clockwork.
Thankfully we had time in Calgary to go to the lounge to get breakfast as we sure didn’t in either Denver or Houston, and I am not a lover of airplane food. Yes, we were in the cheap seats 🙂
Denver Airport was a mad dash, however Houston felt like we had loads of time. Even though we had to change terminals, the train made it quick.
We landed in Panama City about 7:30 PM. Except for immigration the airport was quiet. There is a new terminal but we did not get to see it as immigration is in the old one. It seemed like most everybody had only carry on luggage, including us, with little on the carousel.
The taxi to Casco Viejo cost a bit more than I remember, still only $30 for a half hour drive. We stayed at Selina’ts as it was where our transport to Pedasi was departing from the next morning. By the time we got to the hostel it was after 9PM, all I could think of was food as we hadn’t had anything proper to eat since 5AM in Calgary. (Anybody who knows me will totally understand that food is always top of my mind). We hadn’t stayed in a hostel for many years but it was great. Private room, private bath, rooftop restaurant and a good bed. For less than a 12 hour stay it more than met our needs.
Across the street from our balconySkyline from the restaurant on a rainy nightLive salsa music and a busy dance floor.
The next morning we were on the bus at 8:30. There was very little traffic as it was a holiday and we were out of the city lickity split. We made it to Pedasi in just five hours. That is the fastest ever for us. Daryl found a company online, My Pink Bus, that does shuttles from Selina’s to Venao (and will stop in Pedasi). It had big comfy seats, wifi and air conditioning. It was perfect. We did not yet have Panama SIM cards, and with our arrival in Pedasi being so much sooner than I had thought, thanks to the wifi we were able to talk with the guy meeting us at the house with a key.
This year we really had to search to find a long term rental, either houses were too rustic or out of our price range. This is also our first year being right in town.
Our little house has a front deck and a back deck. The only dining table is outside, but that is okay as who wants to spend time inside when you don’t have to? When you rent a house from pictures online it can be challenging. We have been pretty lucky so far.
Is there anything about places we have stayed that I would like to change? Of course there is. This is the first house we have stayed in that has hot water only in the shower. The first time we did dishes I ran the ‘hot’ water forever. Then Daryl looked under the sink and there is only one water hose. The water runs tepid, not like when you are in a cold climate. So not a problem, just different. And the chickens and roosters across the street, well at 4:30 AM I am sure you can imagine my thoughts!
There is also a good size back yard and some pretty flowers. The airbnb said mango and plantain, we’ll get no mango for sure, but maybe plantain.
Red flowering gingerAnd the ginger has floweredLens says this is Lobster ClawMango tree
The picture in no way does justice to the size of the leaves on this Elephant Ear, They are truly massive, I am guessing about 12 ” by 18″.
The same afternoon we arrived the fruit and veggie truck came by. That is one of the things I really like about being here, there is not much that can’t be delivered to your front door.
The first morning cup of coffee, sitting outside in the warmth, even if the sun is not shining is such an amazing feeling. And yes, that spider was just as big as it looks.
It doesn’t take long to get settled in. The morning after we arrived, Daryl went to pick up the car…. just a 5-10 minute walk. We were then able to go stock up on ‘stuff’. Now it is time to get on with living in our winter home.
We do most of our cooking over an open fire. It is amazing how much wood you can go through in a day. In the mountains the temperature can also cool down considerably as soon as the sun sets. Cooking and warmth… yes, a lot of firewood required. Luckily we have lots of trees. Other than needing to cut a few live ones to make room for the trailer, we were able to harvest dead trees. This virgin land needed a lot of culling.
Ah yes, the fire pit when there were still rocks surrounding it.
Another job for the spring.
Katelyn got up at 6 and built a beautiful fire, while some of us did not get up until 8…..or later.
Once you have a good bed of coals, it time to start the food.
It was definitely time to build a wood shed. Daryl chose a spot close to the fire pit and went to work.
Cement blocks were used to support the pallet base. It worked well as the wood chips fall through.
As with everything else, the outside of the shed had to be metal.
While I was off gallivanting in the Okanagan, Daryl finished the woodshed, and loaded it up.
A stipulation for any fire pit is to have water readily available. We have a rain barrel on the side of the shed which didn’t take long to fill up. We also painted the barrel black so it blended better with nature.
The day before Daryl went to town to get a log splitter, we went around the property collecting cut logs to bring near the woodshed. There was a lot! Some of the logs were so big I could only carry three at a time in the wheelbarrow. Guess that makes it understandable why 15,000 steps was the normal for any given day.
When Daryl went to town to get the wood splitter, my job was to empty the woodshed and start filling it back up with small wood that didn’t need splitting. Daryl thought he would be gone max two hours. Well, the two hours came and went but no Daryl. For the world’s best worry wart this was not good! At this time we did not yet have the booster so the phone had to go in a bag and then ‘up a tree’. Eventually the message came that Daryl had run into a bit of trouble and would be late.
That ‘bit of trouble’ was hitting two deer simultaneously Luckily the truck was drivable once the fender was moved away from a tire. Poor deer, but Daryl was unharmed.
We only had the splitter for 24 hours and had a lot of wood. During the middle of the afternoon it was so hot we ended up putting the canopy over the splitter just to be able to carry on.
Amazing what two people can do when they put their minds to it! The process was never ending: pick up a log, put it in the splitter, throw the chunks onto the pile and repeat until your poor back said no more. Then we would switch and repeat the process over and over.
We hopefully have enough wood split to last us through next summer.
When Daryl went back to town to return the splitter, it was my job to restock the woodshed.
We split enough wood to not only fill the woodshed, but to have just as much behind and a smaller pile on the side. By the end of the summer we had burnt all the wood stacked on the side, as well as about a third of the shed.
Now it is packed away for the winter.
We also have six ‘wild’ horses running on the property. They are certainly skittish. Truth be told, I would rather have the horses around than the cows, they do less damage to trees and leave a lot less mess.
Another summer in the books. Look out beaches, here we come.
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