This is our first day at one place without any travel. The weather is unexpedectedly pleasant thanks to a constant breeze coming off the water. The sun is obviously hot, but very comfortable in the shade with very little humidity. We are staying in the town of Pedasi on the bottom of the Azuero Peninsula. Directions in the country are tough to determine as coasts are not the normal east/west facing. The town is the perfect size and home base to the outlying 4 or 5 beaches which wrap around the bottom of the peninsula. Sitting 3Km away from the beach, there is a buffer of rolling hills, grazing animals, and palms the isolating the deserted beaches. Although very picturesque and very similar to that of Tuscany in the dry season, this is all due to the deforestation in past years.
The town itself has one main street running through reaching back two or three blocks. Houses and stores are very well kept with fresh paint, gardens and swept tile porches. The spanish influence in evident from the old terra cotta roofs and white walled buildings. This is a great change from the normal high fences and barking dogs many towns have due to crime and burglary. Here, the locals sit passing the time on their porches, waving to every, and I mean every, person who walks by. Although I only have experience in Latin America with Costa Rica, it seems the people are so friendly here in Panama due to the fact that there is not an influx of tourists. In fact, we have only seem two other americans thus far and a german couple...the woman sporting a sick euro mullet. Because of this, we have not met anyone who speaks english which is also different nor real estate agencies flooding the town. There are signs which have property for sale, but only from the owners. Prices for food are unbelievable. 75 cents for a beer(35-40 cents if you buy from a super market), and meals costing no more than $3-4. Taxis are very cheap as well as the buses, but I would recomend a car here so you do not have to rely on timing to get to the beaches and outling valleys.
THERE ARE SIDEWALKS!!! I can only attribute this to the influence of other developed nations over the years, but the roads and infrastructure of the area, is remarkable, drainage and sidewalks along with paved roads and sholders!
GETTING HERE:
We took a bus from the Albrook Terminal directly to Las Tablas ($8- 4 1/2hrs). From here, we walked over to a fruit market where taxi shuttles sit around and wait until there are enough people to fill the shuttle taking you another 1/2hr to Pedasi for $2.
NOTE: Currancy here is the US dollar, but the country does print their own currency, the Balboa. These coins are identicle weight and size of the US coins, but with their presidents and symbols. They actually work in the US in vending machines due to their weight.
