The Untold Carnival

I always tell people that Panama is like a diamond, its beautiful but you don’t know it until you polish it, Panama is at that point, being polished. We have true gems that have been kept secret.

The best-kept secret carnival is a 5-hour car ride where once in a while on the side of the road you’ll pass by small picturesque towns with their “chinitos” (small supermarkets), and tiny stands selling delicious, affordable fruits and vegetables. It is impossible to drive to the beach or elsewhere without being lured in by one.

The tiny stands have coconuts, mango, oranges, mandarins, pineapples, watermelon, lime, lemons, and every other color of the rainbow. You name it and they’ll have it; of course depending on the season. I have even heard people say that they’ve travelled the world and still can’t find fruits as sweet and delicious as the ones in Panama.

Here the towns/cities other than the capital don’t have much sightseeing, it’s what’s between them where the real Panama experience lies. You must be adventurous to discover her. There’s a waterfall on the way to Pedasi, just a little outside the city; they call it “el chorro” which means ‘the stream.’ There are no signs to lead you there; the trick is to ask a local or someone for a reference since it is quite hidden.

My first time there, I couldn’t believe how big Panama really is, there was so much green everywhere! It was surrounded by so many little roads, who knows where they’ll take you but I just wanted to try each one and find out if it led me to a bigger “chorro”.

El Chorro is a stream from a river that falls to a natural “pool”; here people come to jump from the waterfall, which is about 10-15 meters. I’m scared of heights so for me it was like jumping from a 70-floor building. Even though I have never managed to jump (yet!!), I love taking friends there and seeing their faces of awe of our nature. Every day more people go to relax, tan, and some “daredevils” jump. Last time I went, there, 10 year olds kids were holding my hand and guiding me with the jump (I still didn’t manage to jump).

The road is filled with spots of natural springs, waterfalls or perfect beaches for surfing, but this trip was going to be a one-stop trip, Pedasi.

This was my first time in this part of Panama, we arrived late at night tired, hungry and wanting a proper meal after an overload of fruits and the famous ‘on the road empanadas.’ Our spontaneous escape.