Ojo de Agua, Panama

If you haven’t taken trip through the Panama Canal, this is a great time laps video that takes you right to the bow of the boat. Take a quick look – it’s just under 2 minutes long.

Pedasi, Los Santos

This is the first in a series of informative reports I am going to do on different areas of the Los Santos Province and maybe other parts of Panama depending on how much time I have. Some will be more informative than others based on my first hand knowledge and experiences. Excuse me if I shamelessly plug some of the businesses that my friends own, I am hoping they will give me some discounts. Be sure and tell them Charlie sent you! So, today we start with the fastest growing town in the Azuero, Pedasi.

Enjoy!

Located only 30 minutes from Ojo de Agua, Pedasi is the rising tourist destination of the Azuero Peninsula. Already offering annual Carneval celebrations, great activities, quality restaurants, affordable hotels, a local art gallery, a surf shop, a juice bar and internet cafes, Pedasi is slowly growing into a Panamanian tourist destination. Generations of Panamanians have been vacationing in this area for decades, now with the increasing number of foreign visitors and investments; Pedasi is staged to become an international mix of vacationers and residents.

 Although usually quaint and quiet, Pedasi erupts into an incredible festival atmosphere during Carneval, when Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo, upper streets and lower streets, do battle to see who has the prettiest queen, who can party the hardest and who can shoot off the most fireworks. Carneval, or Mardi gras, as it is known in the states, transforms Pedasi into a week long street festival. If visiting here for rest and relaxation, be sure to book a hotel outside of town, because as far as I can tell Panamanian’s don’t sleep during Carneval. Although Carneval is notoriously rowdy in Panama City, Chitre and Carneval epicenter, Las Tablas, Pedasi’s festivities are more subdued, more family friendly and less crowded, but still a heck of a party.

For the outdoorsman, great fishing, diving, surfing, waterfalls, turtle watching, horseback riding and exploring adventures can be enjoyed near Pedasi.

Fishing tours are available throughout the year here in Pedasi. One can arrange simple inexpensive trips in a small panga from Pedasi, El Ciruelo, Guanico or Cambutal. But most of the inexpensive captains don’t have fishing gear so come prepared. For those willing to spend more money, looking for a little more comfort and don’t want to lug all your gear down to Panama, I personally recommend Capt. Pascal Artieda with Panafishing Adventures http://www.panadventure.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

I have been on two trips with him and the guy knows how to fish, he can target all types of game and bill fish, well worth the money.

Diving tours can be arranged to Isla Iguana through the local dive shop, http://www.dive-n-fishpanama.com/, located next to the ACCEL gas station near the entrance of town. I have not personally dived at Isla Iguana, but have been told that it is not a difficult dive and a lot of fish are usually seen. It’s probably best diving during the dry season months, when there are few clouds. If not into diving and just want to go snorkel, Isla Iguana is worth the visit, it is a beautiful white sand beach island that appears as if it should be on the Caribbean, it’s small, but beautiful. My family loved it!

There are plenty of waves in the area to keep a surfer’s appetite at bay. I should know I probably spend too much time in the water. The nearest waves to town are playa Toro and Lagar point. These short, fast waves, pioneered by the local Pedasi boogie boarder population, break over a combination of rock reef and sand.

Most surfers, me included, generally head toward playa Venao or Venado, depending on the information source, about a 20 minute drive from Pedasi, towards Ojo de Agua. Venao, as it is locally called, is a consistent sand beach break that is usually fun and not to crowded. Weekends can be the exception when surfers from Panama City arrive in packs, escaping the hustle and bustle of the city life for some quiet/quality time in the water. There is a bar/restaurant right on the beach at Venao. It’s nice to come in and order a hot meal and a cold, fifty cent, beer while toweling off from good surf. I love this country! Ecovenao, a lodging setup with a comfortable hostel and two beautiful houses for rent, is right near Venao, ask for Nico or Pablo, they will take great care of you. They also have horses in case the surf is flat. There sign is on the right-hand side of the road about a kilometer after the turnoff to Venao.

For those willing to travel a little farther, playas Guanico and Cambutal are about an hour and a half from town and offer a variety of different beach and reef breaks. There are a few decent cheap hotels in Tonosí, two nice beach front cabins and a hostel in Guanico and a surf camp and a pricier fishing resort in Cambutal. So stay and enjoy these areas if time permits.

Anyone without a surfboard can stop in at Mano Surf Community, the only local surf shop, behind the Centro Comercial Pedasi. They have various shapes and sizes of boards to rent with a full service surf shop, wifi internet and juice bar/coffee shop.

Isla Cañas is a world famous turtle nesting ground. It is only a few minutes from Ojo de Agua. There is a sign at the turnoff between Ojo de Agua and Agua Buena. Follow the Isla Cañas sign to the end of the road and there is a small port where one can take a boat over to the island for night time turtle watching. It is best to go to the port a day or two before the trip and speak with some one at the port to setup a time to meet a guide to go turtle watching.

There are a number of waterfalls and freshwater swimming holes in the area but they are well guarded, as of now, local secrets. That’s all I can say. I have been sworn to secrecy!

Hotels are easy to find in Pedasi, they are all along the main road. First, at the entrance into town across from the Banco Nacional is the Residencial Pedasi, the owners son Beto speaks perfect English, then there is Dims Hostel, located across from the Centro Comercial Pedasi and next to restaurant Angelas, then only a couple of blocks farther on the left across from the dulceria is the Hotel Moscosso, and just past Moscosso on the right before heading out of town is the new bed and breakfast, Casita Margarita, http://www.pedasihotel.com/, English spoken as well. Pedasi is small; all these hotels are only separated by about eight blocks, so look out and don’t pass one.

If you are hungry Pedasi offers more variety then any other small town in the Azuero. By the park there is Tiesto, they serve good pizzas and sandwiches, Restaurante Ejecutivo, locally called Chef Riki’s, after the young Chinese chef, has Chinese food, good, sometimes great, fried chicken, seafood, and local Panamanian favorites. Riki’s does not offer exactly the best atmosphere, but for the value it’s one of the best restaurants in town. As you enter town, on the right-hand side of the road there is Gringo Duseks, Joe and his wife are the friendly English speaking owners.  Try the ribs.  Also, I recommend Angela’s, next to Dim’s Hostel, good Panamanian food at a good price with a nice atmosphere. For breakfast, my favorite are the breakfast sandwiches, best in the world for a buck fifty, at the Dulceria, located across the street from Hotel Moscosso. Look for the small sign in front of the yellow two story house. They also offer great flan and cakes for and they are very cheap. Don’t go to Pedasi without stopping in.

If vacation means lots of shopping, like all the women in my family, stop in at Baba House, located down the street from the fire house or at Artemania, at the corner of the park, for some local crafted jewelry, art and souvenirs. Baba, a young local Pedasi artist makes hand made jewelry. The guy can do wonders with beach shells, colorful stones and other natural materials. His pieces can also be found at Mano Surf Community. Artemania carries various local artists’ paintings, jewelry and other souvenirs. Carolina, the owner, speaks good English and is very knowledgeable and helpful.

I could go on for hours about the great things in the area near Pedasi. Hopefully the info here will keep the traveler from getting too bored and get them fed and a place to sleep. So, on your way to Ojo de Agua, stop in Pedasi and enjoy what it has to offer. I may see you there.

Charlie Botts

Right now here in Ojo de Agua we are in the middle and worst half of the rainy season. The weather has been horrible for any type of construction or earth moving, but great for the plantation of trees we planted in June of last year.   

The trees are growing rapidly on the mix of torrential down pours and hot tropical sun. To my surprise, some of the many Cedro Espino (Spiny Ceder), Nim and Papaya trees are up to 10 feet tall!   Now that the fruit and hardwood trees have had a solid year to lay down roots, fertilizing and heavy pruning have been our priority.  This rainy/planting season we have added around 70 more trees, mostly Cuban Palms and more Nim trees, filling in some of the unplanted gaps around the first phase of the property.  We have already been able to enjoy some of the fruits of our labor.  The Papayas, Tropical Apples, Guayaba and Mangos taste sweet and delicious. I can not believe that in less than a year we are eating fruit from the vine.

Also, this year we have been very busy planting colorful Boganvilllas, Crotans and other native flowering shrubs throughout the property. We specifically targeted dry season blooming plants that once mature will need limited watering and maintenance.

It is a beautiful experience watching, what only a year ago, was bare cattle pasture land quickly returning to natural forest.  I am excited to see the coming changes in the following years.  I placed a shovel next to some of the trees for perspective in the pictures.   Most of these trees were less than a foot tall when planted.  

Enjoy,

Charlie Botts