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Panama: Eight Destinations in Which to Spend the Winter Months

First
Time Reader: Why Panama? – This blog explains the rationale of the trip
and this series of blogs.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1266327384/tpod.html

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Have a look at the most recent entry from the Victoria, British
Columbia blog – the photos are amazing

Whale of a
Story – It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/victoria__2006/1271347809/tpod.html

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Pedasi and the Azuero Peninsula

Destination no. 4 of 8 (in no particular order)
Part 1 of 2
       
It's a catchy name – Azuero Peninsula, n’est-ce pas? It conjures up images of blue (azul) waters and endless white sandy beaches in a peninsula that separates the Gulf of Panama from the Gulf of Chiquiri, both on the Pacific Ocean. It is located in three different provinces. The northern part, where the city of Chitré is located, is in the province of Herrera. The southeastern part, which takes in most of the peninsula, is located in the province of Los Santos while the narrow strip on the west coast is located in the province of Veraguas.


What is exciting about the Azuero Peninsula is that it is billed as the up and coming destination for expats.

So where is the action? Action is somewhat of a stretch as a quick look at the map shows the Azuero Peninsula to be an area of Panama that is lightly populated and that does not have much of an urban concentration. Apart from the city of Chitré that was the subject of the last blog, the urbane concentration is in the cities of Las Tablas and Pedasi. My visit to Las Tablas was very brief but there was nothing there in the downtown area that would make me want to come back.

It is touted as a destination for expats by "Live and Invest Overseas" mainly because of its low cost of living of $1,200 a month. It is also presented as a “beach town” but it certainly is not really on the Gulf of Panama so calling it a beach town would be a stretch.

That leaves Pedasi located almost at the southeast corner of the peninsula. If the action is anywhere in the Azuero Peninsula it certainly would be in charming Pedasi.

An anomaly of the Azuero Peninsula is that, with few exceptions, its cities and towns are not located on the coast and there is no coastal road. So let’s get one thing straight – this is not the French Riviera and mass tourism is never going to happen here.

From my limited exposure it appeared to me that the traditional expats, meaning those of retirement age, tended to gravitate towards Pedasi while the younger set and the younger tourists tended to look for a more adventurous experience by pushing the envelope towards the isolated pockets of civilization located on the coast. I would have loved to push the envelope myself in this direction but was thwarted by the lack of a car and limited time.

To put it another way, no self-respecting young traveler would make Pedasi the end destination. There apparently is a pretty isolated world out there along the coast that is just starting to feel the influx of adventurous travelers and a smidgen of expats, one of whom I will feature in the next blog: Pedasi – Lobo’s Featured Expats and Traveler.

The west coast of the Azuero Peninsula, yes there is a west coast in Panama where a sunset over water can be seen, is most unpopulated and is therefore attractive to those that are looking for a more primitive experience away from civilization.

For the average expat, Pedasi would indeed be the end destination in the Azuero Peninsula.

Come to think of it, if you want to get to a beach like Playa El Toro, Playa La Garita, Playa Arenal, Playa Los Destiladeros or Playa El Venao you have to travel the extra miles beyond Pedasi to get to the coast.

There is no denying that it is a charming town of one story houses with an abundance of architectural uniformity and floral diversity giving a pleasant look to this resort destination.

At the same time it also has a the feel of an agricultural village as it is not uncommon to see tractors pulling trailers full of hay or other agricultural products along its clean and well paved streets.

Pedasi is a clean place with lovely modest houses likely to have verandas bedecked with flowers, well cared for gardens and lush tropical vegetation. It projects a sense of civic pride commensurate with its status as the resort town of the Azuero Peninsula.


However, when it comes to its status as a resort town, it has a long way to go in terms of amenities such as golf courses, marinas, casinos and terrific shopping that one associates with most resorts. It is just not that kind of place and maybe never will be and therein may lay its charm.

It is a small, quiet, quaint and charming destination that the expat who is seeking the quiet life may find appealing. Part of that quiet life may include hanging around the beautiful tranquil plaza in the middle of Pedasi or engaging in some sport fishing which is quite popular as I found out at the Abernathy Deep Sea Fishing Center. The coast off the Azuero Peninsula is known as the Tuna Coast because of the preponderance of Yellowfin Tuna and the exciting Wahoo known as a speed demon of the sea.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Trolling-Along-the-Tuna-Coast---Fishing-in-Pedasi,-Panama&id=1791209

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahoo

A world-class facility for studying Yellowfin Tuna - the Achotines Laboratory - is located here in Pedasi.

If you are looking for more action in your destination, the Caribbean resort town of Boca del Toro (future blog) may be a more suitable destination.

The roads leading to Pedasi and around Pedasi are in good condition and there is a small airport. That may have something to do with the fact that a former president of Panama – Mireya Moscoso was born here and still has a residence here.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mireya_Moscoso

Among the hostels in Pedasi, Dim’s Hostel is perhaps the best known for it has been around for a long time. Included in the next blog: “Pedasi – Interviews” is a conversation I had with the owner.


One of the discoveries I made near the middle of town was “Villa Pedasi”. It reminded me of similar concepts I had seen in the south of France as it has an architectural style that I would describe as minimalist chic with a European appeal. Unpretentious vacation condos are placed in close proximity sharing common amenities. The esoteric style that conjures up images of easy living has more of a preoccupation with fitting into the surrounding area than with projecting an image of luxury. Its finishing and furnishings I would describe as bordering on spartan. This development, not surprisingly, is very unamerican. It is not surprising therefore that most of its occupants are from France and Italy.


http://picasaweb.google.com/panamabambu.net/VILLAPEDASIA#

The Villa Pedasi along with many other projects in the Azuero Peninsula and Panama are the brain-child of a Frenchman, surely of Greek ancestry, Philippe Athanatiades.

For an amazing resume have a look at:

http://sites.google.com/site/panamabambuen/about-us

Now if I would be reporting for Condé Naste Traveler and I would be filing this story about Pedasi without getting an interview with Philippe Athanatiades, I would surely be fired.

But the sad fact is I am blogging for “Travels With Lobo” and I became aware of Villa Pedasi by sheer co-incidence and I did not fully appreciate the impact of Philippe Athanatiades on this area and Panama until the writing of this blog. So there you have it – a golden opportunity missed to interview a mover and shaker of real estate development in the Azuero area and beyond.

The only good news is that I will not be fired. I may have a few less readers in the future but I will not be fired.

The latest development for Panama Bambu SA is Posada Los Destiladeros Hotel.


http://sites.google.com/site/panamabambunet/Home

This reclusive hotel offers 13 traditionally built bungalows and 300 meters of sandy beach.

Both the Posada Los Destiladeros Hotel and the Villa Posada display a “thinking outside the box” bravado that make them unique developments.

I would suspect that these projects are heavily marketed in Europe and especially in France where a large dose of romanticism can be added to the hype of the relatively isolated life style in the Azuero Peninsula of Panama.

Speaking of marketing I have to mention the good job that Maria, the sales representative at Villa Pedasi, did in showing me around the project and answering all my question in a Spanish that was clear and slow enough for me to understand. (unfortunately I lost my notes of that conversation)


Other developments in the area are:

Andromeda Country Club

Andromeda Country Club that is described as a Luxury Vacation community located on a 40-acre jut of land that offers breath-taking views of the Pacific Ocean on three sides.

My attempts to take a cab to have a look at it were met with the response that there was no one there during the week.

www.andromedapedasi.com

Costa Pedasi Beach Community

For the slickest website that contains lots of info about the area, go to the Locations link and click on Azuero Peninsula and then Pedasi.

http://www.costapedasi.com/pedasi-beach/

I do not know the status of any of these projects but I got the impression that they were on hold or greatly slowed down by the economic meltdown of 2009.

Coming Soon:

Pedasi – The Interviews
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