Pedasi: Panama's Most Charming Town On The Azuero Peninsula
Get our complete report on Pedasí in this month's issue of the Overseas Retirement Letter:
In a golden corner of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula sits the town of Pedasí. It’s a town with a village atmosphere—large enough to feel like you can live there, yet small enough to make you feel like an active stakeholder in a thriving community.
So what exactly is the Azuero Peninsula?
The Azuero Peninsula constitutes Panama’s southernmost landmass. Jutting into the Pacific, Azuero is an excellent staging post for forays into the ocean and is home to some of Panama’s finest coastline, with idyllic islands lying offshore surrounded by a deep blue and turquoise ocean abundant with rare mammals and marine life
This region is known as the heart of Spanish colonial culture, long famous for religious festivals dating back to the earliest settlement of the area by the Spanish. Some 500 religious celebrations are held each year in Azuero, clearly some kind of miracle as there are only 365 days in the year.
The population of Pedasí numbers only about 2,000, but Los Santos boasts around 85,000 people. Pedasí caters day-to-day needs with small- and medium-sized supermarkets, two bakeries, and several restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and hotels. The region is primarily agricultural, and it is possible to find high-quality fresh produce. In addition, Pedasí has a public health clinic, two banks, a public library, and a small shop selling surf and beach wear.
The capital of the province is Las Tablas, located about 30 minutes north of Pedasí. Chitré is located a little less than an hour from Pedasí and has all the amenities of a medium-sized city with several good hotels. A wide range of restaurants serving both local and quality international food as well as most major fast food outlets are represented. All of Panama’s largest supermarkets have large outlets in the city, and it is here that you can easily and economically stock up on staples.
Pedasí is often considered one of Panama’s most authentic and charming small towns. Located right at the southeast corner of the peninsula, Pedasí is within a few minutes of numerous white-sand beaches and rocky headlands, with numerous sandy coves and hidden coastal delights nearby. Situated on a flat coastal plain in the shadow of the Azuero hills, entering Pedasí is like taking a step back in time. The local population is friendly and hospitable, going out of their way to be helpful. They love baseball, which is taken extremely seriously and competitively at a national level with huge rivalry amongst the three provinces of Azuero.
Pedasí has seen a rise in tourism to the area in recent years due to a gradual discovery of what the town has to offer. Namely, world-class watersports, sport fishing, a number of world-famous surf breaks, and diving and snorkeling in little disturbed and well-preserved coral reefs.
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Hitchhike across the Americas #38 Cargo boats in Panama Canal
Today: (Chilibre to Colon, Panama)
This night I arrived at the Panama Canal on the Atlantic Ocean side, near Colon Panama. Got a lift with a tow truck guy that works around the area. He brought me to every port in Colon to try to reach the captains
Unfortunately we were unable to get pass the security and were unable to talk to the captains directly
some gatekeeper offered 1000USD to hop on a motorboat going to Turbo Colombia
But the tow truck guy was very nice and he let me stay at his work place - in a cosy shipping container
Amazing memories and awesome people
The next day I went hitching sail boats in Portobelo
Hitchhike from Canada to Argentina:
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Panama City Travel
In Panama City Travel, nature is all about discovery. Explore the ruins of Spanish forts on the Caribbean coast or boat deep into indigenous territories in a dugout canoe. Wildlife is incidental: a resplendent quetzal on the highland trail, the unruly troupe of screeching howler monkeys outside your cabin or the breaching whale that turns your ferry ride into an adrenaline-filled event.
Adventure Travelism means zipping through rainforest canopies, swimming alongside sea turtles or trekking to sublime cloud forest vistas. One small tropical country with two long coasts makes for a pretty big playground.
Beautiful Panama City Travel