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En las faldas del Cerro Picacho

The great thing about my new job is the following: amazing people, places, emotions. Panama has so much to offer, and that much becomes clearer every day. It has so much potential, right there in front of your noses. Untapped potential. And I do not believe that the future lies in the city, no it lies in the interior of Panama, forgotten in historical churches and landmarks. It lies in the folklore, in the bright red smile of an 'empollerada', in the flaxen dress of the 'coquis' singing about the demon woman, in the strength of a buey pulling a traditional cart. It's in the mud caked walls that was built as a home for your grandfather when he married your grandmother, in the weaves of the traditional sombrero pintado, the leather of the cutarras covering your cracked soles. 

Los Picachos de Ola

Ola is the poorest district of Cocle, yet it has much appeal. Wide open spaces surrounded by a wall of rocky hills, which look like they'd be perfect for rock climbing. Far off you can see splashes of a waterfall, with a steep drop off a cliff; El Chorro de Ola, which you can sometimes see (if you're lucky and it's a clear day) on the Interamerican Highway from Penonome to Aguadulce on your right hand side. That small glimpse does not do justice to the beauty that is the waterfall up close. It must be a good 50ft drop, pure white foam cascading down. It was a good amount when I chanced upon it, but I assume it has a bigger roar when it is rainy season (that area receives a lot of rain). Small, humble farmer and cattle homes dotted the lush landscape, Ola seems to have passed under the radar for country (or secondary) homes. The road is in pristine condition, and the lack of heavy machinery in the area means that it will remain this way for a couple of years. 

El Chorro de Ola

On the drive back down, we chanced upon a tigrillo crossing the narrow road in broad daylight. The sleek feline looked much like an overgrown house cat, but with bigger haunches and a thicker body. Shiny blue black coat, agile and fast it darted in front of our car and dived into the bushes, leaving me awestruck. They call them 'tigrillos' up here, but I don't know if it is a margay or an ocelot or what. What I do know is that it was a rare sight that I delighted upon and I realized suddenly, this is the kind of tourism that I want to make: one that delights the soul and sets it ablaze.

My Name is Panama

I had the opportunity to wear a full pollera for the very first time back in December. Despite being born and raised in Panama, I had never had the opportunity to wear a pollera, though I had had the desire to for as long as I could remember. Cheesy as it sounds, it was a dream come true. You do not wear a pollera; you display it with honor and pride. Tembleques, bombachas, enaguas, pollera, blusa, etc. Complicated and multilayered, with a whole regime and tradition to it. Putting tembleques on someone is an art in itself; my scalp was throbbing as the night wore on, from the very weight of the beautiful combs topping and bouncing around my head in multicolored hues. I tripped on the skirt, forgetting to pick up the swirling skirts when 

walking up stairs and inclinations. This pollera thing requires poise and grace, an easy smile at the ready, impeccable makeup and not a hair our of place. Hmmm, next time I'm wearing a pollera montuno! Hair in braids and a jaunty sombrero pintao crowning my head. No tembleques and certainly no throbbing scalp. After a couple of hours of wearing tembleques there is no better feeling than taking them out.

Beautiful pollera montuno. 

Isla Cañas

Isla Cañas is located in the district of Tonosi, in the Los Santos province.

 Isla Cañas is a wildlife refuge protected by the ANAM. It is Panama's biggest and most important sea turtle nesting ground, which means that every year thousands of sea turtles make their way to this beach to deposit their eggs, usually around the months of October through November (this also depends on the moon's cycle). It's also the home to many different sea birds, aquatic creatures, fish, dolphins, etc.

Isla Cañas is surrounded by a naturally occurring estuary that is bordered by 1,300 hectares of mangroves. The island is populated by a small fisherman village of about 800. In order to access the island, you need to jump on a lancha that weaves through the mangroves and crosses the estuary to a small dock. Welcome to the island!

There are approximately 13 kilometers of beach, which make it an ideal nesting spot for sea turtles. Most of the sea turtles are of the Oliver Ridley variety (lepidochelis olivacea).

 Isla Cañas has very little development; it is still pristine and rather virgin, but it needs more protection by the authorities, as well as more cultural awareness of it's potential as a world wildlife sanctuary.

Torio Tranquility

Torio was everything I needed it to be: calm, beautiful, relaxing, inspiring. I had been looking forward to this trip like a kid looking forward to Christmas (which btw, is right around the corner... how the hell did that even happen?! It caught me by surprise.). 

We stayed at Cabañas Torio, which is a small cabin compound 7 minute walk to the beach (when it is high tide you can hear the waves crashing on the shore). There are about 8 small cabins, all with a/c, fans and hot water. The cabins are small, but perfect. Most fit about two people, though they do have bigger cabins that fit up to four people. The cabins also have tv's with cable, although I don't see the point of it (don't tell me that you came to a gorgeous beach to watch shitty tv!). The cabin compound also has a restaurant that is open for breakfast and dinner, with accessible prices and tasty, fresh seafood (ask for the catch of the day!). 

Torio is a gorgeous little beach surrounded by verdant green hillsides that tumble down to the bay. It's a volcanic area, which is why  the sand is dark, almost black. The beaches in this area are wide and expansive; when it's low tide, it's really low. It is a perfect place for long walks on the beach, perfect for beach combers or the athletic type who enjoys outdoor jogging. 

Calypso cooling off in a small pond. 

View from the top of one of the hills overlooking Torio. 

This is not the view from the cabins! We did a little minor trespassing in order to get these gorgeous shots. 

Visual Pollution

Recently the MOP (Ministerio de Obras Publicas) declared that billboards along the Inter-american highway were blocking important exits and visibility (among other things). They plastered huge stickers on everything that was not on private property. The massive stickers read: Valla Ilegal (Illegal Billboard) in bold red and yellow, with white font. A month later they took all the billboards down. I actually think it makes for a pleasant change of scenery, which is why this documentary calls my attention.

There is an  awful giant LED billboard on the Cinta Costera that is so bright it's blue glare can be seen miles away. It's distracting and tacky; I can't imagine living in one of the many skyrises that are right next door. I'd probably feel like Kramer from that episode of Seinfeld, where the giant roaster chicken made everyone insane.



Visual pollution is not just tacky advertisements of half clothed virgins oozing sex appeal, but it's also trash; the plastic bottles, cans, plastic bags, etc everyone leaves behind. It was such a shame to see that the day after the November 4th parade in Penonome, the streets littered with plates, cans, bottles, plastic forks and knives, napkins, etc. There were probably not enough garbage cans to go around and people are lazy so they're unwilling to search for a trash can, while a lot of people don't care and will throw the trash anywhere.

Which is why I absolutely LOVED the ad campaign of Tu Das Asco which was plastered in big billboards and newspapers in Panama. I thought it was clever and hard hitting. I've seen a brand new Hummer, drive out of a McDonald's drivethrough and throw out the cardboard cup holders quite carelessly, so it is NOT about social status and how much you make; it's about culture, choosing to throw trash where it belongs because you want your city/community/country to be clean, look appealing among other things. It's also healthier because it is well known that trash engenders vermin and vermin engender disease (dengue, hanta, black plague, etc).



Another great social campaign which was started on Twitter is #limpiemospanama. A great way to create awareness on a social and cultural problem that needs to be addressed.

I'm not against all types of visual pollution. I think street art can be both beautiful and inspiring, especially in spaces where there is not a lot of natural or architectural beauty. If you're surrounded by cement, sometimes a little bit of street art can make your day.

a glimpse of Torio

Torio is located in the very tip of the Azuero Peninsula, past Mariato. It has great beaches for surfing (both small and large waves), as well as a lot of solitude and privacy (you can walk for miles on the beach without running into anyone). It took us about 2.5 hours to drive down from Penonome, but we stopped a couple of times to eat and weren't in a big hurry to get there (we had a weak tire situation, so we took it slowly). The road is paved, but there are some spots that do require some maneuvering as they have holes and whatnot.  The road down the Azuero Peninsula winds up and down the gorgeous Veraguas mountains, which makes for a very calm, relaxing drive.

While we were there, I got into the habit of going for 6am walks accompanied by Calypso, who spent the entire time frolicking on the beach, sniffing stuff, making under water bubbles, barking, and generally acting like a crazy fool dog that she is. Those 6am walks became an enjoyable part of the getaway (even if at the beginning I was cranky as all hell for being woken up at dawn on my vacation!). It's difficult to stay upset when you're walking along the beach, not a single soul in sight, with a happy dog chasing after seagulls.

My walking partner who prefers pooping on the beach, thankyouverymuch. 

to be continued...

a glimpse into the Panama I know and love

"Big, Bigger, Biggest is an upcoming production about the worlds gigantic structures reflecting today's advanced developments in architecture and construction.It's first episode 'Canal Zone' will be aired November 10th on National Geographic Channel."

Can't wait to see this show!

Halloween 2011

Props to my awesome crew of friends who are all so gifted and creative and came out with AWESOME costumes. Really gonna have to pull out some crazy costume next year!