We have arrived in Playa Venao

March 29, 2010
We have arrived at the most marvelous resort on the Azuero Peninsula called La Playita Resort. It is located next to a great surfing beach called Playa Venao. It was quite a journey to arrive here, having left the Canal Zone at around 10 am. Rebecca and I quickly packed up, said goodbye to our Zonian and Cayuco friends, and hit the road.
On the way out of town, we had breakfast at Niko’s, which was formerly the Balboa bowling alley, which has since been turned into a cafeteria style eating establishment. Although the kids did not have fond memories of this place, it was so convenient, and this proved to be a much better experience. On the way out of town, we stopped at the Cuna cages, which is a souvenir stop that has many stalls owned by various souvenir sales people, and a significant number of Cuna Indians selling their wares. We picked up a few trinkets, and Rachel had her ankle adorned with a “weelie”, which is a long strand of beads which when wound upon a wrist or ankle has a beautiful design displayed.
We proceeded through the Canal Zone, passing Balboa, Diablo, Los Rios, Corozal, and Pariaso and finally making our way to the new bridge across the Panama Canal that leads to the road to the Interior. Rebecca pointed out many sights along the way which usually included some significant childhood memory, and I could not help imagining what a glorious childhood growing up in the Canal Zone must have been.
Our travels took us through some familiar territory as we made our way past the usual beach destination of Coronado. We stopped for provisions at El Rey de Coronado. Proceeding further into the Interior, we traversed the same roads that Rebecca and I had travelled in our October trip that leads to the Azuero Peninsula, known as the cultural center of Panama due to the age old celebrations of Carnival and the origin of the pollera dresses. It is a tipico Panamanian dress which is often thought of as the most beautiful dress in the world.
Since we knew the way (somewhat), we were able to make some shortcuts around the urban centers of Chitre and Las Tablas with some helpful instructions from the locals. The Peninsula is quite an agrarian location, and the roads were lined with fields of crops and livestock. It appeared to be sugar cane harvesting season, and there were many trucks with loads of sugar cane making their way to the processing plant. Both Rebecca and I had had the experience of sucking on sugar cane as children, so we found a likely piece on the side of the road to allow our kids the opportunity. Rachel and Ryan loved it, and Dylan decided he was not going to taste a stalk which had been retrieved from the side of the road. Smart one, that Dylan. We also took advantage of the watermelon harvest, purchasing 3 for $1, and a pina for a dollar.
I hurried us along to our destination through the beautiful seaside village of Pedasi, and onto Venao. My intention was to get a surf session in before sunset.
Our excitement grew as we neared Venao, and discussed all the fun activities we were going to participate in. When we took the final dirt road into La Playita Resort, we were immediately greeted by the two emus which lived on the property. Within minutes, the kids had also spotted the local peacocks, scarlet macaws, caged monkeys, and chickens. I quickly got Dylan dressed for a surf session, and hustled over to Playa Venao. We just had only the time for a quick session in the pristine Pacific waters as the sun was setting to the West, on our left over the rolling foothills of the Venao. We scored some waist high (mostly close out) rolling Pacific ground swell, but basked in the warm, briny waters while watching a beautiful sunset. Dylan caught a great right, and enjoyed the best wave he has ever ridden since receiving his new board for Christmas. I cannot imagine a more perfect moment in fatherhood.
As I walked out of the waters of this fine location, I couldn’t imagine being any happier than this day I had been experiencing with my wonderful family .
As we returned to the Resort, Ryan and Rachel had already made some friends with the other guests, and were conducting hermit crab races with them. While we were gone, they took a lot of pictures, caught a lot of hermit crabs, and did a lot of swinging on the swings on the community Bohio that also houses a row of hammocks to enjoy.
We met the owner of the resort, Lester, and enjoyed his conversation and hospitality. He told us about fishing and diving the local waters, Isla Iguana, and other tours this friendly area of Panama has to offer. One of the most beautiful aspects of this resort, is NO TV, WiFi, or telephone service. It is a nature retreat, cut out of the coastal rainforest, yet still preserving its natural beauty.
After dinner, we just lounged in the hammocks, and enjoyed one another’s company, and I reflected on what a near perfect day this had turned out to be. Smiles all around.