Sojourn in Panama

Where was I?

I should mention about the car I rented, a small KIA from one of the internationally known vendors at the David airport. It proved to be inadequate to the demands of the Pan American Highway. Most of the road is well paved and maintained, but there are a few bone crunching potholes and bumpy stretches.

A friend put me in touch with Victor from Value Motors right in the city of David and a couple of days later I was able to rent a NISSAN X-Trail for a very reasonable price, with an option to buy. The vehicle was actually on his lot in Boquete and he arranged for it to be driven to David right away. 

(BTW for those who do not speak Spanish, the name of the city is pronounced Daveed)

Victor is originally from the north of England, so communicating in English was no problem. The Nissan is much more comfortable.

Anyway, I have gotten ahead of myself! I arrived at my rental house on Sunday afternoon. I have stayed in this house on the beach before. It’s a modern, three bedroom home with all “mod cons”. Owner Ken was on hand to greet me and help me settle in.

It's the house on this end. Do you wonder why I come here?

Later I drove the 2km to the Las Lajas Beach Resort to renew acquaintances with many of the friendly staff and take advantage of their great cuisine. You can always count on a good meal , despite the fact it is a small hotel. This is where I stayed the first time I came to Panama.

My Stay in Chiriqui Province, Panama

Today is the fourth day of my extended stay in Panama and I have a chance to catch you up on the details.

On November 16th I left British Columbia, flying to Calgary, then overnight to Toronto. After a two hour wait I boarded a COPA airlines plane bound for Panama City. COPA is an excellent airline and I was well taken care of. They fly from Toronto to Panama City on a regular basis, leaving at 8.40am.

International flights to Panama all land in Panama City and it is necessary to cross the city to get to the domestic airport. Each time I have landed in Tocumen International airport it has been a relatively simple process to exit and get a cab to Allbrook Airport.

However, on Saturday it was like a zoo and it took ages to get through all the immigration and customs lines. This left little time to get to Allbrook for the flight to David. Fortunately, my cab driver became a man possessed with the idea of getting me there in time and I arrived with ten minutes to spare!

Air Panama flies a comfortable Fokker jet to David, a journey of 35 minutes. Be aware if you use the maximum 50 lb allowance on international flights, Air Panama’s baggage allowance is much lower and you will pay excess charges.

I decided to stay overnight in the Hotel Ciudad de David before driving on the following day to Las Lajas. While the highway between David and Las Lajas is good, it is not for the faint of heart at night.

I can heartily recommend the hotel Ciudad de David (City of David). It is clean, comfortable and reasonably priced. My rate included breakfast. The staff is very service oriented and able to converse well in English. I am not fond of the food, though the restaurant is elegant.

On Sunday morning I rented a car, stocked up on groceries at the Rey supermarket and drove to Las Lajas. Rey is a magnificent store where you can find just about anything in a modern clean environment. Outranks any supermarket in my home town.

All signs are in English and Spanish.

Unbelievable Morning Views

Went out at 6:30 AM this morning to our beach.  See the picture for both the left and the right.  Not a soul on the beach, had a wonderful walk with my wife.  Then a great cup of Panamanian coffee on our front deck overlooking Panama's Best Beach.

Temperature perfect this morning.  A fresh crop of mushrooms has sprung up overnight right on the edge of the beach.  Go figure....

You gotta see this place ------