The Rants of Issachar
Sunday, March 20, 2005
So I finally got back on the net again. I updated my last aborted post, and I'll be able to bring this blog up to date. It's pretty dull without pictures, but with the slow net connections in Panama, that's just the way it has to be.
Anyway... After Dad & I left Boquete we drove down to the town of Los Santos. The town of Los Santos is on the way back to Panama city and it's in Los Santos Province. (Or do they have states in Panama), on what I'd call a peninsula on the southern coast. (I really should bring a map with me when I post). Los Santos in the most heavily deforested province in Panama and it's hot there. We checked into Hotel La Villa in Los Santos and then drove down an hour or so to Pedasi where there are some surf beaches. It's hot there obviously, but walking on the beach was nice after all that time in the car. Even though it was Saturday, there was pretty very few Panamanians on the beach and no tourists. Los Santos Province doesn't seem to be much of a tourist destination. It's more of a low cost vacation spot for locals if it gets any tourism at all.
We stopped for Pizza in one of the towns on the way back to our Hotel. Every town here has a centre square and there was something going on in the Church adjacent. I would have liked to go in, but we were both dressed in shorts and that probably wouldn't have been that polite.
Anyway, I'm going on in far too much details. Back to the Hotel for a dip in the pool. A 5 minute drive North to Chiriqui for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Every other restaurant was completely dead and this was the only one that had any life in it at all. A walk around the square in Chiriqui and a glance in the Church on the square. (Which was completely packed out for the service). Holy week is big in Panama apparently.
So we stayed that night in Los Santos and drove up to El Valle to stay at Los Capitanes where we stayed before. El Valle is much busier on the weekends. It's obviously a week-end destination for Panama City residents. We looked around the market which was full of the same mass produced "ethnic" goods you see everywhere. We hiked up to the rim of the volcano again and walked farther. Definately a good day. The only downside is that my mp3 player is giving me trouble. It's like the file system got corrupted or something. I'll plug it in when I get to a computer with a USB port and see if I can figure it out. It better not be broken it's not even a month old.
So that brings us up to date. We're in El Valle tonight and in Panama City for the next three nights after that. We've got a reservation at the Smithsonian the day after tomorow. I'm a litte worried about our time after that though. We just got an e-mail from the place we were hoping to stay in Bocas Del Toro. (On the Carribean coast). They're completely full and they think everyone else is too. We may be in trouble... :( I guess we'll find out...
Till later...
Anyway... After Dad & I left Boquete we drove down to the town of Los Santos. The town of Los Santos is on the way back to Panama city and it's in Los Santos Province. (Or do they have states in Panama), on what I'd call a peninsula on the southern coast. (I really should bring a map with me when I post). Los Santos in the most heavily deforested province in Panama and it's hot there. We checked into Hotel La Villa in Los Santos and then drove down an hour or so to Pedasi where there are some surf beaches. It's hot there obviously, but walking on the beach was nice after all that time in the car. Even though it was Saturday, there was pretty very few Panamanians on the beach and no tourists. Los Santos Province doesn't seem to be much of a tourist destination. It's more of a low cost vacation spot for locals if it gets any tourism at all.
We stopped for Pizza in one of the towns on the way back to our Hotel. Every town here has a centre square and there was something going on in the Church adjacent. I would have liked to go in, but we were both dressed in shorts and that probably wouldn't have been that polite.
Anyway, I'm going on in far too much details. Back to the Hotel for a dip in the pool. A 5 minute drive North to Chiriqui for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Every other restaurant was completely dead and this was the only one that had any life in it at all. A walk around the square in Chiriqui and a glance in the Church on the square. (Which was completely packed out for the service). Holy week is big in Panama apparently.
So we stayed that night in Los Santos and drove up to El Valle to stay at Los Capitanes where we stayed before. El Valle is much busier on the weekends. It's obviously a week-end destination for Panama City residents. We looked around the market which was full of the same mass produced "ethnic" goods you see everywhere. We hiked up to the rim of the volcano again and walked farther. Definately a good day. The only downside is that my mp3 player is giving me trouble. It's like the file system got corrupted or something. I'll plug it in when I get to a computer with a USB port and see if I can figure it out. It better not be broken it's not even a month old.
So that brings us up to date. We're in El Valle tonight and in Panama City for the next three nights after that. We've got a reservation at the Smithsonian the day after tomorow. I'm a litte worried about our time after that though. We just got an e-mail from the place we were hoping to stay in Bocas Del Toro. (On the Carribean coast). They're completely full and they think everyone else is too. We may be in trouble... :( I guess we'll find out...
Till later...
