Pedasi

Our stay at Punta Franca was awesome. The grounds are amazing and the views are spectacular. We really fell in love with the staff and crew at the hotel. Special thanks to Andrew and his wife, chef Jose Angel and Kelli for a great stay. We whiled away many an hour just sitting on our porch watching guys surf at the reef to our left as big sets rebounded off the rocks out front. Pelicans glided low over the swells under the steely gaze of our resident iguana in the tree out front.

We made a few exploratory forays into Pedasi sitting at the park and wandering some of the narrow streets. Unfortunately with covid, the usually bustling little city center is all but a ghost town. We visited a couple of the town beaches where the waves get calmer the farther into the gulf of Panama that you travel. We paddled out from Playa Toro one day, a pretty stretch of beach. We were two of the only people to show up that day, our own private beach.

We drove down to Playa Venao one day and really felt comfortable with the mellow vibe and surf scene. More wildlife and open country. What was once cut farmland has been slowly been turning back to jungle as investment in eco style activities has increased. We checked out some housing options and it looks like a place we would enjoy spending some more time.

There are several beaches in walking distance and we visited those, getting in a couple hours of good exercise strolling the sand. There are a few families staying in the beachfront condos right in front of Distileros. We talked to a workman doing a plumbing job out front and he walked us around showing us the property. We talked to an interesting guy who had his family there doing a house sitting gig. They have been traveling the world house sitting and caring for people’s homes and pets. Having only a few units occupied lent the place an eerie quality so we decided it was maybe a bit too post apocalypse spooky for us.

In the end, we’ve got an eye on an upscale condo right on the sand at the far east end of the bay at Playa Venao. Time to pack up our traveling circus and move on down the road even if it’s only a half an hour or so. Thanks for coming along.