Panama Forum

bluewind
Joined 2011
Posts: 1178

12 years ago

17 days in Panama

12 years ago

I thought I should post my trip to Panama. Maybe it will help others considering doing the same thing.
I traveled from El Valle to Penonome than on to Chitre than Las Tablas than ended my trip in Pedasi.
El Valle is a nice small town. For climate, El Valle was the best. Everyone I met there was very nice and helpful. The mountain views all around the town was fantastic. I managed to talk with some people in another town that said that although EL Valle is getting expensive, prices drop a few miles outside of town. Great location, between Panama City and Coronado. Not much to say about Penonome. It's a big city with, at least for me, nothing to do. Chitre was more interesting and close to several beaches. The city itself isn't much, but nice areas outside of town. The weather there was hot. Met a nice person that lives in Virginia but has relatives there. I got her number and her sisters that lives there. They told me that it is important to have someone from Panama find a place to rent, that the prices are much less than if a gringo looks to rent a place on his own. Someone in Las Tablas told me that there really are gringo prices and prices for locals. Las Tablas was a nice town with really nice people. Its a fairly small town located near the beach. No town is actually on a beach. I was able to cover Pedasi in one day; very small but some really good restaurants. Not really much to do in town, so, it's the beaches that draws people there. It is VERY HOT. I live in Tampa, and it was hotter than here.
One thing people traveling to Panam needs to know. Watch out for people trying to sell you something, whether its land, tours, etc. The other thing is know your Spanish. Very few people speak much English. For example, I tried to rent a car in Chitre. I told the taxi driver "Hertz", figuring everyone know what that means. He didn't, and I ended up taking busses. Someone later told me to write down the place you want to go with the phone number. Everyone should take these busses as part of their adventure. Everyone says hi to everyone. They don't just bus people, they also deliver mail. People will also get on the bus at stops to sell you something. Oh, unless you like cold showers, check with the hotel before booking. Eating out can be very cheap, as long as you stay away from the hotel restaurants. You can get a complete meal at a mom and pop restaurant for $4.00. I could go on, but this was the main parts of my trip. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

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