Panama Viejo is the remaining part of the old Panama City. This look out point has been there since 1519. It was amazing to have Mrs. Powers show us these special things about Panama. She introduced us to a whole new side of Panama. Now we are more familiar with the variety of wonders this country has to offer...amazing beaches, wide open countryside and a lot of history.
El Valle
Heres the tale of La India Dormida
Flor de Aire, as the Indian princess was called, was the daughter of Urraca, the most
fierce of chieftains who fought against the Spanish conquistadores on the Isthmus. Flor de
Aire fell in love with one of the handsome conquistadores who was trying to conquer her
people and because of this impossible dilemma, rejected the love of Yaravi, the bravest
warrior of her tribe. In his despair, Yaravi leaped to his death from the top of the
mountain before the eyes of the horrified maiden. Flor de Aire, not wanting to betray her
tribe, never saw the Spaniard again. She wandered aimlessly through the mountains and
valleys crying her mis-fortune until she died, looking toward the beloved
mountains where she was born. The mountains, to perpetuate this sad love story, copied the
image.
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| We enjoyed our $2 mud facial from the mountains where La India Dormida lies. The black one was for lighter skin and tan for darker. We agreed it was a great facial!! |
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Chitre
This was a cute town we stayed in on our adventure to the peninsula. Andrew is sitting in a traditional Panamanian porch. This town has an amazing church and artisans particularly good at pottery. We left the next day on our mission to hit Playa Venao.
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Countryside drive was beautiful. We headed to Playa Venao passing a couple of quaint little towns.
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| Playa Venao is considered Panama's best beach break and holds many surf competitions. |
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| Pina colada..yummy |
Portobelo Ruins
Isla Grande
This is an amazing island on the Caribbean side. The water is turquoise making the sea life visible from our boat. We enjoyed a delicious lunch on a dock restaurant where Mrs. Powers got delicious baby lobster. It was soooo fresh! This seems to be a party spot for locals and backpackers on the weekends and welcomes scuba divers and snorkelers.
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| The water was unbelievable. There is a great snorkel spot surrounding the Black Christ. |
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| There were many friendly stray dogs on the island. Andrew made a friend and he wouldn't leave our side. |
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