Pure Panama! Playa Paradise!
Sunset at El Palmar Surf School
Panama is an isthmus with fantastic beaches. Those seeking all-inclusive resorts with swim-up bars can write for recommendations. On the other end of the spectrum is Old Panama… beaches with family-run palapas, just steps from your room, where more locals than tourists share stories and cervezas. This is the subject of today’s post.
Playa El Palmar is home to a surf school, hotel and beachfront kitchen just steps from the owner Enrique’s home. He has been building this oasis for 12 years. Gentlemen like Tilcio & Jose help him take care of guests in this 10-room hideaway just one kilometer off of the Pan American Highway next to the quaint pueblo of San Carlos. After a day in the sun, walk to El Congrejo, a local watering hole with wonderful ambiance.
Our favorite Pacific Beach is still Playa Venao where you can stay at an old ranch, but the tip of the Azuero Peninsula is remote. Impossible to beat is Las Lajas in Chiriqui where you can walk forever on the softest sand no matter the tide. El Palmar completes our top three authentic Panama beach breaks because of its rustic charm and accessibility. No condominium towers, no uniforms, no buffets. Check out El Palmar Surf School for pure Panama!
Brazil Rediscovered!
Brazil’s best ambassador may be Paulo Coehlo, author of The Alchemist, Manual of the Warrior of Light, The Flowing River, and the most translated novel in the world. Does anyone know which title that would be? This beloved Brazilian said, “Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time”.
This seems especially true as we plan a reunion tour for a journey across Brazil, at the request of clients who met on our last excursion. What is so fascinating about Brazil that always takes us back?
- First of all, Brazilians are among the warmest people on earth.
- Brazil’s economy is 2nd only to the USA’s in our hemisphere.
- Cultural Contributions: Bossa Nova, Samba, Carnival.
- The diversity of her nature is unrivaled.
- Portuguese, the language of love.
And that is the short list!
So where does a journey in Brazil begin? In Rio de Janeiro, of course. Rio is only half the size of Brazil’s biggest city. Why not stay in her sexiest neighborhood, Santa Teresa? Then, get in the spirit of Que saudade! … by visiting Rua Montenegro, where Antonio Carlos Jobim first saw the Girl from Ipanema and penned the classic song of longing. Que saudade! describes intense longing.
Pele has as many fans as Paulo Coehlo. The world’s foremost soccer hero is from Minas Gerais, our 2nd destination, Brazil’s heartland, home of historic coffee plantations, mining villages, and romantic hideaways far from the beaches. Here we visit the charming villages of Olimpio Noronha, Tiradentes, and Ouro Preto.
Nobody returns from Brazil without a bit of a tan, so our final journey is to beaches that are the favorites of Brazilians, found on the island of Floripa. Here we enjoy carefree sun-soaked days walking beaches with stunning beauty, far from the chaos of Brazil’s major cities. This island embodies the spirit of Brazil, a perfect complement to its dynamic economy, a diverse culture united in warmth, sincerity, simpático.
Different Retirement Tour
The road less traveled
Everyone knows you get what you pay for. The problem is not knowing you paid for what you got.
Retirees considering living abroad often begin their search with realtors or organizations paid to sell certain information, developments, or areas. While those services have their place, retirees are best served by learning an area organically, by experiencing it as an informed visitor, through a network of friends that includes locals and expats … before realtors or developers.
Changes In Latitude invites you to skip the conferences and tours guided by the hope for a commission. Explore one of Latin America’s most amazing communities undercover as our guest. Meet locals. Stay in little-known countryside destinations instead of mega-resorts hosting conferences.
We live in C. America and know the region well. We also know many retirees who have returned home after living here. We have watched too many jump-in as expats on the wrong foot based on hype. We enjoy sharing our community… the good, the bad and the ugly.
Changes In Latitude has no agenda other than introducing retirees to the local lifestyle gently. Our role is simple, we are travel consultants who love making new friends, cooking for our guests, and helping others take “the road less traveled”. Our fees are upfront and depend on your itinerary as we provide both guide services and self-guided itineraries. Often we provide a combination of both.
We never accept commissions, not even from hotels or airlines. We never accept incentive payments of any kind. We do not represent a single development. Check our website and click on “acclaim” for our references.
Recent retirement tour groups have ranged in size from six to as little as one. For more information, write: info@ChangesInLatitude.org or call (507) 6966.2691.
Talamanca Indigenous & Amistad International Park
Ngobe Bugle Girl in El Salto
Amistad International Park is in C. America’s Talamanca Mountains. Amistad is home to the largest virgin forest remaining in C. America. Amistad is a fitting name since it straddles the Costa Rica – Panama border and Amistad is Spanish for “friendship”. The park is home to stunning biodiversity with the following species counts: 600 bird species, 250 amphibians and reptiles 180 endemic plants, 115 fish, and 215 species of mammals including cats such as Jaguars, Ocelots, and Pumas.
Human habitation in Amistad dates back 12,000 years according to pre-ceramic sites discovered near Volcan Baru in Chiriqui, Panama. According to UNESCO, “such sites are extremely rare in C. America and represent some of C. America’s earliest human inhabitants”. About early inhabitants on the Costa Rica side of the park, UNESCO notes that “skillfully created elaborate gold ornaments, jewelry, and huge symmetrical stone spheres are the most outstanding evidence of the cultural development of pre-Colombian man over the last 3,000 years”.
UNESCO speaks of the indigenous Teribe residing in Amistad. However, my visits to Amistad’s Rio Teribe in 2007 revealed a tribe calling itself the Naso, a monarchy governed by a King. The Spanish likely called the tribe by the name of the river ‘Teribe’ which runs through the 7 Naso villages. The Naso are small tribe of 3,500 people living in villages connected by footpaths. The river provides for the primary traffic route to the Caribbean coast. Naso use rafts to trade fruit such as cacao in Bocas del Toro for the few items they do not produce in the rainforest themselves, such as machetes. I had the pleasure of meeting a university professor who has recently launched an eco-lodge to help the Naso capitalize on adventure tourism opportunities. It is called Wekso.
There are much smaller tribes that live in or near Amistad, such as the Bribri, Boruca, and Cabesar. All the Talamanca peoples maintain their ancient folklore, customs, agricultural and hunter/gatherer traditions. They also maintain their languages which are now supplemented with Spanish. By far the largest indigenous tribe is the Guaymi, which is a bit of a misnomer created by the Spanish who called many tribes Guaymi, such as the Ngobe and the tiny Bugle tribe. The Ngobe are the most populous indigenous tribe in the region with 200,000 members in Costa Rica and Panama. ‘Guaymi’ is based on the Buglere term for the Ngobe, which was ‘Guaymiri’, shortened by the Spanish.
The Spanish found three distinct tribes which they called Guaymi. At that time each tribe was known by the name of its current chief and each spoke a different language. The chiefs were Nata, Parita, and Urraca. Urraca is famous for never having been conquered by the Spanish who tried too many times and grew to fear all “Guaymi” because they didn’t learn to distinguish the tribes. Urraca forced Spanish Captian Diego de Albitez to sign a peace treaty in 1522. Urraca was later betrayed by his successor and captured by the Spanish, but he escaped and died a free man and legendary figure.
In 1997 the descendents of the blended ‘Guaymi’ tribes, calling themselves Ngobe-Bugle, joined forces to obtain a Comarca (autonomous lands) that comprises roughly 10% of Panama’s land area. Many Ngobe-Bugle live outside their Comarca near Amistad around the Chiriqui-Bocas del Toro-Costa Rica borders. In Costa Rica and a few places in Panama they still use the name Guaymi. I have the privilege of serving as an English tutor to a young Ngobe woman attending university in Chiriqui. Many of her tribe’s women speak very little Spanish and no English; the men speak Spanish for work and use their native tongues at home. Women wear brightly colored traditional handmade dresses called naguas and men wear trousers and, often, shirts made from manta-sucia.
This is a warm and friendly culture, cohesive and unchanged by modern neighbors with whom they co-exist peacefully. The dominant Hispanic culture tends to be a bit cynical regarding the indigenous, perhaps because they live apart from the mainstream culture. The growing European and N. American expatriate cultures near Amistad tend to view the indigenous with fascination. Many indigenous peoples migrate to pick coffee for half the year and live on the Comarca for the balance of the year. Others manage coffee farms or other fincas year round. If you drink coffee in this region, you are certainly benefiting from the efforts of its indigenous peoples.
Food of the Gods
Cacao was brought from the Amazon Basin to Central America by the Maya 2,600 years ago, according to analysis of residue in Maya pottery. Aztec royalty drank cocoa all day and night to fuel stamina for attending to their many wives and concubines.
Cacao was introduced to Europe by the Spanish around 1585, the date of the first recorded commercial shipment of chocolate from Veracruz, Mexico to Seville. Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus named the tree ‘Theobroma’ which means “food of the gods”. Cacao beans were historically used as a currency, serving in the place of small coins as recently as 1840 on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula.
The largest producers of cacao in the Americas are Brazil, Ecuador & Venezuela with a combined market share of 10%.
The best quality cocoa beans are from the Criollo variety. Criollo cacao can be enjoyed directly from the pod and, properly fermented, maintains natural sweetness. When used commercially, the Criollo variety requires less sugar which is why 70% – 85% cacao dark chocolate bars are possible. Gourmet chocolate represents roughly 4% of the world’s annual cacao production, a market of 
160,000 short tons per year.
The main source for Criollo beans today is Venezuela’s Hacienda San José, www.cacaosanjose.com , with representatives in France, Switzerland and Spain. This hacienda has 200 hectares of Criollo cacao with an average density of 1,000 trees per hectare.
Criollo cacao is prevalent throughout C. America, with crop development occurring from Guatemala to Panama, where it thrives in rain-forested regions to an altitude of 2000′.
In Panama, cacao cultivated by indigenous growers produces a superior product preferred by chocolate aficionados over products produced by newcomers to this exotic crop, according to French Cacao Broker Mathilde Grand of Isla Colon’s Starfish Cafe.
Grand’s “Citizens Chocolate” markets tribal cocoa spheres, a hand-crafted organic product from a cooperative in Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean coast of Panama. This region is home to the Ngobe-Buglé whose autonomous lands stretch between International Park Amistad to the coast of the Caribbean Bastimento Nature Reserve. In the shade of their jungles, cacao is cared for and harvested using sustainable indigenous traditions. After collecting the ripe pods, the seeds are removed, brought to fermentation then put out in the sun to dry for several days. Once dried, the seeds are roasted over a fire, ground and rolled into spheres that are perfect for baking or melting into water, milk, and spices for a delicious drink.
© Mathilde Grand
For more details, enter a comment below!
This post is comprised of excerpts from the article “Cacao: a crop ready for new investment?”, written for Alternative Latin Investor‘s next issue. Photos by Mathilde Grand ©
Costa Rican – Panamanian Border
Panama on your left, Costa Rica on your right.
The border between Panama and Costa Rica is very appealing, as borders go, an example of how neighbors can coexist with dignity, peace, and brotherhood. There are no fences, hi-tech surveillance equipment, or gates to herd people into lines. Driving down a dirt road toward Puerto Armuelles, turning left takes you into a Panamanian driveway while turning right allows you access to a Costa Rican driveway. It’s that simple.
When it’s time to officially exit one country for the other, passports can be presented at the appropriate immigration desks for processing. The Paso Canoas crossing is amidst a free trade zone. Visitors amble back and forth shopping, dining, and visiting friends and families without having to present any identification, unless planning to go into the interior.
When headed to the interior, first-time visitors have to look to find the proper immigration desk, because they are not situated in a linear this side/that side fashion. This is so refreshing compared to the US-Mexico border, which is uncivilized to the point of being hostile. You can actually process out of Panama, stop for tacos and pick up some supplies in town, and then process into Costa Rica, or vice versa. The town is united, not divided.
The town of Paso Canoas is not much too look at. It is more like a Wild West town. However, the people are friendly and there is good food and decent lodging. Everyone accepts U.S. dollars and Panamanian merchants accept Colónes.
There is another border crossing at Sixaola and Guabito which is also wild, an off-the-beaten track border post that mostly sees visitors to and from International Park Amistad. Amistad is Spanish for friendship and the park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in both Panama and Costa Rica. A bridge facilitates the crossing. Here again, formalities are relaxed but there are limited hours, few stores and bars, and no lodging or dining options.
Las Lajas Beach Resort
Las Lajas is the best family beach in Chiriqui.
Las Lajas Beach Resort has a sublime location, good facilities, and peaceful vistas in every direction.
This delightful little hotel has 12 rooms and a suite. The restaurant and bar are wonderful. The food is delicious. The management and staff are warm and attentive. Lize de Garcia hails from Amsterdam and her husband, Gama Garcia Carrera, is from Panama.
Together they run Cocaleca Tours providing activities such nature hikes, horeseback riding, Guaymi culture tours, boat tours, and rental of equipment for the beach. Lize recommends the hills behind the mangrove for those who are comfortable on horses. It is one of her favorites. The Guaymi visit takes you to an indigenous family’s home with a waterfall behind the house that provides a swimming hole. Lize recommends the Guaymi tour “because of its pureness and the women are so happy to have a possibility to sell their handy crafts” (indigenous dresses, handmade bags, hats).
Access is by a very good road from San Felix, just two hours from Boquete. The beach slopes very gently; you can walk on soft sand for a long time before its time to swim. The beach runs for 22 kms and provides views of islands, many sea birds, and sweet waves. The beauty here has not been trampled by crowds, mega resorts, or the over development common on beaches closer to Panama City.
This resort is owned by Peter McNamee and Scot Arnolds from San Francisco, where they run a pizza business. Susan & Jonathon are your contacts in reception. In the bar and restaurant you’ll be taken good care of by Julio, Reinaldo, Jorge & Tracy.
A serene setting is created by low tide leaving 500 meters of beach, one of the largest pure sand beaches in Panama. There is very little undertow so this beach is perfect for children riding boogie boards. This tranquil hideaway is a must for visitors to Chiriqui. There are many hammocks to choose from. Bring a good book, grab a fruity cocktail, and listen to bird songs in paradise.
On the dawn of 2010
For a calendar with small things you can do every day to celebrate a more peaceful world, visit www.PeaceProject.com
On the dawn of 2010, we find a vastly different world then we left last New Year’s Eve.
The world is still upside down, as Roger Cohen observed last year, “the developed world now depends on the developing world, rather than the other way around”.
This blog noted last December how Brazil & Mexico are emerging as leaders on global issues such as climate change and economic growth. One year ago, President Bush was busy subverting California’s restrictions on auto pollution by blocking the law from taking effect. We were in a “Great Recession”.
This New Year’s Eve, the world is more united toward caring for Mother Earth. President Obama ordered the EPA to allow states such as California to limit their pollution beyond federal regulations. He negotiated an important compromise in Copenhagen between China and other major world economies to take action against dangerous emissions.
Economically, this year ends with several Latin American nations posting GDP gains while N. American and European economies contracted. However, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended its downward spiral early in the year and has been climbing ever since. The recession is officially over. We end 2009 with a glimmer of hope and pride for 2010.
Congress is poised to pass the first meaningful health care reform in decades, banning insurance discrimination on the basis of medical history, helping tens of millions of families establish and maintain coverage. In this regard, the USA is joining civilized nations late, and with a half-step, but it’s a move in a compassionate direction. Meanwhile, quality health care in much of the developing world remains so affordable that health insurance is simply unnecessary. Last New Year’s Eve my daughter had stitches in a Washington ER for over $1000; her father recently had the same procedure for a surprisingly similar wound in Panama for $34. (She has a scar, her father does not.)
One of this year’s two big stories was Sonia Sotomayor, confirmed as first Hispanic justice on Supreme Court; and, Barack Obama, elected the first African American President of the USA.
President Obama recently began relaxing restrictions on travel to Cuba; his administration expedited visa requests for muscians performing in a concert promoting freedom there. Cuban musician Carlos Varela sang for Congress, saying in DC, “Music is not going to move governments, but it might move people. And people can move governments.”
What do we hope for 2010? Treehugger.com hopes Ford introduces an F75 Pickup, with half the horsepower of an F150, “because you really don’t need all that power in the suburbs”. For my part, I hope we all take more time for one another in the New Year, online and off. Please share your wishes for 2010 by commenting below, and may the New Year bring peace and sustainable prosperity for you all.
Osa Wildlife
Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park no longer allows unguided hiking, which is not a bad thing. Hiking with a local biologist is the best way to learn about wildlife in untamed places such as this lowland tropical rainforest. And it is safer, especially when your guide was born and raised in the Corcovado.
To experience the Osa Peninsula’s incredible biodiversity, you’ll fly to Puerto Jimenez from San Jose or drive five hours out of Boquete, Panama and boat across Golfo Dulce after a border crossing right out of the ‘wild west’. Deep sea fishing enthusiasts will want to stay more than one night in the port. There are also excellent surfing and birding opportunities from this hub.
When you are ready to leave civilization, you’ll enjoy a two hour drive on dirt roads from the port to Carate, crossing several large rivers. After this road, you’ll be ready for the 45 minute hike along a pristine beach bordered by tropical jungles to reach a comfortable eco-lodge with excellent food. Your bags will follow by pony cart. Here you are in paradise.
When you are ready to hike into the national park, it is important to time the tides. It is six hours to the first ranger station and your biologist guide will point out animals, plants, and native burial grounds. You’ll drink fresh coconut milk, enjoy crustaceans, and maybe even have fresh cacao for dessert. You’ll see thousands of phyto-geographically unique plants, rare insects, and a stunning population of birds, mammals, reptiles, and marine life.
You’ll sleep at the ranger’s station (tents or dorms) and share meals unless you packed your own grub. Now you have many exciting options. You can explore the surrounding areas looking for tapirs, monkeys, scarlet macaws, crocodiles, anteaters, and snakes. You can rest up for a night hike to see the jungle’s nocturnal side. You can hike to the next ranger station for more camping, indigenous villages, and a different return route. Or, you can return the way you came via the eco lodge.
The Osa has something for everyone’s thirst for adventure. We recommend a week and will arrange for more or less comfort depending on how much wilderness you seek to explore. This is an unforgettable journey with authentic jungle experiences within reach of all types of travelers.
Zumba Colombia Fusion Fitness
Living next door to Colombia, it is a bit surprising to hear of Zumba via Bisbee, Arizona. Then again, that is the magic of Bisbee. The magic of this blog, hopefully, is fusion where South America meets North America. So, a bit more about Zumba…
Zumba is Colombian slang for “move fast and have fun”. It is also an innovative exercise program created by Beto Perez (forefront in photo) whom dance diva Shakira chose as one of her choreographers. Research suggests Zumba has taken the world by storm via Miami, where two entrepreneurs helped Sr. Perez promote his dynamic dance program.
Zumba involves Latin American cumbia, salsa, merengue, flamenco and samba -inspired dance. ”Throw in a bit of African dance influence and some shimmy and you’ve got it. GREAT fun and what a workout!” – June Cabat
See for yourself on YouTube, where Zumba receives millions of hits. An excellent solo performance comes from Cathya whose first Zumba post is a year old. Click here for a recent demo from this Latina who grew up with the dance moves Beto Perez has been working with professionally for more than a decade.
Colombians specialize in fun. At least one Colombian is bringing his nation’s native disco culture into the bright light of the day … all across the world. Sounds like fusion. Bravo Beto! Want to visit Colombia? Click here for photos and a few ideas. Enjoy!
