I have been lying here in a hammock for nearly and hour now, drifting off into this and that, staring at the stars, and wondering what it is that makes some people come down this way and others just not bother.

When I say to people that I am going to go to Panama, most kind of look at me funny, and say “Why Panama?”

Well, you would just have to come here to figure that out.

I am now near the end of the road (so to speak), at the southern end of the Penninsula de Azuero, at Playa Venado. What a lazy drive to get here. The farther down the road you go, the less traffic, and the more laid back everything seems. You just don’t even feel like driving fast. Why bother. There is so much to take in.

You don’t see the ocean for what seems like forever, but that doesn’t seem to matter either. The little towns you pass through all seem to go at 2 miles an hour, and the drive is just one of those lazy country roads that ambles from one place to the next in no particular order.

When I finally got to the beach here, I found a small access road that went down to this little area under some trees where you could park your car. The beach didn’t offer much for shade, so it was more like you made a break for the sea, dumped your gear in a fashion that the wind wouldn’t take it away, and dove in.

Shallow and wide, the beach cuts a near perfect semi-circle into the land, with waves breaking easily both left and right. Perfect for body surfing, and surfing as well. Most call this beach an excellent place for the beginning surfer because the waves offer a long easy ride, without fear of undertow, cross-currents, or rocks under the waves. The only downside was the little tiny jelly-fish that feel like sparks of static on your legs. Once you knew what they were, it was a minor irritation.

In the center of the beach sits its one and only restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and supper, all which contain rice and beans in some fashion, and all quite edible. Priced under 3 buks for any meal, a bargain compared to other places. I would have expected the prices to be higher out here, but no.

Boats come ashore and locals get out with their catch of the day. Food is not far away. The water table is only 80 ft down and drinkable straight from the well. Rice and beans are staples of this society and brought in by the truckload.

This is a simple life.

It is now 9:30 at night, the air is warm with a light breeze, there are no bugs to speak of, and the hammock I am writing this in is at Eco Venado, an eco lodge set in the hills just across from the beach. A bed in the dorm sets you back 11 buks a night (OW!!), but will be closed tomorrow due to a meeting of the minds.

There are several large property owners out here that are getting together. They form a “Citizens of Azuero Society” dedicated to the preservation and re-forestation of the lands they possess. It is a shame that the owners are not Panamanian, but who cares. Their meeting is to decide direction and “what not” so they can co-ordinate their efforts.

I wish them the best of luck.

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I left Eco Venado around 10ish and headed toward Tonosi.

Sadly, I wasn’t able to make it to Playa Cambutal, as my car just didn’t have enough clearance. Playa Cambutal is a beach geared more towards the mainstream surfer, but I would have liked to get there anyways because I was told its sands are black. I have never seen this…yet. Scorching hot under foot, you need to run to the surf in a manner not yet described. It will have to be left to the imagination for now.

The road from Tonosi to Macaraca, a town sort of inland central, was terrible. Oh, it was paved, but where they patched it, it became a series of unavoidable speed bumps. Most places they hadn’t fixed, and the strange thing was that the worst of the potholes hid themselves in the shadow of trees. Just where you couldn’t really see them well, which is probably why they are there. If you can’t see them to avoid them, you hit them and make them worse.

So, enough about that. Sitting bolt upright with two hands on the wheel at all times, scanning, scanning…I only got one picture where I stopped to rest my brain, and a shame it was, as it was a bland part of the most scenic stretch of the trip.

This section of road climbed up, down, and around the terrain, as the cows must have travelled before the road was there. I did stop along the way under a tree to take a mental break, and counted two cars in the space of fifteen minutes or so. Nobody to bother you out here.

I ended the day back at Bouquet, a long drive for sure. It is a relief to know that my car put those miles (800 km aprox.) on without any problems whatsoever. Knock on wood.

I am presently pining over the map of Costly Rica. There are so many places I would like to go, and may just give it a try anyways. I will try to keep my bitching about their shitty roads >:-[>:-[ to a minimum. It sort of looks ugly when I read back, but always know the sentiment is there.

How about I tell you if there is a good road? :>>