So our little family of four ventured out to try the dinner fare at Restaurante El Pulpo (The Octopus).
The restaurant is on a quiet street in the Rio Mar neighborhood. It is just one street behind the waterfront houses.
Which is the street that has the short one-lane bridge going from Pueblo Nuevo/Downtown to Rio Mar. It is about 500 meters past the bridge, on the right- hand side of the street.
That one-lane bridge used to be known as the “bridge over the stinky little slough”, before work on the new and improved sewer system for Puerto Armuelles began early in 2015. While the sewer system is not quite finished yet, the family didn’t notice any odors when we crossed the bridge.
There is a sign out front announcing “El Pulpo, so you won’t miss it. (see photo above.) There is plenty of on-street parking, since this part of the road is off the main thoroughfare.
The owner, Cinia, is outgoing and friendly. She only speaks Spanish.
We went with Cinia's recommendations, ordering a plate of Mariscos Mixtos (Mixed Seafood) in salsa, as well as a plate of camarones al aljillo (shrimp in a garlic sauce).
The four of us weren’t too hungry, so splitting the two meals was plenty of food.
We were quite pleased with our dishes.
There was ample succulent seafood, including shrimp, mussels, fish, squid, and yes, pulpo (remember, “pulpo” means octopus).
The seafood was a little greasy though. You didn't notice the grease so much as you ate it. It just tasted delicious. But afterwards, our bodies let us know we had consumed more grease than we were used to eating .
The side dishes were the usual, meaning french fries and Patacones (fried plantains). As usual, there were no vegetables offered, other than steamed Yucca, a starchy root vegetable, and a tiny garden salad of iceberg lettuce, tomato, and onion. However, the presentation was pretty nice, for a budget Panamanian restaurant.
Click on a photo below to enlarge
It is open 7 days a week from noon to 11pm.
El Pulpo seems like a good quality, economical place to eat lunch or dinner. Overall, our family enjoyed our dinner and chatting with the owner, Cinia.
We would definitely recommend this restaurant as a good addition to Puerto Armuelles’ still rather limited list of dining out options.
Thanks for the tip Victor!
Victor is an ex-pat who lives in the Corazon de Jesus neighborhood.
If you decide to give El Pulpo a try, please let us know what you think.
We’d like to know if it is consistently good, how the service is, etc….
Thanks!
Betsy will be adding this to our site's list of Puerto Armuelles dining options.
One of the things that makes this property so special is that it's on a ravine so it has an abundance of trees and tropical birds.
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Also, it is only 90 feet from our favorite beach.
The house is in the popular Corazon de Jesus neighborhood of Puerto Armuelles. A neighborhood that is only a 10 minute drive from downtown Puerto Armuelles.
The other day I took these photos (below) of and by this house for sale.
This link has more photos and details about this beach house for sale in Puerto Armuelles Panama
These 10 neighborhoods are the ones that most interest people moving to or investing in Puerto Armuelles, Panama.
In the near future, we will add at least 2 photos for each neighborhood on that page. I first need to format the photos to fit on the page property.
However, I can share photos of some of Puerto Armuelles' neighborhoods below.
View from San Vicente towards downtown Puerto Armuelles
That's all. Only wanted to announce the new page, photos of Puerto Armuelles, Panama.
I waited until middle age to buy a sea kayak.
I often paddled directly from my summer home on Lake Superior. I also enjoyed multiple trips in exotic places around the world with my wife.
One of the things which really excited me about living in Panama was the prospect of exploring its coast line by sea kayak. I imported 3 boats from the States, along with paddles, spray skirts and camping gear.
Anyone who comes to visit us, as well as local friends, are dragged out for a trip.
My favourite area is the Boca Chica Islands south of David. I have kayaked to them from Puerto Armuelles. But usually we make the two hour drive from Puerto to Boca Chica for the put in.
From there we paddle 5 or 6 days, self supported, and camping on beaches wherever the mood takes us. The outer islands around Isla Parida have the clearest water for snorkeling, but all are beautiful.
The area is has great rocky headlands, separated by lovely sand beaches. Howler monkeys roar from the jungle and the occasional whale or dolphin can be seen in the ocean.
The land on the Pacific side is public property up to 20 meters beyond the high tide mark. When we camp, we usually we have a beach to ourselves. But when others are around, nobody has ever objected to our presence.
We have to carry our own water, about 5 litres per person per day. We often stock up at the home of a local, if we run low.
While most of my beach landings are gentle, I've had to become very adept at surf landings. Tipping a heavily laden boat and swimming it to shore is exhausting and can wreck the gear.
Before taking visitors on long trips, we usually spend a day at my place in Puerto Armuelles to learn how to control a boat in big waves.
That said, I've taken lots of novices to the protected water of the islands with nothing worse than a few bruised egos to report.
Note from Betsy: Robin & I once kayaked in Puerto Armuelles. Click to read about our paddle. It was a blast. I have always wanted to go again, not sure why I haven't made it happen.
Every trip is different; red sunsets, surprise storms, macaws in the trees above our tents, a fisherman with mariscoes (seafood) for sale, and a mango tree at the campsite.
The companionship of course is always great.
Robin Sare
Back when our family lived full-time in Seattle, I found that my days, weeks, and months were consumed with work, errands, and the basic maintenance of a life with children.
I never had a moment free from a sense of “rushing from one thing to another”.
I know people who seem unfazed by this “reality” of life.
I guess they have a higher threshold for stress than I do. Or, perhaps, they are just better at “faking it”.
Whatever the case, I was suffering from a lack of time to just “be”.
Our family’s decision to move to Panama was one of taking a chance, and of giving up many of the great cultural and social benefits of living in a bustling, artistic, cultural center like Seattle.
In exchange, we got a slower-paced lifestyle in the small Central American town of Puerto Armuelles. It was a huge trade-off for us.
What we have found in our over 8 years of living in Puerto is that, while we had much more access to events, institutions, and community that inspired us in Seattle, we have much more of the most basic element of a happy, creative life here in Puerto Armuelles.
That is TIME.
TIME. Free, abundant, time.
Time in which to think, to read, to draw, to go for a walk on the beach, to stop in the midst of our morning routine to listen to the sounds of the parrots, the howler monkeys, or to the horses that go clopping by our house.
This is pretty basic stuff, really.
And it is oh so essential to one’s sense of well-being.
It is amazing how much peace one can find, simply by removing the unceasing pressure to keep moving, and doing, from every minute of every day.
When one can just breathe, and “be”, one is able to connect with the moment.
With this gift of time, I have discovered that my mind doesn’t go racing ahead to the next moment, as if driven by a tyrant. I can stay in one place, and be peaceful.
Since we started our 8-year adventure in Puerto Armuelles, our older daughter has become a teenager. She is very happy living in Panama. She considers it her home.
As her parents though, we half-reluctantly realized it is time for her to explore the more tangible advantages that life in Seattle has to offer. Puerto is a wonderful place to be, but it is a small town. It does not provide the wide array of learning opportunities and experiences of a city in the States.
Knowing our daughter, we felt she would be glad she had those opportunities as she grew older and made her own way in the world. Therefore, we decided to spend part of each year in Seattle, and part of each year in Puerto Armuelles.
We have been engaged in this experiment for about a year now.
I am happy to report that everything is going really well so far.
At first our older daughter, Skylar, was very homesick for Panama. Now she embraces living in both places. Our younger daughter, Blaise, is 9 years old. She is not as enthusiastic about living in both places. She would still prefer to be living full-time in Puerto Armuelles. She does enjoy Seattle, but she misses our more laid back life in Puerto Armuelles.
Skylar, now 14, participates in a variety of home school type programs in Seattle. She studies writing with a favorite teacher at one school. She takes an amazing and renown college-prep science class taught by a ex-college professor at another location. She helps in the costuming department of a local theater company and studies ballet and modern dance at the home of a ex-professional ballerina. She took sailing over the summer and wants to sail more. She is also on a soccer team and is taking guitar. It is a full schedule. And she has more things she still wants to explore.
Many of her classes are within walking, or biking distance of our home. However, we definitely spend more time in the car in Seattle than we do in Puerto Armuelles. And the traffic in Seattle is getting increasingly bad.
After one year, we feel more inspired in BOTH PLACES.
By getting to spend 6 months in Panama, we are not affected as much by the traffic congestion in Seattle, or by the long stretches of grey days.
Spending half the year swimming in the warm Pacific Ocean, makes it much more bearable to be surrounded by all those lakes and Puget Sound in Seattle that are all too frigid to bathe in.
Not being quite so amped up by a year-long stint in Seattle, we feel that we have more time to explore all that Seattle has to offer, and to enjoy it. We go to the ballet, we see musical performances, we visit art galleries.
In the same way, after all the business of Seattle, we luxuriate in all the time we have in Panama.
Time to explore life on our own timeline. Time to enjoy the abundant nature and wildlife all around our house.
We find it is only by having open ended time that you can really discover and explore your interests and what you want out of life. Too much business kills creativity.
I think this article could apply to other parents of young children who have considered taking a “time out” of their lives in North America.
But for those with grown children, the notion that Panama isn’t necessarily an “all or nothing” proposition might be appealing too
We meet many retirees who enjoy going back and forth between their northern homes, and a smaller, much less expensive home and lifestyle in Panama.
In fact, we know several northerners, particularly Canadians, who enjoy seeing family up north during the warm summer months, and then they head down to Puerto Armuelles to relax and stay warm during the cold season up north. A cold season which corresponds perfectly with the warmest, driest part of the year in Panama.
They say that they are re-invigorated by the change, so that they feel fresher in both places. When they catch up with old friends up north, or their new friends in Puerto, they have some new stories to share.
Living in both places is more expensive. Not only do you have to cover airfare, but life is much more expensive in North America and Europe. So that is something to consider before embracing life as a part-time expat.
For folks on a limited or fixed income, the time in North America might be spent traveling in a motor home, or staying with several different children.
This gives grandparents a chance to really connect with their grandchildren, maybe travel together. It also gives you the ability to help your grown children to go on a vacation without their kids, but watching your grandchildren.
Right now our part-time experiment is working for us. Although, my family has admitted to missing spending more time in Panama. It still feels strange not be in Puerto Armuelles.
My wife feels that life is more of an adventure in Panama. More leisurely, less planning. She loves that you can decide to go snorkeling or hike in the mountains in the morning and be actually doing it by the afternoon.
See my post on easily enjoying the beach and the mountains within 2 hours in Panama
Life is definitely more busy and involves more planning in the States.
They say that we become our habits, little by little, day by day. So I am glad we are mixing the habits we have in each of these two places together.
The habits of exploration, adventure, and enjoying each moment.
Please comment below.
It has you going into Costa Rica to get from David to Puerto.
Do not do that.
1. Drive to Paso Canoas (It's on the Costa Rica border)
2. Turn left (south) at border
3. Arrive in Puerto Armuelles (The road ends in Puerto & at Pacific Ocean)
I wrote a page with detailed instructions on how to get to Puerto Armuelles.
It includes what to expect at the police check points along the way.
There is a bit on buses and taxis as well.
Please comment below.
Learn about Puerto Armuelles here.
But that doesn't mean we don't like the mountains too. We do.
It works the other way too.
We are running into more and more ex-pats who live in the highlands of Boquete or Volcan who “love the mountains”, but who also like the beach.
Some of the hype you hear about Panama, says that these beach and mountain lovers can quickly go back and forth.
For example, the hype says that in one leisurely Panamanian day, you take a dip in the ocean, a hike in the mountains and eat dinner back at the beach.
I decided to test that out.
Recently, while my family was away in the states, I decided to see if I could use the mountains as a quick get away from Puerto Armuelles.
I was particularly enthusiastic since it was the dry (hot) season, and there were no waves for surfing.
What I found was that all the hype is true.
I took off my flip flops, drove to Volcan, put on my hiking shoes, and went for a brisk hike. I was back in my car before dark and driving home - all in the same day.
Specifically, I did the following.
- Left Puerto Armuelles after lunch
- Drove up to Volcan (1-1/2 hrs)
- Enjoyed a 3-hour hike
- Returned to Puerto in time for dinner.
When I left the beach it was pretty hot (high 80’s). I was up in the cool mountains (low 60’s to 70’s) of Volcan in a matter of an hour and a half. It would have taken 2 hours to go to Boquete.
I continued this experiment and visited Cerro Punta, which is ~2 hours from Puerto Armuelles.
I drove to Cerro Punta, took a nice afternoon hike, then spent the night at the wonderful Hotel Los Quetzales.
I woke up, had a lazy breakfast, then went for a real jungle hike. I kept a look out for the beautiful and elusive Quetzal, but never saw it.
I could have returned to my hotel, checked out, and been back in Puerto Armuelles for a swim in the Ocean before dusk, but I didn't. I stayed another night.
Obviously, I have always known that this was possible. But we had never tested it.
Our getaways to the highlands and other places in Panama, tend to be for 4 or more days. We haven't done many quick trips. More often then not we stay contendedly at home in Puerto Armuelles. I think that now that our children are getting older, and more adventuresome, we may start to take more quick trips to the highlands. Or maybe just Betsy and I will just take off more often for a night or 2 and stay at one of the many great mountain hotels
It seems that I'm not the only one doing more quick visits.
With increasing frequency, we run into expats from Volcan & Boquete here our beach town of Puerto Armuelles. They are indulging in a weekend getaway from their mountain homes and staying at Heavenly’s Hotel or the Tsunami Inn.
It was chatting with these expats that inspired me to try a quick getaway myself.
They told me it was easy. They were right.
But I did wonder why they didn't go to the beaches somewhat closer to them such as Las Lajas, Boca Chica, and La Barqueta. They told me that Puerto Armuelles is just a “whole lot more real” than those more resort-type beach areas. In Puerto, you get the beach, but you also get a real beach town, with 20k residents, and all the services and community that this entails.
For more about Puerto Armuelles, go here.
View from table at Las Juanas restaurant in PuertoNow it is triple that number.
I am only talking about restaurants that serve dinner.
Puerto has never lacked for places to eat for breakfast and lunch.
That is changing fast.
If you are a long time Puerto Armuelles resident like us, that is music to your ears.
We don't go out to eat often, but it refreshing to have options when you do.
It seems like it going hand in hand with the dramatic increase in new foreigners that we have been seeing in town.
And if that means more good restaurants I am all for it!
