March 2012
Music Starts Soft & Simple - Then Builds As Night DescendsIt also unexpectedly and unusually rained that night.
We actually went back the next day so my older daughter could go on some rides.
We had only made it to the bumper cars when the sky opened on us.
It only costs 75 cents to come on Sunday, so it was an easy decision.
Plus on our yearly trip to the Fair we like to make it relaxing by staying in a hotel.
By leaving earlier, we got some more relaxing hotel time.
When we first started going to the fair, we would drive to David.
(It is an hour to an hour and a half drive from Puerto Armuelles to David Panama.)
Do our errands and then go to Fair in the cooler part of the day.
That scenario involved us driving home late and in the dark - and all of us very weary.
Now we rent a hotel room.
We get into David, do errands in a leisurely manner, enjoy the hotel amenities. Then go to the fair in the cool of the evening.
But instead of driving the hour home exhausted. We go to our hotel room. Get a good night sleep and then a relaxing morning before heading home to Puerto Armuelles.
This is the first time we stayed in the Gran National Hotel. It was very enjoyable.
I was a bit dubious because of the mixed reviews of the Gran National in Trip Advisor.
Turns out it was perfect for us.
The Gran National had a variety of places to hang out. The kids enjoyed the pool, the exercise room, and the fish aquarium in the lobby. There were a number of places to eat in the hotel.
The breakfast buffet (included in the price) was a big hit with all of us.
I had wanted to stay at the Ciudad de David Hotel. But it was full.
We visited it the next day. I am glad we stayed at the Gran National.
The Ciudad de David Hotel looked alittle too stiff and "perfect" for us.
The Gran National is more of an old school sprawling hotel. Lots of people rave about the Ciudad de David Hotel though. At least according to Trip Advisor.
Update: We have since stayed at the Ciudad de David Hotel. We liked it alot. Not only is the customer service refreshingly attentive, but they had an excellent breakfast as well. I do still like the more relaxed hang out aspect (esp. by the pool) of Gran National better, but the Ciudad de David is a provides a superior hotel experience.
Oh, the Fair. The Fair was fun as well.
The David Fair is very much an Agricultural/Cowboy event. We always start by seeing the animals. Lots and Lots of cows! Big, Small and HUGE!
Horses are a focal point. Horses are judged, there are rodeos, pony rides, and lots of cowboy hats.
Then we see the plants.There are displays of produce and plants. Some are for sale and some are planted in displays.
It is a great place to buy plants for your garden.
Actually it is a great place to buy handcrafted furniture, toys, and more.
They sell items at the fair I have not seen for anywhere else.
There is alittle "zoo" of a variety of local animals and birds on display. You can see them for 50 cents more. It is interesting to see the animals and the birds. If you have strong feelings about the caging of animals, you may want to skip it.
Then of course there are the rides, cotton candy, and food venders. There is lot of music too. Loud music. But we are usually gone by time the music starts.
In short, the fair is fun.
Maybe if I didn't have children, I wouldn't go. But I am always happy I went.
Hello all,
Actually, reviewing it I realized we didn't list everything.
Mostly we covered sport or outdoor-oriented things to do in or near Puerto Armeulles.
Did we miss something?
I know there is also the non-outdoor activities to write about.
For instance, the art and music classes at Bellas Artes.
Mono Feliz is a wonderful, rustic eco-non-resort.
It is located at the very tip of the Punta Burica peninsula, in Panama's Chiriqui Province.
Staying at Mono Feliz is an amazing way to get back to your basic practice of “being”.
You are in a spectacular tropical jungle and at the apparent end of the known world.
Also there is a secret surf spot - actually, more than one.
A Relaxing & Rustic Place To StaySurfing on Punta Burica is very much worth the effort required to get there.
(Mono Feliz is nearly hour and a half drive from Puerto Armuelles, over some pretty rustic dirt roads. Or alternatively, a smoother and pleasant hour long drive on the beach - for most of the drive, but only during low tide.)
I had decided not to bring my surf board to Mono Feliz.
It was the off-season (early March), and the ocean in Puerto Armuelles was about as flat and calm as it is possible for the ocean to be.
Ideal for barefoot waterskiing, I'll bet.
I figured the surf conditions would be the same on Punta Burica as in Puerto Armuelles.
I was wrong.
When we arrived, I was surprised to find quite a bit of wave energy.
Albeit the surf was blown out by the wind.
I spoke to Michael, one of the sons of John (known better as Juancho) and Luzmila, the owners of Mono Feliz.
Michael told me that he and his brothers had been catching good waves lately.
I was surprised to learn that the boys claimed to be able to surf all year long out on the Island (Isla Burica).
Isla Burica is located a few thousand meters off-shore.
Isla Burica is reachable by kayak, surfboard, or in super low tides (-2), one can walk to the island.
At breakfast the first morning, Michael mentioned that they had surfboards for rent.
He invited me to join him for a trip over to the island to surf.
However, this was a family trip for me, not a surf trip.
Also, I seriously doubted that there could be a decent wave on the island, since the rest of the ocean around Punta Burica was as flat as a lake.
(According to the scientists at Magic Seaweed the swell was 1-1/2 feet)
I said no, I wasn't interested in paddling over to the island.
Michael, however did talk me into the lesser adventure of walking down the path five minutes to the nighbor Sean's “surf camp” .
There was reportedly a pretty decent wave at the surf camp as well.
I decided to join him for a short surf session there.
Though the surf was tiny, I was quite impressed with the form of the mini bay/inlet in the rocks in front of the neighbor's house.
It was obvious, from the clean mini lefts and rights peeling over the rocks at either side of the inlet, that this place must absolutely rock during the big wave months from May to December.
Despite the fact that the waves were small, and the thruster I had rented (a 6-2 with not much foam) made it tough to keep up any board speed, I had a fun time riding the small lefts (we were on the left side of the inlet).
I marveled at this ideal surf spot.
Michael, who is only fifteen or sixteen was also a super amiable surf partner.
As we walked back to Mono Feliz, I kept thinking to myself, “If only I had brought my Von Sol Shadow (my favorite fish) along."
Anyway, I reminded myself, this was a family vacation, and not a surf trip.
The following morning at breakfast, we met a couple of Juancho's and Luzmila's older sons.
Myron, who is about twenty five, and Edgar, twenty three.
Aside from really enjoying the good nature of the guys, I was beginning to be intrigued by tales about the surf on the island.
Myron had been away for a couple of days, and he was really eager to surf the island.
Edgar and Myron were enthusiastic to share the Island surfing experience with me.
So I grabbed my rented board, my sunscreen and followed them to the beach where we jumped into a huge, inflatable kayak.
With the three of us paddling, it took ten minutes or so to get to the island.
We beached the boat, and I followed the guys up a steep trail a short distance, before it flattened out, and quickly descended to the other side of the island, probably no more than two or three hundred meters.
As we climbed down through the trees, you could hear, then see the main peak, rising up, a perfect point, breaking left and right.
We got down to the beach, waded out into the water, and paddled out.
I was barefoot.
(I would recommend surf booties, since the rocks are slick and occasionally sharp.)
Myron and Edgar are natives and have super tough feet.
The paddle out was easy, as we were paddling around beside the main peak, and the surf was small.
However, the guys assured me that when the waves are big, they break further out, and there is a great tide rip to whisk one out to the break.
Myron was the first out, and he had already taken off on a couple of waves.
Just as it looked from shore, the wave consisted of a big, almost hollow drop, and then it quickly faded to nothing.
Still, Myron who was on a 5'-8” thruster was able to get down the line pretty well, including a couple of decent slashbacks.
In fact, Myron, who has been surfing the same peak for five years now, continued to take the drop, as far back as possible on the wave, and rode mostly rights for the next couple of hours.
Edgar also got some nice waves.
I hadn't surfed in months, and was on a borrowed board, but still I managed to make the drop and get a way down the line.
At the time I was only thinking about how much fun I was having.
But now I've decided to leave the Von Sol at home and bring my thruster to surf the island next visit.
If this is what the conditions are like when the Pacific Ocean is flat as a pancake, I could only imagine what the surf would be like when Magic Seaweed's buoy reading was say 6 feet, 7 feet, 8ft....
On the paddle back in the inflatable, Myron explained to me that there were a couple of other breaks that the brothers liked to surf, also reachable in the kayak.
You can also rent a fisherman's boat and go about fifteen minutes “around the corner” to the Costa Rican side of Punta Burica.
A place that is rarely surfed.
A place that always has a breaking giant of a wave, just offshore.
Reportedly, during the big wave months, this monster breaks for nearly a kilometer.
I can't remember which way it breaks.
Probably left, since it's on the Pavones side of the point, and the prevailing wave angle is for lefts.
As you can probably tell, I will definitely be going back to Mono Feliz during the swell season (May-December).
But, frankly, since Mono Feliz is so laid back, and there is so much for the kids to do there, I think we will make it a combined surf vacation/family vacation.
Surf in Panama is great.
It is particularly great to have such a wonderful place to surf so close to our home in Puerto Armuelles Panama.
It evolved into a lunch for a small group of ex-pat and Panamanian women (including myself).
We were lucky that Puerto Armuelles newest restaurant, The Watering Hole, opened just the week before.
Just in time for Carnival - and for us.
Unfortunately, the gas line in their kitchen was being installed at the same time as our gathering.
This delayed service and the full menu was not available.
Puerto Armuelles' Gathering of Expat & Panamanian WomenRegardless, it is great to have a new place to eat in Puerto Armuelles.
Amy, formerly a US Marine, owns and operates the restaurant.
Mauro is the chef. Mauro has a great energy and is an excellent cook. (Mauro is also Amy's boyfriend.)
It was wonderful to have an excuse to gather and catch up with folks.
The weather was glorious.
The views of the beach were stellar.
Beach View from The Watering HoleThe fisherman we could see fishing seemed to find it a profitable day as well.
Thank you Liz for making the event happen.
Puerto Armuelles is blessed by Liz's kind-hearted energy and love of people.
Tegus going left in Puerto Armuelles, Panama
Mid flood-tide, beach break, waist to chest high glassy, offshore breeze.
Decent waves for Puerto Armuelles.
I was out on my fish, and I had a bunch of fast little rides; a fine way to start the day.
My favorite surf spot is located a ten minute drive north from the center of town (twelve minutes on a bicycle).
The beach is called Corazon de Jesus. It is a small beach front neighborhood that is becoming popular with expats.
For that reason, it is probably the most surfed beach in town.
Corazon is a beach break, as are most of the local surf spots, with equal numbers of lefts and rights.
The waves there are usually clean, rideable probably about a third of the time in the rainy season.
Right now it is the rainy season.
The ocean in Puerto Armuelles has been know to be flat as a pancake for a solid month during the rainy season.
However, the rainy season is also when we get our south swell.
We have ten days of solid of 3-5 foot “epic” Puerto Armuelles conditions usually once or twice a season.
Guys come from as far away as David (an hour and a half) to catch our ideal surf conditions.
About that time, David's own main break Playa Barqueta is getting pounded by 15 to twenty foot close-out faces. Playa Barqueta has a full-on exposure to a huge Antarctic swell. It is an all -around nasty place to surf with super dangerous currents.
In Puerto Armuelles, under ideal conditions, we are probably riding 8-10 foot faces.
Surfing in Puerto Armuelles (Sarah pictured)The usual situation involves an offshore breeze in the morning that turns to onshore around midday - Except on cloudy days, when the wind never picks up and the surf stays good all day long.
There might be as many as a dozen surfers in town, mostly old gringos, mostly longboarders.
Most of these surfers have lived and surfed in Hawaii, California, or both.
Most of the surfer gringos are busy starting up businesses.
Ah.. Surfing in Puerto (Tegus pictured)(A few of the old guy surfers run the Hooked on Panama fishing lodge. They are often too busy with clients to get out surfing much.
Sometimes, however, they come back to town with fantastic stories about surfing the really big breaks out at the tip of Punta Burica
Punta Burica is about a half hour from town by boat, or an hour and a half by car.
There are witnesses who say the wave out there is huge, hollow, and breaks for almost two kilometers.
For guys who really want to chase big waves from Puerto, you need to drive out of the shadow of Punta Burica.
Punta Burica effectively blocks about eighty percent of the power of the prevailing southwest swell.
Surf in Nearby Pavones1. If you are looking for professional class surf, just hop in your car and drive the two hours to world famous Pavones.
Pavones is on the Costa Rican side of Punta Burica. It hosts some of the most amazing left handed barrels on the planet.
2. You could also charter a local Puerto Armuelles fisherman to run you out to the tip of Punta Burica for the day.
You can decide to stay out on the point with Juancho and Luzmila at Mono Feliz.
In season, you can get into some awsome waves out there.
My wife and daughter travelled all over Panama for three solid months when we first got here in late 2006.
We visited some of the top surf destinations: Santa Catalina in Veraguas Province, Playa Venao and others in Santos Province of the Azuero Peninsula. We have since spent time in Bocas del Toro.
The bottom line was that the best surf destinations had that sort of “cool” surfer vibe that just didn't attract us as a family.
In addition, most of the best surf places were no more than a collection of cabanas, a few restaurants, and lots of bars.
There was no sense of “place” to anywhere we visited.
That is, until we arrived here in Puerto Armuelles.
My wife and I moved from Seattle, Washington.
We did not want to lose the very livable small village lifestyle that Seattle's neighborhoods are so famous for.
Like Seattle, Puerto Armuelles is also composed of distinct and attractive neighborhoods.
Searching for Perfect Family Surf SpotPuerto Armuelles is a highly “liveable” town with an excellent sense of place, and a “good feel” to it.
My decision to become a Puerto Armuelles surfer was a decision to put our family's quality of life ahead of just surfing.
For our family, it was definitely the right decision.
For me, as a surfer, Puerto Armuelles has been a good choice.
P.S. If you are looking for surf conditions in Panama. A good place to look is Magic Seaweed.
November 15, 2011
Dragon dancing at the circusYes two circuses.
I'm sure neither circus was thrilled.
They faced off from each other in the empty field in front of Pricesmart in David.
The Beijing Circus and Circus Renato.
We went to Circus Renato last year and enjoyed it very much.
Beijing Circus was only in David 1 more week and the Renato is in David until Nov. 25th.
We went to the Beijing Circus.
The ticket vendor at the Beijing Circus assured us the their show was "more professional" than Renato's.
We did enjoy the Beijing Circus; however, it doesn't hold a candle to Renato.
The Beijing circus had acrobats and Tigers - Siberian and, hum... don't know the name, the usual orange stripped Tigers.
For a few dollars you can pay the Beijing Circus to get your photo with this Siberian Tiger. We did.One very cool thing at the Beijing Circus is that you can get your photo taken with a Siberan Tiger at the Beijing Circus.
That would definitely not be allowed in the States
My daughter Skylar and her friend Kia had their photo taken while they were petting the tiger.
They said the tiger's fur was surprisingly coarse and rough.
Last year at Renato we got our picture taken on an elephant.
We will let you know if they do that this year as well.
