1 Jan…………New Year’s Day
9 Jan…..…….National Martyrs’ Day
21-24 Feb….Carnival
10 Apr……..Good Friday
1 May………Labour Day
15 Aug…….Old Panama City Day
3 Nov………Independence Day (from Colombia)
5 Nov………Independence Day (Colón City only)
10 Nov…….Call for Independence from Spain
28 Nov…….Independence Day (from Spain)
8 Dec………..Mothers’ Day
25 Dec…….Christmas Day

Isla de Canas, about 40 kilometers from Pedasi on the Azuero Peninsula, is the most important nesting sight for turtles on Panama’s Pacific coast. Five species come here to lay between 20,000 and 30,000 eggs in the waves each year. No one knows the best time to come to see the turtles…it can be as late as September and November or it can begin as early as April or May.

We left Pedasi and drove for about an hour before we started to wonder if we had missed the turn to Isla de Canas. We asked some people on horseback, (the only people around) and they assured us that it was just down the road. It was on the left with an old wooden sign, so don’t worry, if you are looking, you won’t miss it. We drove down a rocky dirt road that ended at a little swamp stream. We were told that if no one was around, just hit the “gong” (a rusty metal circle) and someone will hopefully come to take you to the island. Thankfully a tough looking tour guide girl was sitting around and charged us fifty cents a person.

Because it was low tide we had to wade through mud to get to the boat, about fifty feet away. Although the men with us trudged through happily, I can always be counted on to dress inappropriately, so in a white skirt and flip flops (and Katie in a white tube dress) the mud became a labyrinth of quicksand and booby traps. Our flip flips got stuck in the mud every step, and terrified of a rumored crocodile we read about in “Lonely Planet”, we started to panic and scream like little girls. The rumor turned out to be true : we asked a local kid if such a crocodile existed, and he nodded his head ominously.

When we finally reached the safety of the little boat and drove out into the stream, it was a great trip. The trees hung low over the river and it was magical driving through the swampy rainforest area. Everybody started saying stuff like “I’m glad we came!” and “This is worth the ride!” etc.
Approaching the island was also gorgeous, and as we docked the tour guide asked us when we wanted to meet her back at the boat. We said two hours which turned out to be plenty of time. A little boy lead us to the beach across the island and we walked by cane houses and local people sitting on their porches. The population of Isla Canas is 900 and the community has been there since the 1920s, brought from local towns to protect the turtles and the eggs.

The pristine beach was 100% deserted from people and alas, sea turtles. We jumped in the waves, went for a long walk and found about thirty sand dollars between us girls, some as big as a saucers! An hour and a half was a perfect amount of time on the beach, and we were running out of supplies and provisions, so we ventured to the bar near the boat dock and drank beer under a cane roof with the jukebox blasting.
We rode back, with an eye out for the crocs, after a great day, although turtle-less, at Isla de Canas.

Isla Iguana is my favorite place on the Azuero Peninsula. We hopped on a motorboat called “Taiwan Panama” but it should have been called “Hawaii Panama” because that is where I felt transported to.

The beautiful beaches on the mainland have mostly brown and black sand and dark blue ocean, but Isla Iguana has bright white sand and bright blue clear water. I’ll never back down: there is nothing like a white sand beach.

When first approaching the island we were surprise by how many birds were circling overhead and we learned later that there is a bird sanctuary there (which we tried to find but were scared off, fearing for our lives in a Hitchcock kind of way by the random scattering of purple crab claws and the overpowering smell of bird poop) but maybe you will have better luck with braver people (not four girls walking in the woods in their bikinis).

We rented snorkel equipment in town which was ten dollars per pair of snorkel and flippers and ventured out into the reef. If you swim out a bit from the beach there is tons of different coral and surprisingly a lot of fish. There were big polka dotted fish, little striped fish and an electric blue fish with big scary teeth that sent us swimming in the other direction.

Relaxing on the gorgeous beach to the tinkling sound of the waves lapping on the coral sand was delicious. Pack a lunch and stay for a while, it costs 45 dollars to hire a local driver with a boat and ten dollars per person to hang out on the island. The Government recently increased the cost to but the driver cut us a deal for us as a group. The price is worth it, all the way. Grab the whole family and pretend like it’s your private island…because it will be.

February- Carnaval-
parades. Read a review of Begins the Friday before Ash Wendesday and lasts until the following Tuesday. It’s a national event, but the Los Santos province is known for it’s festive party. Las Tablas and Pedasi have two of the largest Carnaval celebrations. Read a first hand review of Pedasi’s Carnaval.

March/April- Semana Santa-
Enjoy this celebration in the nearby towns of La Villa de Los Santos and Guarare.

Late April- Feria Internacional del Azuero-
Located in La Villa de Los Santos, this country fair features everything you’d expect of one in rural PA, minus Bingo; food booths, animal displays and heavy drinking are enjoyed by all.

June- Festival Corpus Christi-
Also located in La Villa de Los Santos, la festival is a two week festival where men dance in devil masks. This tradition is a must see!

July 20-22- Festival Patronales de La Virgen de Santa Librada-
This festival happens in the nearby town of Las Tablas. Expect to see (link) the traditional Panamanian dress “La Pollera” on display. To top the celebration off, on June 22 the year’s Queen of the Pollera is crowned.

September 24- Festival de la Mejorana-
This famous national holiday takes place in Guarare, where hundreds of singers, dancers and musicians join together in celebration.

October 19- Fundacion del Distrito de Chitre-
Translated literally, this celebration honors the foundation of Chitre, in Chitre.

November 10- Grito de la Villa-
Also translated the “cry of independence” holiday takes place in Villa de Los Santos and commemorates Panama’s national independence day.

You have to admit, there’s something magical about being first. I’m not talking about finishing first, as a type A first-class sore loser, that’s understood. I’m talking about doing something, finding something or arriving somewhere before anybody else. Whether it’s a rock band you knew before they got big or enjoying a struggling chef’s food before he got all Food Network on ya, the delicious feeling of staking your claim before the herd arrived is difficult to describe.

That’s just one of the reasons I love Pedasi, the sleepy little fishing town at the Southeast tip of Panama’s Azuero Peninsula. I can’t even begin to claim that I’m first, a whole string of investors and pioneers got there long before me. But for those expats who have ventured into this one-horse town and are attempting to actually DO something, there’s a genuine sense of excitement that we could perhaps be part of something special.

What’s special about Pedasi? Well, on the surface, not a whole lot. It’s a quiet little village with a small population. It isn’t right ON the beach. It’s relatively flat. It doesn’t have much going on in terms of tourism attractions. But it does have two of the major components required to become a major attraction: fishing & surfing.

Besides the fact that I foresee tourists flocking to the region within the decade, Pedasi is just a simply neat place to BE. People are incredibly friendly. Life is slow and extremely affordable (fifty cent beer!) and the weather is amazing. I’m from a tiny town in Pennsylvania, so the slow pace and kind neighbors remind me a lot of my childhood.

These days, while I struggle to complete what should be the first mid-class hotel in downtown Pedasi, I spend mostly weekends there. But each time I return to the bustle of Panama City, I find myself wishing I could spend more and more time there. Perhaps I’m returning to my roots or maybe I’m just ready for a slower way of life. Any way I look at it, I’m just glad I found Pedasi when I did.

By Aliza Elbert and Justin Gould