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Casita Margarita, in Pedasi

When you live in a cramped, hectic city where it seems that there’s always something happening and there’s not a moment to rest, the yearning for slower, calmer days slithers in unknowingly, creeping up behind you until it’s all you can think of. When there’s an opportunity to let it all go away, to pause and bask in the tranquility of days that appear to be standing still, after dealing with the noise of city life for so long, the only option is “go.” Whether you’re in Tokyo, Paris, New York or any other metropolis, the feeling of being eaten alive by the freight train of modern life is universal. But when you’re in Panama City, unlike other great modern cities, there are affordable and nearby options that will take it all away. For that purpose, let’s talk about Pedasí, deep in the Azuero Peninsula of the Republic of Panama.

You’ll excuse me if this is a somewhat personal piece.

Allow me to tell you a little bit about the state of mind I was in when I decided to venture out to Pedasi for this piece, to be embraced by the candid hospitality of the excellent folks running the Casita Margarita Boutique Hotel. I feel that it’ll help drive my point across as to why not just Pedasi, but also Casita Margarita were crucial to my new-found fondness of the place. But first, let me tell you a little bit about Pedasi itself. Consulting my Personal Lord and Savior, I got this tidbit:

Human settlement in the Azuero peninsula where Pedasí is located dates back anywhere from 11,000 years to 4500 years ago based on pre-Columbian artifacts and other archaeological evidence recovered from various sites on the peninsula. Spanish colonizers arrived in the 16th century, largely wiping out or displacing existing indigenous populations.

The district of Pedasí was created in 1840, when Panama was still tenuously united with Colombia. At the time, it was a division of the County of Los Santos (today the province of Los Santos), in the Province of Panama (which covered all of present-day Panama, except for the provinces of Veraguas and Bocas del Toro). The population of Pedasí in 1845 was 701 inhabitants.

Since then, the land of the Pedasí district has been used extensively for cattle farming; the cultivation of sorghum, corn, cantaloupe and watermelon; and the coastal villages support a small fishing industry.

A new industry has settled in as of late, the reason why I went out there in the first place: tourism. With the tourism boom that’s exploded in Panama for the last five or some-odd years, it’s not until now that foreigners are looking into the Azuero Peninsula, historically the cradle of Panamanian civilization, to visit, surf and retire. Located deep into the Pacific Coast of the country, Pedasi is home to a myriad of beaches, many of them great for surfing, some of the finest sports fishing in the world and other attractions such as the beautiful Isla Iguana. Because of this, a few small hotels, hostels and inns have opened to cater to the ever-increasing tourist traffic the peaceful, quiet town is receiving.

In retrospect, heading out there in the state I was in made me appreciate the trip more than if I had been in better condition to travel. My car, the legendary Red Bean, was in the shop for repairs. I had already postponed the trip for a couple of days just so I could have the Bean take us there since, in the end, it would’ve been cheaper: a roughly four-hour drive from Panama City down the Inter-American Highway leads you to the entrance of the Azuero Peninsula. From there you’ll pass the city of Chitré, and the town of Los Santos. Thirty minutes or so in you’ll eventually reach the world-famous town of Las Tablas, arguably the most popular Carnival destination. Once in Las Tablas, you’re in for the home stretch: approximately 30 minutes out of Las Tablas you’ll reach the quiet town of Pedasi, right by the coast. Since the Bean wasn’t ready and I was growing increasingly more frustrated with Panama City and the proverbial bullshit that goes with it, we decided to head out to the Panama Bus Terminal and head on out the public transport way.

It is recommended to take the bus early, because you’re in for a long trip. There are no buses that will take you straight to Pedasi; instead, you’re instructed to take an $8-fare charter bus to Las Tablas, and from there take another $4-fare bus for the last stretch to Pedasi. Be forewarned, though! The last Las Tablas-Pedasi bus leaves at 4PM. After that, taxis are the only means of transportation, and they’ll ring you up anywhere between $12-18, depending on who you ask.

So here’s a little introspection: my state of mind was one that could only be compared to riding a perfect wave. I’m not a surfer by any stretch, but the analogy works perfectly. I met a very lovely girl some time before the trip went down, and she gave me many gifts which I will always be grateful for. Not material gifts, mind you; after a long, strung-out period where it seemed to me no girl would bet on me for X, Y, or Z reasons, as luck would have it I found a woman who is daring, brave, beautiful and was not scared of my lack of self-control. It was a breath of fresh air, this wave. Of course, like all great things, this relationship had a due date in the form of a plane ticket back to Europe. Just when I thought that because of this banana peel she wouldn’t bet on me though, the most unbelievable thing happened: she went all-in, stripping everything off the proverbial bullshit. There was no tomorrow, and I hadn’t been this genuinely happy in a very long time; this made me dread the due date with twice the intensity, and as we got on the bus and waited for the journey to Pedasi to start, I chose then and there to be utterly selfish and wish that time would stop just so I could get punch-drunk on this. I didn’t want it to end, as childish as it sounds.

With that, the bus finally backed up and headed out to the pitch-black highway. There were many things that I learned on this trip, but the first thing that Pedasi made perfectly clear is that sometimes, if you truly wish for something to happen, the universe conspires to make it come true.

Pedasi is quiet and charming to the point of feeling like you’re in another world. A more tranquil, more serene place far removed from everything the city slicker is used to. The townsfolk have a laid-back attitude, never lock the doors to their homes and carry on their days with grace and not a worry in the world. If in Chitré it’s evident who is from Panama City by the way they drive and move about, in Pedasi they stick out like sore thumbs. It somehow forces strangers to keep themselves chilled out as to not disrupt the tranquility of the place, an unspoken rule that everyone follows, whether you’re from town or not. It made for a rather intimate atmosphere, a fragile tranquility that everyone knew shouldn’t be disrupted… which brings me to Casita Margarita.

Established in 2008, Casita Margarita is a five-bedroom boutique inn located right on the main street of Pedasi, about two minutes past the entrance of the town. As legend has it, the two-story house used to belong to a local carpenter; the developers decided to name the inn “Margarita,” after the carpenter’s grandmother. Do you know the feeling you get when you walk into a house and it feels inviting, warm, lived in? That I-dunno-what that you perceive when you feel at home somewhere? Well, this place has it in spades. I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out what made Margarita such a delight to be in. An indescribable sense of comfort and serenity, like a mother’s bosom or some other transcendental Feng Shui shit permeated every hallway, every chair, the walls, the wooden floors, the beautiful dining room, the second-floor lounge area, the lush vegetation surrounding it… it’s as if we stepped into a vortex where time would slow down and, if we really stopped tracking it, reach a much-needed halt.

The folks running the hotel are some of the coolest Gringos (and Costa-Rican!) I’ve ever met. They make the experience a hundred times better due to the fact that they take the “personal attention” shtick to heart. We felt like we were staying at a friends’ house, albeit with utterly beautiful decor and some badass cooking. Since the hotel is small, it creates a sense of fellowship that goes perfectly in tune with the tranquil mood Pedasi sets in. All rooms have air conditioning, bathroom, closet, satellite TV and wireless internet access. The lounge area on the second floor has a pretty healthy selection of books and magazines, as well as a balcony with a great view of Main Street and hammocks to gently swing the days away in comfort and bliss. Gourmet meals are available on Saturday nights for both guests and anyone who wants to drop by, but there’s limited seating so remember to get there early! The hotel rates include breakfast, so don’t fret about it. Also, the awesome Chef Andres can prepare special meals for guests any night of the week.

If you’re looking for different options to eat, there are all sorts of restaurants in the surrounding area, from Italian to Panamanian. There are even a couple of juice bars open during the day, along with the famous Angela’s Restaurant, which serves some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had in. My. Life. Angela’s is highly recommended, right next to the Centro Comercial Pedasi (don’t let the name fool you; it’s not a gargantuan mall by any means), off of Main Street. You can’t miss it.

The staff at Casita Margarita will help you in anything you need, whether it is organizing a fishing trip or finding out more about what there is to do in Pedasi and the destinations you should hit while you’re there. You’ll be hard-pressed to leave the hotel though; forget about the rooms, since they’re cozy as hell. They have a magnet quality tuned into my ass that completely takes over if I let it. Once out on the main road, you can venture out to Isla Iguana, Isla Cañas (a popular turtle-nesting ground), any of the beaches located just a few minutes away by car, and other secret goodies. If you know who to ask, they’ll spill the beans on the several waterfalls in the surrounding area. Wherever it is you go, don’t worry about not being able to find your way back to Casita Margarita; just walk until you see the prettiest house on Main Street.

Be sure to swing by their website for more pictures of the hotel, check out the tours and make your reservations. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Cailey, Casey and Andres for all of their warm hospitality, care and love for “Entourage.” Kiki and I had a blast during our stay. I’m just a little sorry we couldn’t enjoy more of Pedasi than we did; the problem with time standing still is that, before you know it, it’s time to head back to Panama City! Please, dear reader, don’t let this happen to you and make sure you venture out and explore the beauty of Pedasi. Walk around. Meet people. Have some mangos; they’re delicious and they fall off trees all the time with the right amount of shakes. Oh, and if you need someone to kindly tell you what time it is when you’re too deep in the tranquility to tell for yourself, let the kind folks at Casita Margarita help you.

Originally posted 2009-09-21 22:31:11.

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