Rob-Rivera.com

Panamanians and Beaches

You might or might not know this, not sure if I’ve mentioned it before but I’m one of the editors for AlmanqueAzul.org, a Panamanian site that covers everything having to do with coasts and beaches in Panama. It’s a highly trafficked site judging from the activity I see daily, and people from all over the world (thankfully most of them speak Spanish) walk into the site and look around getting a great impression of our country. There’s always people asking what it’s like to live there or if there’s any civilization near the Decameron hotel (the answer is: not really) since it seems to be really pimped out to tourists. There’s great discussion on the comments section in entries made for the most popular beaches and hot topics regarding this sort of deal, that of the environment. If you’ve researched a little bit about Panama you then probably know that the country is great for nature and beach lovers since we have plenty of both. Finding information on hiking expeditions is not hard at all either when you have great inititiatives like this one from AlAireLibre.ws and other Panamanian blogs that cover all things outdoors.

I’ve talked about this before, how it’s ridiculously simple and easy to reach a beach shore in Panama, specially when the nearest beach is 20 minutes away but for some inexplicable reason some Panamanians don’t take advantage of this incredible luck that we as a country possess by having beaches out the ass. AA does its best to keep track on all of them but since it’s a collaborative effort the site depends a lot on people actually going out to these beaches and report on them. From what I understand all of the beaches you MUST visit during your stay are well-documented but the project is still in progress and we could really use the help. There are certain things that are being set in motion so that people are rewarded for writing a report on their voyages but personally I feel that it shouldn’t be that way. But alas, the situation is what it is. Since Panamanians are keen on partying without measure there are some inconsiderate assholes that, and I apologize for the abrupt change in gears here, don’t respect the beach.

There’s a beach for everyone in this country. You have them in all shapes, sizes or varieties of water, sand and the people who frequent them and I’ve always thought how funny that was since a lot of beaches (specially in the Pacific side of the country) are quite literally right next to each other yet they’re so radically different that it baffles the mind. Anyway, some people (I’m not pointing fingers but I sure as hell you aren’t one of them, sir/madam) are so disrespectful that it sticks in my craw every time: whenever I go out to the beach with my friends we go all out, getting stuff to cook for bonfires, ridiculous amounts of beer and alcohol and other things that most just maximize our ability to be loud motherfuckers. The thing about this is that after we’re done we clean up after ourselves, no matter how much trash we leave lying on the sand. It’s common courtesy for the fellow beach-goer, and it’s not like you’d appreciate a total stranger leaving empty bear cans and wiener plastic wrappers lying on your living room so we do the right thing and sweep the floor so that it’s all nice and clean. Some idiots though tend to not give a crap and leave their mess right there where they were screaming and laughing and whatever. I don’t think this is much a Panamanian thing but rather a worldwide type of behavior (I could be sadly mistaken though, but either way it still manages to piss me the fuck off).

Look, we as Panamanians consider the beach as just another place to go. Another one of those things no one else has and we stupidly take for granted; even I wasn’t aware of the fact but it took foreigners for me to see how much we’re not doing and we easily could, when people in other countries have to drive 6 hours to get to the nearest beach and once there swim in yummy, chilled-to-freezing-point waters that no one wants to dive into.

I respect the beach. It’s erratic, engulfing and a downright rebel. I know she could just as easily wash me away and there would be nothing I could do about it so I don’t kid around with her. I just float and am when I’m with her. I know she’ll set me straight, wash away my troubles and treat me like no other person ever has and she never disappoints.

I suggest that if you have any inquiries regarding what the beach life is like in Panama, you should head out to AlmanaqueAzul.org and you’ll get all of the info you need. You get handy, informative guides to the hundreds of destinations a tourist can take and also know how to do things while out in the open such as food, birth control, cuts, rashes and much more.

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