Our first beach experience in Panama takes us 100km west of the city to Santa Clara. There is the bare bones of a village here; mostly houses with one local bar and not much else. The beach road takes us to a stretch of beach that is very beautiful. The waves of the Pacific are very powerful and the beach is shelved so that the rollers crash dramatically on the shore. It also has the effect of trying to splat you unceremoniously against the sand as you get into the water. Once we got over the initial shock of the water temperature it was great fun really.
As we sat and watched the surf on our first day we were able to watch the pelicans and ?cormorants fishing just off the shore. It was amazing seeing them dive for the fish and the ensuing fights as the lazier ones tried to steal from those who had caught something. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me that afternoon and had hoped to capture it the next day; but the fish must have been running differently because we didn't see it again.
The beach itself only has 2 places to stay, which accounts for the exorbitant price of a very basic room. We figure it out eventually; the Panamanians from the city come for the weekend and this also helps to drive the prices up. The lodging that we found has a great monopoly supplying food and drink to weekenders and day trippers alike. This includes a $2 entrance fee to the beach per person at the weekend. Which would be OK if they actually did anything for the money other than take more money from you if you want to eat or drink during the day. Most of the locals bring coolers with enough supplies for a small village. Unfortunately, they then tend to leave all of their rubbish at the beach. The people who own the café don’t make any effort to clear up - even their own rubbish that has blown everywhere is left to be taken by the surf. Consequently, this and other beaches further down the coast are spoilt. It is amazing to us that the Panamanians don’t seem to care and certainly make no effort to keep the place litter-free.
Still, a walk 100m further along and you would think you were the only person on the beach that day. Just the pelicans and the buzzards to keep you company.
The local fishermen and their families lived further up the beach and it was interesting to see that it was probably more dangerous for them to bring their catch ashore against the swell of the surf than it had been to catch them. Also, it did show how the whole family became involved in bringing in the fish.
We were only able to book the beach cabin for one night so we decamp to another place 1km inland. An American couple have started a very ‘homely’ motor caravan park that also has a couple of rooms. Brett tells me it is like an old style American motel. Apparently, there are quite a few North Americans who drive down the Pan-American highway, which stretches the length of Central America, in their motor homes (or RVs for those in the know) and they need somewhere to hook up each evening. This couple have set up a ‘home from home’ for their compatriots. But with a local twist or two. Whilst the grounds were very beautifully kept - I think they thought the 7 or 8 bird cages with parrots, toucans and local exotic birds were a charming addition! Personally, I’d prefer it if the birds were left free. The staff were very lovely - helpful and cheerful - which is more than can be said for the owners who were devoid of any charm at all. No doubt Brett will make more sense of this than I did as he has had more experience of this slice of Americana.
So, 3 days at the beach was a very welcome start to our travels and we decide to head into the interior.
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