Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Boat trips and guides
Contact the local environmental organization GEMA ( 976 1040;
or Hector Escudero 6021 4919), which offers guiding services (in Spanish) and boat trips,
and can arrange transport for you.
The central peninsula
The best way to get a feel for rural life in the Azuero, which in some places has remained
much the same for over a century, is to head west of the Carretera Nacional into the
agricul-
tural heartland
of the peninsula. Here you pass rolling hills of pastureland sprinkled with
giant hardwoods, fields of sugar cane and flower-filled towns and villages, where the unhur-
ried pace of life is infectious. There is precious little accommodation in these places, but the
main population centres are well connected by public transport on decent roads and two or
three can easily be combined into a day-trip. To experience life in the more remote villages,
pack a sleeping bag or tent and clamber aboard one of the infrequent
chivas
from the plaza
of one of the larger centres and improvise once you reach the end of the road - literally. The
hospitality of most people on the peninsula is such that you're bound to find somewhere to
spend the night for a few dollars, with a bar and a hole-in-the-wall
fonda
nearby to sustain
you.
Pesé
One of the prettiest towns within reach of Chitré, lying 24km southeast and surrounded by
a carpet of sugar cane,
PESÉ
is known for its Good Friday re-enactment of the Passion of
Christ, and its liquor; the ironic juxtaposition of faith and booze is evident the moment you
set eyes on the church, which looks disapprovingly across the road at the Varela Hermanos
distillery
, producer of Panama's national knockout (35 percent) tipple, seco. What Spanish
émigré and founder José Varela started up as a sugar mill and refinery in 1908, became a
distillery in 1936 and the business has never looked back, now supplying ninety percent of
Panama's spirits. As you can find out for yourself on a tour of the place ( 917 0300,
vare-
lahermanos.com
;
Jan-April), the factory produces a million cases of spirit a year, much of
which ends up down the throats of revellers at the Azuero's many celebrations, such as the
annual
Festival de la Caña de Azúcar
held in Pesé to mark the end of the harvest.
ARRIVAL AND EATING: PESÉ
By bus
Buses leave Chitré bus terminal for Pesé every 15-20min (6.30am-6.30pm; 30min).
Restaurante Marithel
C José Varela Blanco, 50m from the church 6648 9901.
This
friendly restaurant with a shady patio draped with foliage and hibiscus flowers serves a de-
cent beef stew and the like for around $2.50.
Daily 7am-3pm.
