Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From the
bus terminal
( 998-4006)
, buses depart for David (US$9, three hours)
hourly from 9am to 2am, and for Panama City (US$9.50, four hours) hourly from
3:15am to 9:15pm.
Buses to destinations in Veraguas depart from Santiago's bus terminal on Calle 10,
near Av E. For Santa Fé, buses depart half-hourly from 5am to 7:30pm (US$2.90, 1½
hours). You can also hail these on the turnoff from the Interamericana, north of Calle 24.
To reach the surf destination of Santa Catalina, you must first take a bus to Soná and
transfer. Buses to Soná depart half-hourly from 7am to 6pm (US$2.10, one hour). From
Soná to Santa Catalina (US$4.65, 1½ hours) there are four departures daily. Buses charge
extra for surfboards.
If you don't have your own wheels, taxis are easy to hail and they go anywhere in
town for US$2 or less. You can also hire
Radio Taxi
( 958-8075)
to the Iglesia San
Francisco de Veraguas (US$8 one way) or the towns of Soná (US$30), Santa Catalina
(US$70) or Santa Fé (US$30).
WORTH A TRIP
CERAMICA LA PEÑA
A ceramic workshop and
artisan market
( 9am-4:30pm Mon-Fri)
, La Peña sells wood
carvings and baskets made by the Emberá and Wounaan peoples of the Darién,
woven purses and soapstone figurines made by local Ngöbe-Buglé people, and
masks from the town of Parita. There's also a good selection of pots and sculptures
available for purchase, some made onsite. It's on the Interamericana, 8km west of
Santiago.
TOP OF CHAPTER
San Francisco
In the small town of San Francisco, 16km north of the Interamericana on the road from
Santiago to Santa Fé, the historic
San Francisco of Veraguas Church
is one of the best
and oldest examples of baroque art and architecture in the Americas.
The centerpiece is the highly ornate altar of ash and bitter cedar. Although most colo-
nial altars in the Americas were brought over from Europe, this one was carved by local
indigenous people and finished around 1727.
In addition to images of the crucifixion, Virgin and saints, there are finely carved and
well-preserved images of the artisans and prominent indigenous people. Their faces are
