Panama⦠Una Escapada de la Ciudad (Span.) | An Escape from the Cityā¦
After so much hustle and bustle in the city, exciting as it is, it was time to get out of town for a spell, para un cambio de paisaje (literally: for a change of landscape, English expression: for a change of scenery, Italian: per cambiare aria), so we hopped in el carro (It. la macchina) the car and headed about an hour and a half southwest of Panama City to explore the Valle de Anton.
Lush, slightly cooler, quiet and slow-paced, it was just what we needed.What struck me most about this place was the greenery and the waterāso much in evidence everywhere ā animals roaming freely, and more pedestrians and bicycles on the roads than cars. Hemos alquilado bicis para explorar el pueblo! (We rented bikes to explore the town!) Letās take a spin through the Valle de Antonā¦

Tiny tamarin monkeys sound like birds. This little guy, posing on the bike tire of his human, a local guide, is about a year old.

Una balanza al Mercado Publico. En vista tambien hay el platano ubicuo, zanahorias, ajo, cebollas, y repollo. / A scale at the Public Market. Also in view: the ubiquitous plantain, carrots, garlic, onions and cabbage.

Mamones chinos, similar to lychee fruit. The market vendor sold me ācuatro por cuaraā, four for a quarter, (cuara is Panamaniam slang for 25 cents, from the English word quarter).

Una mamĆ lleva s su hija a la escuela (a mom takes her daughter to school). Look closely, both are smiling. People here seem peaceful and content.

Front yard of a villa on Calle Los Millionarios (Millionaires Road), where Noriega and his gang used to have country homes. The gangsters are gone, but las casas bellas quedan (the beautiful houses remain).

The main event: La Piedra Pintada (the Painted Rock), a remnant of El Valleās pre-Columbian culture, is a 15-ft boulder featuring a collection of ancient petroglyphs.

Closeup of la PIedra Pintada, the Painted Rock. It makes me thimkĀ of an ox (It. un bue, Sp. Un buey).

All along the upward path there are small trails leading to peopleās homes. This mom travels on foot with her small daughter⦠40 minutes round trip ā 60 with groceries, she tells us.
While hiking on the path, we got stuck in a sudden heavy downpour and found ourselves huddling under the leafiest tree we could find, with just one small umbrella and one thin rain poncho between two people.
After about 10 minutes and getting pretty soggy, it
looked like it would be more than just a flash storm, so we screwed up our courage and carefully descended the slippery path, avoiding gullies of water gushing around us. The rainstorm lasted the better part of an hour, giving us time to take in some interesting scenes along the wayā¦
Ā

Bikes everywhere! Often with two people aboard. Una pareja feliz (a happy couple) poses in the rain.

Next, we rode our bicicletas (bicycles) to los Pozos Termales (the hot springs).
$2.25 adult entrance fee ā deal of the century!
Finally we headed back to main part of town, passing a few more interesting and typical sights in this lovely mountain valley of Valle de Antonā¦

Still-functioning cabinas telefonicas (phone booths), standing like dinosaurs, even though every other person here seems to have a cell phone to their ear.

The mini mart/convenience store M/S (short for Mini Supermercacdo) Fuente del Valle, an important town hub on the Avenida Principal (Main Street).
But the most emblematic shot of the Valle de Anton is this one:

A mom walking her child to school, a bicyclist, and a dog resting right in the middle⦠all sharing the road⦠just another peaceful day in Valle de Anton, Panama.
Have you been to Valle de Anton or anywhere like it?Ā Which of these pics is your favorite shot?Ā Love reading your comments!








































































































