Tripatini2024-03-29T08:30:16Zhttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/feed/allThe rustic appeal of Antón Valleyhttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/valle-anton-valley-panama2023-04-28T07:20:17.000Z2023-04-28T07:20:17.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11037293878?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>A few years ago I visited my good Miami friends Ricardo and Charles at their holiday home in <strong>Panama</strong>, and apart from the great stuff in <strong>Panama City</strong> both old and new, I discovered a great little hideaway about two hours from the capital. It's a haven for both well heeled Panamanians and expats (these days the population's around 7,500), and also offers visitors a sweet little taste of rural life but with plenty of amenities and a few interesting attractions. Welcome to <strong>El Valle de Antón</strong>!<br /> <br />At some 2,000 feet above sea level, this valley is actually one of the world's largest inhabited calderas, of the 3¾-mile-wide (six-kilometre) <strong>El Valle Volcano</strong> - a fecund enclave with a cool microclimate (usually in the lower 70s Fahrenheit/20s Celsius) that makes it a real stand-out in sultry, tropical Panama. It's a high rainfall zone, but December through March is reliably dry and sunny.</p>
<p>Read more in my post <a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/valle-de-anton-panama" target="_blank">A Cute Crater Valley Hideaway Near Panama City</a>.</p>
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<h6><em><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_valle.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8pt;">Lee Siebert</span></a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>The intriguing 'Painted Stone' in Antón Valleyhttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/piedra-pintada-valle-valley-anton-panama2023-04-28T07:11:25.000Z2023-04-28T07:11:25.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/11037290470?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>One of the top highlights in the fetching Valle de Antón, two hours from Panama Ciry, is this <strong>Piedra Pintada</strong>, a rock with as yet undeciphered pre-Columbian petroglyphs; continue up the trail another 90 minutes or so to the top of <strong>Cerro Gaital</strong> (aka <strong>La India Dormida</strong>, the Sleeping Indian Woman), for sweeping view of the surrounding mountains and the valley below.</p>
<p>Read more in my post <a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/valle-de-anton-panama" target="_blank">A Cute Crater Valley Hideaway Near Panama City</a>.</p>
<h6><em><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PetroglifoElValle.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8pt;">Ayaita</span></a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>An islet in the San Blas Archipelagohttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-islet2022-06-18T08:32:15.000Z2022-06-18T08:32:15.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10579138870?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><strong>Panama</strong> of course has no shortage of islands, ravishing beaches, and secluded paradises. But this archipelago of around 365 islands and cays (barely 50 of them inhabited) spread over some 300 square kilometres (100 sq. miles) off the country's <strong>Caribbean</strong> coast, is a particular standout for its pristine environment.<br /><br />Read more about the archipelago and its people in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'</p>
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<h6><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/peque%C3%B1a-isla-tropical-con-palmeras-para%C3%ADso-de-vacaciones-de-verano-gm1089732110-292335555" target="_blank">(hanohiki)</a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>Snorkeling in the San Blas Islandshttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-snorkeling2022-06-18T08:19:40.000Z2022-06-18T08:19:40.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10579081657?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>The warm, crystalline waters of this pristine archipelago offer snorkelers a fantastic experience. Read more about the archipelago and its people in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'<br /> </p>
<h6><em><span style="font-size:6pt;"><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/mujer-mayor-disfrutando-de-piscina-con-m%C3%A1scara-de-buceo-cerca-de-la-isla-de-isla-de-gm672436570-123156227" target="_blank">(DavorLovincic)</a></span></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>Rustic accommodations in the San Blas Archipelagohttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-rustic-accommodations2022-06-17T13:28:05.000Z2022-06-17T13:28:05.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10575742093?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>A huge part of the charm of these pristine islands is their rustic simplicity, which extends to the accommodations. Read more about the archipelago and its people in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'<br /><br /><br /></p>
<h6><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/tropical-del-hotel-gm515836526-88696481" target="_blank">(FrankvandenBerghh)</a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>Guna woman selling molas in the San Blas Islandshttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-guna-woman-molas2022-06-17T09:09:45.000Z2022-06-17T09:09:45.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10574417861?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>One of these ladies' main pursuits is weaving and selling cotton <em>molas</em> - colorfully embroidered blankets, wall hangings, blouses, and accessories. Read more about the archipelago and its people in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'</p>
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<p><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/kuna-yala-quiosco-en-la-calle-del-casco-viejo-en-una-vieja-parte-de-ciudad-de-panam%C3%A1-gm809787052-131021201" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8pt;">(DavorLovincic)</span></a></em></p>
<p> </p></div>A man of the Guna people in a canoe in the San Blas Archipelagohttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-guna-man-in-canoe2022-06-17T08:35:26.000Z2022-06-17T08:35:26.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10574400098?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>In matriarchal Guna society, men still spend much of their time fishing. Read more about the archipelago and its people in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'</p>
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<h6><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/tribu-kuna-india-gm458281583-23004158" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8pt;">(robivamos)</span></a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>Simple, fresh, delicious eating in the San Blas Islandshttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-food-lobster-patacones-plantains-culinary2022-06-17T08:16:26.000Z2022-06-17T08:16:26.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10574335066?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Here's an example: fresh caught lobster with a bit of rice and <em>patacones</em>, fried slices of plantains. Read more about the archipelago in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'</p>
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<h6><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/comida-local-de-san-blas-gm518616286-90132711" target="_blank">(Sergio Espino)</a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>Lazy days in the San Blas Islandshttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-hammock2022-06-17T07:17:16.000Z2022-06-17T07:17:16.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10574257254?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Chilling in hammocks is one of the slow, simple pleasures common on these pristine shores. Read more about the archipelago in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'<br /><br /></p>
<h6><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/hombre-senior-en-hamaca-en-la-playa-gm657943260-120030919" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8pt;">(helovi)</span></a></em></h6>
<p> </p></div>The abundant undersea life in the San Blas Archipelagohttps://tripatini.com/group/panama/photos/panama-san-blas-islands-underwater-diving-snorkeling2022-06-17T07:01:03.000Z2022-06-17T07:01:03.000ZDavid Paul Appellhttps://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10574245252?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>These pristine islands offer divers and snorkelers an equally pristine underwater world to explore. Read more about the archipelago in my post '<a href="https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/unplugged-paradise-panama-san-blas-islands?edited=1" target="_blank">Unplugged Paradise in Panama's San Blas Islands</a>.'</p>
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<h6><em><a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/es/foto/vida-bajo-el-agua-de-mar-gm862461662-142953229" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:8pt;">(Damocean)</span></a></em></h6>
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