“Hi again, everybody. I had a great time yesterday I had plans to get with Jose, who lives and works in P-city (Panama City). We had decided when I first arrived that a small village he knew about would be worth checking out for me. My requirements are simple. I’m looking for a place at significant elevation to take advantage of cooler temperatures, not highly developed but with some infrastructure (i.e. reliable water source, electricity, cell service), and where having a cow and a few chickens or goats would not be impossible. He described Chica as a ‘secret place,’ somewhere that hasn’t been invaded by the hordes of people looking for quiet and beautiful surroundings and poised for great growth. He wasn’t exaggerating.
“After about a 90-minute drive on the Pan American highway, we hung a right (you can easily miss the small green sign) and headed up a very well-maintained asphalt two-lane road with very little traffic. The reward was great! At each turn the vista was more beautiful than the last. The battery on my camera was burning up! There was actually a designated look-out area for people wanting to savor the views at leisure. The mountains displayed suede-like textures and a range of the most vibrant greens you could imagine. In the background you could clearly see much of the Panama Canal. Great WOW factor!
“Onward and upward we finally came to the village of Chica (translation ‘Little Girl’). It was quaint, lively, and cool with good scenery and evidence of some recent home building. Roosters strutted about with their wives and several little roadside vegetable stands were open for business. Jose inquired about the availability of land, and one man said he had a titled acre with a small waterfall for US$8,000. The road is ‘bad now,’ he admitted (this is the end of the rainy season), but if I were to return in a few months, ‘it would be better.’ I am pretty sure I will!”
–Suzi B., attendee at this month’s Offshore Summit, reporting in from her off-road Panama adventure
Continue Reading: Sustainable Living At Carmelita, Belize
