Dear Graham,
The following morning, I woke up with the thought that we should visit El Valle. I was nervous. What if Pedasí was too hot for us and we needed a cooler place to live? I had watched YouTube videos about El Valle and found it charming, with its lush green mountains and cloud forests, flower gardens, tree-lined streets, fresh mountain air, and little cafés and bakeries. I still had a strong desire to live by the ocean, but I wanted a backup plan, just in case.
Instead of thinking I was crazy, Tom thought it was a great idea. I called Luis, the owner of the driving company that had introduced us to Joseph, and asked if either he or Joseph could take us on a day trip to El Valle. Luis said he would pick us up the next morning at 7:00 a.m. He told us to be prepared for a three-hour drive and to wear hiking shoes because he was taking us on a hike.
We arrived in El Valle around 10:00 a.m. and pulled onto the peaceful, tree-lined main street, right in front of the vegetable market. The minute we stepped out of Luis’s van, we fell in love. The air was cool and fresh, and the market was so charming. We wandered through the produce stalls, admiring the colorful fruits and vegetables and chatting with the friendly vendors. We instantly felt at home.
The hiking trail Luis took us on was La India Dormida—the Sleeping Indian. It began in a lush, emerald-green forest. We followed a path alongside a stream, passing a small waterfall. Tom and I are Colorado Rocky Mountain hikers, but I still found the steep climb through the trees, over roots and rocks, challenging. More than once, Luis reached out his hand to pull me up or help me keep my balance. Even so, Tom and I loved every minute of the hike.
The one mistake we made was leaving our daypack, with our water and snacks, in the van. Before long, we were both desperately thirsty. I honestly thought I might pass out. Then a little miracle appeared. Sitting on a rock was a beautiful Panamanian woman selling bottles of ice-cold water from a cooler. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! We each bought a bottle and happily guzzled it down.
When we finally reached the top of the ridge, the forest opened onto a grassy hillside with spectacular panoramic views across the entire volcanic crater that forms El Valle. It was a perfectly clear day. We could almost see the Pacific Ocean in the distance. As we rested, a French family joined us, and Luis surprised everyone by pulling out a fresh pineapple he had bought at the market below. He sliced it up and shared it with all of us. It was one of those simple moments that stays with you forever.
As we sat there together, surrounded by such incredible beauty, Tom and I realized that if life by the ocean didn’t work out, we had found another place that already felt like home. El Valle had quietly stolen a little piece of our hearts.
But, Graham, as you know from the rest of our letters, Pedasí did work out.
Four days later, we flew in a small plane to Chitré, rented a car, and drove to Pedasí. We stayed at the Hummingbird Inn in a room with an ocean view and a covered porch where we could sit and listen to the waves rolling onto Toro Beach. Every morning we walked along the beach, enjoying its voluptuous waves, fascinating rock formations, and tide pools.
At the inn we met a lovely couple from Paris, Antonio and Isabelle. They were kindred spirits, and we had so much in common. We enjoyed long conversations over coffee at the French café and shared a delicious lunch at a local fonda, which Antonio generously treated us to. Antonio spoke fluent French, Spanish, and English, and possibly several other languages. Isabelle understood our English well, especially when we remembered to slow down, and she spoke English beautifully herself.
They were both warm and kind, and Isabelle was beautiful. We enjoyed their company immensely. At the end of one of our visits together, Isabelle looked into my eyes and said, “The light in your eyes shines straight into my heart.” Then she leaned toward me and kissed both of my cheeks. I was completely floored. Tom and I both found her utterly charming.
Tom and I spent our days house hunting. We looked at eight houses and found two that we thought we could happily live in. Then, on our last day, something magical happened.
A Panamanian woman took us to see a house about fifteen minutes outside of Pedasí. As we followed her and her partner in our rental car, I kept saying to Tom, “I’m not going to live this far from town. I told you I want to be close to shops and restaurants.” We had lived in the country for thirty-two years, and we both agreed we were ready to live closer to town.
But then something unexpected happened.
The woman, who spoke only Spanish, showed us the house she had in mind. It was a wreck. There were no appliances, no furniture, and light fixtures hung from the ceiling by exposed wires. The house was filthy. I looked at her and simply said, “No!” She looked right back at me, smiled, and repeated, “No!”
I walked out of the house and up a stone path. She walked beside me, and together we came upon a beautiful yellow stucco home with its front door standing open. I pointed to it and said, “I would like to rent this house.”
A man named José came outside and invited us in. The home was beautiful, with breathtaking ocean views. He explained that he and his wife lived there, but that he owned another house two homes farther down the path. It also had an ocean view and was only a two-minute walk to the beach. He said he would be happy to rent that one to us.
The next day we looked at it, fell in love, and signed the lease.
We could hardly believe it. What we had wanted with all our hearts was an ocean view and a short walk to the beach. Somehow, we had found exactly that. Our dream had come true.
José turned out to be our Spanish angel.
The next day we returned the rental car and flew back to the States, where we spent the next four months packing up the remainder of our belongings. I wrapped up my real estate business, and Tom finished preparing all the paperwork for our move to Panama.
With love,
CC
