Driving into Pedasí (pop. 1,830) this time, I was dismayed to see all the billboards lining the road on the way to town. That’s it, I thought, Pedasí is done. But somehow, the charm of Pedasí continues to resist efforts to make it nothing but a tourist trap and beachhead for real-estate developers.

Pedasí was until recently a Spanish-colonial town that time forgot, with the same kind of architecture and the same civic pride in keeping the place clean and quaint as in Parita. But it has finally been discovered.

There are new hotels and places to eat in the area, including some one would never expect to find way out here. And a huge, French-owned real-estate project being built by the beach just south of town may, as one developer jokingly put it, turn Pedasí into “the San Tropez of Panama.”

The is the hometown of Mireya Moscoso, Panama’s president 1999–2004. A cynic might believe Pedasí benefited a few years back from the presidential connection. The road is perfect between Pedasí and Las Tablas, 43 kilometers north; it turns bad a few kilometers south of town.

Commercial flights now land at its new airstrip. A large, modern branch of Banco Nacional de Panamá now gleams at the north entrance to town. It looks bigger than the town itself. Money has come to Pedasí, and the houses are being spruced up.

But the charm of this friendly little town is still intact, and it doesn’t yet look like a museum exhibit. Townspeople still live in town, and most of the restaurants are still fondas (taverns) whose backbone clientele are the local laborers. It’s main road is busier now, but Pedasí is still a haven of tranquility surrounded by natural beauty. I can’t think of a more pleasant place to discover heartland Panama.

Most of Pedasí is on either side of a one-kilometer stretch of two-lane road that runs north–south through the town. The ocean is just a couple of kilometers to the east. The town church and plaza are on the southeast side of town.

Visitors can take in the town itself in less than an hour. The main attractions are its nearby beaches; a couple of unusual islands, Isla Iguana and Isla de Cañas, that aren’t too hard to get to; and a surfing spot, Playa El Venao, about 30 kilometers south of town that’s great for beginners.

The waters off Pedasí offer good diving and fishing, and Pedasí now has an outfitter to take advantage of that fact. Humpback whales can be spotted offshore from around August to October or November.

November 25 is the celebration of Pedasí’s patron saint, Santa Catalina. The town also has its own elaborate Carnaval celebration. This would be a more sane place than most to celebrate Carnaval on the Azuero. Pedasí has a big desfile de carreta (parade with floats) in November; dates vary.

Getting to Pedasí

Las Tablas has direct buses to Pedasí. They leave every 45 minutes 6 a.m.–7 p.m. The trip takes 45 minutes and costs US$2. Catch the return bus on Pedasí’s main street 6 a.m.–5 p.m. There is no longer bus service between Pedasí and Tonosí, though a bus goes as far as Cañas, the jumping-off point for Isla de Cañas, at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The fare is US$2.25. The bus stop in Pedasí is opposite Restaurante Angela.

There are now commercial flights to Pedasí. Air Panama flies there at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday and 3 p.m. Friday and Sunday. Return flights are at 2:25 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday and Sunday. The flight takes about 35 minutes and costs US$77 each way.

The town is easily walkable; the main street is just a kilometer long. There’s a taxi stand (tel. 995-2275) on that street just north of Residencial Moscoso for longer trips. One-way fares are less than US$5 to nearby beaches, US$18 to Playa Venao and Las Tablas, US$30 Tonosí, and US$40 to Playa Cambutal. Those on a tight budget can also hike to Playa Arenal, Playa Toro, or Playa Garita without much trouble. They’re about three kilometers from the center of town.