WHAT IS PLAYA VENAO?
There is something truly magical about this place, and I will only try and describe its magnificence in words. When I first arrived in Playa Venao one year ago, I fell in love instantly. The energy here ignited something in me. The people, nature, and vibe warmed my heart and filled my soul. I have lived here in this small coastal town in Panama, Central America for six months. It is a five-hour drive from Panama City and nestled on the Pacific coast is this unique spot the bus and I call our second home.
I first discovered Playa Venao due to the bus in 2018. Barney and Leve, both previous members of the bus tribe, commandeered the Submarine here just before it surprise surprise, broke down with a battery and alternator problem. This was a blessing in disguise. I felt the essence and calmness which Playa Venao resonates with. Ever since then, it has become my sanctuary and heaven for the past four months. I found little reason to leave, and with each day passing more reasons to stay longer. And here is why.
Playa Venao is a traveller's retreat. It has something to offer to everyone. Whether it is learning to surf, exploring the surrounding beaches or jungle, drinking copious amounts of tequila, partying or relaxing by the coast – here is the place for people of all ages to enjoy.
WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE BETTER THAN SLICED BREAD
There is one main reason why I love it so much. It is the energy. Playa Venao has a magical vibration in the air bounced to and fro the locals who live here. The community of people who call Venao home makes this place so unique. It is a prevalent story to hear of people planning to stay for a week and not leave months later. I was a perfect example of this, and most likely all of you people reading this.
Everyone here is happy and smiling, carefree, and positive. It is effortless to get stuck into the vortex of the Venao lifestyle of chilling, surfing, and relaxing. There are no worries, traffic, or timelines to be. The life here is slow-paced and straightforward.
The bay and beach area is surrounded by jungle and is home to howling monkeys, iguanas, and various animals. I have often seen whales come to feed and breach in the bay. I find myself sitting in the surf at sunset, with pink and orange skies above, waiting for waves, and looking back at the shore, admiring the hills of greenery and untouched land. At those moments, I think this is surreal.
Playa Venao loves to host techno parties or four-day festivals every Saturday night and throughout the year, including Radio and Sonica Venao. When the music is pumping, you can hear the beats of deep house resonating off the hills into the water and winding up the party vibe in the town.
On the weekends, the local Panamanians flock to the coastline with their cars and friends. Parking as close as possible to my bus, they would pump non-stop tunes from a radio station that sounded like Skrillex stuck on repeat. The best part was they kicked off the after-party Fridays and Saturdays at 4 am – not the best weekend morning alarm but highly entertaining when you walk out to brush your teeth and get offered shots of rum at 7 am by the locals. Or the one time a drunken local very casually stumbled through the front door of our bus and started a very descriptive life story of himself and exiting out the back door.
The bus has been extremely fortunate to have been parked just 100m in front of the beach. With easy access to hot showers in hostels and drinking water, it has been the best location so far on this journey. To wake up and fall asleep to the sound of the ocean rolling to the shoreline is magical. Surfing here has been one of my highlights, and being in the water daily is the lifestyle that makes me a happy gal.
Combining my love of the ocean and surfing, I was also able to land a job teaching surf lessons at the SHOKOGI shop inside the Selina hostel. An extremely fun and rewarding gig. My students and I shared many epic waves, laughs, a few too many shukas, and some good old-fashioned nose dives. The best part was working with a bunch of awesome legends every day.
Most of the residents who call this place home, work or visit from Israel.
Surprisingly, Hebrew is spoken more than Spanish in town. While most people speak English, no one understands my Australian slang, and my accent was a daily topic of conversation and joke.
MY FAVOURITE BUEN APPETITE'S – FOOD CRITIC EAT YOUR HEART OUT
The Israeli culture brought some incredible food options into town and changed my appetite. My taste buds are still salivating as I list my three top eating experiences;
1. La Hummaseria – my favorite food option run by the best family in town. I can taste the love in their food every time I visit, and I always feel nourished when leaving. Eating hummus in the hammock or sitting by the front porch while overlooking the surf break is always a tasty treat.
2. MAMU – The Pescado Raboiso dish is my 'crack' cocaine. While all the options on the menu were fantastic, every time I would visit, I had to have the same meal, or I would get food envy. The delicious red tomato-based sauce is made with spices and a hot kick to it. This plate is a secret recipe that will go down in my taste bud history.
3. Peanut butter alfajor – if you are familiar with this dessert, the name says it all. Two biscuits sandwiched together with a sticky peanut butter caramel layer coated in dark chocolate. There is also a dulce de leche option, which is sweet, smooth and creamy. When I dip and alfajor into a coffee woh wee wow – mmhmm sex in my mouth!
WHAT I WILL MISS ABOUT PLAYA VENAO.
Because I am selfish and an old lady at heart, I will miss my solo Nadine time in the early mornings. Waking up at 6 am and running along the beach while the swing lights are still on, my daily surf sessions, listening to classical music with a coffee on the beach, doing my crossword book or watching Ru Pauls Drag Race in the Netflix bus.
I will miss waking up on the Submarine with my excellent bus tribe. I will miss when I had a pet boa snake called tequila, an iguana called Jub Jub, and two chickens called the ladies. I will miss painting the bus from yellow to green and dancing to "3 Nights at the motel" by Dominik Fike at all times of the day on the roof. I will miss the Submarine and adventures shared in this place.
A nice walk I cherished to do alone or with friends was hiking up to the waterfall and lookout point that overlooks the bay. When I am up there, I sit on the wooden seats listening to the sound of nature. There is only the sound of animal life, and I think how lucky and grateful I am to be surrounded by such beauty.
GOOD BYES ARE OVERRATED BUT NECESSARY AT TIMES.
I do not often show my soft side, and I never like goodbyes and avoid them in case ill cry. However, leaving Playa Venao, most of all I will miss the friends I made and people who came here and made this place what it is and means to me.
I have realised meeting people while travelling is raw. The interactions between one another are more intensified than usual encounters, and here is why. There are no filters, distractions, or restrictions to when, how, or why you should become friends and limit how often you see or hang out with those people. The good energies flow from one person to another, and friendships are created fast, typically taking weeks in a standard social setting. It is because of these reasons, I formed an everlasting bond which cannot be broken with the people I call my friends in Venao.
So, to all of you who warmed my heart and put a smile on my face – thank you. If we shared a laugh, smile, hug, tequila shot, wave, biscuit, song, hug, dance, kiss, peanut butter garlic and hot sauce toast, hummus, tahini, a star moment, coffee, glass of wine, movie, dinner, snake, high five or shuka – I love you, and I will miss you.
I know somewhere, and someday we will cross paths again – and on that day, our smiles will stretch so far and wide regardless of the time and distance we spent apart.
Goodbye for now, but not forever. The bus and I will come back home to visit this magical place next year in 2020.
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