Later on, we explored the beautiful colorful gardens which have an old tree probably 300 hundred years old which Monica says she receives energy from, and a garden fountain - an amazing site at night when Monica and Lionel turn on little Christmas lights all over the gardens - we felt as if we were in a dream.

“We started out with a lovely country home for weekend living,” said Monica. “But when Lionel retired after 40 years in the design and advertising world, we decided to convert our country home into what today is the “Park Eden/ Bed &Breakfast - Country retreat”, which we now share with so many interesting people from all walks of life.” Among the guests at Park Eden have been staff members of the U.S. Embassy, Counsels of Japan and Mexico, and families from all over the world.

We went of course to check out the other accommodations of this romantic getaway. All are well appointed and decorated. One of these is an entire 2-bedroom house with rooms named after their daughters Nicole and Tiffany - perfect for a whole family, another is a romantic honeymoon suite and the others are cuddly rooms.  One of Park Eden benefits in my eyes is that it’s a place for everyone—it can be a romantic getaway or it can be a great family vacation.

We had a short rest, freshened up a bit and went to a fancy dinner at La Casa de Lourdes- an elegant restaurant and hotel.  The entrance to La Casa de Lourdes is very impressive - a Tuscan villa located on the top of a little hill surrounded by the mountains of El Valle. The Casa also offers two exclusive and comfortable rooms surrounded by gardens and a pool. Lourdes de Ward, a professional chef with many years of experience, who also owns the well-known restaurant Golosinas in Panama City, prepares excellent food. An extensive menu includes fish and seafood, meat and chicken entrees.  Among the specialties are the Club 21 hamburger and linguini with grilled tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.  When I asked her husband if they serve international cuisine, he said he would rather call it “Lourdes cuisine”!

Lourdes and her husband showed us around and invited us to come the next day to see the place during the daytime and to take some pictures. They have beautiful lamps, a pretty bar made of stone with stone horses at each end, a beautiful living room that is also the entrance, modern kitchen - all decorated with taste and style. The scenery and the calming music make it the perfect place for a lovely meal for couples, families, reunions and events.  In fact, a large family reunion was in progress while we were there.

Sunday morning it was pretty hard for me to get up. But the cool air of El Valle blowing into my room, the birds greeting the beautiful morning, and the expectation of Park Eden’s breakfast made getting up worthwhile.

Bicycling all around El Valle was a nice experience, and the best way to get to know every little place there is to see. To tell you the truth I probably sound like an old lady but it wasn’t easy biking. I haven’t been on a bike for at least 10 years! It still hurts!! (Well, we were biking for at least two hours - that’s no joke!). Our Crater Valley/ PEX guide, a resident of El Valle, was well trained and experienced, provided us with security equipment, was very kind and helpful and knew practically everybody in town!

One of our bike stops was at the lovely market - the smell of freshness immediately hit our noses - the smell of fresh onions, tomatoes and peppers. The colorful fruits make you feel like picking them up and having a bite right there on the spot. There are also arts and crafts dedicatedly made by the locals, and inexpensive plants.

While we were bicycling away we saw the view of the spectacular mountain La India Dormida - the Sleeping Indian. Our guide told us the story about the Sleeping Indian that has been passed from generation to generation and is today part of El Valle’s history. The Sleeping Indian myth took place many years ago and is about a princess called Flor de Viento- Flower of Wind who was engaged to a young warrior called Yaraví. However, with the arrival of the Spaniards, the young princess fell in love with a Spaniard. When he found out, Yaraví committed suicide and when Flor del Viento learned about this tragedy she ran into the forest and never came out again. Many locals say that when the wind blows hard you can still hear her crying.

We also stopped for a few minutes at their miniature museum, located next to the church, where we immediately recognized the interesting painting of the princes Flor del Viento and her two lovers - the local Indian warrior and the Spaniard. We also saw pre-Columbian art dating from 8000 B.C., rocks that were used to grind corn and coffee, inscriptions on stones and rocks and also religious pieces of art.  The museum also has a small collection of the arts and crafts created by local artisans.

Our last stop was at the La Piedra Pintada - The Painted Stone - just outside of town, large pre-Columbian drawings of figures on huge boulders. While there are no official archeological explanations of these petroglyphs, the local kids are happy to give you a tour for a small tip.

Before going back to Panama City, we decided to take a dip in the ocean and eat corvinas at Las Veraneras at the Santa Clara beach. This was the best way to end a perfect weekend and we fit it all into one night and two days.

Other Things To See And Do In El Valle

· Chorro Macho – an 85 meter high waterfall in a rainforest with a pool at the bottom where you can cool off.
· Canopy Adventure – a ride in the rain forest over the tree tops for a real birds-eye view
· Horse back riding - about $3.50 for an hour
· Las Termales – hot thermal waters said to be great for arthritis and rheumatism

General information

· Year round temperature: 68F-78F 
· Altitude 2000 feet 
· The “bajareque” – a very fine mist in El Valle that helps keep people cool and plants green
· Coolest and breezy months: January, February, March
· Two gas stations open all day, 7 days a week

E-Mail addresses and phone numbers

· Park Eden Hotel: parkeden@cwpanama.net Tel and fax- 507-2268858 El Valle- 507-9836167 www.parkeden.com
· Crater Valley Spa and Hotel:kherold@crater-valley.com Tel: 507- 2152326; www.crater-valley.com
· La Casa de Lourdes  golosinas@cableonda.net   507-9836450 ; in Panama City:  507-2696237
· El Nispero zoo and botanical gardens: Tel: 507- 9836142/ 9836688 )