Shopping in Penonome
I picked my 5 year old son up from his little school in Penonome today with 2 things in mind:
1. He needs a haircut.
2. He needs a new bicycle
So we headed into the wondeful town of Penonome to do a bit of shopping.
Penonome is one of Panama’s last undiscovered treasures. It is the capital city of the province of Cocle and boasts beautiful mountain views, crystal clear rivers. Penonome plays a very important role in Panama’s agricultural industry, and is home to many ranches, and orchards.
We headed down the main street as I drove about 2 mph looking for that bike shop I know I had seen before. A lady honked at me for going too slow. That's their version of road rage out here. Ah-ha! I found it!
We hopped out of the car and went inside. The selection wasn't enormous but they had a bike that fit his size. And I even found a little pink one with a basket and training wheels for my 3 year old daughter. As I inspected the bike, my son wandered next door to a movie store. After a bit of adjusting by the owners, the bikes were ready for my purchase. My son's bike was $40.00 and my daughter's was $25.00. I never know if I'm getting the real price or not.
Next we went across the street, down a hall where I found a salon. We popped in and the wonderful woman placed my boy up on the chair. I'm very very picky about my son's haircuts and she did a really nice job. Mid-way through, she asked if my husband had visited her the week before. I told her yes. It didn't really surprise me though. I think we're the only American family with no Panamanian roots living out this way. Her cost...$3.00...and I think that was gringo pricing. But you can't beat a $3.00 haircut.