We scouted more in our third week in Boquete! Using our time wisely, we took advantage of our tour guide and the free time afterwards.
On previous Friday, we had a full day with Jason, our professional tour guide, looking around Boquete, and we met a couple he had worked with who are building a house as we speak. They offered for us to come and see it.
Monday – Another Tour Day of Boquete
So the first stop Monday morning with Jason on our second day of touring was their new house. What a ride that was—up the mountain above Boquete on a rocky primitive road demanding a four-wheel drive. But what a treat! They’ve designed an amazing large home away from the hustle and bustle of Boquete with panoramic views and too amenities to list! The wife gave us an extensive tour of the house while her husband continued to plant various plants on their property for a variety of reasons, each thought out carefully.
Afterwards, we continued our tour of the higher areas above Boquete to get a fill for the different areas and microclimates. This tour I wrote twelve pages of notes—again only I can decipher the writing because of the rocky roads.
We saw several developments around this couple’s house: La Estrella, Lucero, Lemon Grove. Then we went back to Boquete and went up the mountain to the misty area and saw these developments:
- Los Naranjos – an area near Boquete but up the mountain, so more rain and fog—”mist” is what Jason called it!
- Alto Quiel – which was too expensive for our blood but enjoyed seeing it.
Next, we enjoyed one stop along the way, Finca Lerida, a coffee farm, where we enjoyed a latte and sweet treat and hummingbirds! Jason loves birding, so he had his equipment with him. He used a special telescope on a tripod and attached my iPhone to it and we got this amazing video of a precious hummingbird! And the photo, too!
Afterwards, on Monday
we continued touring, seeing
- Alto Lino
- Los Ladrillos
- A basalt climbing wall back in the Los Narnajos area
- Alto Lino
- Palo Alta
At this point, both of us thought Alto Lino or Palo Alto—they moved to the top of our list to explore later in the week on own! Maybe we would land here! We liked that it was two minutes to Boquete and near restaurants.
As we drove, Jason answered many questions we had about the rainy season versus the dry season, where to use our ATM card, etc. He also showed us several AirBnBs for our next trip back.
We stopped for lunch at the Sugar & Spice Restaurant and Bakery. During lunch, we enjoyed meeting one amiable ex-pat and one super negative one. We escaped him as quickly as possible.
More on Monday: Then Down to the Lower Elevation
Then we went to the lower elevation of Alto Boquete towards David. Because we moved to lower elevation, the temperature rose and the wind blew.
We went through
- El Frances
- Gated community, still building with rough roads. Jason had us do a temperature test there: we got out of the truck and walked a little. IT WAS HOT—very different from Boquete.
- They have a bilingual school, International Academy, known to be the best school in the area. The students have no homework and they attend from 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM.
- From there, we went on an adventure! We took a back road to Caldera, but the road disappeared, so we turned around and backtracked.
As we drove, Lin asked for suggestions in buying a car. Jason offered for his sage advice! He also suggested to live near a politician, becausse they have the best roads and internet!
Then to end our tour, we drove back towards our hotel to the Volcancito area.
We went up Volcano road towards Volcán Barú, but we couldn’t go all the way up because it requires a four-wheel drive to get to the summit. But we saw another development, Santa Sophia with lots costing $150,000! We ended this tour high up the mountain, overlooking Boquete from another vantage point at the Cerro Verde development. What an amazing view! And what a wonderful day.
Tuesday – An Unforeseen Down Day
We had hired a tour guide for the other city we might move to, Volcan, but I woke up sick with my stomach issues. So, we postponed the trip to Saturday, and I slept the day away.
When I felt better, we had a late lunch at the Boquete Sandwich Shop. I had black bean soup and ginger ale; however, I split a piece of delicious carrot cake with Lin. This place became one of our favorites because of the manager and Kimberley, a waiter!
We played cribbage in the evening and watched TV—very much a down day for us!
Wednesday – A Full Day in Boquete
We woke early and did our morning routine of showering, cribbage and breakfast. As we left our hotel, a dog from a nearby house charged u, and it scared me—reminiscent of the vicious dog attack I’m trying to recover from. Lin managed it and I got in the car, but—OMG!
From there we went downtown Boquete for my first of three Panamanian physical therapy appointments. What I experienced was amazing! I had researched online treatment for the nerve damage I have – CRPS – Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome. And she did a couple of them.
First, she did deep oscillation for fifteen minutes from the bottom of my foot to my butt. Second, she did an ice pack on the whole area for ten minutes. Third, she did electrodes for fifteen minutes, increasing the stimulation as I could stand it. Fourth, she massaged me from foot to butt. Then she had me do several exercises. The appointment lasted an hour, and cost me (without insurance) $25! Wow!
Afterwards, I met Lin in the same shopping mall at Kotowa, a coffee shop much like Starbucks, for a drink. We booked a tour of a coffee farm, Finca Casanga, for the next day nearby. Then we attempted to use our ATM card at one of the banks, but it didn’t work. We enjoyed a light lunch and went to the hotel.
In checking my email, I got an outrageous bill for our phones. We have AT&T. Before we left, I researched and called to confirm we had usage in Panama like in the USA. Yes, but I ASSUMED that covered our iPads, too! No, this unfortunate lesson cost us about $200! Live and learn.
That evening we had dinner with Ruth and John, our dance friends from the US. We ate at the Smurf restaurant—really a Peruvian restaurant. Its official name is Restaurante La Cueva Del Pitufo. It’s called the Smurf restaurant because for some reason, they have a Smurf on their sign! No clue!
We sat outside and enjoyed getting reacquainted. They shared lots of important information about moving to Panama and Boquete. Afterwards, we went to see Jason, our tour guide’s basketball game at 9:30 PM. They were in the middle of the semi-finals for the city league for men over forty. They won, and Ruth and I cheered like crazy—much noisier than the rest of the crowd!
Thursday – The Market & a Coffee Farm
The night before, we made a plan to meet Ruth and John at the Thursday Boquete Community Market. Ruth personally took us around and introduced us to people in booths there that she thought we needed to know! The people welcomed us with open arms. It was a mixture of locals and ex-pats.
At one booth, I met a fellow-knitter and ex-pat, Brandy Gregory, who started the Boquete Knitters & Quilters group. This service group provides baby items because she found out that some of the local natives, Ngabe-Bugle, brought their newborn baby to the hospital wrapped in a newspaper. I know I will participate when we move there, but they meet every Friday from 1:00-3:00 PM, about the same time as the Boquete writing group, so I will have to alternate!
Then we returned to the Kotowa Coffee Shop for lunch because it was next door to the pick-up place for the coffee farm tour. Also, we successfully got money using our ATM—Yahooo!
Thursday – Finca Casanga
Because it’s the slow season, we had a private tour of Finca Casanga. The owner’s wife, Andi, picked us up and immediately started sharing information about living in the Boquete area and moving to Panama. She suggested three areas in Alto Boquete: Palmeira, Las Brisas and behind the Ivan store, towards David. She warned us about black mold in the higher elevations above Boquete. No one else had mentioned that.
We enjoyed Marty, our tour guide, shocked at the long, arduous process it takes to get the coffee bean to the end product. Near the end of the tour, we had the pleasure of roasting coffee beans, packaging and naming our blend. Lin named it “Larada’s Blend.” Then Marty brewed the same coffee blend, using three different methods: French Roast, Italian Expresso and Siphon Brew. It shocked me how different each of the brewing methods changed the flavor of the coffee. We ended with a sample of their Geisha coffee!
On the drive back to our car, Andi continued to give us more information about various developments around Boquete. We sat in her car for more than fifteen minutes in the rain with her sharing valuable tidbits!
Finally,
As you can see, we filled less than a week with lots of activity. As we toured with Jason, I made note of the different areas, the difference in the microclimates and started putting together a bigger plan.
So, join me next week for the end of our scouting trip to Boquete and our return to Panama City and trip back to the USA. Whew! What a full week!
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