Unfortunately, the area of Panama we were visiting is difficult to get to. We had four flights each way. We could have cut out one of those but it would have been more expensive. Once we got to David, we picked up a rental car, not fully realizing there would be very few street signs......or maps!! After wandering around a little, we stopped at a service station and the guy recommended (in sign language) that we pay a taxi to lead us out of town! Having done that before, I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. So, for $3 our problem was solved. Once we got on the main road, we made it easily to the Ponderosa by the directions provided by Margie, our host. We impressed ourselves that we made it on time (3PM) with the few directions we had. Since it was Thanksgiving, we had made reservations for dinner at Colibri, a very nice restaurant we found online. They were doing two seating for a full Thanksgiving dinner but said they could accommodate us if we came at 7PM, between the seating. Again, with no real directions or street signs, we made it right on time. It was a rainy night, but still comfortable, so we dined on the covered patio. The food was delicious and we relaxed in knowing the hard part was over. We were also appreciative of their willingness to accommodate us on such a busy night.
A word about the Ponderosa. Margie and Willy have been in Panama a little over a year and seem well settled. She is into horses and has a lovely farm with a caretaker who lives on site. Their house is three levels with a one bedroom apartment below and the two bedroom we rented above. Their level obviously was not enough room for them so they built an incredible party room with spacious kitchen, large dining room and den with fireplace, a bathroom and a large deck. They have 4 or 5 lots with plenty of space for their various animals - three large dogs, chickens, 4 horses and a crazy, attack goose. It really is a lovely, peaceful setting and we enjoyed our time there. One afternoon we were outside and the three dogs started running with one of the horses, separated by the fence. They would run the length of the fence, dawdle around a little, and then Spike would agitate for another run. They did that repeatedly and it was fun to watch. The Ponderosa was our second choice, but we did enjoy our time there.
On Friday, we went back into town and purchased a city map from the pizza shop we had asked directions from on our way to Colibri. Sure enough, the lady remembered us and was pleased that we had stopped by for the map. We would see her again when we stopped in for pizza one evening! From there we drove the Jaramillo Road loop into the mountains, which was breath-taking view, but had no place to pull over for photos. On the way down, we stopped at The Rock, another restaurant, to check out the menu. We also found another place, The Garden, with great lunch salads. Friday evening our hosts, Margie and Willie, invited us to join them and their friends for a Thanksgiving celebration. We got to experience their party room and meet many of their friends, whom we kept running into throughout our stay. It really set the tone for the whole visit.
The next day, Saturday, we went house hunting with Lauretta, whom Margie had recommended. It was a good way to get a feel for the area and a deeper understanding of the community, but we felt she really was not showing us what we were interested in and our time might have been better spent, especially since she would require a second day to show us the interiors. We cut the second day short and found some places to view independently.
Sunday was the Cabalgata, one of two major events that we did not expect. The calbagata is one huge horse parade. Their passion for horses was a total surprise to me, as about 500 horses and riders showed up for this. Keep in mind that Boquete is a small town of about 13,000 people, so the parade route was around about 4-5 blocks long and several blocks across. I guess that's why they kept going around and around.....that and the rum! The parade included trucks that shot confetti into the crowd, trucks that carried the musicians, and trucks that supplied free rum! We were advised to view from Big Daddy's, which proved to be wise. We couldn't get a seat on the balcony, but after a few hundred horses passed by, that was okay.....it smelled better inside! It was easy to run down for photos or rum. It was a fun day and a good time was had by all. It was great to see the pride of some of the riders and the children who participated. We were also struck by how easy it was to meet people. We ran into almost everyone we had met at Margie's, plus several new people. The town is about 20% expats and everyone seemed friendly and relaxed. We left early enough to visit one of the developments we were interested in seeing (it was closed, but we found it for future reference)....and this may have been the evening we visited our favorite pizza lady again.
Monday was another quick day with Lauretta, after which we visited the Boquete Canyon development about 15 minutes outside of town. It's in a lovely setting, surrounded by mountains with gorgeous clouds hanging around them. After that we joined a new acquaintance, Wanda, for dinner and jazz at The Rock, an upscale restaurant we had heard checked out earlier. The ambiance was fine, and the music was good, but the food a bit disappointing. In any case, it was out of the ordinary for a little town like Boquete.
Tuesday, their Independence Day from Spain (they also celebrate their independence from Columbia!), we awakened to drums and went to sleep to drums - literally! It was all good! There were 52 marching bands from throughout the country that participated in the parade......and the President of Panama was also to be in town! It seemed to begin with military and police groups, then children groups, and then the bands, saving the best to last. It was a very festive day and the families loved having their children's photos taken in their native dress. We walked around town for a bit and then viewed again from Big Daddy's, where we ran into familiar faces and met new people. Another good day.
Wednesday was a very full day. We had breakfast with the coatimundi at the local coffee shop. They were just so much fun to watch and, with the wisdom of nature, they knew when to show up for snacks. We picked up Wanda and went back out to Boquete Canyon to see properties we were not able to see the first visit. From there we went to lunch at a charming little in-house restaurant run by a delightful local lady. Her hospitality was as good as her food. It was easy to see that she would become a regular on anyone's restaurant list. We dropped off Wanda and then proceeded to the coffee plantation tour with Boquete Tree Trek. We were driven up the mountain on a narrow road, enjoying the scenery along the way. There was a fine mist/rain, but we persevered and learned a lot about coffee, including Geisha coffee, which is the most expensive in the world. It is $600/pound and their entire crop goes to Japan! Since our plans had been somewhat sidetracked by celebrations and time with Lauretta, we were happy to have been able to do the tour. It I ever go again, I'd like to have a night or two at the Tree Trek site and do their zip-line, canopy and bird watching tours. Our guide said they sometimes saw howler monkeys and sloths on the coffee tour; but, due to the rain, we didn't. The day was not without excitement. On our way down the mountain, the road was blocked by a huge tree that had fallen. The driver had to turn around a large vehicle on a narrow road.....one of those close your eyes and hope for the best situations! It only took them about 30 minutes to clear the tree and we were off again. We finished the day by having dinner at Retrogusto (http://www.ilretrogusto.com/), a restaurant that would compare well to any restaurant anywhere. We were asking about vegetarian and vegan dishes and the waiter suggested a "tasting". So, we had a 5 course meal, with Melodee's being vegan and mine being vegetarian, with a nice bottle of wine. The food was delicious and we were served different menu items. Once we agreed to the tasting, the waiter went over to the chef and explained what each of us would get, which was pretty amazing to us. It was a wonderful way to end our last full day in Boquete.
We had planned to walk the grounds of the Ponderosa on our last morning, but it was the only day we had nasty weather. So, we spent our time packing, tidying up, etc. We had our last lunch at the Hotel Panamonte, which is another little jewel in Boquete. It is very beautiful and quiet/serene. Since our morning plans were sidetracked, we wound up having more time on our hands, so we headed to the airport earlier than initially expected, once again facing the challenge of no maps or street names. I had copied directions from Google, but having no street signs still made it a challenge. Once in town, we stopped at a bank to ask directions (because there was easy parking), but no one spoke English. One lady did point to the coffee shop across the street, which we went to in order to access wifi. When that didn't work, I just started going from table to table asking if anyone spoke English. At my first stop, a kind gentlemen with excellent English took out his cell phone and gave us clear directions, which we thought we could follow. I think we did some wandering around, but we did make it to the airport and the car check-in. We then flew from David to Panama City, where we had the night in the Ramada before an early wake up for our flight out the next morning.
As I look back at our time there, I remember the coatimundi (and the animals we didn't get to see!), the beautiful flowers and the lush greenery, the pride and joy of the celebrations, and the ease of meeting people. The drawbacks would be the difficulty getting to Boquete. The road from David to Boquete is very good, but no maps and no signs tests your patience and ability. Once you turn off the main roads, all others are extremely bumpy. Everyone advises against getting a new car - get a junker! Another thing I didn't realize is that most houses are sold furnished, due to the expense of shipping furnishings there. That adds to the expense of property and you may wind up with furnishings you don't like. Housing would be the major expense, as well as International health insurance. Otherwise, one could live a very comfortable life at minimal expense. There seems to be many outside activities, as well as clubs to keep one as busy and involved. While no place is perfect, Boquete has a lot to offer.
I got home around 9PM to a very happy Rosie and Mama Mia.......and a neighborhood all decked out for Christmas! I feel behind and don't think I'll get anything decorated until the weekend at easliest - if I don't talk myself out of it completely Instead, I've enjoyed playing with my photos and remembering a wonderful vacation. The only thing that went wrong is that I lost one of my favorite good earrings (that matches my favorite bracelet!). I only carried one extra pair and I kept them in my purse. I was the driver one day and I put the keys in the same compartment as the earrings, and I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "Be careful when you remove the keys and don't lose an earring"! So, what did I do? Made me so mad for not listening to myself.
The day after getting home I was cooking and turned quickly to take cans to the recycle bin and got caught between an open dishwasher door and stepping on Mama Mia I leaned (hard) against the kitchen island, scraping the b-jesus out of my forearm. The moment I did it, I grabbed and squeezed the area. I knew I would be bruised, but I didn't expect that I'd torn the skin. I guess that because I applied a lot of pressure, it didn't bleed very much. I just tamped the skin back in place and applied an ointment and band-aids. I've been leaving off the band-aids during the day but applying them at night to keep from moving the skin. I guess I've officially arrived at that old lady, paper-thin-skin stage!!Well, that was my vacation and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a beautiful part of the world and I'd go back again. Just let me know when you're ready!
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