As our time in Boquete came to an end, we grabbed a school bus to David
Our “decked out” school bus…
and then, with a little help, found the Tracopa ticket office
Walked right by it…
and purchased two tickets to San Jose, Costa Rica. One note here, Tracopa buses are not air conditioned but they DO have internet,
Our big bus…
but since we were heading to Costa Rica, we didn’t think it would be a big problem and it wasn’t. We hit the crowded border check point and got stamped out of Panama and then walked, with our suitcase and backpacks, to the entry check point of Costa Rica. We got our entry stamps and then were herded into a cage with our luggage and told to wait.
Yes, really a cage…Cage entertainment…
About 45 minutes later, 2 guys from immigration came into the cage and did a search of our bags. Then, we were back on the bus and headed to San Jose.
Just because the timing was right and the price was good, we signed up for an 8 day tour by Gate 1 around part of Costa Rica. We got to San Jose a few days before the start of the tour to give us a chance to look around. San Jose has many museums and we were able to visit two of them, The Gold Museum which contains a lot of pre Columbian era gold and was a fascinating place.
Exhibits at the Gold Museum…Yes there was gold too…Lots of it…Very pretty…
We also went to The National Museum
The National Museum…
and had a wonderful time visiting the exhibits
Ancient Artifacts…The Spheres…Lots of Spheres…
and learning more about the fascinating history of Costa Rica.
We visited the market in downtown San Jose one day
The Central Market…
where one can buy anything from chicken feet
mmmm Chicken feet…
to hand crafted items
Wooden ox and carts…
in rows and rows of vendors
Tight aisles…
selling food,
Fish for sale…
clothing and miscellaneous.
There is one avenue that is opened to
Lots of foot traffic…
pedestrian traffic only
Someone dropping of products…
and is lined with stores of every kind and many restaurants.
A combination of living life and bad internet has set us behind on our blog posts. How could we ever have left Boquete without touching upon two of our favorite things there, the Dos Jefes Coffee Tour and Raquel’s Ark.
Raquel…and the sloths…
Raquel Frame is an interesting animal savior who moved to Vulcan, Panama about 12 years ago and has started a rescue shelter for animals needing a place to stay before either going back to the wild or moving to a more permanent home. Raquel rescued two baby sloths about 8 years ago, sisters Jessie
Jessie….
and Kira.
Kira…
She has nurtured and house trained these two beautiful and loving creatures and gives anyone
Andy and Jessie…Tom and Daphne take a turn…
who visits the opportunity to get up close and personal with them. They are loving animals (remember these two are domesticated, not wild) and holding them is a joy.
Peaches and Kira…
We went first as visitors then back twice more with friends who were visiting so they could also experience this wonderful opportunity. Raquel also has a margay cat,
Margay…Thanks for the great photo Daphne…
three coatimundis,
Some of the coatimundis…
two raccoons,
One of the raccoons…
a few dogs and cats, an owl
The shy owl…
and you never know what else might be there when you visit. It’s a wonderful day trip from Boquete.
On one of our trips we included a tour of Finca Dracula
Finca Dracula…
which is a beautiful orchid farm
with over a thousand varieties of orchids growing.
We called Rich and he picked us up from Valle Escondido at 9:30 and after picking up another couple we were off to Finca Dos Jefes. When we arrived, we all sat around a table on the patio
On the patio…
and Rich told us that he and his partner had owned the finca since 2003. He explained the complex system in place for rating coffee, how hard it was to make money in the coffee business. He pays his workers a fair wage and provides them with better housing than he is required to.
In the coffee fields…
Then it was time to walk the coffee fields. All the coffee grown in the area is arabica coffee. As we walked he showed us which beans were ready to be picked
Red to purple is ready to pick…
and how the beans are dried in the fields under the sun.
Drying racks…
They have to be wrapped up if it rains and unwrapped when the rain stops. He took us into a dark, dusty concrete room, approximately 12 foot by 12 foot square.
Standard coffee picker quarters…
This is the room where 4 or more workers would stay on a normal coffee finca during the harvest. They would cook over a open fire with no ventilation for the smoke.
We went back to the patio and Rich let us inhale the scent of a light roast and a dark roast.
Light roast and dark roast…
He explained the relationship between time and temperature when roasting coffee and how darker doesn’t always mean more caffeine. Rich then brewed a light and a dark roast coffee for us so we could taste the difference. Then it was time for us to roast our own coffee beans. As a group, we chose Norma to be our coffee roaster.
Norma, ready to roast…
The roaster was brought up to temperature
Flame on…
and the beans were loaded in.
Loading beans…
We watched as the temperature was brought up again and then stabilized as the beans were roasted. When we heard the beans start to pop, the roaster was opened
Roasted beans being dumped out…
and our roasted beans were dumped out of the roaster. Our beans were bagged
Norma displays our bagged beans…
and we said our goodbyes and Rich drove us back to our pickup points, each of us with a bag of our freshly roasted coffee beans. After this coffee tour, we have a whole new appreciation for our morning cup of joe.
Boquete offers a lot of fun day trips and hiking, rock climbing, zip lining, and more.
There are several loop trips one can take in the hills around Boquete.
Boquete loops…
One of our favorites is the Bajo Mono loop. There are many fun stops and sights to be seen without hiking. There is a magnificent climbing wall
The climbing wall…
and various tour companies in Boquete have the equipment to take folks on a fun filled adventure.
My Beautiful wife at the climbing wall…
For us, viewing the formation was very satisfying.
Climbing guides…
We did see several metal hooks in the wall that are permanent and can run ropes for the adventurous at heart.
Crimp-ons…
A little farther along the loop is a wonderful waterfall
The waterfall…
that we visited several times both as tourists then as tour guides.
Friends at the waterfall…
Even farther is a castle that was being built by someone for his wife. Legend has it that his wife died and the castle has been abandoned
The castle…
and just sitting vacant since then.
The castle…
Then near the top of the loop is Finca Lerida
Finca Lerida…
where there is a B&B and a wonderful restaurant with a relaxing, peaceful view.
Herb garden….
There are herb gardens outside the restaurant where they grow their own herbs used in the preparation of the delicious meals served there.
Inside the resturant…Lunch with friends…
We were so glad to have a wonderful lunch there one day.
One day we went to El Explorador.
El Explorador…
This is a whimsical garden full of characters and scenes with inspirational quotes along the way.
We had fun with our translators since none of the quotes were in English.
We also took three different day trips to check out the beach areas within driving distance. One was a tour by Explora Ya, a local business whose motto is “We don’t sell tours, we provide experiences.” We took a van to Boca Chica then hopped on a boat for whale watching
Whale on the surface…
and lunch on Volano Island where we swam, snorkeled and had a wonderful time.
beautiful beach…
Another day we did about a 2-1/2 hour tour to Las Lajas beach which is a beautiful beach and had lunch at the very nice resort there.
Lunch at the beach…
Our last beach trip was to Los Olas
Las Olas…
which is about 60-90 minutes away where we enjoyed a walk on the beach and a wonderful lunch at the resort. There is a gated community along the beach
Hi-rises coming…
and the start of phase one of a three tower condo development, phase one of which is anticipated to be complete in 2-3 years. This is certainly an area we will keep an eye on. It is only 30-40 minutes to all the shopping one could want in David. The only drawback is that it’s not a good swimming beach
Beautiful but dangerous…
as there are very dangerous riptides and the waves can be quite threatening. We were warned by many locals that this beach can kill you.
There is another castle just outside Boquete
For Sale…
that overlooks a beautiful hillside of coffee beans growing. We heard this castle is for sale for $1.5 million.
$1.5 Mil..
Here’s an opportunity for you.
We really enjoyed our time in Boquete and made many friends we will surely see again but the temps there were a little too cool for our taste and we really missed the beach.
We know there are many folks who think Panama is all thatched roofs and small concrete homes. Well, we are here to tell you it’s not true. One of the things we enjoy about being senior nomads is that every so often we have new surroundings, new furniture and new neighbors and friends. We are currently living in Valle Escondido which is a gated community in the valley of Boquete, Panama.
Valle Escondido…
We are in a three bedroom home with all the amenities found in any home in the US. We have an LG front-loading washer and dryer, a two door refrigerator with freezer drawer on the bottom, vaulted ceilings and a large screen TV.
Living room, dining room and laundry room…
The master suite has a double sink and both guest bedrooms have queen size beds and lots of space.
Bedrooms & bathroom…
The kitchen counter is beautiful granite and the back patio has a propane grill. Yes, we are roughing it!!!
Kitchen & Patio…
The gated community of Valle Escondido has single family homes, duplexes, four plexes, condos, a hotel, a chapel, an amphitheater, two restaurants, an indoor pool, an organic garden, a labyrinth, a miniature golf course, a stocked trout pond, waterfalls, streams, a driving range, a golf course and an exercise room.
Valle Escondidto…
We reside in a duplex and our living space is all on one level with covered parking outside for two cars.
Our house…
The grounds here are meticulously manicured and very beautiful. One of our neighbors has a pet coatimundi named Holly who stops by sometimes when out walking with her mom doggie pal, Riko.
Holly & Riko…
Coatimundis are not usually pets but Holly was orphaned as a baby and bottle nursed by our friends here who decided she would be better in their home than being put back into the wild. She is spayed, her canine teeth are filed for (human) safety and she is a very friendly little girl. We have another coatimundi that comes to the back door looking for food. This is a wild coatimundi, so we have only interacted with this one through the screen door.
Back porch coatimundi…
The city of Boquete has a mix of US expats, Canadians, Panamanians, Venezuelans, and a mixing bowl of other people just enjoying the cool temps and eternal spring weather here. Neither air conditioning nor heat are needed in Boquete though many homes (as well as this one) have gas fireplaces for ambiance and to take the occasional chill out of the air.
City Views…
There are many restaurants in Boquete with choices of Italian, French, seafood, burgers, pizza or whatever your heart desires. We even played Trivia at Mike’s Global Grill last week.
Just a few of the selections to be found…
There is a large grocery store in town called Romero’s and in the city of David (Dah-VEED) which is approximately 30 minutes away, there are two very large modern grocery stores and a PriceSmart membership store (Panama’s equivalent to Costco) which even carries the Kirkland brand and many items just as one would find in Costco together with lots of other shopping opportunities.
Romero’s…
We are here during what is called the green or rainy season and we get a lot of afternoon showers, ok downpours. They last for a while, stop, then sometimes start again.
Yes, it rains here once in a while…
This time of year, the best time for touring or sightseeing in this area is early morning until about mid-afternoon when the skies open and provide nourishment for all the greenery and the wide variety of flowers that flourish here. There are several day trips and there will be blogs about them coming up.
