Monteverde is a beautiful small town with old world charm
1 horse power or 100 horse power…
and a modern life style with lots of shops and tourist adventures like zip lining, rock climbing, and hiking the nine hanging bridges. We opted to take the morning off and just walk around town.
Remember these Kodak signs…
We went in and out of the many souvenir shops and looked at the unique items.
Souvenirs abound…Butterflies of Costa Rica…
There is a lot of beautiful hand crafted wood furniture available in this area and they will make to order if you know what you want.
Wood table tops…Mango wood vases…
Suzi loved these hand carved mango wood vases.
In the afternoon we joined our other tour mates for a tour of the Don Juan Coffee plantation.
Don Juan Coffee, Monteverde, Costa Rica…
We saw the coffee plants
In the coffee fields…
and Cacao trees growing and learned about harvest techniques,
Coffee & chocolate drying…
drying, grading,
The coffee roaster…
roasting and finally
Which roast do you like…
drinking and eating.
Fresh ground chocolate…Suzi meets Don Juan…
We also got to see the process used to turn sugar cane
Hand grinding sugar cane…More grinding…
into brown and white sugar,
The syrup of their labor…
molasses and Costa Rican moonshine known as “Guaro”.
Our “chariot’ arrives…
One final treat was a ride in a true Ox cart.
Twin ox boost…The view from behind the tails…Seating for as many as you can pack in…
Who knew ox carts have no suspension?
Our hotel in Monteverde…
Our last day on the tour was a travel day back to San Jose, Costa Rica. We checked out of our hotel in Monteverde and boarded our bus back to the big city.
On the bus again…
Along the way, we saw beautiful vistas,
Costa Rica countryside…
and even some wild life just hanging out in the trees.
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.
We have been enjoying ourselves so much that we have not made a blog entry in a while. Life is good.
A lot has transpired since our last post. In July we flew back to the US for a visit with family and friends and, as always, had a wonderful time catching up with everyone there. In New Mexico we got have some good time with Carter, our precious grandson and, of course his mom and dad. Since we were not around for Christmas, we took Carter to Toy-R-Us to do some shopping (after going to see the new Minion movie) and he and PopPop Bob had fun looking at toys.
Such boys!!
Who DOESN’T love toy shopping…
We were able to empty our storage unit and cancel it (yeah!!)
MORE stuff gone…
and gather all the paperwork needed for our residency visas in Panama to return with everything IN HAND. Definitely an accomplishment.
We then flew to Florida to see our other son and family and enjoy those three grandbabies before returning to Panama.
Gannon, Trinity and Nolan…
In mid August, we flew to Panama with our residency paperwork in our carry on luggage and one of the first things we did was submit the paperwork
Which expat doesn’t know this building…
and (drumroll please) we were approved for pensionado residency. We have our temporary residency cards. Major accomplishment!!!!
I know our logo has always been one suitcase and two backpacks but it has been more difficult to find a short-term rental in the beach condo in Gorgona that we so enjoy so we decided to sign a one year lease starting November 1 and do our traveling with that as a home base. So this trip we had three suitcases and two backpacks so we could bring a few personal things to nest for a year. We find life is best when we are fluid with our plans and just figure the future out as we go along.
So we stayed with friends in Gorgona for a few days, stored some of our stuff with them and left Gorgona late in August with one suitcase and two backpacks on a long bus ride headed to David, Panama. In David some friends picked us up for the ride from there to Boquete, Panama where we will call home until the end of September. Look for pictures of this amazing part of Panama in our next blog.
Until then, safe travels and be happy. Life is good.
After hitching a ride from Bocas del Toro with some friends, we stopped over at their house in Altos del Maria for 2 days of sightseeing. Altos del Maria is a beautiful HUGE community in the mountains.
Altos del Maria map
Having many elevations, parts of Altos are much cooler than surrounding areas and people chose where in Altos to settle depending on the temperature they want to live with. There is housing at several elevations so lots of choices.
Homes in the trees…And homes above the trees…Those who make the blowing wind…Our host with those who blow the wind…
There are numerous manicured, well-maintained hiking paths that we enjoyed exploring with our friends.
Suzi coming up a trail…Suzi and our host over a waterfall…
They the drove us to our next stop, a house sit and dog cuddle in Cermeño. Cermeño is a quiet little town, east of Capira. As we followed the road, we passed old gates built into high walls,
This gate is still in use…As is this one…
even one of Manual Noriega’s country homes, which is now a drug rehab center.
The rehab center…
We understand it is a two year program and working at the center is part of the rigorous requirements to remain there.
The town church…
Cermeño has a town square and a beautiful little the church. A left at the mini-super and we drove up to the gates of the finca,
Looking back at the gate…
our home for the next month.
The finca…
The finca sits on approximately 8 hectares
Trimmed with a machete…Rolling green hills…
and has a vegetable garden,
The garden…
a pool, many fruit trees
Water apple tree…Water apples…
and 3 dogs, Emma, Spot and Chispa (English translation “Spark” and she certainly is).
Emma, the Grand Dame…Spot…the guard dog…Chispa…fastest dog on the finca…
There are several expats settled in the area and we enjoyed visiting with some of them during our time there and hearing the stories of how everyone got there. There were also many beautiful flowers everywhere
Flowers…And more flowers…Tiny white rose type flowers…
and a few rainy days just made all the colors more vivid. We explored the area around Cermeño including the busy town of Capira. Capira has a quaint little walled area for kids to play,
Inside the walls…Still inside…Outside the walls…
decorated with all kinds of whimsical characters.
We made a trip out to the fishing village of Cruces
Low tide at the bay at Cruces…Fresh catch…
and we bought langastinos
Langostinos…
from the local fishermen. Now, living on a finca does come with certain “items” that we should mention. Along with the 3 dogs, there were a few other “critters” that kept us company while we were there.
Geckos…Enlightened gecko…Just crawling through…Bat-ter up…Looking for grass…
A great month for us, experiencing a different type of life that is offered here in Panama.
Arriving in Panama this time on November 1st, 2014 and planning to stay until June or July, we thought that while we were up by the border in Bocas Town, it would be a good idea to reset our passports and make a border run to Costa Rica and back. We contacted a company called Caribe Shuttle in Bocas Town and told them we we wanted to go to Costa Rica and back. Since you can’t, as far as we know, just go across the border, get your stamp and come back in the same day, the girl at the desk suggested we stay at Banana Azul just outside a town called Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. We paid our 30 dollars each for the shuttle and made reservations at the Banana Azul.
2 days later, we took the water taxi to Almirante
Water taxi to Almirante…
and boarded the waiting shuttle to Changuinola,
Suzi on the Caribe Shuttle…
a small town right on the border of Panama and Costa Rica. We were directed by our shuttle driver to the immigration office and we received our exit stamp that shows we left Panama. We then paid the exit tax, yes you need to pay to leave, and we walked across the river on the train bridge
On the bridge, over the river…
into Costa Rica. We stopped at the immigration office and got our entry stamp, and were directed to another Caribe Shuttle van for the ride to Banana Azul. We spent the night at Banana Azul,
Hotel Banana Azul…
had a wonderful meal
Another little traveler…
and even saw our very first wild sloth
Our first wild sloth…
before the Caribe Shuttle picked us up for the ride back to the border. Once we got to the town of Sixaola,
Sixaola, Costa Rica…
we reversed the process. We paid our exit tax to Costa Rica, took the receipt
Exit receipt from Costa Rica…
and got our exit stamp, walked back across the train bridge
On the bridge…
to Changuinola, paid our entry fee, got our entry stamp resetting our passports and got back on our Caribe Shuttle BACK to Almirante and the water taxi back to Bocas Town.
Just a few notes. The drivers of Caribe Shuttle in Panama and Costa Rica were wonderful. They made sure we knew where to go, which office we should go to and they were on time and waiting for us at each location. As to the “taxes” we paid to leave and enter both Costa Rica and Panama, it’s just part of the process at this border crossing. If we had to pay a few bucks extra to leave and enter the two countries overnight, I’m not going to worry about it. It’s really no different than paying more money to get a FBI Background check overnight instead of 12 weeks later (story to follow at some point).
After 4 months of living on the beach in a condo, and waiting on the FBI, we wanted to head to the other side of Panama and see what Bocas Town is all about. So we packed up our belongings…
Our worldly possessions…
and got a friend to drive us into Panama City to the bus terminal. Once there, we went to the Bocas del Toro ticket window and said “dos por favor” and the lady said “no,no,no,no.” The bus was full for tonight. So, we purchased a ticket for the next night’s bus and got a room at the Tryp Hotel at Albrook Mall. Spending the night at the mall is not so bad. Stuff to do, food to eat, people to watch. Plus it was good to get a good night’s sleep before our bus ride to Bocas. The next night, we checked out and about 6pm went down to the waiting room at the bus depot. Another great place to people watch.
A busy place…
We watched people come and go until at last, our bus pulled up.
Our “ride” awaits…Larger than what we normally ride…
This is the larger of the buses that we see. More comfortable and it has a bathroom on board. We took our assigned seats and got ready for our trip. This is an overnight bus ride, which is probably a good thing. There is less traffic on the roads at night and the driver can go faster. We made 3 stops, the second one was in Santiago where I did get off the bus and have pasta at a outdoor buffet. Kind of like a truck stop with no walls 🙂 I love Panama. We also changed drivers here. After a half hour, we were back on the bus, hurtling down the highway at breakneck speed. Once again, good thing it’s dark so we can’t really tell how fast we are going or how treacherous the hilly winding roads really are. As the sun came up, we were on a 2 lane, winding road, still driving fast and being buffeted by high winds. At 6am, we pulled into the quiet coastal town of Almirante. Here, we get off the bus and take a short taxi ride to the water taxi that will take us to Bocas Town.
Ready to set sail…Calm waters…Another water taxi heading out…
We boarded our water taxi and headed out for the half hour ride to Bocas Town on Isla Colón.
Our “Capitan”…Bocas Town…
We pulled into a taxi dock and got off the water taxi and into a regular taxi and rode out to our new home for a month at Cabana Beach.
Our view from the front porch…
And yes, that is the Caribbean Sea just across the way…
