Driving into Boquete from the provincial capital of David, you’ll pass the main square on your right…but don’t stop there. Carry on toward the colonial church and climb up, past a smattering of shops and adorable little restaurants painted in happy pastels. Before you can blink, you’ll find yourself suddenly plunged into a world of misty green. The velvety mountainsides are dotted with dulcet cottages…the green is interrupted where flowers erupt in a bright fireworks display. This is Boquete, demure with a hint of cheeky color.

Nestled in the shadow of Panama’s mystic Volcan Baru in the province of Chiriqui, Boquete is one of the world’s best bird-watching towns…the site of international award-winning coffee plantations…and an orchid farm, where the variety dazzles even the most experienced collectors. (The rare and exquisite blooms can sell for $70 to $1,500 at international shows.)

The region provides up to 80% of all the milk, meat and vegetables consumed in Panama. With easy access to the freshest produce, seafood, and more, it’s not hard to see why many expats claim their health has improved soon after moving here.

The perfectly pristine beaches of Boca Chica and Boca Brava Island are about hour and a half away by car. So is Panama’s oldest and most valued archeological site, Sitio Barriles. Other nearby attractions include thermal springs, waterfalls, strawberry stands, horse ranches, rafting rapids and La Amistad National Park. Perhaps the best is the Los Quetzales Trail in the Volcan Baru National Park. One of the nation’s prized bird-watching trails, this is one of the best places in the world to spot the legendary resplendent quetzal.

All this makes Boquete a premium location, and that’s one of the reasons it is home to so many contented expats.

It’s also why my full report on retiring in Boquete is in the February issue of International Living Magazine.

guest post by By Jessica Ramesch

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Possibly not much but in Panama, you can get a whole lot!

Jessica was out and about with her dollar bills recently—see her report below.

P.S. Speaking of good value…the Panama Owner’s Manual is discounted by 20% for the next 3 days during the final fling of our big Holiday Sale.

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Panama for a Dollar (Yes, Really)
By Jessica Ramesch

I’ll admit it. I became a bit obsessed with Facebook a few months back. It has turned into a great way for readers interested in Panama or International Living to share tidbits or post questions for the IL community. My favorite recent post on the International Living Facebook page asked: “What can you buy for $1 where you live?” At first I thought: “Not much…what can anyone get for $1 these days?” But after a few seconds of brainstorming I realized I was wrong.

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Turns out, I could go on and on about all I can get for $1 here in Panama! At a deserted island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, I can get a sweet green coconut full of water. The sellers are usually members of the Ngobe Bugle indigenous tribes that live on the islands. They’ll take a sharp machete to the coconut, hacking off the top so you can enjoy the cool water. Then they’ll crack it open so you can scrape out the slimy innards…delicious!

You can also get a beer for a dollar at most beachside shacks, a gold and green papaya with sweet orange flesh, or a cheap pair of flip-flops if you forgot yours back home. Even the roadside stalls sell trinkets and souvenirs made out of natural materials like the ubiquitous tagua nut for $1 and up.

In the Panama Highlands, I found multiple things for $1 or even less. I had good, strong coffee for $0.35, a filling empanada for $0.50 (more than enough to fill me up for a quick breakfast), and a small pizza for $1.75. Taxis to most anywhere were only $1, as were the colorful mixing bowls I bought at a small store called La Cocina (“the Kitchen”).

At another shop down the road I bought four souvenir postcards of Panama for…you guessed it, $1. In fact, I could come up with long lists for every town I’ve visited in Panama. At the hot springs in El Valle, $1 entry fee gets you a packet of mineral-rich mud for your face…rub it on, lower yourself into the hot water, and relax for as long as you like!

And I’m not just talking about rural areas. In Panama City, most gas stations are full-service (something I really love). I can get a quick check for my car for free…but I usually tip $1. The attendants will check all fluids…motor oil, coolant, wiper fluid, etc…and even make sure your tire pressure is good.

My favorite vegetarian restaurant is a Chinese buffet/cafeteria called La Casa Vegetariana. I can choose four different items from the buffet line for $1. The vegetarian ham pao is $0.50, as are the empanadas filled with either chopped veggies or sweet fruit.

My dad found a small “wholesaler” where he can buy ten packs of platanitos (fried plantain chips) or peanuts for $1. He refuses to buy corn in supermarkets. He points out that vendors sitting right outside the grocery stores sell you corn on the cob…already cooked…for $0.35 each. They also sell boiled and prepared pixbae, a delicious, starchy palm fruit that’s said to be highly nutritious: four for $1.

My favorite, though, is when they have changa for $1 each. The masses of fresh corn, shaped like a skillet bottom, are big enough to feed four. I cut them into pizza-like wedges and serve with garlic and herbs on top. With a salad, the wedges make a delicious dinner for under $1 a person!

Editor’s note: If Panama sounds like your kind of place, there’s a free Panama report called The World’s Best Retirement Program that you can pick up here ->
International Living Free Report

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I’ve read a few similar comments about living in Boquete and was getting ready to post my own thoughts when I read Lee’s post. It seemed like kind of a waste of time to rewrite something that expressed my thoughts so well. Thanks Lee!

Boquete Panama, beacon or illusionby Lee Zelter

I am having a busy month, visiting children, writing a newsletter about Bocas del Toro and watching the increasing interaction both positive and negative on Boquete. Ning. I created Boquete Ning to allow for interaction of residents living in Boquete Panama, people considering a move to Boquete and tourists. It has achieved those goals and more.

There are a few current discussions, one started by a person using the pseudonym, A.V. Felton, Being the Devils Advocate, that in many ways is an effort to discourage new people from moving to Boquete. I have also written several times saying “ Don’t Move to Boquete”. My message is that is different here and it is not for everyone. It is not, nor is any other place on the planet perfect. Perfection, if you can ever discover it, is in a higher place than a physical location.

In my Bocas research I discovered this quote:

“Nobody seems to like Boquete much. The complaints center around the fact that Boquete is a very boring place. I first heard this complaint from George Grant, Richmond Hill, Georgia in an International Living Readers Article more than a year ago. I’ve begun to receive other eMail along the same lines. Comments such as, “..I wish I never would have bought in Boquete. It looks pretty, and it does have a nice climate, but there isn’t anything to do. My wife and I are not enjoying ourselves.” Escape Artist

The quote is attributed to Terry Hennessy, Bee Staff write. I looked at the archives of the Sacramento Bee and could find neither the article or writer. Still, this is a wonderful place to continue a discussion.

In the past few months I have visited several locations in Panama to write for a Panama Newsletter. I have visited Isla Colon, Volcan and David for research. In the past four years I have visited much more of Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile and Guatemala. This blog is full of those adventures.

Each place I visited is either boring or exciting, depending upon what you want and what you find of interest. If you like sand between your toes, surfing, fishing, snorkeling and swimming for entertainment, then Boquete might not be your perfect choice. If you want to live on a beach, try another place and you still might find yourself bored in a month.

If your primary entertainment is shopping, let me suggest a bigger city. If you need an international airport close, try again; it’s not here.

In Boquete people can find other adventures to entertain themselves. If you are a gardener, this is heaven. If you wish to run a farm, it’s a great place. If you like hiking, birding and just exploring this might a place for you. People have created restaurants, tourist businesses and built hotels; they are not bored.

What makes Boquete unique in Panama is that it is hours away from Panama City and San Jose, Costa Rica, the two flanking metropolitan areas. Yet although remote Boquete does have good infrastructure and proximity to David, a regional shopping center. Boquete is also unique in that it has two cultures.

Boquete and all of Chiriqui has a unique Chiricano culture, a fusion of Panama and Costa Rica. This culture is seen in seasonal events, fiestas, cuisine and music. Boquete also has a unique “gringo” culture. There are enough English speakers here, in a small area to have created community theater, a farmers market, weekly meeting with speakers, an evolving culture of English language activities.

Still, Boquete is neither Panama City, nor is it Bocas del Toro. We have little traffic, little crime and no beaches. It is easy to be bored here. If you do not involve yourself in the community and cannot self entertain, you can be bored with sand between your toes or in New York City as well. As for me, I cannot seem to find enough time to be bored.

For another ‘real take’ on life and living in Boquete you may want to check out Dianne Heidke’s ‘Boquete Handbook’

Boquete Handbook

Click here to visit Dianne Heidke.

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We had just been in Bocas del Toro and stayed at the Swan’s Cay Hotel there. When the fellow who was touring us around learned were off to Boquete next he made a call to an associate. He was trying to get us into Isla Verde a spot he thought was the nicest place to stay in the Boquete Highlands. Unfortunately they were all booked up as a matter of fact so was everything else in town. So, we ended up at the Fundadores Hotel.

The Fundadores was a little tired but so were we after another days journey! So, we took the boys for a walk and found some delicious ice cream at a place called Annas Sweets and then turned in for an early night.

By morning we hadn’t seen much of Boquete and although the air was cool and comfortable and the mountain jungles absolutely gorgeous we didn’t think much of the town. Of course we had yet to discover Valle Escondido or the Panamonte Hotel or any of the other hidden gems Boquete has tucked away around the next corner or lush green mountainside.

I remember meeting Sam, the developer of Valle Escondido and his comment that he had never seen a mosquito in Boquete. Well that night it seems our young son managed to experience the only mosquitoes  in Boquete and they were right there in our room at the Fundadores! But all said it really wasn’t too bad an experience. I think we paid around $40 for our family of four. The large room had a double bed and two singles. The old place had a certain charm or maybe better said, ‘character’ and you could tell it was a pretty interesting hotel in it’s day. The unique feature of a small river (probably the source of the mosquitoes) running thorough the restaurant is quite charming. Now Boquete has changed dramatically and there are a lot more Boquete Hotels to choose from so I’m not sure very many people still stay at he Fundadores Hotel in Boquete but it still retains memories for me!

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The Chiriqui Mall in David opened just prior to our arrival back in 2003 and it’s still going strong today. We always like going down to enjoy an English language movie in the six plex theatre then wandering the mall and typically stopping over at PriceSmart (the Latin American version of CostCo) to stockup.

The Chiriqui Mall is on the Pan-Am Highway just west of PriceSmart. It has wi-fi, the movie theatre, a great food court and a variety of stores that unfortunately don’t attract very many customers. I don’t know why. I really like this mall and can’t understand why it isn’t full. Maybe it’s too far form downtown David to draw the local population?

Here are some of the stores you will find at the Chiriqui Mall on the outskirts of David, Panama:

Yadi – A pharmacy that also carries some household decor.

Theatre – Six-Plex modern movie theatre with A/C. Most movies are new features in English with Spanish sub-titles – a great way to learn Spanish.

Super Baru – Grocery store with an awesome import & gourmet foods section.

Food Court – the usual fare found in pretty much any mall food court.

Sebastiano – Clothing and shoe store.

Valla Actives – a TV Cooperative.

Digicel Kiosk – Cell phones, calling cards, service.

Roly Lab – Medical Testing

Sportline – Athletic apparel; shoes; sporting goods

Kardy – Clothes store

Pretty Kidz – Kids clothes

Melo – Pet and farm animal supplies; garden stuff too.

Shoe Outlet – shoes!

Autoridad del Transito – drivers license office.

Passarela – Women’s Clothes

El Hombre de la Mancha – Book store

World Time – Watch store

Guess – Men’s, womens and kids fashion Clothing

Centro de Capacitacion – Driving school – cars, trucks, bus, etc.

If you’re thinking you want to get a retail business going in David there are at least 8 vacant store fronts available in the Chiriqui Mall, David Panama.

A Conway store just opened up in the Terronal Plaza which is right at the intersection for the road to Boquete from David. They have a lovely Rey grocery store and a ‘Do-it’ Center which is very handy.

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Volunteer Boquete has developed a campaign that was officially kicked off on December 24^th with the first Community Cleanup in Boquete. With the new campaign, the foundation will be hosting a community wide event on Earth Day (April 22). “We have found a need in the community and we plan to address it because it needs to be done” said Kaytee Hoverson, project coordinator. In the meantime volunteers from the program, as well as local volunteers, have targeted areas of litter and attacked them head on.

A group of dedicated volunteers picked up litter on Christmas Day and then again the first week in January. While this hearty band of volunteers separates recyclables out of the trash picked up, they plan to further coordinate with Boquete’s recycling program ReALBoquete.

Project plans include researching joining forces with Boquete’s workforce for a more concerted effort, placing trash cans around the city in problem areas, building a regular volunteer base to pick up litter on a regular basis, and working with schools to educate young people about the litter problem.

As of this writing, a meeting was scheduled with Mayor Manolo Ruiz, to present him with a very concise 17-point topic list, outlining detailed solutions to litter problems in the Boquete area.

This is not just a group picking up trash, states Hoverson, but “…a long term project to make Boquete the cleanest, most beautiful town in Panama.”

More information about how you can be a part of this important program is available at www.unexpetctedmomentsofmagic.org or by calling 720-1025.

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