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Published: October 29th 2007
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Where am I (check out video attached should be to the left) .As Sarah and I sit in George Bush International Airport (not a bad place yeehaaa) I thought I should capture our Boquete trip before it leaves my aging mind. We hoped a plain from Bocas to David in the province of Chiriqui, rented a car (Toyota Yaris) and headed to Boquete. The drive up took about 45 minutes and was quite a change from the rest of Panama. Rolling hills and green, green, green with some mountains in the back ground. Boquete sits about 4000’ - 4500’ above sea level. It is midway up the mountains that separate Northern Panama from Southern Panama.This part of Panama is by far the best I have seen. We entered into a small valley where a mountain town existed. The town and surrounding areas looked like a cross between the Swiss Alps and the lower jungle I had become so used to seeing. It is a magnificent place where everything seems to grown full and lush with color. I think even Sarah could garden here (of course if we paid someone to help). We headed to our hotel, Los Establos (the stables), it
Los Establos
The old stables now a bed and breakfast was transformed from horse stables in the 2001. It was by far the nicest spot we have stayed in Panama and is in the top 5 for our “worldly” travels to date. The grounds were neatly manicured and the hotel was beautiful which is why it was weird we were the only ones there. We headed down to the main street to take a look around and for the first time on our trip had a glass of wine and some great appetizers for lunch (I have had enough Balboa and Panama Cerveza to last me a good little while). We checked out Me Jardin es Tu Jardin (my garden is your garden). I have never quite seen something like this before. It was a private house with the most remarkable garden. The owners are proud of what they have created and like to show it off to the public. There were a few other people there but again for the most part Sarah and I enjoyed the garden to ourselves. Lots of rain came down that night (Friday), we had some great seafood and enjoyed the sounds of rain back at la casa.Saturday came and with it of course
The gardens
This one picture really does not do this place justice. a little more rain. I am starting to realize why we are the only ones around, it is the middle of the rainy season, and this year they are having the most rain they have had in over 16 years. So much so that on our coffee plantation tour of Ruiz Café (yes Tina I got you some coffee) we learned it was affecting there crops and the coffee needed to be picked earlier than they would have liked. On the tour with Carlos we learned about the 16 steps of making coffee. Panama has been number 1 in the world for gourmet coffee for quite a few years now. The Geisha coffee grown here is sold in the us for over $500 a pound. Later that evening we ate at what was supposedly the number 1 restaraund according to Conde Nast in all of Central America. Now it was great but I still think Tonya at the Pickled Parrot whips up a great chicken chile rellano.We flew out of David on Sunday and back to Panama City. We hit up this great Lebanese restaurant (again) where they arguably make the best Pitas in the world.The final question..... Can one
Coffee Pickers
$10 for 300 pounds. That is what they make. live on the suggested $19 per day?Of Course... If you wish to live in a wood hut with no power and the only running water being from the cistern in which you collected water from last night. I just don't see how you can live a fairly "normal western world" life or close to it on that little bit a day. Prices are not nearly as cheap as they used to be in panama. There are a few things that are cheaper... Labor $1.25 - $1.50 per hour, beer $1 per bottle ($.50 at Mondo Taitu), property, and local foods. In my opinion these are outweighed by the relative expensive costs of anything imported, deck of cards, $6, gasonline $4/gallon, building materials, o.t.c. medicine, etc.In the end, not a bad place to live. You would have to adjust your expectations from what you are used to where ever you go. Afterall it was over 110 degrees in Phoenix when we lef
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