Getting into Panama was fairly simple. We walked around the large tour group and had to show our fake onward plane ticket. We were surprised that we didn't have to pay anything to enter (our book says $5 for tourist card). We got entry stamps and walked back out into the rain. We boarded a mini-bus that would take us to the city of David (pronounced "Dah-veed").
Arriving in David, we asked for directions to the central park and walked. A few hotels were found but were expensive. Some we just opened the door, saw fancy decorations, and walked out. We found a very clean place for a decent price and settled in. We walked the streets. We noticed women in more traditional colorful dresses than we had seen since Guatemala, representing an indigenous population that is more traditional. We found a small kitchen with food that had been sitting out too long, and ate dinner. Then we slept.
Tuesday: Walked 12 blocks to the new market. Cleanest market we have ever seen. Had airconditioning and lots of space. Meat is actually displayed on ice, vegetables not wilting in the heat, and food court is similar to a mall but with local kitchens. We ate lunch for $6.50, almost half as much as food was in our previous country. Not very busy probably because it is a little ways from town center. Seems to be catering more toward the wealthier class as there is ample parking and good security.
Wednesday: Some business had to be completed, fortunately checkout wasn't until 2pm. An application was printed and filled out, then a single envelope was purchased and all was mailed to an office in Olympia, Washington. A cafeteria style lunch was eaten before backpacks were packed and put on backs. We walked to the bus station and boarded a bus headed to the mountain town of Boquete (pronounced "Bo-ket-eh").
The road rises gradually until you reach an elevation of close to 1,000 meters. We were surprised at the existence of a 4-lane hwy the whole way. The town of Boquete has seen an influx of expats since the AARP named it a top retirement spot due to the cool climate, beautiful setting, and fertile soil that grows delicious things. We found a quaint hostal with just 4 rooms built next to the owners house. We ate some good food and bought some necessities (wine and salsa) to keep in our fridge. Night fell and we retired for the evening.
Thursday: Lunch was followed by a short walk out of town to Mi Jardin Es Su Jardin, a garden that is open to the public. Koi pond with big colorful fish and plants with big colorful flowers. Rain began to fall and we ran to Cafe Ruiz, a popular coffee shop just down the road. They sell the famous Gesha coffee you may know from a local shop in Portland called Starbucks. We drank a fancy hot chocolate (neither of us really drink coffee). The rain soon slowed to a mist and we walked back into town and bought bread. Back at the hostal, the darker clouds rolled in and we sat on the front porch to watch the lightning and be deafened by the loud thunder. We planned the arrival of a friend, known on the blogosphere as "Stanley", and look forward to his arrival in mid-October in Panama City. Dinner was at a restaurant geared toward kids that sells fancy hotdogs and hamburgers. Music could be heard from the neighborhood that night but we easily drifted off.
Friday: Ate bread with peanut butter and bananas for breakfast. Julia asked 4 people for directions and we found the 10:45am bus to Caldera for Los Pozos de Caldera, an undeveloped hot springs. We correctly assumed that the bus driver knew where we wanted to go just by looking at us and were dropped at the sign. We walked down the gravel road for about 5 minutes before a man going fishing picked us up in his SUV with airconditioning. He dropped us at the river crossing and saved us about 30 minutes. We crossed the bridge and turned left. Up a dirt road until the sign leading us onto private property. Down the muddy road/path until we pay a man $2 a person to sit in his hot water. One pool is surrounded by a rock wall and dug deep enough to sit in, but is small enough to be awkward with 2 couples. Others are down near the banks of the river, partly mixed with the cool mountain water. With the warm sun, we spend more time in the boulder-strewn river, laying on rocks and floating down small rapids. Sand flies bite when you are closer to shore and near sand, leaving small red marks but no pain. I worked on shoring up the walls of one of the warm pools. It was fun but only slightly successful. We test out the rock-walled pool when it is available. It is relaxing but clostrophobic. We return to the river to kill a little more time before we must walk back and catch the bus.
On the walk, dark storm clouds are seen in every direction and thunder cracks loudly. We make it under the cover of the bus stop before rain really starts to fall. We hop on the late 4pm bus and the skies clear before we are dropped off back in Boquete. We eat chips & salsa and drink wine. We cleanup and head out for big plates of food. Returning to the hostal, we finished the box of wine because Saturday is a travel day. We felt very relaxed from a day spent walking and playing in hot & cold water. Sleeping was easy.
Saturday: As stated earlier, today is a travel day. Destination is Isla Boca Brava (pronounciation obvious) in the Golfo de Chiriqui (pronunciation unknown). On the pacific side, our book makes it sound like a nice place to visit. We will let you know in a few days if that is true.
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