We made a week-long trip to Panama in April. You may wonder if we were overanxious about traveling again after a prolonged overseas trip but I had to use the travel credit that I received from COPA Airline when I canceled our trip to Panama, which was originally planned in 2023. I had to cancel the trip because of the protests that blocked the roads all over the country.
We flew into Panama City but we had to stay at a hotel downtown to catch a flight to David the next morning. On the way back, we had to stay at the same hotel again to catch the return flight to the U.S. the next morning. The flight schedules were quite inconvenient. I rented a car in David and drove to Boqutte.
We stayed in Boquete, called the place of eternal spring, because of its altitude up to 3,700 meters high. Many North Americans call this town their home.
The Boquette town was quite small and very congested because it was located in the valley. But, the entire town and the area were lush green, pretty and refreshing.
Boquete produces quality coffee and I found a coffee cup statue.
At one of the restaurants Kristin selected, we met up with a couple of American expats. They were nice enough to share their life journeys and some tips for living in Boquete.
The town was small but had several landmarks here and there.
Our hotel was located very close to a hot springs resort. Since Kristin had to continue her water exercise to strengthen her hips even while we were traveling, she bought a short-term pass to use their pool. The resort was groomed well and the scenery was beautiful.
As we walked around the town, we found a guest house that were in interesting shapes.
There were Saturday markets and we had a chance to visit one of them. The size was quite small, but it was a great place for expats to meet up and fellowship. The surrounding area was so green, colorful, and beautiful.
There was a flower garden with amusement attractions. The number of visitors was few but it was an offseason, too. We enjoyed our visit.
One day, we drove to
Volcan, another mountainous town in the area. It is still not on the radar for many American or Canadian ex-pats, but the town is gradually more and more visible to them. We stopped at a cafe and had a lunch.
Our hotel had an all-you-can-eat pasta night on Wednesday. We found some local ex-pats who come there regularly.
We found another breakfast restaurant and enjoyed our meal.
Our favorite restaurant was a Peruvian seafood restaurant. We ended up going there twice. The meals were delicious and we shared our fond memories of staying and traveling in Peru years ago. Peruvian foods are very good.
We did not try this place called The Heaven, but I had to drop by while I was walking because of the rain. It is a sauna and massage place.
On the way back to the David Airport, we wanted to explore the town and the neighboring beaches. Unfortunately, the second-largest city in Panama was quite disappointing. It was crowded, muggy, and inconvenient. The beach was remote and almost barren.
Once, Panama was on our radar as one of the potential places for us to live, but we have lost our interest largely because of the inconvenient transportation system and Boquete's small size. Oh well... There still are plenty of people who are bragging about this area and Panama, so I am sure Panama will continue to attract retirees. - Jeffrey
