Boquete and Birthdays

This past week, I ventured to Boquete, Panama. It was a looong 6 hour drive on the Pan American Highway, passing through numerous small towns and through a mountainous region to reach this town where many expats live. I even saw a HORSE slowly walking ON the highway, obviously listening to. (I hope he was found by his owner, poor thing.) My Airbnb for the two nights was high up in the mountains. Behind my lodging was Volcan Baru. The setting was beautiful. I rested that first night and then visited a well-known coffee plantation, called Finca Lerida. A guide explained the coffee making process, from growing the beans to harvesting to drying the beans and then packaging for distribution to wholesalers. Afterwards, we had a “cupping” experience where we tasted four different coffee types. The cupping is similar to a wine tasting whereby you first draw the coffee onto your spoon and slurp it to get one flavor of it and then you sip it to get another flavor.

After the tour, I hung around Boquete for another night and then drove back to Gorgona. I was so exhausted that I have done nothing else but rest, until tonight when I attended a birthday party. Panamanians and those who have assimilated here LOVE fireworks. I heard that fireworks are a big thing here and I finally got to experience it tonight. After we sung Happy Birthday to the birthday girl, we all walked out to the ocean where a fireworks display was shot off just for her. Everyone cheered before going back to the poolside restaurant and did more line dancing and karaoke. It was a fun night. Everyone I’ve met has been so welcoming. I can’t believe that in just a few days, I will be leaving this little paradise.Read more