13. Panama - Boquete

We arrived in the highlands of Boquete early afternoon, and immediately enjoyed a much cooler and less humid climate. At 4000 feet above sea level, it’s a lush, green area located on the Caldera River, and is decorated throughout with beautiful, colorful flowers and trees and surrounded by mountains, including the local volcano Vulcan Baru. The main strip was a hodgepodge; from a food perspective, there were places with typical American bar food, local places that sold only the typical Central American meal (rice, beans, small salad, and meat, usually pollo), and fine dining options as well. Smoothies are popular here, and quite delicious since papaya, banana & pineapple are readily available everywhere.

One of the things I’m interested in during this trip is the concept of “retirement abroad”. As you might imagine, your dollars (which are the official currency here), go much further here than in the USA. Our coffee tour guide, (discussed later) has a monthly salary of $700. His is considered a good job.

Boquete has a large ex-pat community (7,000 of the 19,000 residents) that is growing rapidly. The community is experiencing typical growing pains; while they welcome the jobs associated with development, and economic buying power of the new inhabitants, they bemoan the depletion of forests and farms that are being sold and cleared out to make room for more gated-community developments. That aside, the area is stunning in its natural beauty.Read more