BOQUETE (PANAMA)
03 February - 04 February 2017
03 February - 04 February 2017
With about an 8hr bus trip out of Panama City to the
Eastern frontier of the country we found ourselves wondering the back lot of the Terminales David (in the town of David), in the late afternoon.
Somewhere along the line we'd decided to opt for the mountain
village/town of Boquete before heading for the Pacific coastline and absorbing as much sunshine as the coast would allow.
Chicken bus baddies - somewhere near David - Panama
What we’d discovered about Boquete prior to our arrival,
and about Panama generally, is that of recent times its become a
popular destination for retirees. In fact, Panama has a range of policies that
aim to entice the over 65’s to making their way here, especially US retirees. From providing a 20%-50% discount on air/bus & rail travel and an equivalent discount on
concert tickets, restaurants, hospital bills, medical consultations and more,
the desire to attract those in the latter stage of their lives is typified by a
quote the Panamanian Minister for tourism, Ruben Blades, who said, ‘People
don’t come here to die. They come here to live’.
Certainly when you consider the financials of the
situation and the nature of the lifestyle, why wouldn’t you make the move? You
can acquire beautiful lodgings quite cheaply, live comfortably on $20,000 USD
per year, have good access to medical facilities. It all makes a reasonable amount of sense for those that have even a moderate level of moxy about them.
Then there’s the town of Boquete itself, a temperate highlands
retreats surrounded by luscious rain forest filled mountains,
coffee plantations, burbling streams, hummingbirds and dazzling flowers.
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Our arrival in Boquete however was painted with slight ignominy.
Having been delayed somewhat out of David, the sun had already set by the time
we’d arrived. Somehow we’d also booked accommodation was not exactly central to the town.
Arriving at that early evening hour, i.e, equivalent to the bed time of most
Tasmanians (close to 7:30pm), also meant that places offering dinner outside of appeared to be closed. Thankfully the place we were staying at, Creadora on Avenida 1a Este was just
across the road from Morton’s
Bakehouse (Panaderia). Don't worry if you don't know the name, there's nothing extraordinary about the place. Wandering up to the front door as we walked in we
discovered an eight year old kid at the front counter who was promptly ready to
turn us on our heels and march us straight back out the door we'd walked through, 'We're closed' was his terse response as we stood at the open door. That attitude stuck until his parents
showed up. Thankfully his parents were much nicer than the little squirt and
assisted us with our hunger pangs by conjuring up a fairly decent quesadilla on
the fly. It was greatly appreciated we have to say. So here’s a shout out to Moreton’s Bakehouse in Alto Boquete. Thank you for making our evening so much nicer with your hospitality.
Boquete, set in a tranquil Caldera Valley, some 1000mtrs
above sea level, sits smack bang in the middle of both of Panama’s coasts. The
town itself edges on being almost a mountain style village in that there’s
elements in the architecture that remind you of small mountain towns in
Switzerland or Austria.
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Aside from those wishing to retire here there’s still
plenty of activities for others that want to ‘do something’ on the hillside
here. One of the main drawcards are the ziplining tours. An activity that had
previously been monopolised by Costa Rica but has now made its way into Panama with
a large degree of success. We decided to go with the Panamanian option of
ziplining mostly from a cost perspective as their Central American brothers
just next door have been having a laugh at tourists expense for a while now.
We utilised Boquete Adventures Canopy Tours and were not
at all disappointed by what we were provided. Located high in the hills to the
north of the town, a pleasurable 15 min bus ride up into the rain forests
brought us alongside a coffee plantation and to the main base/offices of the
ziplining crew.
The surroundings were an absolute treat. So once the
standard safety briefings were had we headed up into the trees and started our
adventure.
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
Boquete - Panama
If you haven’t tried it before then I can definitely
recommend it. Flying from platform to platform some 30-50mtrs above the ground
at 60kms an hour, above and through the treetops, as free an easy as a bird. It’s
truly exhilarating. Also, I’d have to say that measuring the level of safety
against the previous occasion I did this in Laos, I am more than a little
surprised that we walked out unscathed in Laos. Safety was not an overwhelming
concern of that operation!
Post Ziplining we headed back into town for a spot of
lunch and stumbled on a great locale known as Mikes Global Grill. A nice,
green and open space, sidling up to free flowing creek/river, they served, in
my opinion, some of the best fish tacos I’ve ever had which was supported by
some fabulous home made chilli sauce that held just the requisite amount of
heat to bring a good tear to my eye.
Tranquil and relaxed, temperate and comfortable. I can
see why Boquete would be an attractive option for those wanting to escape to the
high cost of living in say the US or Australia and move here. In fact, in you
look at the Worlds Best Places to Retire
(2019 ed) https://internationalliving.com/the-best-places-to-retire/,
you’ll see that Panama tops a list of quite respectable candidates. And it’s
not just about affordability but, as I
said earlier, policies are tipped towards enticing retirees down their way,
including such things as tax exemptions on foreign earned income, a vibrant
cultural mix, fantastic weather and general facilities. There’s a lot to love
about being down in Central America.
