Our Writers Group Invades Boquete

Jen and I explored Boquete’ on our original exploratory trip to Panama. The trip was beautiful, and it inspired future visits. It did not inspire us to want to live there, although it is a place where many expats choose to live. When the Coronodo Writers group decided to do a remote writing workshop, Boquete’ was the perfect destination.

We departed from Coronodo on Saturday morning and caravanned the 404km to the Boquete’ highlands. To put the geographic location of Boquete’ in perspective I wanted to share a portion of my book from Chapter 6 “Our Due Diligence Exploration”.

Boquete’ is halfway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, high in the mountains, about 60 km from the border of Costa Rica. At 11,397 feet, the highest elevation in Panama is Volcán Barú, which is located near Boquete’.

We made a stop in David for lunch and arrived in Boquete’ around 2 pm. The timing was perfect. Our check-in time at the Boquete’ Garden Inn was 2 pm and we were able to get settled into our rooms. The spouses were tasked with a grocery store run, while the writers gathered nearby in a delightful little space on the grounds of the Inn. The writers had previously written and submitted a piece of work to be critiqued by the others in the group. The exercise was both educational and informative.  This was the first of 2 workshops we had while in Boquete’.

Boquete’ Garden Inn

After the workshop we all returned to our rooms to get ready for dinner. It became a daily tradition to gather for a drink at the Allison’s patio before dinner. There was a wedding going on down the road, so many wedding guests were housed at the inn. It was fun watching them walk by in their wedding best attire. This was the beginning of our getting to know a few of the other guests.

As the sun was setting, we headed into town for dinner. The staff at the inn recommended Restaurante’ Retrogusto. I still do not know if we enjoyed the environment of the mountain community or the food more. Retrogusto had a wonderful selection. We ordered drinks and food shortly after arrival. The kitchen was within site distance and every time dishes came out someone at our table wanted to change their order. Everything served was a work of art.

Pork Chop with Roasted Vegetables.

Needless to say, nobody left the place hungry. The picture above is of my plate. It was the pork chop with roasted vegetables. It held me over just fine until breakfast.

We were so impressed by the Boquete’ Garden Inn that I feel compelled to recommend it. Our room was well decorated, comfortable, and clean. We had full accommodations including a living room, full kitchen, bedroom, and bath (with hot water), internet, and cable. We have paid more for much less while in Panama. Often, nice bed and breakfast places do not even offer hot water in their rooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each morning we were served a nice breakfast. We were provided with a menu to order in advance for the following day. My breakfast on day one was fresh fruit, coffee, juice, banana pancakes with syrup, and fresh locally sourced sausage.

The breakfast was served on a delightful patio surrounded by gardens. The inn keeper would put out fruit on small stone statues to feed the beautiful birds. We were able to see some great birds right there while we ate. This is such a daily event that it is listed on the activity list that the inn provides.

While we ate breakfast on our first, we discussed the day’s adventures. We decided to take the waterfall hike. It is also known as the pipeline trail. This was the same hike that Jen and I had attempted on our first visit to Boquete’. We had showed up to the trailhead only to find it deserted and no other hikers around. We were a bit apprehensive at the time to enter the jungle across private property without anyone knowing where we were. We thought it best to wait for another opportunity.

Our Friendly Welcoming Party.
Our Friendly Welcoming Party.

It seems that the day was perfect for that trail. When we got there, we were met by the owner of the property who accepted $5 each to enter the trail. As we passed through the gate we were met by friendly dogs. It was clear to me that they were hungry, but none of us had anything to give them.  If you head out for this hike, take the dogs a little something.

As we walked along, the waterfall was directly next to the trail on our left. There was a couple of homes on the right. I am sure that this is where the dogs lived. There were also chickens, geese, and other farm animals. I have become a bit embarrassed by our privilege. I am often hesitant to take out my phone and take pictures of the rustic, impoverished homes of the local people. As we continued up the trail, I did take a few which I am sharing. We came across a family walking out to the road on their way to church. We also spotted a couple of boys swimming in the river, before walking past another farm. The farmer was working a patch of ground where he was growing cabbage.

Cabbage Patch
Home along the trail.
A Family Going Off To Church

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home along the trail.

 

 

 

 

 

Soon the trail started a gradual incline and became rocky. It appeared to me that it was a watershed which wound up next to the river. I believe that they call this the waterfall trail because it is almost all soft rapids. I wish that I could photograph the wonderful sound of the rushing water. As we went higher in elevation the rocks became wet and slippery from the mist in the air. The mist was part cloud forest and part light rain. The temperatures of the higher elevation were very comfortable hiking weather.

Let The Fun Begin

We continued to hike up while enjoying the beauty of this magnificent place. Soon we came across a bridge where we stopped to grab some great pictures. Ty and Lyn posed on the bridge for a selfie, then we got the writers to the center of the bridge for another shot.

Lyn and Ty
The Writers Group

We continued up the trail until the mist from the cloud forest made the rocky trail a bit slippery. We soon arrived at a place where the pipeline crossed the river. Continuing on meant crossing on the pipe or walking through the river to the trail on the other side. Some of the group continued up the trail while others settled in on the edge of the river to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds. I was a bit disappointed that we did not see much nature. We probably were not quiet enough, disrupting the birds and wildlife which caused them to hide. Those who continued on found a tree which was over 1000 years old before arriving at the pinnacle of the hike…a beautiful little waterfall.

Ty at the top of the trail
Lynda near a tree that is believed to be 1000 years old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The return was just as delightful as the hike up. We stopped frequently to photograph many of the flora and fauna on the trail. Soon we were back to where we left our cars.

Jen and I at the Pipeline Trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We began the drive down the mountain on the narrow mountain road, and soon came upon the San Ramon waterfall where we had someone take the picture which I used for the feature image on this post. After a short mile or so we came upon the rock formation pictured below. It was packed with people. Some were marveling at the site while others were preparing to climb it. We took a few pictures before continuing on. The drive through the area was beautiful. We passed coffee farms and people walking about. It amazed me that there could be such a disparity in the homes and living conditions co-existing there. I am certain that most of the people we saw were workers for the massive amount of farming on the mountain.

Amazing Rock Formation
San Ramon Waterfall

It was time for lunch. This group never missed a meal, and many of us had recommendations for great places to eat. We decided on a quaint little Chinese Restaurant called Restaurante’ Panda on the main road into Boquete’. The food was excellent despite the 1-1/2-star rating on Google.

Ty and Jan toasting a successful hike with the restaurants fabulous iced tea
Linda had worked up quite an appetite

 

 

 

 

 

 

We departed the restaurant with plenty of afternoon left to have another writing workshop. Our group normally meets on the last Thursday of the month to write together. We write from prompts provided by Lynda Allison. Lynda and her husband, Lowell, operate Tranquilo Retreat in Coronodo. The bed and breakfast was established to give writers a peaceful and inspirational place to write. While their place is awesome, nothing is more inspiring than getting out in the beauty of a place like Boquete’. I have been writing non-fiction for the majority of the time. Often, I write from Lynda’s prompt, while at other times I am free to write newsletter articles or just fun little pieces that will never be seen or read by anyone outside of the group. We write for 10 minutes before sharing our work with the others. We then all comment and give constructive encouragement to one another. Lately I have been encouraged to write a fiction piece. I had been resisting the encouragement until Lynda provided us with a prompt that struck me in a positive way. My first piece of the session came out well and left the group hanging. I continued the story through both of the other prompts and at the end of the day the group was asking for the next chapter. There may just be the beginning of a murder mystery in my journaling book. Stay tuned…

We gathered for drinks again before heading off to dinner. We did not decide on destination, other than we would park downtown and walk around until we found just the right place. the group decided on Tre Scalini. Our meals were nice, and the conversation was special. It seems that getting to know the people we write with a little better is inspiring…or perhaps it is the breathtaking nature all around this place. We did discuss our possible adventures for the following day. The decision was made to split for the day with some of us driving off to the volcano Volcán, while the rest of us were going to hike the hanging bridges of Boquete’ Tree Trek.

Our morning breakfast was again perfect. I had fruit, juice, coffee, french toast with syrup, and the wonderful local sausage. Following breakfast, Lynda, Jen, and I were going to Tree Trek, while the others were off to Volcán. Jen is fearful of heights, so the hanging bridges were quite a challenge for her. We drove up the mountain to the trailhead where we would meet our guide at 10:30 am. The others left for Volcán.

The Boquete’ Tree Trek has the second largest zipline in Central America and the Hanging Bridges Tour. Jen and I are not candidates for ziplining again. Our last zipline adventure was enough for a lifetime. This would likely be a great adventure for many, but we wanted time to pause and take in the sites along the way. We opted for the Hanging Bridges Tour which was fully guided, and it did not disappoint. We found the trail to be fairly well maintained and there were even a few places along the way to stop and rest. This is important for people like us, who are not in the best physical condition, with many parts that do not often recover from serious abuse like mountain climbing.

Our guide, Ingrid, was awesome. She met us promptly at 10:30 and spoke perfect English. She filled us with great information about all the nature we were seeing along the way. This experience left us speechless.

Ingrid

Ingrid started right away pointing out interesting insects and plants unique to the area. We should have recorded her so that we could remember all the names and origins of these magnificent things being pointed out. After quite a strenuous hike we arrived at the first bridge. Ingrid explained that it was the longest bridge of the tour. Once we got to the other side, she said we passed the test to continue on. Jen was surprised that she made it without the fear to continue. The bridges were safe and solid construction, usually anchored to trees on either end. Maybe Jen was thinking that these bridges would be constructed of rope and planks like the ones you see in the movies.

The first bridge.
The First Bridge
Jen cautiously walks out onto the first bridge
Breathtaking views from above.
These elephant ears can reach 14′ in diameter.
Check out this Little Blue Bug.

Continuing on, we came to the second bridge. The higher we went the more incredible the views were becoming. These bridges were actually taking us above the jungle canopy. Ingrid continued to point out amazing plants and insects. We were fortunate to see a rare glass butterfly. It posed for me and patiently waited until I got the perfect picture. It was completely transparent, almost as if it was made from cellophane wrap. We also passed an Armadillo den. Ingrid explained that they were nocturnal and only came out at night.

Armadillo Den
Glass Butterfly
The Second Bridge

As we continued on, Ingrid showed us the smallest known Orchid and a tarantula hole. I was surprised at the size of both. I loved seeing and photographing the orchid and hoped that I would not see Mr. Tarantula. His hole was huge for a spider.

Tarantula Hole.
Look carefully…there are 2 blooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridge number three and we were still going up. When would we start our decent? There were steps but they were often difficult for my old knees and back. Thank goodness there were a few handrails at the most opportune times.

The Third Bridge
Ingrid leads on.
Panoramic views from above.
These elephant ears were way below a bridge. They measured over 14′ in diameter.
As we closed in on the fourth bridge I was still wondering when we would begin our decent. I have to admit that the higher we got the more magnificent the views. I took over 2oo pictures during our stay in Boquete’ and I cannot seem to find the best to share. I concluded that the pictures just do not do justice to this wonderful adventure. Ingrid began pointing out the huge oak trees along the trail. There was a couple in particular that were 700-800 years old. These trees were here and alive during the last eruption of Volcán Barú. If these trees could talk, they would have such a story to tell.
The Fourth Bridge
Oak Tree predating the last Eruption of Volcán.
Oak Tree predating the last Eruption of Volcán.

With only two bridges left in our journey, we did begin our descent. We reached a split in the trail where we were forced to take the trail less traveled. Ingrid explained that the trail to the left had been washed out in a recent rain. I soon noticed that there were not handrails on this part of our journey. The trail down was not any easier than the hike up. When we had steps on the trail, they were often uneven, and some were very long steps down. Along the way we were able to see some of the stations of the zip line. I imagined what a rush it would be to zip line through this magnificent jungle paradise. Realistically though, I still would not do it.

A Few Uneven Steps
Tarzan Vines

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingrid explained that the Tarzan Vines, like those pictured above, really are parts of the tree rooted back into the ground. No person could actually swing on such a vine.

I am truly embarrassed by the pictures. Of the more than 200 I took, along with others shared by group, I cannot seem to find the pictures that intimately speak to the beauty of the place.

The Fifth Bridge

I cannot deny that I was relived to finally reach the sixth and last bridge.  This bridge did not have a sign.  This old body was wearing down from the trek. I realized at that moment that adventures like this were not long for us. I told Jen that we need to prioritize our Panama bucket list to get these type of adventures done soon.  The first picture here is of Boquete’ as we emerged from the last bridge.

Boquete' From Above
Boquete’ from above.
Volcán shrouded in clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

I believe that the other was taken earlier but it reminds us of our friends who took the 1-1/2 hour drive to Volcán. Our phones were dinging from time to time as they were sharing their pictures. We had only the smallest of cell signals in the jungle, so we could not see the pictures until we got back to a place with a wi-fi signal. If you notice in the Volcán picture the foreground is really  the top of the jungle canopy. I suspect that was our view from somewhere shortly after crossing the fourth bridge. While crossing the fifth bridge we had some great views that I could not capture in photographs. On the rocks near the river below we spotted an Iguana couple. They were huge but only a speck on the camera. Ingrid told us that the iguana mate for life, and that one was the male and the other female. At the middle of the bridge, she pointed out a fern straight below that had the distinct appearance of a spider web. It was one of the most amazing things. As we exited the bridge, she pointed out the elephant ear plants that I pictured above. We had seen these plants all along the way, but none were as huge as those below. While we were so high on the bridge that they did not appear big, these were, in fact, as big as they usually get. That should put into perspective how high on that bridge we were.

With the hanging bridges in the rearview mirror, we headed off to grab lunch. A place with wi-fi would be great so we can look at the pictures from our friends in Volcán. We opted for Big Daddy’s, a nice relaxing place with a back patio facing out into the jungle. We grabbed a table and signed into their wi-fi to look at the pictures our friends were sending.

The Volcán group stop for a picture at Cerra Punta

The other group had a great road trip. It seemed that they had a great time driving and cutting up. They stopped for fresh local strawberries and cream. And later they stopped at a farm where Lowell posed as a scarecrow. They also found a place along the road to pick up 2 huge bags of local vegetables for $5 each.

Yum
Lyn and Ty pose in front of one of those cool signs.
Lowell LOL
Photo Bomb
Strawberries and Cream
Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish that they taken a picture of the vegetables. The bags were massive. Since we have been home Lynda has been posting Facebook pictures of her culinary genius. She posted this one yesterday.

Lynda’s soup

Lynda, Jen, and I had a little time before the others returned so we explored the local artisan market just outside Boquete’. We found it at the end of the bridge which crosses between the Tuesday Market Buildings. It was friendly, with local Panamanian vendors selling their wares. Jen found a new hat and Lynda found a few treasures.

Late afternoon found us all back at the inn. We had our regular visit on the patio of Lynda and Lowell. We relaxed and enjoyed the time. Our dinner plans were already in place as we were meeting Melinda Miles-Lindberg, a local Boquete’, author at Mesa Azul. She invited a couple of other local authors, but none were able to make it. Our dinner, and the conversation was wonderful. Mesa Azul was another highly recommended restaurant that did not disappoint. I highly suggest checking it out if you find yourself in Boquete’. It is in the Hotel Oasis just down from the market. After dinner we retired back to the Garden Inn for the night. Our adventure was winding down, and we would be checking our after breakfast to explore the Tuesday Market.

On Tuesday morning, we got up and had another great breakfast. I repeated the first day menu. I found those banana pancakes to be well worth another try. After we ate, we all loaded up and made the short journey to the market. The market occupies two spaces. If you go, make sure you check out both buildings. We found Melinda and her significant other in the building adjacent to the flower market. Melinda’s significant other is a magnificent artist, and in her booth, she displays her work which is mostly paintings of pets that are commissioned work. Melinda maintains a booth next to hers where she displays books from authors who live in Panama. In Melinda’s booth you will find her book, my book, Diane Maxwell’s book, Lynda’s books, and the work of other local authors. She sells the books of local authors for $15 which covers shipping to Panama. After we had all explored the market, we made the journey home to Coronodo.

I have shared a lot without talking about anything more than our 4 days in Boquete’. Click the highlighted links in this paragraph if you are interested in anything mentioned. The links will take you to information related to each. I have mentioned our writers group, including Lynda Allison’s Write Along.  If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. In it I spend a little time each week giving informative updates about the goings on in Panama. It puts my butt in the seat to write, and that is important to me. Every week I get a new writing prompt from my daughters. That also gets my butt in the seat to write. Those prompts go to Story Worth which will compile the whole years’ work into a volume to be treasured by my family for years. You can subscribe to Story Worth for yourself or a gift by clicking the link. Clicking through this link will give you $10 off. My book, “2 Retire In Panama” is available at Amazon and on Kindle. It was born from the early blog posts here. Diane Maxwell’s book “An Expats Struggle” is a memoir detailing her retirement in Panama. Lynda Allison is a retired English teacher. When she isn’t hosting authors in her marvelous B&B Tranquilo Retreat, she writes Science Fiction for teens and young adults. Her final book of the summer trilogy is out for publishing and the first 2 books are available at Amazon and on Kindle. Melinda Miles-Lindberg wrote and published “Mommy No. 13“. It is also a memoir of her adoption and raising of a child born to a murderer. This is just a few of the people with whom I write on a regular basis. There is a growing list of great work from many of my other author friends on the author board of my Pinterest feed. You will also find a newsletter board on my Pinterest feed that will have an archive of all of the past newsletters.

It has been a pleasure sharing our Boquete’ adventure. If you have enjoyed this post, please like and share it. I am also thrilled to get messages and comments.

Blessings From Paradise,

Greg and Jen

 

 

 

We Explore Boca Chica

The Boca Chica sign is brand new
The Boca Chica sign is brand new

One of the coolest things going on here in Panama is these new signs to promote tourism. We have been trying to snap pictures of these signs on our adventures. Sometimes we get a bunch and sometimes not so many. There are times when we pass one with no possible chance to stop for a picture. The lazy, laid back, port of Boca Chica just got their sign. It is still shrouded in plastic, and the landscaping is under way. We were able to walk right up and take a great picture.

When we left our condo for our adventure we were filled with expectations. Our expectations rarely line up with reality, and Boca Chica was no exception. Our reservation was made for the Regalo Guest House. our host said just follow the signs.

The driveway was literally 18 KM long which computes to around 11 miles. We didn’t buy in for this remote, but it was really a great place. At the end of the driveway (they call it the Y) you make a turn opposite the direction of the main road to go another 6 KM to the village of Boca Chica. Along the driveway we spotted signs for things that we never got to see. There was also an equestrian center and a lot of wash outs. The picture below is what the majority of the driveway looked like. Our host told us that they had a beach 5 minutes from the house, but we didn’t find it.

Upon our arrival we were greeted and offered a welcome cocktail. The place had breathtaking views and a very nice pool. It was also helpful that the chef was more than capable. We knew that driving back into the resort after dark would be dangerous and a crazy idea, so we ordered dinner and took a swim. The hosts are from Wisconsin. they recently purchased the property and had an objective to make it upscale, remote and private. There is a helipad for anyone desiring to shorten the commute. The host asked if I was a pilot. He wanted to make connections for helicopter transits to this beautiful resort. Surfing lessons are available as well as boat tours of the islands on the Golf of Chiriquí.

We made arrangements to take the island hopping tour the following morning. Our hosts offered up a fantastic breakfast then packed a cooler for us and led us to Boca Chica. We found a secure place to park on a side street, then walked a short two blocks to the dock.

Our captain for the day was Victor. He proved to be capable and knowledgeable of the islands. Victor spoke perfect English, which was a bonus that we did not expect. We shared the boat with a Panamanian family. The couple also spoke to us in English. Their perfectly behaved children were also bi-lingual. They ended up joining us for dinner at Regalo. It’s possible that they may become life long friends. It always amazes us how welcoming and friendly the local people are here. Our tour started on Isla Bolanos where we were able to swim and soak in the awesome sites and sounds of the Golf of Chiriquí.

Areas de estudio is Boca Chica
Areas de studio is Boca Chica

Using the map above to put things in perspective to the left is Costa Rica. To the right of Boca Chica is the Peninsula de Azuero. Our next adventure takes us to the far south end of Azuero to a village called Cambutal.

The second stop of island hopping was where we enjoyed a great lunch. It was the only island with commerce. We saw just one small house where they were serving drinks and fresh seafood. we took the opportunity to restock our cooler and have Red Snapper served with salad, rice and patacones. Following lunch we took a swim on the beautiful beach before heading off to our third island.

Our third island stop was Isla Gomez. It was a tiny uninhabited island with a perfect beach. We did not have to share this island with anyone else. Captain Victor gave us an hour to swim and enjoy the beach before returning to the dock at Boca Chica.

After returning to the dock we walked around a bit in the village. There is very little to see and do there. It is a very basic little town of fishermen and tourist boat excursions. This is a very popular destination for whale watching. The whales migrate past here from August to October. This is where whales give birth because of its safe warm waters. Otherwise, everyone here has an agenda of fishing, sightseeing, or scuba diving. There are no cute little shops or restaurants. We opted to return to Regalo for a relaxed evening meal with our new friends.

Filet Mignon
Filet Mignon

We have had a couple of other great adventures over the past couple of weeks. We are always willing to share privately contact information for the tours and accommodations where we enjoy these adventures. Just drop a message and we will get back to you. We still are not endorsing anyone and we do not accept payments for endorsements. If you see an advertisement on our blog that interests you, please click through. We do get paid for that. At one time we thought it would help defray the costs involved in maintaining this site. We were badly wrong on that. To date our pay back is less than $5.  We write the blog because we enjoy sharing our experience in Panama and  beyond. Please enjoy, like, and share. Our reach is limited to you, our readers, and those with whom you share. In a few days we will share other great adventures.

Greg and Jen