Panama with the 'Sistas'

Chris & Jeannie, old friends are the best friends

Having left the girls at the airport in Liberia, we headed down to Jeannie's place near Puntarenas in the small town of Costa de Pajaros.  The plan was to pick up Leona's sister, Chris. She planned to spend a few weeks with us in Panama.

Its a rather remote  part of Costa Rica that is authentic to Central America's roots, agriculture and the sea.

Sunset at Costa de Pajaros

We mapped out a plan to go to the coastal south of Costa Rica and slide into the north of Panama.  There were several options in the border area of Panama: the Caribbean coast at Bocas del Toro; the high country of Boquette; the country's agreeable 2nd city of David; and the appealing Pacific coast of parks, beaches, and fishing at Boca Chica.

Palm nut plantations like the huge ones in Malaysia

We decided to stop first in David and get our bearings.  It's not wise to attempt to go too far after a border crossing lest it should take much longer than anticipated and you find yourself travelling to a destination after dark on unfamiliar roads.

David was only a half an hour from the border and offered many fine accommodations to choose from.


Chris proved to be a great travelling companion and found the long hours in the back seat to be a very effective way to cut down on her smoking.  After her and Jeannie had binged for a week on Canadian cigarettes it was a much needed break anyway.

Our last stop in Costa Rica was the fishing port of Golfito on the Golfo de Dulce, near the Panama border on the Pacific coast.

The Fish Hook Marina & Lodge

We had booked a room in a hotel and marina that was known as a reliable layover on land for cruisers and charter yachts. It was funky looking from the road but once inside there was a vast inner courtyard with restaurant, bar, pool tables, and nautical paraphernalia galore.

Despite the unappealing name, we had a great meal and stop over at the Fish Hook as we prepared to cross the Panamanian border in the morning.

We crossed into Panama at Paso Canoas, which I assume to be Spanish for Place of Chaos.  'Shit show' doesn't begin to cover this one: zero signage, zero uniforms, zero English spoken, and zero urgency,.... zero.  We couldn't do anything without the assistance of a border guide.  Though his service was paid only through a voluntary tip, every step of the process needed to be expedited through a bribe to an immigration official or a customs official

There was no way of knowing how much, if anything, went to a bribe or just to the guide's pocket.  All we knew was it was the most expensive crossing to date and that -as promised- no one inspected or even seemed to notice the vehicle.  My $80 in bribes could easily have imported a half a ton of coke... and a thermonuclear weapon in the rooftop luggage carrier.  I had to think "do I even want to be in a country that protects its borders this way?"

C'est las vie.  Too late to turn back now and I can't afford to go through the process again.  Off we went to David to see what pleasures it offered.

Once inside the country seemed a perfect joy.  Good roads and pleasant, even friendly people.  We  had paid a little extra for reliable accommodations on our first night and were not disappointed.  The Hotel Aranjuez was sparkling and modern.

Having done our banking in David we opted for the high altitude and cooler climate of Boquete.  We had heard much about this place in the press that promotes retirement havens in Central America.  If you are used to cooler climate, as most Canadians are, Boquete is said to have a perfect climate.



The road from David is a half hour of gentle uphill grade so when we got out of the car it is a  a bit of a shock to feel cool and fresh.

Grounds of El Machico Guest House near Boqeute

The town sits in a volcanic bowl that protects it from the high altitude winds so when we found our hotel, which was out of town and near the lip of the very subtle crater, we found it downright cold and windy.

Kitchen at El Machito

That said it was absolutely beautiful with tall pines and a riot of flowering plants,  We stayed at a place that was part hotel and part hostel in that there was a large outdoor living area and communal kitchen,  Very comfortable but not our thing.  Tried it, next.

Exploring around Boquete was great fun though,  The area is covered in trails, some loops and some old paths used now for trekking up the local volcano.  Several overnight trips were popular where trekkers, staying in the homes of villagers where cars cannot reach.  Did it in Thailand in our 30s so the novelty factor was sated for us.

The Boquete region was quite pretty though so we have added a few more photos below.

Trailheads started pretty

Leona & Chris at waterfall in
the hills near Boquete

A natural rock climbing wall on the outskirts of town

Tropical streams tumble down the volcano near Boquete

The town was charming and the region vibrant.  In the afternoons we snacked on the main street in Boquete and watched fishermen, who had driven their morning catch up from the coast, fillet and sell Mahi Mahi in the back of a half ton.  In the evenings we had a choice of excellent local fare or international meals prepared exactingly by world class chefs.  One memorable night featured dinner in a restaurant owned and operated by a 5-star Italian chef.

Tiring of the chill (no, really....) before we did of the town, we elected on a quicker exit than planned and set our sights on Pedasi, a popular Pacific beach town further down the coast.  We had a reason to hurry a bit as Brad's brother Jeff was going to be in Panama City in a few weeks and we wanted to find a place nearer the City where he could visit.  A short stop in Pedasi would be interesting and answer some of our questions about that upcoming destination, said to be the best beach in Panama. 

Next, Tropical Panama