A Mountain Pueblo Surrounded by Coffee in the Cordilla Central
Raise Atenas about a thousand feet, decrease the population by 1/3rd and run a trout stream through it – Welcome to Boquete, Panama!
Raise Atenas about a thousand feet, decrease the population by 1/3rd and run a trout stream through it – Welcome to Boquete, Panama!
<- Grandson Tim caught trout there about ten years ago We tried to keep this Shangri-La a secret, but both Fortune and Conde Nast Traveler magazines picked Boquete as a “best place to retire” and the boom was on. A quarter acre building lot at the end of a cul de sac with view to the distant Pacific that we passed on at $6,000 just sold for $80,000, two hectares down the hill a bit that was $10,000 went for $2,000,000. The BOOM is on. Three new hotels have been built or are in construction and Bed and Breakfasts have sprouted in the hills. There always was a pizza parlor, but now there are a few, and Papa Rico’s is great and has Italian entrées like lasagna too. Machu Pichu is the new Peruvian restaurant and it is upscale, pricey and worth it. Jean and I visited recently and stayed at Pension Marilos, http://www.pension-marilos.com/ where our family has vacationed since it was built in the 1950’s. It is a charming and spotlessly clean inn, made warm by both a fireplace and Frankie who’s Mom built the place. My stepmother was born in the Canal Zone and went to Boquete to get out of the heat of Panama’s humid lowlands. Boquete is degrees cooler than Atenas and a sweater is needed in the morning and evening.
Trout are not stocked in the Caldera River, but they should be. One has to drive about fifteen minutes out of town and up in the hills to a National Park, and then walk in two or three kilometers to fish that part of the river close enough to the trout hatchery and raising ponds to hold escaped fish. Local Indians told me that 14 inch and up rainbow trout were available, but that the river was difficult to fish. In the photos linked below is a picture of the river closer to town showing an abandoned castle.
Trout are not stocked in the Caldera River, but they should be. One has to drive about fifteen minutes out of town and up in the hills to a National Park, and then walk in two or three kilometers to fish that part of the river close enough to the trout hatchery and raising ponds to hold escaped fish. Local Indians told me that 14 inch and up rainbow trout were available, but that the river was difficult to fish. In the photos linked below is a picture of the river closer to town showing an abandoned castle.
In addition to the usual plaza Boquete has a public flower park, and a huge private flower garden open to the public. There is an annual orchid exhibition in February and a Jazz Festival during the summer. The fishing off the coast is equal to that found off of Costa Rica and there are many fewer boats plying the waters. A few years ago I caught a good size roosterfish and two huge snappers in the Pacific right on the border. Lot’s to do and see.
Although on the map you see the Pacific Ocean quite near David, the entire coast is mangrove and you have to drive an hour or so SE from David to get to Playa Las Lajas where some development is just starting. When International flights start arriving at David the condominiums will line the beautiful beaches, and I might just buy one since Boquete is so close to escape the heat.
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To get to Boquete you drive 52 kilometers from th e Border to David and then look for the sign to Boquete which is 38 kilometers up the volcanic mountain. To take your Costa Rica car into Panama you will need to bring your car ownership and registration papers to the Registro in Alajuela and get a Permiso a Salir for the car. Make a copy of all of that for the Nicaraguan Customs authorities. ( Helpers on both sides of the border will walk you through the process and they are worth the usual $5 tip. When the customs official mentions that it is hot and that he would really like a Coke, it is really a dollar he is looking for.)
More pictures off Boquete are located at http://picasaweb.google.com/gmlively/Boquete
