Breakfast at the Bambito is included in your room rate. This is not just a simple Continental breakfast. We were served fresh squeezed juice, a plate of fresh cut pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, and papaya. We then had our choice of toast or biscuits, eggs any style, ham, bacon or sausage. Coffee of course was strong and is one of the famous exports of Panama. Bill joined us for a cup of coffee and then we loaded into his 4x4 and headed up the mountain.

One local family was selling their home and we toured the home before heading farther up.. The road was rough, but the scenery spectacular. When we got out to walk the new project site, it was downright cold. We had not thought this area would be so cool - after all it is the tropics. Pine trees, banana trees, citrus, and flowers everywhere. After looking at the possibilities in this area, Bill took us to his house, a beautiful structure that has evolved over the years. Gathering all our information, we headed back to the hotel. It was time to get warm (central heating and air conditioning is not used here but some have fireplaces to take off the chill) so we all crawled under the additional blankets and took a nap. Many people in Panama eat at a much later hour, with the larger meal at noon- 2:00 p.m. and dinner/supper around 8 p.m. After our nap we traveled back down to another hotel that had a reported great pizza. We ordered it and agreed that they lived up to the reputation. A little driving around and watching for the 'se vende' signs (for sale) and making notes, it was back to the Bambito for a movie with Spanish subtitles, then a fantastic nights rest with only the sound of the rushing river water falling on rock outside. The next morning over breakfast we discussed what we had seen and experienced. None of us had expected to be so cold. We came to the conclusion that we needed to look further, that it was just too cold for us Arizona people, and after packing up we checked out and headed for Bouquete. It had rained and everything was wet but the return of rain held off till later in the day. 

There is a place that the locals know (and Bill showed us) where you can stop on the highway, put the car in neutral and take your foot off the break and the car will be pulled up the hill by the magnetic field from the volcano. We did this several times to prove to ourselves it really worked and headed back to David. From David we headed north to Boquete and again the scenery was calming - green, vast, and prolific flowers everywhere. I had forgotten to print out the directions to the Isla Verde Hotel where we were booked. It took several passes through the village to find the hotel and by then it was simply pouring rain. Unfortunately they had the wrong dates for our arrival, but did have a round house available for us. http://islaverdepanama.com. We waded through the water standing on the ground. Our roundhouse had a queen bed downstairs (for my daughter Lisa and I) and a double in a loft for my son Mark. It came complete with kitchen, and very nicely tiled bathroom with shower. Outside our window we could see flowers of every description and orange trees. Breakfast could be purchased but was not included with the room. We opted to fix our own. A trip to Rays Supermarket - a chain in Panama, was next. There we bought a several pound pineapple for 85 cents. In Arizona today Safeway has small, rather green and not very tasty ones for $3.99! We bought raisin bread and butter, yogurt and drinks for the morning. Due to change in climate, rest, routine, etc. Mark had developed a sore throat. We stopped at the modern pharmacy and he was able to purchase what he needed for a fraction of the cost of what we pay in the states. They carry American brands for higher prices. We had spotted a Mexican restaurant on the way through Boquete, so headed for lunch there and really enjoyed the meal at reasonable prices. It was still raining - the owner had told us it rains 10-5 every day for 3-3 « months, mostly Sept., Oct., November and part of December. After lunch we went shopping to find gifts for those at home and post cards (which have yet to arrive 15 days later).

Tried another restaurant for dinner. Macchu Picchu which was upscale in food and decor but reasonable in price. Excellent food, tried a few new things and didn't care for all of them, but that is part of travel.

Mark didn't sleep that night - dogs barking kept him awake. He is from a large city and is used to sirens and cars all night, but not dogs. Lisa and I slept well. We met Toby Braxton, services-toby25@hotmail.com the next morning at 9:30. Our 85 cent pineapple, and raisin toast had filled us up for breakfast and the sun was out and no rain so we were raring to go. Hoped to see some good developments, homes and get information from Toby about the area. She is a great wealth of ideas, practical data, and will find an answer for whatever you want to know. I would use her any time I go to that area of Panama - and her cost is reasonable. $7-$8 per hour and worth it. When Toby picked us up it was cloudy but not hot, nor cold, just comfortable. First we visited a beautiful 2 bedroom home in the gated community of Los Molinos. This is a very upscale area and the home was top notch and came with car and all furnishings for $270,000. Although it would serve all our needs, the price was a bit steep for us so we looked at another already built home further down the road. It was not gated, but the home was all one could ask for. It had 3 bedrooms, 3 baths (one with jacuzzi shower), a complete terrace across the back with a kitchen for entertaining outside. There were two fireplaces and ceiling fans in each room. The asking price was $250,000 which was probably reasonable considering the car was a 2005. Again we felt it was above our price range so looked at bare lots and land and one or two more already built homes. Much to offer but not quite what we were looking for. Finished by early afternoon, we returned to our round house and bid Toby goodbye for the day. Went to lunch and decided to try a "typico" lunch - what the locals eat. We were pleased we did. Toby had recommended this establishment. We had strawberry (fresh) drinks - a new experience for us, an oval plate with a quarter of a chicken (breast meat and wing), white rice, a bowl of red beans cooked to perfection with spices and peppers, potato salad and fried plantain which is sweet and like dessert. I asked for more napkins and used the word papel as I could not think of napkin. Our host smiled and told me that was to write on and gave me the name for napkin and brought a goodly supply for us. The cost - $3.00 each. More than we could eat and very tasty as well. Mark went back to rest (since he didn't sleep the night before) and Lisa and I checked email from home. Each little village or town has an internet cafe or even several. The cost is reasonable at 25 to 30 cents a half hour. It is very popular and you sometimes had a brief wait for a computer. More shopping, looking and back to rest before dinner. No barking dogs that night and everyone slept well. 

Toby had made us an appointment with a lawyer in David to get the requirements for a tourist pensionado visa. This is the great visa you may have read about with all the discounts for a retired person. We checked out of Isla Verde and found they had given us a discount as we had no tv in our room. $143 with the tax, for the two nights for the three of us. Mark loaded the car and we headed for David and it began to rain. It rained nearly all day. It doesn't slow anything or anyone down. The closer to David, the heavier the traffic. I won't say they are aggressive in Panama, but they certainly are very assertive when behind the wheel. I decided I would not be driving in the cities, at least not for a long while. We arrived before time for our appointment so decided to try out the local competition with KFC - Pio Pio. Lisa didn't like hers, I was surprised to get tarter sauce with my chicken strips and Mark started getting a headache. While waiting to meet Toby we went into a furniture store to see what the costs were. We were especially interested in finding a soft bed. All seemed as hard as our hotels, and they do not use box springs, most were just placed on a board. One of the staff of salespeople did speak pretty good English, so we explained to her we were looking for 'soft' beds. She found one under a brand I had never heard of, but reading the fine print on the label, it was made by Simmons. It was the memory foam type and ran $799 for a queen size. Much of the furniture was comparatively priced with those in the states and very modern and up to date. Some have their furniture made for their home and we will look into that during our next trip down. Toby arrived and we followed her through heavy traffic and a downpour to the lawyers office. Only a short wait and we met with a lovely lady with perfect English that gave us a run down of requirements for our visa. They have changed and those listed in the Panama Owners Manual are a bit outdated. The problem with books and manuals is they are nearly outdated as soon as published. So armed with our new information we said our good byes to Toby and headed for the airport to check in the car and fly back to Panama City. By the way the lawyer did not charge for that meeting. 

The check in for the car and for the flight went smoothly. On this plane trip you get real peanuts, something we haven't seen in the states for some time. Back on the ground in PC, our driver Ivonca picked us up and took us back to the Seville for our last 3 nights. Different room, same hard bed - asked for the pillows again and checked our email from home. By now it had stopped raining and was very pleasant out. Off to the Pomodoro Spaghetteria, just up the street for dinner. 

Lisa thought it was the best Tortellini alla panna (cheese tortellini in a creamy sauce topped with Parmesan) she had ever eaten. At $5.95 it was a bargain. The excellent Bruschetta for $2.25 started our meal off with an excellent taste. Add up two more meals at $5.95 and we felt we had been treated royally. We even had live music to dine by. Recommend this restaurant in the capital to anyone wanting a good meal at a decent price. Back at the hotel and up to the pool we three went and we had it to ourselves. It had gotten dark and the air was warm, smelled of BBQ from the bistro next door, and the lights of the skyline lit up the cloudy sky above us. A delightful way to relax. In PC you leave the air conditioner on all night and that made it a little uncomfortable for us that are not used to the noise and cold air. In Arizona we are used to air conditioning but not blowing on us, rather the use of ceiling fans at night. 

The next two days we spent touring the canal and visiting Altos Del Maria, www.altosdelmaria.com and had lunch with our host and driver, Erick Edwards, a transplanted American. Erick's wife, is featured on the cover of the local phone book, along with his children. Beautiful family. We had the same comida typica for $1.35 each only this time instead of potato salad, it was a delicious green bean salad. Erick answered our questions, showed us what was available in Altos and was not a hard sell person. We appreciated that and by the end of the day decided to buy two lots in the development. With the cost of building and the lots we figure we can have a very nice and affordable home for around $100,000 or less. The second lot will be for a bigger home later, or if needed, to sell. Prices are going up rapidly and we felt fortunate to find what we wanted and just 90 minutes from the capitol. Close enough to catch a plane home, or do major shopping, but up in the mountains where it is cooler, less humidity, and very quiet. 

After leaving Altos, we returned to the city to sign papers and say good bye to Erick. If you would like further information on Altos Del Maria feel free to contact Erick at the following: 
eedwards@browndata.net
cell phone:(507)-6672-0840

Time to leave arrived too quickly. We learned some valuable things on this trip. You can get too cold in the tropics, the Panama people are extremely friendly and accommodating, prices for taxi's are super low (one taxi driver got lost for about an hour and charged under $2.00) food that is not imported is very reasonable, fresh fruit and vegetables can be downright cheap, houses can be expensive and can be very reasonable depending on your requirements, it does rain a lot, but it is a tolerable rain, and the benefits for retirees are the best we have seen. A good trip, at a reasonable price, and can't wait to go again.

You can contact the author on joan_zook@yahoo.com