There are many things I really love about Boquete. Today I took dozens of wonderful bird photos with out leaving the backyard. Then it was time to run into town to pick up a few grocery items. Back in Florida if I had to make so many stops I would have been complaining. Here I look forward to the multiple stop shopping. The list was made and Eric driving so we don’t have to park at every stop, we set out for “downtown” Boquete.

First Stop the Global Bank. Here there is no mail service so bills are delivered to your gate and you have to take them downtown to stop in the bank or a store to pay. There is almost never a line for this task just a smiling face / guard at the door and more of the same inside. Eric had to go to a different bank across the street to cash a check and then we met back at the van for the next stop; the phone company. Yep, I was losing sleep over that $4.70 phone bill so had to get it paid! I gave the clerk $20.70 and he had to use the calculater to figure out the change. Think of that next time you wonder about the educational system in the states.

Then off to the fabric store where they have the least expensive honey in town (don’t ask why I have no idea) - a large jar for $5.25.

The next stop is one of our favorites - the indoor farmers’ market. Lot’s of stops and greetings in here as we are regulars and most of the time we now pay “local” prices for our veggies. Tourists and visitors usually pay a bit more - it is just the way it’s done. Here we visited 4 booths and talked with the owners of each (in Spanish) No one speaks English in there. We spent less than $15 and came home with a cucumber, 20 bananas, a pineapple, 3 avacados, 3 mangos, celery, 4 large potatoes, 3 onions, 2 tomatoes, a huge zucchini and 2 large peppers. Fresh from the farm, yummy! Oops, I forgot - also a bag of fresh pinto beans.

Next to walk across the street to the Romero Grocery Store for raw sugar, great homegrown coffee and a few miscellaneous items. Normally the next purchase is from the fish mongers selling from the trucks outside the farmers’ market (big negotiations there will usually net you tuna for $3.50 a lb or fresh red snapper for $2.50) but today I have fresh trout on my mind and have just found out where to go to buy it!

Stop number 6 is the chicken store for fresh pork, eggs and chicken.  Broke the bank and spent $12 there and left with 3 thick pork chops, 4 chicken breasts, 2 huge pork steaks (to feed 4 people) and a dozen farm fresh brown eggs (they are all brown here and they don’t cost more).

Last but not least is the trout processing house on the edge of town. This farm provides trout for Publix in Florida and I think we get it just a bit fresher. it was practically swimming when we got it at $3.50 per lb.. Freshly filleted pan seared with butter and almonds for lunch was a great reward at the end of our errands.

We stopped at my CENTURY 21 Office on the way home to pick up a sign; chatted a little everywhere we went and arrived home in less than 1 1/2 hours. Unbelievable! You just have to love a small town with perfect weather, no AC needed, just fresh mountain air and friendly people. not to mention great freah food!

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This hilarious post comes from a blog writen here in Boquete by Richard Detrich who can be really funny. This one caught my attention.

Click here and Enjoy

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Cheap house in Florida on 1 1/4 acres!

Interested - just let me know!

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It’s the most important concept for me; always was; always will be.

PEACE IN THE WORLD

This simple concept promoted with great music around the world just has to move you! please take time to listen! You will be happy you did.

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It IS Time to think about our planet!!

Goodbye General Motors

I am a fan of Michael Moore but even if you are not a fan he makes some really valid points in this letter and has some great suggestions for what we, the country, can do to turn GM’s failure into a positive for the future.

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This is clean and too much fun! When sheep herders get bored!

Trust me on this one!

Click & Enjoy

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Spanish Word for Each Day

Many of my friends are aging like fine wine and me and the idea of learning a new language is a bit overwhelming. We started before we left the US and tried some night classes at the high school. Although they helped, not as much as I had hoped. I thought all those months of Spanish I took to graduate college might finally kick in and have some actual use at last.  Since it really didn’t magically happen like that; after all many years have passed since then (it just seems like yesterday) I take all the help I can get. Here is a great link to a site that will send you for free a word a day and they pronounce it for you to make it easier. Sign up for the feed and it will come to you automatically each day.

Remember you will need Spanish here and as I tell the polite clerks in the store who apologize for not speaking Spanish: No problemema . Es no importante  usted habla Englais, esta Panama, es mi problema por habla Espanol y estudio todo los dias por entender.  Gracias por ayuda.

Just goes to show that anyone can learn it just takes a little longer for me than it used to. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just understood. Almost every problem we have had since we moved to Panama could have been prevented with a better command of the language. Most of us exercise our bodies; think of this as exercise for the brain - it’s good for keeping us young and you will use it somewhere if not here.

For today’s extra word and just so I know you are out there please look up the meaning of apprender and drop me a line with it used in a sentence. Give it a try!

Hasta Luego

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For all my surfing friends out there; here are some absolutely awesome photos from Surfline.com.

Thanks Daniel for passing this link along. Anyone who appreciates good photography will love these! A picture is worth a thousand words and now I understand “green room” as it applies to waves. If I was just a little younger…. Anyway what a great non violent high adrenaline extreme sport that always challenges your personal best!

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This writer has a good journal with photos of diving Coiba. Isla Coiba is the do not miss ex prison colony Island where the snorkeling and diving are spectacular!

Check it out here:  Coiba Dive Journal

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This version of Exiled MTV’ s reality show is close to my heart since it is a hometown girl sent to Panama for her “coming of age” experience.

As always give it a look and let me know what you think.

MTV Exiled in Panama

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