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In Boquete and in Panama in general shopping is a multiple stop experience that we do together (like most everything ) with lots of chatting as you go around and we always run into people who want to pass the time of day. First to the farmers market, across the street to the grocery store, again down the street 2 doors for the bulk store for cheap cases of beer in recycleable bottles, back outside in the street for fresh fish and shrimp from the back of a pickup truck, across the bridge for delicious organic lettuce and then down the road to the fresh chicken and egg store. It helps to spread your money around a bit anyway.

I make our own whole wheat bread since fluffy white bread is what is mostly available here and we always have delicious vegetables. Fresh chicken breasts can be bought for $1.15 per pound and fresh fish for $2.50 per pound. Often we opt for roasted veggies for a quick and healthy meal that costs about $2.00 to feed both of us. We haven’t found great pizza here so have perfected our own “white pizza” topped with fresh veggies and since bananas are so plentiful we always have banana bread on hand for a treat. Fruits are whatever is in season from paypaya to pineapple, oranges and my new favorite cherimoya.

Panama has a host of healthful herbs for home remedies (see this article at 9 80 magazine online but if you get sick the Doctors here are very inexpensive and highly qualified so no worries. People are now beginning to travel to Panama for low cost medical procedures both the necessary and the optional procedures.

Outside of Panama City the air is clean and since many people do not drive cars there is very little exhaust or noise pollution.

Here in the mountains of Boquete with the streams and the mountain air it couldn’t feel any cleaner. This time of year it is 75 – 80 with lots of sunshine and windy part of the day.  As they say here in Boquete “the valley of eternal spring”.

Fresh air and great food has become a priority for us as it has for many of you and if you travel to Panama you will find plenty of both to make it easier to maintain your health.

I have a new favorite site created by Dr. Nicole Sundene on holistic health. Dr. Sundene is a Naturopathic Physician who has teamed up with a small group of other highly qualified health specialists to offer great advice for your general health, natural health remedies and dispel some of the myths about alternative medicine. Do yourself a favor and check out her great site at Kitchen Table Medicine.

As always please let me know with your comments what you think and how I can give you the information you are looking for in Panama.

Technorati Tags: boquete panama, healthful living panama, travel to panama

Apparently there are many of us Norte Americanos and a lot of Europeans who agree. The most famous and 3rd largest city in the Province is David. Pronounced with the accent on the 2nd syllable. David is in the lowlands and is hot and steamy. A realtively pleasant city especially if you walk and do not drive through all the narrow unplanned streets. David is so typically Panamanian in that there was no plan to it – it just sprouted up.

As a rule Panamanians don’t do a lot of pre planning. I haven’t discovered why unless it is how much in the moment they live. But it’s mostly true that even if there is a plan it is always subject to change at the drop of a hat; Panama hat that is. But that is another topic to address later. We once had a whole family coming for dinner and they just decided not to come; didn’t have phone teception at their house, did not drive down the road to phone; just didn’t come. It is accepted and that is how it sometimes happens in Panama.

Admittedly the joy of not planning is that a local will almost never get upset by a landslide or a road closure that totally changes their day. I do mean totally changes it; as in they are no longer able to reach their destination. Most Panamanians will just adjust their attitude to the situation and do something different. As someone who is used to the pressure cooker of the US business world – this was astounding to me! Of course like most Latin cultures being on time is not revered or expected. Even with the Chiricanos.

Back to our Chiriqui geography.

Going North from David about 40 minutes you will come tho the lovely mountain town of Boquete. Ah, cool fresh air, 70 degrees F everyday and misty mountains in the morning and again in the afternoon. This is a truly magical place. Here many expats heve convened to make a new life. Boquete was discovered primarily due to the marketing efforts of one man who built an outstanding, beautiful, amenity filled gated valley community called Valle Escondido.

Since we primarily wanted to be very close to beaches when we first visited Boquete we thought it was nice but not so special. we now know that it is a place that grows on you like the moss grows on the stone walls here. It boasts a small town atmosphere with everything you need so you almost never have to leave, surrounded by exquisite mountains, nice people and lots of other expats so you can get a chance to speak English and sing a few tunes.

More tomorrow on Chiriqui.

In the meantime for some great Chiriqui facts please go here to World Headquarters site:

Planning to Travel to Panama? Get great travel deals here.

Technorati Tags: Boquete, chiriqui, panama