Boquete, Panama

It´s crazy how quickly one can slip into life here in Boquete. We have been here only five days and already we feel right at home. We know that everyday the morning will be beautiful, but come four o´clock and if you´re outside you will be caught in a down pour that doesn´t stop til late evening. We learned this the hard way on the way home from our first hike when we walked twenty minutes in the rain until a local passed by and offered us a wet ride in the back of his pickup.We know where to find the best fresh produce, bakery bread and cup of Panamanian coffee. Karin and I have been working on our cooking skills. A friend who lives with us has been working with us each night on how to use what is locally grown and in season to make our dinners. We´re proud of our struggled attempts since neither of us do much cooking at home. Last night we made pasta and no jar of pasta sauce was touched, only fresh vegetables. It´s so easy to eat healthy. Organic produce is the cheapest thing you can buy here. On our first trip to the market, we were looking curiously at a strange fruit we´d never seen and the man behind the counter cut open three and handed one to each of us. He wouldn´t take a single dime. This happens often here.

Boquete is nothing more than a quaint little town located in the mountains of Panama. Don´t worry about filtered water. It runs straight from the mountain springs. Every one we meet is so friendly and helpful. I haven´t met a nicer town. You lose your breath every time you take a moment to take in the sight of the surrounding mountains. Today was our first day not hiking up through the jungle to swim in some waterfall. Yesterday, our friend and hired guide took us to the volcanic hot springs. We sweated out our hangovers in these natural hot tubs. Here we met a local spider monkey, Chita, who likes to hang out (literally) and thinks it´s fun to snatch your things when you´re not looking. Where she keeps her stash is unknown, but I´d imagine she´s one rich little monkey. She is apparently boy crazy, because instead of curling up nicely on my shoulders like she did with the men she found it more fun to nibble on my ears and nose. I told her I was no competition, but she either didn´t believe me or I tasted really good.

The small town feel makes it difficult not to feel at home. There are only a few places to go dancing and it´s hard not to run into friends. In fact it´s hard not to make friends. It´s unbelievably easy to see yourself spending the rest of your life here and never leaving. However, today it seemed to hit all three of us that it´s time to move on. It was so easy, too easy, to become comfortable, but as soon as that happens you realize all of those things that make you want escape home exist here as well. The beauty of it is that tomorrow we could leave and never look back. All those regrets, annoyances, and identities you develop leave with you. Tomorrow I can be a completely different person and meet a whole new set of beautiful, amazing people. We decided we will spend one more night with some local pats and celebrate American independence with apple pie and fireworks before moving on to Bocas del Toro.

Buenos!
Your Central American Gypsy