The Panama Adventure

Valle Escondido (Hidden Valley) is a very upscale, gated community in Boquete. It is indeed escondido though. I’ve been to Boquete quite a few times but had never seen it. Joel’s friend and drummer lives there at his parents’ house, so Joel has been there and knows how to find it. Yesterday we decided a field trip was in order so went out exploring.

The drive there, actually driving anywhere in the area is a pleasure since it is such a beautiful area.

We passed green mountains and lot of coffee plants like these on the left

The area is known for flowers. This is just a small example of the beautiful flowers that can be seen everywhere

Eventually we found our way to the guard gate that guards the entrance to the neighborhood

Valle Escondido has a resort and their website is here. According to the website there are rooms, suites, and bungalows, and the resort looks very health oriented with yoga, swimming, a spa, golf, tennis, and a restaurant serving locally grown organic food. Check the website for details.

I believe this is a hydroponic garden where they grow some of the food for the restaurant

Condos? Rooms for guests?

part of the golf course

A pretty river runs through the area

bungalows

Beyond the resort and condos, and past another gate is a very upscale housing area.

the grounds are beautiful and well tended

one of the many beautiful houses

the view from our friend’s terrace. He says the developer of the area owns that house below

There beautiful trumpet flowers can be seen everywhere. They are white, yellow, pink, or orange and smell very sweet at night

Another of the homes in the area

and another house

I was really interesting to see this area since I’d heard about it for quite a while. I know there is more to see also. There is an amphitheater somewhere also that had a lot of the performances for the Blues and Jazz Festival that took place last year.

we passed the restaurant on our way out

more beautiful flowers on the grounds

I almost felt like I was in a upscale part of Naples, Florida. In a way it seemed odd to me. If someone wants to be surrounded with beautiful, huge homes and perfectly tended and manicured landscaping, Panama is not the place. How do these people feel when they leave the neighborhood and land in town? Does it make them crazy? Streets have pot holes, sidewalks are often broken or nonexistent, people park anywhere on crowded streets, weeds grow, and trash isn’t always picked up. Panama is a lot of wonderful things but perfectly clean and manicured isn’t one of them.

I’m glad I got to see the area though and an added, unexpected bonus – when we drove by the home of Joel’s friend and drummer his wife was outside. Of course we had to stop and say hi, so we were invited in and we had a great time hanging out and talking with them. And, she had been outside talking with the couple who own the Cacoa Cafe that I just posted about, and that is how we learned about the restaurant.

We left as the sun was getting lower in the sky, and the mist was moving in.

Sometimes when you set out on an adventure, you have no idea what a great day is ahead of you. We definitely have to get out more and have more adventures.

We have a beautiful river behind our house. I’ve posted a lot of photos in the past but it’s been a while, so I figured I could post some more. We also have a new way of getting to the river. There is a road behind our house but it has been so overgrown that it was useless until the teak guys came to the neighborhood (I posted a bit about harvesting teak in this post) They had to bring the logs up from down by the river so they cleared the road, and now we get to use it to visit the river.

I think the heavy rains have made the ruts on either side of the road a lot deeper but with care and good shoes, it’s a good way to get down there.

We got down below, made our way through some brush, and there was our river!

Everything is so green in the rainy season

There river isn’t deep here and there are a lot of rocks, so the sound of the water is loud enough to be easily heard up at our house

I set out behind Joel as we make our way through the woods

Of course I had to stop frequently because there was always another pretty scene

Instead of going back the way we came, we decided to make our way along the river to the stairs that lead back up to our neighborhood. It’s more of a scramble over rocks and fallen trees than a walk, but it’s fun and there are always interesting things to see as well as beautiful views.

It’s time to scramble over the rocks

Interesting things on a fallen tree

The tree on the left is huge, but the one on the right is massive!

We have strangler figs, trees that climb up and wrap themselves around other trees until they eventually kill the host tree. This one looks like it wrapped around two trees and made some really interesting shapes in the process.

More interesting things on a fallen tree

Getting closer. The rock wall on the other side is visible from our destination

We eventually made our way to the path that leads to the stairs. It’s hot and humid down there so by now we were really…. ahem….  glistening and I was a bit muddy from climbing over and under things, but we were rewarded by my favorite sight of the day.

Here the water is deep and quiet. I love the reflections and the calmness of this spot. It is rare that we see anyone else at the river, so usually the quiet is only broken by the birds that fly over the water or sing from the trees above.

I took the time to snap a few more photos before we left

I love the river

Quite a few of these interesting plants were blooming in the woods

We also saw some of these pretty blue flowers

At first the stairs rise so slowly they are more like a path, but later they get a lot steeper

Check out that huge vine climbing up the also huge tree

Before long, we are back in the neighborhood.

You would never find the stairs if you didn’t know where to look. Do you see that small mossy spot in the lower middle of the picture? They start right behind there.

A neighbor’s papaya tree is doing very well

We are so lucky to live where we do! Not only do we have a house that’s just perfect for us, in a nice quiet neighborhood with really nice neighbors, we are surrounded by woods with this beautiful river just beyond.

We had a delightful and unexpected surprise yesterday. We decided to take the day off and explore some of Boquete I hadn’t seen. We ran into Steve and Donna who were talking about their new restaurant, so we decided to check it out on our way home. We were really impressed! The restaurant is called the Cacao Cafe and their website is here. Check it out for a bit of information about Mayan food, the specialty of this restaurant.

The restaurant is next to the dollar store on the main road in Boquete

How often can you watch the owner cook your dinner for you?

We rarely eat out. We make great food at home so it usually isn’t worth it. This wasn’t the case last night though. The food was excellent, inexpensive, and a bit different than our usual fare.

Joel had sauteed beef with onions and peppers, rice and salad. It was very flavorful.

I thought this was chicken chowder, though I don’t see that item on the menu. It sure was good! It was a stew of chicken, beans, and corn with cacao in the mix, just wonderful. The corn bread on top was also excellent and complimented the dish perfectly, and a salad was served on the side.

The salad dressing was cacao and balsamic vinegar, very different and very interesting.

My chocolate flan was excellent. Apparently I was so excited I only snapped one picture not exactly in focus before I ate the entire thing.

Bread pudding – Joel raved about this all though dessert and all the way home!

We were the last people there and it was dark when we left. As we got into the car I turned around and saw this pretty scene.

The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Donna told us that many people come just for the coffee since it is so good. Other friends told us that the breakfast is excellent and a very good value for $5. These are photos of their menu (taken from their website)

I think these people deserve to succeed so if you are in Boquete, stop by and see if you like them as much as we did.

We haven’t tracked our expenses for a long time. Like everywhere, it seems that costs are gradually creeping up so I was curious to see if this was indeed true. It is, but thankfully we are still doing very well.

Our house today

Our House in Oct 2012

We live in a Panamanian, middle class neighborhood on the north side of David. The house has three bedrooms and two baths, and I’m guessing it’s almost 1000 sq ft. I’ve planted a lot of things in the yard so I included an old photo where you can actually see the house.

Basic expenses (in dollars) –

• house – 385
• cable/internet – 67.44
• electricity – 34.59
• car insurance – 48.30 (two cars, one full coverage, other liability only)
• netflix – 9.99
• data plans on two iPhones – 22.44
• TOTAL – 567.76

We rented the house almost four years ago and our rent hasn’t increased. A similar house today could cost a bit more. Water and trash are included in our rent (around $11 month for both) We did a report for July 2013, exactly three years ago, so this is a good basis of comparison. At that time cable/internet cost 59.06 (so today it’s 8.38 more). Electricity has remained pretty much the same. We have AC now but rarely use it. Car insurance is also about the same. I apparently didn’t list Netflix in the old report, and we didn’t have devices with data plans at that time. We also have the phones for talking and add money as needed, but since we use them very little for this we rarely need to add money.

• Food – 400.90

I thought this might be significantly higher, but according to the old report the average was also around $400/month. We bought three pigs in the last year so we eat a fair amount of pork that was paid for months ago, but otherwise our food buying habits haven’t changed significantly.

• current TOTAL – 968.66  This covers our basic expenses, the basic necessities of daily living.

The next category is miscellaneous, non essential expenses and those were quite high this last month, mainly because I bought a new camera for $180 (the display went out on my old one, and I was told it’s cheaper to just buy another so I bought a little, basic point and shoot camera for daily use). Then we had other things like beer and liquor (though I see we have four cases of beer on hand at the moment! We went a bit nuts at Pricesmart), my audio book habit, a couple lunches out, art class and supplies, couple OTC reading glasses, cold medicine, few things for the house, and some new ear buds. Total 423.95, or 243.95 without the camera, for a total of 1212.61 without the camera.

There’s always something in the miscellaneous category though – car repairs, something for the house, my books and art habits. etc. so when making a budget allow wiggle room for extras.

I’m really really happy to see that we continue to live well within our budget! This allows us enough extra for a bit of travel, and those very important and expensive trips back to the US to see my family. Since we have no immediate travel plans, however, I think I’ll continue to track expenses for another month just to see if anything in significantly different.

If you are reading this report to get an idea what if might cost you to live in Panama, keep a few things in mind. Panama City is significantly more expensive. Rents can easily be $1000/month and more for what most expats would consider a decent place. In the interior (anywhere outside of Panama City) rents vary widely. You can expect to pay more where there are lots of expats like Coronado or Boquete. You can pay much less in more rural areas. I know someone paying $125 for a decent little house in a small town not far from here.

Food is another significant expense. The advice to save money is always “eat like a Panamanian”. Eat local food. Make friends with the most tight fisted Panamanian you can find and let them teach you where they shop and what they buy. Imported food is available but it will cost more. Eating at restaurants will also raise your costs.

Internet is another expense that can vary a lot depending on area, so be sure to ask about this before you settle on a place to live. The speed and reliability can also vary a lot.

Electricity can vary widely depending on AC use. I know people with less than $10/month and others with more than $400. If you need to be cool, stay out of city centers and try going higher in the mountains.

Ask about water reliability also. Water isn’t expensive, but if your intended area has a lot of problems with keeping it flowing it might not be a comfortable place to live.

I think that’s all the advice I have at the moment. I hope you have found our report helpful.

This bar is on the Pan-American highway, not far from the Via Boquete overpass. It’s my favorite place to cross the highway on my bike, so I pass it often. Sometimes on Sunday mornings it’s a rockin place with music blaring and people having fun. Today, it was quieter with only a few guys enjoying their beer. But, it’s unusual to see a horse parked outside.

I usually feel a bit uncomfortable pointing a camera at someone, but often the Panamanians are delighted that you want a photo of them and they are happy to pose. This guy stood proudly by his horse with his most dignified expression on his face.

The owner of the horse had been talking to a couple guys seated at a table inside. They each had a number of beer bottles in from of them, and they assured me that the horse also was getting his share.

It’s fun living here. You never know what you will see or who you will end up talking to.

I’ve been sorting through recent photos and found some to share, Most of them are flowers and butterflies, many taken with my macro lens.

The plantains are getting plumper

This pretty butterfly landed on one of the leaves

Then it landed on a cut stem

The wings are really pretty when they are closed as well

My neighbor gave me this pretty plant

Our latest crop of bananas is coming along

A red ti plant an some brown banana leaves

We were coming back from Boquete one day at sunset and the sky was really beautiful

there are usually beautiful clouds in front of the mountain

This pretty butterfly landed on my table

One of the gingers has these little white flowers on top of the pink ones

This lacy little vine with the pink flowers has really taken off this year

We brought home a wild orchid from the woods and it is blooming at the moment

more wild orchid flowers

a bit of moss growing on the orange tree

another ti plant we found somewhere and brought home

more red ti plants

these plants come up every rainy season and make these interesting flowers

the butterfly came back and landed on my bicycle basket

Happy Sunday! It looks like it’s going to be another nice day here. I hope it’s a good one for you too.

Coming from the US, we are used to a certain style of construction. In Panama things are often done differently. This house came up for rent in our neighborhood so we stopped by to look in the windows.

Street view of the house

The for rent sign

Houses here are usually made from cement block with cement floors and metal roofs. Most of the houses I have visited have drop ceilings, and many have tile floors. This house, however, has neither. The walls go up to the roof, and the metal roof is visible from inside.

Looking through the front window, this appears to be the dining room with the kitchen beyond, and the living room to the right. You can see the metal roof and the single light bulb above.

The view from the side window. The front door is on the right, the floor of the first room is tiled but it appears that the room beyond has a cement floor.

I think I would be concerned about heat in this house. If the sun is beating down on the roof and heating it up, would it be hot inside, or would the heat be trapped above while cooling breezes flow through the windows? Roofs are usually painted a brick red color. Many thought we were odd for painting our roof white but it helped to keep the house cooler.

Single overhead lights are very common here, but I’m not a big fan. Of course you could put in lamps for a softer look, with extension cords, another thing. Usually there is only one electrical outlet per room. I wondered why the hardware store has tons of extension cords for sale until I started setting up our house and quickly figured that out.

This is a back bedroom. The windows are cinder block but do have screens inside.

There is a good size back yard with a storage shed. Someone is using the vacant lot next door to grow food plants.

This house may look very basic to most of us, but one could certainly be comfortable there if the roof didn’t transfer too much heat to the inside. You would have a sturdy, functional house in a very comfortable neighborhood.

There is a lot to be said for Panamanian style construction, especially in this rainy humid climate.  A friend in the US just had a water heater disaster that filled her house with water and caused all kinds of destruction. Here, there is nothing water can destroy, only cement. Our house has no wood trim, no sheet rock, just a tiled cement floor, block walls finished with a smooth coating of cement, and metal door frames. The interior doors are wood so if the bottoms got wet that could be a problem. The kitchen has lower cabinet doors of wood but they are part of a cement structure and a few inches off the floor, so I think the water would run out under the doors before it would ever get to that height. Maybe our sofa and easy chair could get wet, but the rest of our tables, chairs, shelves, etc and mostly plastic, done to save costs when we arrived but they sure have worked out great in this climate and our lifestyle.

This is another good reason to live here for a while before you buy or build. When we arrived we would have built a US style home because that’s all we knew. Now that we have seen how they do it in Panama, we have totally changed our opinions. Joel’s work in the US was home repairs and remodeling, and he made a lot of his money from wet sheet rock and water damaged wood.  It sure makes life easier when you don’t have to worry about water in the house, termites in the walls, or wood and shingles on the roof.

I was sitting at my table on the terrace the other night, and this beautiful moth landed on my mosquito candle (it wasn’t lit). It just stayed there for the rest of the night until I went to bed, but the next morning it was gone.

I believe it is a sphinx moth, sometimes called a hawk moth, hummingbird moth, or hornworm, scientific name sphingidae. There are many types of sphinx moths. Click this google search link if you want to see some amazing and beautiful moths! I believe this one is the pluto sphinx moth, or Xylophanes pluto.

Big eyes

Lots of green fur

The whole moth

I often get visitors at night and some of them are really beautiful.

I ran across this article on writing about the benefits of writing. I don’t write this blog as a mental health thing for myself, but rather to record and remember various things that interest me, and to keep friends and family up to date if they want to check in. I do enjoy writing though, and I enjoy the people I have met through this blog. I like being able to express myself, to communicate, and connect with others.

According to the article –

• Writing can help improve your mood and make you happier
• Writing helps you communicate by helping to organize and clarify your thoughts
• Writing helps you work through hard times
• Writing about good things in your life increases your gratitude
• Writing things down help you get them out of your head and clears space in your mind
• Writing helps you learn because you often need to look for new information, inspiration, and insight
• Writing can be leadership. Your words can influence others. Even criticism can help you grow.

So, if you are inclined to write here are some good reasons to encourage you. For more detail on the above points, click the link at the beginning of this post.

Maybe writing has helped me more than I thought. I know it definitely helps me organize my thoughts and sometimes helps me clear my mind. I have learned a lot through researching various topics and seeking out experiences. And, best of all, I have met a lot of great people and made many good friends.

Not long ago, I was complaining about the papaya that lost its top. We found the top with all the leaves and green fruit lying on the ground.

The top of the papaya tree is laying on the ground

But, I also mentioned another tree that was growing on the corner of the house. A couple days ago Joel noticed that it had a ripening fruit. And even better, this tree is short enough that we can reach the fruit, so Joel picked it and brought it inside.

The papaya tree by the back corner of the house

Yesterday I cut open the fruit. I was good! It didn’t have any seeds, not a one. I’m not sure what’s up with that but the fruit was sure good. It’s a real beauty too. What a lovely color.

My first yummy home grown papaya

I also posted yesterday about our three day water outage. I had barely put up the post when the water came back on. Yeah!! It’s great to have water again.

When you haven’t had water for three days, this is a really beautiful sight

The shower felt absolutely wonderful.  I also washed all the dishes with running water, cleaned up the kitchen, put in a load of laundry, did some cooking, and refilled all our water containers.

Now we are celebrating! Life is good in Panama 🙂