Panama Forum

Sparta
Joined 2012
Posts: 21

11 years ago

Our recent trip

11 years ago

I am posting this for others who may be coming on vacation or are thinking of coming on vacation. We went with the question of "could we actually live here".

We landed in PC and stayed 4 days. We stayed at the Las Vegas. I learned that it is ok to ask for a different room if one doesn't work for you. They do have king suites that are quite nice. We liked it there. The staff was very nice and helpful. Loved the area- restuarnts, shopping, easy to get around, safe, close by to other attractions. It was a little noisy from the traffic. We did touristy stuff- visited Casco Viejo, Viejo Panama, Reposa, we went to the Albrook Mall. We were suprised by the good food, variety and availability of all the different shopping areas.

Next we went to Boquete. That place is a paradise to us. Somewhat like where we live now but in a perpetual state of spring. Waterfalls, rivers, coffee farms, lots of farms in fact, a cute town with good resturants and botique shops lining the street. We loved El Sabrason Rest. Local fair, push your plate style. Lots of expats there. From this board we met up with PanamaJames and his wife. They invited us to go hiking. A bunch of us went. Wow, what an opportunity. It was so helpful to be able to ask any questions we wanted. We also went to the open market- lots of cute things there. We absolutely loved the rainbows which happen almost daily. We also took a zip line tour there- fantastic! Loved it, once you left the first platform- it was all good.

Next we took a bus to the Bocas. It was quite a bit warmer there. The scene is more lively and has the "backpacker" feel to it. Great beaches. Don't expect super accomidations unless you are willing to pay for it. 3-4 days was a good amount of time there for us. We took a sailing boat out to do some snorkling. It rained on us but we still got into the water and met some other great travelers on the boat.

We flew directly out of Boca back to PC. Revisited our favorite resturants and flew back home. All in all it was a great trip. We learned a lot.

Some tips:
take lots of $1 bills. Cabs don't like to give change
Cabs are easy and cheap to take. Neg. the price before you get in. If it is too high wait for another.
Take wet wipes. You will need them in some bathrooms and before eating
The sun is pretty hot- take sunscreen and hats
Bugs- yup they are there. Esp. near water. Take repellant.
Do your homework before you leave. Don't expect information to come easy there. If you don't speak spanish it can be harder. Know where you are going and how you are going.
Don't dress up. Seriously, you don't want to look like a target. Loose your jewerly and fancy clothes. Blend in!
The communter busses are cheap but they take forever. From David to Bocas was over 4 hours. If you have more time than money- go by bus. If not, then go by airplane. It is still pretty cheap. About $100 PC to David and 1 hour.
If something is important to you then ask for it, but don't expect to get it. Patience really pays off.
Talk to other expats and travelers. You can learn so much!

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