I just got back from my first trip to Boquete as I seek to determine if it is going to be my future retirement home. Keep in mind what I discuss is merely first impressions and not the final word on anything.
For budget sake, I flew in and out of San Jose and took a Tracopa bus from San Jose to David, reversing the process to fly back to Texas. That took up four days of the eight-day venture but probably saved me $300-$700 from any other options.
David in November was steamy and humid. Boquete, on the other hand, was cool yet still humid. It either rained or threatened rain most of that time.
The bus in was detoured from the main road to a slow bumpy secondary trail that led past a new wastewater facility under construction. Once in town, every main street was torn up with crews laying new sewer pipes. Navigating by car was a maze of detours but still could be done in most cases.
A second bridge across the Rio Caldera was under construction north of the current bridge. As one host said "This will ease congestion every time an event is planned in the garden area next to the bridge."
I don't consider myself a "big man", but I had trouble fitting into some of the doorways, toilets, etc that were in Panama. If you're over 6 feet or 200 pounds, be forewarned that you may encounter discomfort as you travel.
I did like the fact that the U.S. dollar was the common currency so it was easy to tell what was a fair price. In Costa Rica, I had a far more difficult time and it led to some misgivings, especially when intended tips turned into $20-30 arguments.
I wasn't discouraged by what I found in Boquete. It taught me that I'll need to get better at Spanish in order to mingle freely and fit in.
Bob Hulsey
San Antonio, TX
For budget sake, I flew in and out of San Jose and took a Tracopa bus from San Jose to David, reversing the process to fly back to Texas. That took up four days of the eight-day venture but probably saved me $300-$700 from any other options.
David in November was steamy and humid. Boquete, on the other hand, was cool yet still humid. It either rained or threatened rain most of that time.
The bus in was detoured from the main road to a slow bumpy secondary trail that led past a new wastewater facility under construction. Once in town, every main street was torn up with crews laying new sewer pipes. Navigating by car was a maze of detours but still could be done in most cases.
A second bridge across the Rio Caldera was under construction north of the current bridge. As one host said "This will ease congestion every time an event is planned in the garden area next to the bridge."
I don't consider myself a "big man", but I had trouble fitting into some of the doorways, toilets, etc that were in Panama. If you're over 6 feet or 200 pounds, be forewarned that you may encounter discomfort as you travel.
I did like the fact that the U.S. dollar was the common currency so it was easy to tell what was a fair price. In Costa Rica, I had a far more difficult time and it led to some misgivings, especially when intended tips turned into $20-30 arguments.
I wasn't discouraged by what I found in Boquete. It taught me that I'll need to get better at Spanish in order to mingle freely and fit in.
Bob Hulsey
San Antonio, TX
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