Three stories of solid wooden stairs.

Looking down into the PB level of the Central Hotel.

One thing I noticed last night and early this morning was the amount of whistling outside. We could hear very few horns honking and there was some definite revelry going on from last night’s wedding celebration, but the calling and answering whistles of men in the street was singular. 

Since the Presidential quarters (palace?) was a mere ½ block from the hotel, we were not surprised to see lots of men dressed in sharp black uniforms carrying an assortment of machine guns and automatic pistols. They were on street corners and riding motor bikes. They are not militia, rather special Presidential Police - SRI.

We learned that there are 4.2 million people in Panama and 2.2 million of them live in Panama City. Yikes! This is a VERY BIG city. Why were we so surprised to see so many skyscrapers?

This morning we learned a great deal about the gun laws and tax structure and election rules. 

We also met Shirley and Balu who were to become our companions for the Pre-Excursion activities as well as the rest of the Panama trip.

Bags out at 9, we were in the van with Roberto and our driver, José, at 10 and busting through rush hour traffic to the airport. Our luggage, passports and tickets were handled by Roberto, then a trip through security and we were airborne on Panama Air.

We arrived clear across the country at the airport in David at 11:45 and were met by our new driver, Bolivar, who drove us to a local eatery sporting a grass-thatched roof where we ate Panamanian chicken soup and fried plantains. After a short drive through the countryside and mountain roads, we stopped for coffee and an overlook view of the city of Boquete, our home for the next few days.

Registering at the very nice Hotel Ladera (about a mile out of town) we took a brisk walk back into town to tour the Fair of Flowers and Coffee. Back to the hotel to change and back into town where we ate fish tacos, drank Balboa beer and listened to Pink Floyd music at Big Daddy’s Cafe! 

There was no salt or pepper on the table, and Roberto explained that due to the high incidence of diabetes due to high blood pressure, the government instituted a program discouraging the placement of salt on restaurant tables (you have to request it like a Playboy magazine back in the day…it’s underneath the counter!)

The food was delicious, the beer tolerable and the facts mind-boggling.

We’ve logged over 5 miles walking on rough terrain today!

Some of the refurbished buildings in Casco Viejo are truly beautiful.

Instead of pretzels, Air Panama serves yuca chips. The Panamanians use the root from the yucca plant for a score of yummy dishes.

Boquete has a population of 19,000 and has primarily an agricultural economy which is gradually moving towards tourism.

Main entry to the festival grounds for the Fair of Flowers and Coffee.

Left - We stopped for coffee and a look at our town for the next few days. Below - a view of the city of David from the air.

Our room at the Hotel Ladera.

Like everywhere in Panama, the flowers are stunning.

This is a $21,000 000 bridge built over the Caldera River on the outskirts of Boquete. Hmmmm…coincidental that it is the province of the President?

Left - Volcan Baru (11,400 ft.), the only volcano (dormant) in Panama. If you look carefully, you can see the white cell towers and video relays at the top of the caldera. Above - a house near the hotel.

Mangos grow high in the trees.

Papayas hug the trunk as they grow.

Except for the trees and flowers, Boquete reminds me of mountain towns in Colorado. Oh, and the $21,000,000 bridge.

A pair of black vultures bid us adieu as we left Chiriqui Province.