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LEMONS !
Believe it or not, lemons are not found
in the Caribbean. So far, the only places we've been able to buy
lemons are Bonaire and here in Bocas del Toro. Limes are usually
plentiful and used in place of lemons. |
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BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA
is located in the west on the Caribbean side (see map above). We
arrived June 18, 2008 and are currently in the Bocas Marina, a nice 100-boat
marina with floating docks, where we will leave ARGO when we visit the USA this fall.
Bocas del Toro is a large area with lots of
 islands,
coves and small settlements. It is a cruiser community with a couple
of marinas and anchorages. This area is also known for its surfing,
and there are several cruisers here for just that reason. The main
town of Bocas town is a vacation destination with a range
from backpacker hostels to nice hotels, has decent shopping and services,
and lots of restaurants/bars. It is a big hangout for backpackers and
supposedly really rocks at night - but we wouldn't know 'cuz us old folk
cruisers don't go out in the dinghy at night here for water safety reasons!
| AGAIN . . .
NOBODY KNOWS
Compared to the rest of Central
America (Costa Rica excepted) we think of Panama as being more civilized
and organized. Maybe so in some respects, but with respect to
their immigration laws, nobody really knows what the law is.
Seriously. Their immigration law is in
a constant state of flux.
We cleared in mid-June, 36 hours after a
friend of ours, and were told that different rules now applied to us.
The official explained that they ". . . had a meeting yesterday and that the
rules will be changing on July 1. Even though it's not July yet, my
boss told me to start using the new procedures to get people used to the new
rules." And so we were subjected to the new, less favorable rules.
 Now we have to go
into Changuinola on the mainland (via hour water taxi, then 20 minute taxi)
every 30 days (old new rules) to renew our immigration. The seemingly
knowledgeable official there admits that the rules/law literally change on a
daily basis, so she tells everyone to call her before coming to see what the
latest rules are and how it affects them! And as with most Caribbean
countries, the bureaucratic paperwork-push-pull is astounding.
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  Shortly
after we arrived in Bocas del Toro, our Texas cruising friends Mary Ellen &
Randy, s/v Wanda Jeane, who we sailed south with from Honduras, took us on an
inland trip into western Panama, where they now have their residence.
What better way is there to see an area up close and personal!
WESTERN INLAND TRAVEL
 Traveling
by rental van, we visited
David (pronounced dah-veed), the biggest city in the region and due south of
Bocas del Toro. Although not very far as the crow flies, it takes
about 4 hours as we have to cross over the Continental Divide. David
is not very far from the Pacific and almost at sea level. Shopping is
quite good (great grocery/deli stores, Target/Wal-Mart type stores, and you
wouldn't believe all the electronics stores!), and cruisers come here (or
Panama City) for their medical needs.
  In
the middle of this mountainous region is Volcán
Barú
- the highest point in Panama and the country's only volcano (inactive).
We first travel to the "other" (west) side of the volcano, to a string of
small towns such as Volcán
and
Cerro Punta. A gricultural
farming is a mainstay here, amazingly done on the steep mountain
slopes; horse, cattle and trout farms as well. Our first impression was of European alpine country, with
wooden A-frame houses, colorful window flower boxes and yards filled with
vibrant color. The air is cool and crisp, as clouds hang off in the
distance suspended between mountain tops. Very refreshing and
invigorating. Our rooms were alongside a rushing stream that provided
a perfect backdrop for sleeping.
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FINCA
DRACULA ORCHID SANCTUARY |
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In Cerro Punta,
we toured Finca Dracula, home to one of the world's largest and most complete
collections of rare American orchid species. They have over 2,200
different orchid species. WOW, we never knew
there were so many different looking orchids, and in every color
imaginable.
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Above, one of the
many orchid houses. This one is for high humidity, with water
moats. |
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Dracula vampira |
The finca
(plantation) takes it's name from the orchid genus Dracula, so
named because of the two fang-like, downward hanging, petals. Some
of them look just like a monkey's face. |
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This one is covered in bristling
hairs |
In nature, reproduction is scanty
and maturation slow. Here in their labs, they are able to mass
produce orchid plants in vitro and have produced more than a million.
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Teeny tiny orchids |
In their labs,
they are able to make many novelty orchid hybrids using their vast and
extensive collection as stud plants. They have over 300 species
made from their own hybrids.
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We witnessed this orchid that only
blooms for 8 hours once a year - and we were there to see it (or was that a
plastic flower?). |
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Orchids have
different scents to attract bees, hummingbirds and other birds, bats,
etc. We smelled orchids that had scents of vanilla, eucalyptus,
bananas, cinnamon and so on. At the Finca, they pollinate the
flowers by hand, seed pods develop and several months later they take
the seed pods off and plant them separately. |
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  We
then had to backtrack to David and around to the east side of Volcán Barú
- there is a challenging hiking path that skirts the volcano from one side
to the other. Around
on the other side is the town of
Boquete, which has grown by leaps and bounds over the
past 3 or 4 years, mostly by gringos moving into the area. (This
Chiriqui province's investments grew by 40% from 2006 to 2007.) Although
not as big as David, it has decent shopping and even better restaurants - so
much that Davidians make the 45 minute trip in for dinner. Boquete is
situated in the valley, surrounded by mountains covered in coffee
plantations - from which you can see the Pacific Ocean on some days.
  Mary
Ellen and Randy's property is situated on a ridge, their house surrounded by
lush coffee plants/plantations, and with an up-close and personal view of
the volcano on one side, and mountains and undisturbed valley on the other.
They have planted scores of citrus and avocado trees, some of them they have grafted,
and loads of flowering trees, bushes and plants around the house. Not
only beautiful, but unbelievably peaceful with nothing else around except
the sound of nature!
In Boquete, we were
lucky enough to meet a lot of Mary Ellen and Randy's friends, and got to see their
new homes - all of which are different and all with wonderful, spectacular views. Those who
live on small coffee parcels typically hire cheap labor to maintain the crop and
pick the coffee beans. In some cases, a local commercial coffee grower will provide
this service in exchange for the coffee bean production, less whatever the
property owner wants to keep for personal consumption.
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EXPAT HAVEN
Panama wants to
attract residents and businesses and is taking steps to simplify (but
not necessarily to expedite) the process. One way is with the
pensionada visa - you only have to prove good health, no criminal
record and a monthly income of $500, or buy a home for at least
$200,000. The pensionada entitles you to bring in household
goods and import a new car without paying duty, have a 20-year tax
holiday and enjoy discounts of 15% to 50% on hotels, restaurants, air
and other travel, movies and many professional services. We know
quite a few cruisers who have applied/received their pensionadas.
The downside is that it takes at least 9 months and can be a VERY
frustrating experience - as we've witnessed some of what Mary Ellen and
Randy have gone through, even when an attorney is employed! Again,
nobody really knows and there's a lot of finger-pointing going on
between those "in the know". |
 
There's more to come on Bocas del Toro
. . . and Panama . . .
and the Panama Canal
. . .
- - -
- -
We are flying back to the USA for a
visit in September
and October, as we have not been back in 2 1/2 years. We have not
explored by boat outside Bocas del Toro, so when we return, we plan on
heading out . . . but where we're going, nobody
knows! |
