Impressions of Boquete 2022

We have been in our new rental in Volcancito for just about a month, and I want to share some of our thoughts and experiences.

Although getting to our house involves a 1.4 kilometer drive over some very rough roads without a guardrail to be seen, once we’re here its a great house to be in. We have the last place on the road, and there is almost no traffic and very few people. We have a lot of privacy and splendid views of part of Boquete from our terrace and even more spectacular views of the downtown from a lookout point just across from our driveway. We are in the middle of the dry season but its also the windy season and from our vantage point the weather is endlessly fascinating. In the mornings and evenings we can see bajareque rolling down from the mountains to the north of town and covering much of the downtown in a cold damp drizzly mist with beautiful rainbows above. Sunrises and sunsets are accompanied by precipitous rises and drops in the temperature with changes in the light and clouds happening minute by minute. The weather and climate are one of the things that draw us to the highlands of Panamá and reminds us how lucky we are to be here.

We have been hearing from some long term expat residents Panamanians we know how demographics seem to be changing rapidly here. There are a lot more expats (gringos) here now and more on the way, judging by what we hear about the real estate market. We have heard of some people actually buying property sight unseen, and just pulling up stakes and moving here. We would never advise anyone to move here without visiting, getting to know the area, getting to know the culture, learning some Spanish, and just taking things step by step. Unfortunately there seem to be a fair amount of expats here who have no interest in learning the language or the culture, and even worse in our view, bringing their politics, biases, prejudices, and pettiness with them.

Panamá is a great place to be, but it’s not the United States or Canada. Electricity and internet tend to go in and out, sometimes for extended lengths of time. Water may be off unexpectedly, also sometimes for extended lengths of time. On one occasion a few years back we were without water for eight days. We used what we had in our tank for flushing toilets and cooking and we took showers at our gym. Some of the roads here are beyond sketchy and if you stray off the beaten path at all a four wheel drive with decent ground clearance can be a necessity. Panamá seems to be a country where no one ever looked at a hill or a mountain and said “That’s too steep for a road”. Off the highway a lot of two lane roads are about a car and a half wide, often with a cliff on one side, a steep drop off on the other, and tremendous potholes in between (if the road is paved at all). A lot of the drivers here do not drive slowly no matter what the conditions may be, which just adds to the excitement.

But with all that being said, we love being here. We enjoy learning Spanish, leaning the culture, and meeting new people and making new friends. The people of Panamá are, in our experience, some of the friendliest and nicest people we have ever met. Everything it has taken for us to be here has been well worth the effort and investment and we’re moving forward with our adventures.

Saludos, Craig

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