It has been ten months since my experience with emergency healthcare in Boquete Panama. I have spent some of that time try to resolve three basic issues. Medical evacuation, affordable health insurance and the lack of a blood bank in Chiriqui.

Today at Los Fundadores I presented a concise program that highlighted Lifeflight Panama, a solution for evacuation, World Wide Medical an insurance solution and my lack of progress on the blood bank.

In summary I encourage everyone to signup for Lifeflight Panama. For $204 a year for a household of up to six family members in a single residence you can have medical evacuation with no additional charges.

We are forming a local group to obtain groups rates on health insurance from World Wide medical care.

The Boquete Hospice and Health Care Foundation has offered to assist in the politics of blood.

I encourage you to contact Guniver Melendez at Foracol Insurance in Boquete. They are located near Java Juice and Multib ank. Telephone 6781-9090 boqueteinsurance@gmail.com. Only Foracol can provide the group rates we are working to obtain.

For LifeFlight please use this link, if you sign up please let them know the Boquete Guide referred you and they will pay a small commission to The Boquete Hospice and Health Care Foundation.

Please watch this site for more information as we assemble the pieces. This link will provide more details on the health insurance.

IMPORTANT: I have no fiduciary involvement in any of the recommended programs nor am I selling them. These recommendations are based on networking and research I have done and as always you need to evaluated and reach your on decisions.
Below is the powerpoint presentation given at the meeting today.

On our ride back from Volcan to Boquete Panama we stopped at a small fruit stand on the road descending toward Bugaba. Melissa and Lorena took a few minutes and came back with some unfamiliar fruits. Mangosteen, something long banned for US import and selling for $45 a pound in NYC during 2007 according to Wikipedia.

It was a most unusual fruit, torn open to reveal a white edible center. Very tasty and I guess a deal at six for a dollar.

The other, less exotic but equally tasty fresh were Lychees. A sweet taste treat and in season now. We are surrounded by the bounty of both the tropics and more temperate highlands. Great combination.

Getting moving at four AM is difficult for me, I stayed awake from two AM and started waking my guests at four. I do wonder why fishermen need to get moving so early, still we did it and rolled into David. With a stop at El Rey for provisions we joined Jim and drove the ninety minutes to Boca Chica.

The last time I drove to Boca Chica the road was flagged with a sign saying that approximately $2,500,000 was to invested in redoing it. There as been great progress, the surface is regular, parts are paved and the deep mud traps are all gone. Upon arrival the sun was up and we went to launch Jim’s boat. Fortunately he checked the engine before we went into the water; fortunately because it never started. After several hours of effort Jim decided he needed to trailer the boat back to David.

We decided to see if we could find some langosta or langostinos, lobster or Shrimp. No luck on the langosinos, they are out of season. However after asking a few questions in Boca Chica we found the langosta literally in the boat coming ashore.

If you are interested in buying fresh spiny lobster and are willing to drive to Boca Chica just drive literally until you hit the beach and ask who has langosta. There is a small shop that is directly accross the street from the church and although we found our lobsters on the boat they were weighed and we paid in the building. We paid $5 a pound for the critters.

One guy really was a photo hog and wanted his picture taken with both Danyal and Gene, photos below. We cannot be certain who ate him but he and his brethren were all devoured later that day after Gene and Carol worked some culinary magic.

They were delicious but unlike the Maine Lobsters I grew up with, not nearly as sweet or succulent; a different taste. The day went from exhaustion to a euphoric glutinous ending.

At 4:30 this morning we leave Boquete Panama and drive to Boca Chica to chase the elusive Tuna, Dorado and Snapper in hopes of bringing home dinner for a week. With fuel prices above $4 a gallon, unless we haul in 100 pounds or more these fish will be very pricey. In this phase of my life fishing is for pleasure, not cost effectiveness.

I never completed writing about our Volcan trip. Instead we found guest number three in David yesterday and celebrated with some hamburgers last night. My visitors discovered Seco con vaca (Seco and Milk), a local drink enjoyed by those who don’t know better and now some who should. They finally surrendered to Morpheus and I suspect waking them in two hours will be a real struggle.

If sixty is the new forty as I have been told, then my twenty something house guests cross back and forth into their teenage years. My charges prepared dinner and did a respectable cleanup then proceeded to imbibe to excess and buzz each others head with clippers. I wonder if they will enjoy the sun in the Pacific today?

One of the great things about growing a little bit older is having the ability to reflect upon youth with perspective. In retrospect I was not too different at their age. It is actually a point of wonderment that I and perhaps you, made it through youth into adulthood. I am not sure when or even if, that really happens.

When we had our first child I asked for an owners manual, it was a joke. I never read owners manuals. If I had one for my own body I doubt I would use it except for the technical support section. Perhaps the biggest difference between my young guests and me is I have tasted mortality and they have not.

Living in Boquete has shaved years off my age, emotionally and perhaps even physically. I feel younger, feel less stressed and am enjoying life with a vigor lost on the treadmill in the States. In essence it is really nice to be here jn a community that can allow the Seco and milk of innocent youth to coexist with going fishing at 4:30 in the morning.

It is a good thing I work on a laptop they power just failed and with it the Internet connection so I will post this when electricity is restored. Power is restored at 3:24, only one hour down time tonight.

I have house guests in Boquete this week. My son Sebastian arrived Sunday with an old friend, Danyal. Another of Seabastian’s friends arrives today and my older son Nicholas will arrive on Friday. It has and will be a busy distracted week. A lot of road trips and scant time to record them.

Yesterday was a redux of a trip to Volcan, I went Saturday with Susan Thoms and Bob and Maria Boyd to do a radio program. It could have been mundane if not for the company of Lorena from Amigos and Melissa from Valle Escondido who came along. Through their eyes and those of the less initiated I saw and learned a great deal on the route.

Currently driving to Volcan is a two hour ride through David. While in Boquete last week the President of Panama reiterated that he has funded completion of the Ruta Sur, a road that will make Volcan only 25 -30 minutes away. When that happens this entire region will become even more compact.

With Melissa along we made this a culinary adventure. Our first stop was the Mirador on the road from David to Volcan. Lorena is a native of Volcan, she wanted us to see the cheese available there and taste a very interesting corn beverage. Mirador means view if there was a view, I missed it. Sebastian was distracted by an empanada de pollo asado. His friend Danyal was far more interested in the young women racing about; that could be interpreted as a view. The cheeses looked good but the day was young we left them undisturbed.

On the road again first to drop Lorena close to her home it was too muddy to get to her front door and off to Berard. Berard is a local meat processor in Volcan that serves much of this part of the country with fresh and cured meat products. We arrived at Berards at noon just as the outlet store closed for a two hour lunch. Berards back door was a new find; I learned about the outlet from Bob Boyd on Saturday. Behind the Berard market in Volcan you can buy most Berard products for far less than you can find them in any grocery, including theirs.

Without achieving our shopping goal we went to go visit a new friend in Volcan. Last Saturday I was on METO radio discussing Lifeflight Panama. The program was broadcast from a small gourmet restaurant called Cerro Brujo in Volcan and I thought Melissa might enjoy meeting the owner and chef, Patricia, so off we went.

Saturday at Cerro Brujo was a jazz night, music and food. Tuesday afternoon was casual and not open for lunch. Patricia showed us around her lush gardens, her kitchen and after some conversation and a promise that we would return for a dinner sometime in the future we started a search for lunch.

Patricia recommended Il Forno, Bob and Maria took Susan Thoms and I there on Saturday and we though it was excellent also; unfortunately they were closed. We went to the Acropolis and had lunch with George. Fresh rabbit stew was a top choice, Danyal and Melissa said it was very good. I had a trout and it was also fresh and tasty. Sebastian tried the Moussaka and it was devoured despite the previous empanadas, a good omen. The hungers of youth can not be filled by food alone.

After lunch back to Berards. They did not have all of what we wanted on display. Melissa discussed a fresh pork shoulder for a roast, we asked and one was produced in minutes. Melissa smiled and off we went shoulder in hand. Good thing to remember if you live in Volcan, visit Volcan or plan a big event you can save 25% at Berards back door.

More later on this road trip as I get ready to pick up number 3 of 4 house guests in David today.

The question is will the Feria Bridge in Boquete Panama be ready for the November Holidays or the next Feria or maybe the bicentennial of Panama’s independence next century?

Actually it is coming along, with work going on seven days a week so maybe just a few more months.

Remember if you worry about punctuality Panama is not a good place to be; relax and have a glass of wine.

As Boquete is growing and new businesses move into town new things keep happening. Whether it is your favorite or something you loath Karaoke is here!

The Wine Bar in the Valle del Rio Hotel has Karaoke on Tuesday nights and from my experience people are enjoying it.

Things seem to have started of at about 7:30 -8:00 PM and were still going strong as I headed out. The crowd was a combination of young and old, songs and singers belted out both English and Spanish and the wine flowed with abundance.

If you like music, want to perform in the style of Karaoke then for a good time check out the Wine Bar on Tuesday nights.

If you would like to receive weekly email with the update summary of what is on the Boquete Panama Guide please register and you will be added to our mailing list.

To the left of this post, just under the palm tree is a button called register. Click it and you are on the list. You can always remove yourself if you wish.

I have lived in Boquete Panama for two years and it took recent visitors to make me aware of Pilones de Boquete. If you live here eat salads or cook and are not familiar with Pilones you want to know about it. if you already knew I wish you would have told me.

Pilones is located on the Feria side of the new, unfinished Feria Bridge and in addition to having a nursery they have an extensive hydroponic garden. They sell lettuce and herbs direct from the “field”. You walk into to the tent and literally pick your own lettuce or herbs.

Next time you want a pesto or a salad you can go direct to the farm for your greens without leaving town.

Thank you Carol and Gene!

I live on a mountain, Jaramillo Abajo Boquete Panama. My local neighbors many of whom have lived here for generations have some unique communications skills. In some amazing way anything that happens here is transmitted throughout the Spanish speaking community in minutes. It may be the most efficient communications system I have ever seen and even after talking to others on the hill I do not know how it works; but it does.

We who are new here use a few other means the most important of which are the Internet and cell phone. It therefore become important to have both methods accessible. I thought it would be appropriate to provide some information on both.

Internet: I am aware of three locations in Bajo Boquete that have free WIFI access. Amigos, Read and Relax Book Store and Valle del Rio’s restaurants. If anyone knows of others please add them.

If you live here you can get broadband access from one or more of the following, DSL from Cable and Wireless, Cable from Cable Onda and wireless from either Barranco or Mobil Phone. One or more is available in most locations.

Cell Phones: There are currently two possible providers with more coming soon. For now you can obtain GSM service from either Cable and Wireless or Movistar.

If you currently have an unlocked GSM telephone that supports GSM 850 you can use it in Panama. If you are not sure if your phone supports GSM 850 or is unlocked check with your local provider. If not you can purchased a prepaid phone for less than $30 with a SIM in what seems like every other store in the country.

Once you have your phone you can add a SIM (chip) for either C&W or Movistar and then purchase prepaid cards in denominations of $2, $5, $7, $10, $12 or $15. Calls cost $.35 a minute to the dialing party only, no charge to the receiver. Now here a mind reset. Cards have a time expiration of one week to one month depending of the cost of the card and to add delight and confusion the real value of the card depends on the day you enter the number or the value of the card.

For example I use Cable and Wireless so I will explain what I am familiar with:

A $5 card is good for one week. C&W send a SMS message (text) offering either 4 for 1, 3 for 1 or a bit more confusing 3 for 1 on one card and 4 for 1 on a second. Depending on the day you get either $20 in credit or $15 in credit for a $5 card which means $.35 a minute falls to as little as about $.08 a minute.

$10 card does the same but for a month and the magic $12 card is always 4 to 1 for a month so now that I have discovered them that is all I use.

When I first arrived I also discovered C&W can if you ask in one of their offices change all your voice prompts from their system to English if you request the change.

Entering a card is a scratch to uncover the number and dial on your phone *166*PIN from card# send, then after it accepts the card I check *165 to confirm the new balance.

Hope this helps on you first trip here.