No drama here in Boquete

May 21, 2013

Our new apartment

It’s May 21 already!  I love writing for this blog, and was serious when I made a commitment to post something new every week….but I have fallen woefully short this year, especially after we left Nicaragua for a few weeks in the States, then returned to Boquete. Hmm, with only 6 hours of Spanish lessons each week, I obviously can’t blame it on a lack of time, even with our move to our new place on May 1. The problem I think, is that here in Boquete, there’s just no drama.

For instance, I had a haircut from Milly’s Hair Salon, and got just what I asked for (not like the experience in Nicaragua I mentioned here  https://hereswhatsgoingon.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/more-thoughts-on-granada/  ) Well, perhaps not JUST what I asked for, because I still don’t look like Jennifer Aniston. 🙂 But my now-shoulder length hair looks like hers in the photo I brought in, so I’m pleased. Cost? $5.

We moved into our new apartment, and found that since we were last here, they have installed a gas water heater for the shower and kitchen sink – yay! No more suicide shower, and the dishwasher (Mark) works much more efficiently with hot water. There’s a shared washer AND dryer (the only dryer we’ve had in 1 1/2 years in Central America – great to have in the rainy season!)  And, there’s still fresh romero (rosemary) growing in the garden, which is great, since one of the meals in my very small repertoire is Rosemary Chicken, courtesy of my sister-in-law Ellen.

The garden path here at Casa Valhalla

Another nice perk to our new place is the friendly neighbors in our four unit complex. A few weeks ago we took a day trip with them to the other side of the volcano, where most of the vegetables in the area are grown. We got this 3 feet high bag of vegetables for $5 and split it three ways.

This is a lot of produce for $5!!

Road side vegetable stand on the way from Cerra Punta to Volcan.

Our vegetables may have been harvested from these fields. And, as far as we can tell, most of the harvesting is done by hand.

The bad news is that the gym in the middle of town (actually owned by Milly, of hair salon fame) had to close. It’s always sad to see small businesses go under.  But, their equipment was pretty basic, and the competition here was just too much to keep the doors to the gym open. We are now using the gym at the Haven , a beautiful luxury hotel/spa almost 2 miles from our apartment. Their range of free weights and universal type machines ensures that anyone from a middle-aged woman, trying hard to build some upper body strength (anyone remember this letter from Bocas del Toro??  https://hereswhatsgoingon.wordpress.com/from-2011/) to her athletic, exercise obsessed husband can find exactly what they need for a good workout. They’ve also got a good selection of well-maintained cardio machines. And, the people who work there are pretty much the most pleasant, customer service focused group we’ve met since coming to Boquete! The only other business that consistently provides that level of service is at Big Daddy’s, the restaurant in town that has fresh tuna steaks for about $7, and some fabulous $4 margaritas. Not sure if that’s the perfect meal for refueling after a workout, but it always seems to hit the spot!!

Life in Boquete is good!

Our back yard!

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