Sunday, August 17, 2008
Driving to Boquete
Driving a new route is always an adventure, especially in countries like Panama. What will the road be like? What will the weather be like? What will I see along the way that is different? Traveling with an open mind, a sense of adventure and a camera is the best way to discover a country.
I had heard a lot about Boquete - its cooler climate, coffee plantations and beautiful flora so I decided to take a road trip and see for myself. I traveled from Panama City, West along the 4-lane Pan American highway at the end of May, which generally sees the start of more rain. The first leg of the journey to San Carlos was on a generally good highway. The road was fairly busy with traffic and the terrain was hilly. From time to time we could see the Pacific Ocean, and of course the rugged tree-covered mountains views were ever-changing.
After the San Carlos turn-off, the road became much flatter and continued past local houses, small-holdings and much more farmland. There was certainly less traffic, and less gas stations. A word of advice. Watch out for the Traffic Police with radar guns near the small towns! Generally the first sign that you should slow down to about 50km/hr for a town is a footbridge or overpass for pedestrians to cross the road. Sometimes there are signs showing the lower speed limit, or simply a warning to reduce your speed. Speeding through local towns is both dangerous, as the locals are used to wandering across the road at a leisurely pace, and unwise.
The next major town after Penonome was Santiago, a busy center with plenty of local shops and even a MacDonalds! The road to David became a 2-lane highway, but was still wide and well maintained. The farmland ended and the road ran through the more hilly region of Veraguas district, which was more sparsely populated but still very beautiful on every side.
David is in the province of Chiriqui, and Panama’s second largest city. It is easy to obtain all your shopping and material needs in the many shops in town. There were several banks, a shopping mall, a Price Smart, office supplies, car showrooms and every small shop you can imagine.
Following the sign for Boquete, the road turned North and became a narrower highway. The pavement was in good condition – watch out for the occasional pothole – but overtaking was very limited due to the many twists and turns along the way. The steady climb to Boquete now began. Four wheel drive was not necessary unless you are staying out of town.
The scenery changed again and there were many trees with local houses hidden in pretty gardens. There were rivers and occasional fields of cows, crops of sugar cane and of course, small coffee plantations. After 40 slow kms, which took us an hour to drive, we came around the final bend and saw Boquete nestled below in the crater. Aptly named, the word “Boquete” actually means “hole in the ground”. Whatever your ideas of Panama, Boquete was like nowhere else. It reminded me most of being in the mountains of Europe, or Madeira, but perhaps that was just because it started to rain!
With its bustling town, quality restaurants, coffee shops, delis and artist’s wares, Boquete was a delightful center. Prices were the same here as elsewhere in Panama’s coastal resorts, and the availability and quality of cuisine was excellent. Take your pick from Peruvian (highly recommended), Italian, local Bistro or Spa Restaurant, down to Pizzas and Ice cream parlors. There were many small hotels along the road, and out of season (May thro October) there was plenty of availability.
The total journey was 309 miles (485 kms) from Panama City, and it took us 6.5 hours plus stops. Above all else, we enjoyed seeing the changing face of Panama along the way.
I had heard a lot about Boquete - its cooler climate, coffee plantations and beautiful flora so I decided to take a road trip and see for myself. I traveled from Panama City, West along the 4-lane Pan American highway at the end of May, which generally sees the start of more rain. The first leg of the journey to San Carlos was on a generally good highway. The road was fairly busy with traffic and the terrain was hilly. From time to time we could see the Pacific Ocean, and of course the rugged tree-covered mountains views were ever-changing.
After the San Carlos turn-off, the road became much flatter and continued past local houses, small-holdings and much more farmland. There was certainly less traffic, and less gas stations. A word of advice. Watch out for the Traffic Police with radar guns near the small towns! Generally the first sign that you should slow down to about 50km/hr for a town is a footbridge or overpass for pedestrians to cross the road. Sometimes there are signs showing the lower speed limit, or simply a warning to reduce your speed. Speeding through local towns is both dangerous, as the locals are used to wandering across the road at a leisurely pace, and unwise.
The next major town after Penonome was Santiago, a busy center with plenty of local shops and even a MacDonalds! The road to David became a 2-lane highway, but was still wide and well maintained. The farmland ended and the road ran through the more hilly region of Veraguas district, which was more sparsely populated but still very beautiful on every side.
David is in the province of Chiriqui, and Panama’s second largest city. It is easy to obtain all your shopping and material needs in the many shops in town. There were several banks, a shopping mall, a Price Smart, office supplies, car showrooms and every small shop you can imagine.
Following the sign for Boquete, the road turned North and became a narrower highway. The pavement was in good condition – watch out for the occasional pothole – but overtaking was very limited due to the many twists and turns along the way. The steady climb to Boquete now began. Four wheel drive was not necessary unless you are staying out of town.
The scenery changed again and there were many trees with local houses hidden in pretty gardens. There were rivers and occasional fields of cows, crops of sugar cane and of course, small coffee plantations. After 40 slow kms, which took us an hour to drive, we came around the final bend and saw Boquete nestled below in the crater. Aptly named, the word “Boquete” actually means “hole in the ground”. Whatever your ideas of Panama, Boquete was like nowhere else. It reminded me most of being in the mountains of Europe, or Madeira, but perhaps that was just because it started to rain!
With its bustling town, quality restaurants, coffee shops, delis and artist’s wares, Boquete was a delightful center. Prices were the same here as elsewhere in Panama’s coastal resorts, and the availability and quality of cuisine was excellent. Take your pick from Peruvian (highly recommended), Italian, local Bistro or Spa Restaurant, down to Pizzas and Ice cream parlors. There were many small hotels along the road, and out of season (May thro October) there was plenty of availability.
The total journey was 309 miles (485 kms) from Panama City, and it took us 6.5 hours plus stops. Above all else, we enjoyed seeing the changing face of Panama along the way.
Labels: Boquete, Chiriqui, driving in Panama, Panama
# posted by Your travel girl @ 11:16 AM 
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