Rene picked us up at our hotel right on time and took us on an interesting drive through nice, clean neighborhoods in Panama City on our way to the airport. Low tech bag check concentrated on knives and scissors, of which we had none. Next, we learned that our flight had been cancelled! As we pondered private charter, the Aeroperles Airline supervisor arranged a passage to David or us. Panama City to Bocas del Toro to David; we were told we would arrive just an hour and one-half late. Not bad.
The flight to Bocas del Toro was nice and smooth, providing a fantastic view of that area. Made up of a number of small islands, Bocas is an eco-tourist’s paradise (and for the rest of us, too!). I was surprised by he amount of cultivation at high altitudes I saw as we flew east to west to David. The mountains are magnificent!
The Pacific coastal town of David is a thriving city of some 100,000 living in a seeming organized chaos of narrow roads and crammed shops. One thing is for certain. The Panama people are kind and helpful, even to dumb, lost gringos like me! We finally found our way out of town to make the short 38 Km drive to Boquete. It is quaint and beautiful beyond description. On first impression, we were reminded of Estes Park, Colorado with flowers blooming everywhere!
Looking back on the day, we were once again thankful for our new friend, Rene!