We have been taking people around Boquete looking at places to live, invest in agriculture land and business opportunities and every time I go out, I see another place that reminds me of the first trip that I took here in 2006. On my first road trip to Boquete, I knew I had finally found a place that I had always dreamed about. Three months later, I purchased my home and my family set up camp here in the western highlands bordering Costa Rica.
Boquete is a small town on the Caldera River, tucked into the green mountain highlands of Panama, in western-most Chiriquí Province, about 60 km. from the border with Costa Rica. Because of its altitude, some 1,200 metres above sea level, its climate is refreshingly cooler than that of the lowlands. Its scenic location, temperature, and natural environment make it extremely popular with Panamanians, and with tourists from all over the world. In addition to tourism, its main industry remains agriculture, especially the growing of coffee beans. Fruit trees grows everywhere here and include orange, lemon, chayote, avocado, guava, banana, plantain and many more. The soils in this area are volcanic in origin and extremely rich in nutrients.
Life here is good and there is always something to do.
By definition, Boquete is like a large ecological community or eco village. “Eco villages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable and allow for social networks within a broader foundation of support. Intentional living typically refers to an individuals awareness and choice of lifestyle. However, whereas lifestyle refers to a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group, intentional living refers not simply to any way of life, but to those intentionally chosen by an individual based on awareness of her/his values and fundamental beliefs.” I find that a great description of Boquete and the people who have come here to live and participate in community.
AARP enlisted Barry Golson, an award-winning travel writer and founder of Forbes Traveler.com, to cover what exactly makes a destination an all-around choice for peaceful, comfortable living for the retiree. Once again, Panama and particularly Boquete stays in the top ten places.
“Boquete is decidedly gringo-friendly, offering a wide range of back-home amenities, from a golf course to high-end gated communities. For some expats it also offers an opportunity for reinvention. Retired teachers Rich Lipner, 65, and his wife, Dee Harris, 61, moved from Berkeley, California, to Boquete, where in 2003 they bought a seven-acre organic coffee farm for $135,000. “Over the past seven years we’ve spent approximately $80,000 to build a new 1,000-square-foot guest house and restore the original 2,000-square-foot house,” Lipner says. “We’re living comfortably on our combined Social Security and teachers’ retirement. We’ve begun a new and wondrous chapter in our lives.” I am writing this as I drink a cup of Rich’s coffee which he roasted at his coffee farm that is mentioned in the article and it is really a good dark roasted organic coffee. He lives just down the street from me with Dee and they are a lovely couple, the kind of folks that gravitate to Boquete. When you visit you must see his place and take the Boquete Coffee Tour
We have a constant here in Boquete that draws people from around the world to come here and live. Clean air, abundant sources of water, amazing flowers, beautiful rivers, great coffee, veggies and of course plenty of rainbows. Our area grows 80% of the fresh produce for Panama, offers an affordable lifestyle, good health care and a town where kids can go out at night and not have to worry about getting in trouble (or at least the bad kind!). Another constant is wellness and fitness. Combine hiking with yoga and you can go to some incredible places to enjoy nature and body.
One place that I like to visit is near Boquete in the little town of Caldera. Rancho de Caldera epitomizes the Eco village that we live in here in Boquete and is a Green Globe certified vacation eco-resort, offering luxury in a fully sustainable environment. As my friend Gina puts it “Truly, it is a siesta for the soul.” They are completely off the grid and rely on solar, hydro and wind for all their electrical needs. They also grow their own food stocks and offer gourmet organic in their restaurant.
I went there on Mother’s day to celebrate the occasion and met with Chef Craig Miller. Besides being a gourmet chef, he focuses on mouthwatering dishes using garden grown organic vegetables along with his free range chickens and lamb. He recently gave me a book to read called The Omnivores Dilemma that is about the industrialized food machine back in the USA and how unhealthy the food really is that is mass produced, genetically modified and mutated to create an unhealthy stew of ingredients that has lead to the fattening of America. It converted me to eating healthy food and avoiding chemically treated foods forever. Craig and I got together again and we planned a meal that was like the one described in the last chapter of the book. We traveled around gathering local grown organic ingredients found here in Boquete as well as fresh eggs and lamb from his the farm. We were also fortunate to get a nice yellow fin tuna loin caught in the waters off the Chiriqui coast. Here is a little story of this gourmet adventure into the culinary arts that he introduced me to.
We started off with a collection of ingredients. We had free range fresh eggs, fresh flowers including marigolds, borage blossoms, hollyhocks, sunflower and anise blossom for both garnish and add ins. He grows beautiful fairy tale eggplant and makes an incredible home brewed pineapple vinegar. We had gathered fresh Thai basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, mint, dill and some heirloom tomatoes the size of softballs! Our meat for the feast was fresh free range lamb and the fresh tuna loin.
Craig prepared some baba ghanoush and toasted some home made multi grain bread which he used for the spread. While I watched, his fiancee Maureen served me a glass of home made beer to wet my appetite.
Next course was a salad made with kalamata olives, heirloom tomatoes, feta cheese, cucumber and fresh oregano vinaigrette.
As the lamb was cooking Craig smashed up the Thai basil with a mortar and pestle, added salt and olive oil. Next he chopped up some cabbage, added the marigolds and pineapple vinaigrette. Voila – Basil Smash!
For the first entree, Craig quickly made the tuna, simply seared with salt and pepper and plated it with a small mound of chopped Napa cabbage, marigolds and pinnaple vinagarete and finally drizzled it with the basil smash. I hope that you are getting hungry by now!!!
Next came the lamb entree with grilled fairy tale eggplant smothered in fenugreek cream sauce and tumeric, tender enough to be cut with only a fork and mouth watering. It was incredible and was washed down with a good Argentinian cab.
For desert he prepared a clafouti which is a rustic french country tart madewith fresh pineapple, rum, his free range eggs and butter that was baked in the oven until it puffed up and turned nicely toasted brown. Dusted with a little sugar powder it was served with a side of homemade ice cream made from the milk from their cows along with organic strawberries. Paired with a glass of champagne and shared with friends, this was the topper of all toppers!!
OK, one more picture of the clafouti getting dusted with powdered sugar and I am done. Bon Appetit!!
“Panama is a smart choice for retirees who want it all—in a country that really wants them. Not only does it feature attractive retirement destinations—sleek capital city, hot beach towns, cool mountain villages—but it also offers an unbeatable package of retiree benefits and discounts. Little wonder there has been a steady influx of expats in the past few years. If you want a temperate highlands retreat surrounded by unmatched natural splendor, the mountain town of Boquete, an hour’s flight from Panama City, is close to heaven. Here expats settle amid rain forests, coffee plantations, burbling streams, and hummingbirds hovering over dazzling flowers.”
“Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high…There’s a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby. Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true. ” – E.Y. Harburg
There is indeed a land where rainbows often grace skies that are unencumbered by pollution, life is unhurried, and retirement dreams are fulfilled for many, in the Chiriqui highlands of Panama.
WELCOME TO MY HOME IN THE LAND OF THE RAINBOWS
If you are interested in learning more about real estate opportunities here in Boquete and Panama, drop us a line or call us to chat.
Very truly yours,
Tom Brymer
305-448-1003 in the US
507-6810-1074 in Panama
We invite you to visit our country and learn if Panama Real Estate is right for you.