Brigadoon

Another gorgeous day in Paradise. We hung around all morning waiting for the maintenance man to check out the ceiling fan in the second bedroom. He was supposed to come first thing, but this is the country of manana. Appointments are only a suggestion. I called around 11:00 and he said, "Give me 20 minutes." About an hour later he arrived and already knew the fan was broken. He found a portable fan in one of the closets and said we could use that. I had simply wanted him to know it was broken and we had found it that way.

I spent most of the morning sitting outside and walking around to see the birds that are constantly chirping in the trees. Today there were two large birds and they had huge pigeon faces. Turns out they are Pale Vented Pigeons and 12" long. I'll put the picture on the bird page.

We finally got out and stopped at the Jewish style bakery which is at our turn to the main road. We had met the owner, Barbara, last year and wanted to say hello. We got a nice welcome and sat down to chat. She had a real small world story for us and it is amazing. Her friend, who is from Beaufort, has a couple visiting and they owned the Beaufort Bread Company. Unfortunately we have never been there and they recently sold the business. Anyway they are staying in Panama for a while and happened to come in to visit while we were there.

We refrained from buying more baked goods today and went next door to a new restaurant to have lunch. The place is owned by a nice couple who came to this area with a large group who believed that the world was coming to an end and this area would be safe and have survivors. When the world didn't end, lots of the believers left. So this couple stayed and have an adorable place with good, healthy food. They make nice - to order - salads and good soup too.

We saw this cute guy in the parking lot hitching a ride. Lots of animals here and you have to dodge dogs and even goats while driving.

Next we stopped to fill our gas tank. Luckily an English speaking guy from Texas was at the pump next to us and explained that the owner at this station pumps for you and then you pay him and they even take credit cards. He also knew where "Fresas Mary" is located. This is a strawberry stand that Brian had mentioned to us. It was nearby so we headed over. It is a small house converted to a walk up custard stand with lots of outdoor seating. I ended up getting chocolate ice cream. I saw the berries smothered in whipped cream and definitely getting that the next time.

Back in the car we literally headed for the hills. We took Volcancito Road which is a 15 mile loop. Lots of high hills and curves. Many potholes too. Saw some gorgeous homes, greenhouses and lots of coffee plants and orange trees. There were workers picking the coffee beans and more walking along the road on their way home. We looked down and saw Boquete below us.

The name means bowl or gap and it is nestled among hills sort of like Brigadoon. We ended up back in downtown and then headed home. Still mobbed in town because of the flower festival. 

Dinner at home tonight and watching TV and blogging.