This ‘n’ That…

Just when we thought we had settled our living situation we were invited to see a house for rent not far from where we are now. Oh my goodness, the house is perfect for us. We rented it and will change our arrangements here. I’m sure it will not be a problem, they’re pretty flexible here. The current tenants will be moving out the end of August so we will move in on Sept 1, we arranged a one year commitment . I took a couple pictures of the outside of the place. It’s on a coffee Finca (farm) set back a bit from the road, very pretty and private. The landlord is an American who lives in the U.S. and apparently comes to visit for about a week each year and puts the tenants up in a hotel while they are here, which works for us. The house is a two bedroom and two bathrooms and it has a kitchen that works for Scott(very important!) . I was pleased to see screens on all the windows but my favorite thing is the covered patio that has an outdoor fireplace. I just love sitting outside here in Boquete, especially when it’s rainy. So that’s settled.

Today , as we were doing our daily walk into town I was pondering my walk to work in Los Altos and how sad I was to leave it. I’m happy to report that my new walk is a superb replacement. I gaze at the lush, green mountains and the unbelievable variety of flowers and trees as we walk our 2-3 miles each day. And a bonus is , I’m walking with Scott! We chat and point out beautiful flowers and birds and different sights as we stroll along. I don’t think I’ve mentioned the birds. I am going to need a book (according to Eric & Lyn, two or three books) to help me identify what I’m seeing. I predict a future bird-watcher! There are just sooo many birds. Today we saw one with a bright red chest , it looked like a flying flower. I’ve never seen so many varieties of Hibiscus and Angels Trumpets as well as bougainvillea! And when we walk past a field of banana trees I just wish I could grab one but they are up way too high for me to get, darn! I never once walked by a banana tree on my way to work in Los Altos.

It seems like everyday we notice something new that we didn’t notice the day before. One thing that we notice is workers with machete’s trimming plants and weeds and then we notice that those same plants and weeds that were just chopped back a couple days ago. seem to grow back really fast . This is an extremely lush and hardy land everything grows so fast. Yesterday morning we were walking at about 7:00 in the morning and there were a bunch of school children walking to school together. Brother and sister holding hands so adorable in their crisp, clean uniforms an their hair all brushed and combed into place. It’s very refreshing to see young children able to safely walk to school without parents hovering to make sure they’re safe. Seldom did I see young children, (especially as young as these kids), walking to school on their own on my walk in Los Altos. The children here are very polite and their smiles just melt my heart. But, who doesn’t appreciate a friendly, confident “Buenos!” delivered with eye contact and a big smile?

We had a great lunch in town today at a place I’ve heard many good things about. Big Daddy’s. I, of course, had to try the Margarita’s (yes, that’s plural!) and I was not steered wrongly by my new friends, they are great! We had amazing fish Taco’s and a fish sandwich, they were out of this world. We didn’t realize that there was a back patio and we sat on the tiny front patio. When we walked into the restaurant we were surprised it was so small, it’s so popular I was expecting something bigger. But then we noticed people walking out from the side of the building , I realized there was a back area that these ‘Newbies” were not aware of. Live and Learn! To our surprise, our Amigo’s came walking out from the back, on their way to their car… “Hey!” It’s fun to see familiar faces, this happens quite a lot in this small town. It seems almost every day when we are out running errands (yes, we have errands) we see someone familiar. It was great to have a quick chat with our friends and exchange pleasantries before they were off to continue their busy day.

As you can see, we’re beginning to get into a rhythm here. We are considering trying a yoga class which is every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:00 . When our spanish classes start we’ll be pretty busy everyday , they are 1-5. We are excited to get on a bit of a routine , at least for awhile. Even after we get our car I hope we continue to do our walk into town , it’s feeling so good to get the exercise and I just love the walk. I have a feeling I’ll never tire of the beauty around me and of feeling so blessed to be here. Just like my walk to work in Los Altos, I never tired of the beauty of that walk either and even though my new walk is glorious, I still miss my morning walks to work. Sigh. Everyday is an Adventure and everyday I’m glad to wake up to the sound of birdsong. Someday maybe I’ll know the names of some of those birds who sing to me in my mornings.

Advertisement