Pork and Apple: An Escape to the Mountains

We made it to Panama and crossing the border was as confusing as ever. You have to pay an exit tax of $8 when leaving Costa Rica but we couldn't figure out where to pay it for a while. Certainly not where you hand in your departure form, no, that would make too much sense. After some confusion and disbelief we finally accepted that the "office" you had to pay your departure tax at was actually this van! It's literally two young people sitting in a van with laptops and a printer.

After the confusing border run we headed straight for Boquete, a chilled mountain town, hoping to escape the heat for a while. While it could still warm up during the day a jumper was normally necessary during the night, always a nice change.

At some point in some magazine Boquete was nominated a top retirement destination and is now filled with expat retirees. This was a constant source of entertainment from the expat market where you can buy German Sausage in a carpark and the stereotypical American accents greeting each other on the corner.

We didn't end up doing a whole lot during our 5 night stay in the hopes of saving some money after an expensive Corcovado trip and an upcoming expensive sailing trip. We mostly wondered around, enjoyed the fresh air and good food at a local bakery.

Our one "activity" was to visit some hot springs. We do love hot springs. These were the least developed ones we'd been to yet, giving them their own charm. After the bus drops you off it's a 45 minute walk in the hot sun by which time you aren't really in the mood for some hot springs. Luckily though there's also a freezing river near-by to refresh yourself in.

The hot springs are pretty much just on someone's farm and you have to pay them $2 to hang around. These people had heated little rivers running through their properties, making for probably some of the most spoiled ducks in the world and a beautiful spot.