Panama - Boquete

Nov 9, Panama City to Boquete, Panama

Our bus travels “north” 6 hours on the Pan-American highway to David, where we change to a yellow sixties era school bus, for a one hour trip up the foothills to Boquete. Boquete offers an interesting mix of pleasant sub-tropical weather, friendly locals, coffee plantations, adventure activities, and retired gringos in gated communities; apparently AARP listed as a new hot spot.

We are happy to find everything located within a few blocks. We stay at the Boquete Hostel, a really pleasant and relaxing spot overlooking the river. There’s nothing quite like a good night sleep to the sounds of the flowing water, then waking up with a glass of freshly squeezed OJ, and a locally grown coffee.

are we in Panama or Philippines? Same Same, but different

Panama city -> David -> Boquete

Nov 10, Boquete, Panama

Today we take a fascinating coffee tour with Café Ruiz; fascinating for us because coffee is one of the biggest commodities in the world that we know almost nothing about. The tour visits the three places of coffee production;

1) plantation,
2) processing plant
3) roasting facility

On the plantation, we pick some ripe fruit (yes, coffee is a fruit) and are fired immediately. We try several times but just can’t get the right twist and pull motion to pick the fruit without damaging the stems. We are surprised to find the fruit tastes quite delicious. Perhaps if the seed wasn’t so big and smelled so nice during a forest fire some time back in Ethiopian history, then we might be drinking coffee juice with breakfast. At the processing plant, we learn about what it takes to ready coffee for export;

• Picking (October – March)
• Floating: to detect seeds with air from bugs
• Squeezing: to separate the fruit from seeds
• Fermentation: to remove the sticky sugars on the seeds (only 24 hrs)
• Washing: to remove the skins and fruit from the seeds
• Pre-drying (3 hrs)
• Drying (36 hrs)
• Aging (4-6 months)
• Peeling: to remove the two layers of skin
• Sorting by density, color, shape, size; required for accurate roasting

Although Café Ruiz exports 90%, we visit their small roasting facility to learn about the final step; roasting light, medium, and dark roasts for 16-24 minutes (aka; European, Latin, Italian, and French roasts). In our guide’s opinion, European roast is the best, as the dark roasts burns the beans, and ruins the flavor.

Unfortunately, the tasting part of the tour was disappointing. We tried light, medium, and dark roasts to detect their subtle differences. But, the coffee brew was weak, and didn’t smell fresh. In the end, it seems quality water and fresh preparation is more important than anything else.

touring Café Ruiz's coffee plantation with Carlos

picking the coffee fruit

but we are fired right away

maybe we can make a coffee juice out of the tasty fruit

it's easy to grow a coffee tree, but you need the right climate

Vana joins the picking crew

floating

squeezing, fermentation, washing

pre-drying and drying

aging

peeling

sorting by density, color, shape, size (they have a machine for that, thank goodness!)

roasting. according to Italians, this is the most important step

smell test: chocolate (correct), vinegar (over-fermented), fishy (over-roasted)

taste test with a big nose

Nov 11, 2009 Boquete, Panama

Today, we take a Jeep tour to visit the nearby cloud forest, and see the local sights. Surprisingly, the most interesting part of the tour is a visit to a small independent coffee farm run by a cheerful fellow named Tito. Our tour runs several hours over schedule as we bombard Tito with questions about his farm. Why grow eight varieties of coffee if this one is the most productive? If they all taste different, why blend the varieties?

We ask him about organic farming. He says a lot of farmers are interested, but it is impossible now, because organic coffee doesn’t get a higher price in Panama.

Tito is proud to show us his homemade machines. Next to his roaster, he shows us a spoon wielded to a flathead screwdriver that he uses; “muy importante!”. We roast a small batch of beans, and snack on a few, before drinking some fresh brew.

volcano rock formations for climbing

cloud forest

Tito's farm

Tito teaches to differentiate the varieties. Guessha (considered to be the best) grows somewhat erratically.

Caturra (or the rest) has a very high yield

Drying the beans while separating into 3 classes: best quality, good, and so-so. Take a guess which is which!

Loading his homemade peel, squeeze, and pre-sorting machine

pulling out European roast from Tito's small homemade test roaster

fresh roasted beans (we made them!)

that's the story behind a cup of coffee

back at the hostel, Kevin pre-drying his seven hand picked beans. Results? Coming Next!

CLICK HERE to see more Boquete pictures.

Chile to Panama

Nov 1 -7, Santiago, Chile

International bus from Mendoza (Argentina) to Santiago (Chile)

We spend the week in the Barrio Brasil neighborhood, just west of downtown. Vana takes 5-days of Spanish classes, while Kevin works on his project. We enjoy cooking some of our own meals in the huge kitchen at La Casa Roja hostel. Kevin makes an amazing chorizo and tomato pasta sauce, as Vana prepares beautiful arranged side dishes.

With only a week in the schedule for Chile, we decide not to tour around. The far south of Chile and Argentina looks amazing, but requires more time and it’s still quite cold.

Whipping up the magic

Chirizo red sauce pasta, grilled asparagus, appetizers, and a bottle of red

Vana with her Spanish class; Jason (Canada), Alphonsine （Benin), and Daniela (instructor, front and center)

party hard the night before an 8AM flight

CLICK HERE to see Santiago, Chile pictures.

It's time for a South America re-cap; Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. We clearly liked Ecuador and Bolivia the best. Peru was fun, but the places we visited were very touristy. Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile were ok but a little boring.

Nov 8, Santiago to Panama City, Panama

We enjoy a quick cup of Columbian coffee in Bogata, Columbia, during our short layover on our way to Panama City. Vana needs it, after drinking too much with her class the night before. In Panama City, we stay in a hotel between La Exposicion and Bella Vista, and find the neighborhood very sketchy; what was our guide book thinking?

Volcano Aconcagua 22841 feet, highest outside of Asia (view leaving Chile)

Bogota, Columbia's capital

Panama City skyline

Nov 9, Panama City, Panama

Today we visit the Panama Canal at the Miraflores Locks Vistors Center. We learn that it takes an incredible amount of water to operate these locks. Fortunately, Panama’s nine month rainy season provides ample supply. The last boat before the locks close for dinner is a motherload.

Canal illustration, we visited the Miraflores locks

Center gate of the double locks

Motherload boat enters the first locks

Raised halfway

gate opens

moving into the second locks

Captain takes a rest, while Panama Canal special pilot takes over (this is the only time that a Captain will yield to a pilot)

crew, happy to see people

In the afternoon, we visit Panama’s old town in Casco Viejo. It seems like a nice spot on a peninsula with ocean views, but with half of the buildings condemned, we find it quite funky.

Old town Panama funky

CLICK HERE to see Panama City pictures.

All of Argentina and Uruguay

October 7 to October 31, Argentina and Uruguay Summary

In an attempt to catch up, this post summarizes our travel in Argentina. As Argentina is a fairly modern country, there is not much interesting to document on a day to day basis.

Our trip unfolds as follows;
1. Salta to Buenos Aires
2. Buenos Aires to Uruguay (Colonia del Sacramento & Montevideo)
3. Back to Buenos Aires, with Dad arriving
4. Puerto Iguazu, and the famous Iguazu Falls National Park
5. Lake District of Northern Patagonia; Bariloche, Villa de La Angostura, San Martin de los Andes, and the Seven Lakes Drive
6. Mendoza wine region, with Dad leaving


Highlight experiences as follows;

• Discovering smooth, easy drinking young Argentina Malbec. In Argentina, it’s what’s for dinner!
• Incredible steaks and pizza at the America del Sur Hostel
• Signing up for a futbol game, finding out it is a crucial match between Argentina and Peru for 2010 World Cup qualifying, and observing the crowd and weather compete for intensity. Results; 2-1 Argentina, 0-1 our rain gear!
• Relaxing in Colonial del Sacramento, with its Monterrey, California like vibe
• Delicious grass fed steaks at a parrilla restaurant in the Mercado del Puerto, Montevideo; equally delicious tomatoes, lightly salted
• Dad arrives!
• Tango show in Buenos Aires
• Getting soaked at the Iguazu Falls; first by boat, and then by the afternoon rain and hail
• A break in the weather opens the Seven Lakes drive in Northern Patagonia
• Dad changes his Aerolineas Argentina flight itinerary to return from Mendoza, and gets a $50 refund!
• First class tour of boutique wineries Mendoza; fancy smelling premium vintage is fun to taste, but where’s the smooth, easy drinking stuff?

Marginal experiences include:

• Getting use to eating after 9PM, and going to sleep with a wine buzz every night
• Columbus day holiday rush to Uruguay delays our weekend plan, and Vana misses out on Spanish classes in Buenos Aires
• Parking ticket in San Martin causes an hour delay, resolved by Kevin’s limited Spanish; ”We don’t have time. Can Alamo use the post office to pay the fine?”
• Needing reservations for many hostels and hotels

We certainly enjoyed Argentina and Uraguay. Although in term of uniqueness, we think they offer a lot more to visitors who have not traveled around United States. We are super happy to have Dad along with us, and look forward to seeing the family in Costa Rica for Chris and Erin’s wedding in a few weeks!

tango in Buenos Aires. see more

futbol match in Buenos Aires. see more

relaxing in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. see more

satisfied customers in Mercado del Puerto, Montevideo, Uruguay.
see more

drenched in Iguazu Falls. see more

Seven Lakes Drive in Lake District of Northern Patagonia. see more

wine tasting in Mendoza, Argentina. see more