Boquete

I can see why people think this place is like Orosi. It is a flat valley floor surrounded by coffee covered hills. A little lower in altitude, it is larger, has more people and is more "developed", both culturally and economically. The restaurants were good, and the costs were lower in general than in Costa Rica. Food cost about the same, except imported items, which were about the same as you'd find them for in the US (here in CR, they are almost double) Cars were a lot less, gas was cheaper, but land values were through the roof. It was pleasant there, and I met some nice people, and had some good conversations. I arrived in time for the night ushering in the day of Panama's independance, and it was a major party scene, with tons of people and children of all ages dressed in traditional costume to demonstrate dances in many styles. One interesting thing was the tembliques, the hair ornaments that the girls wore. The moms and older girls made them from beads on wires, and they were individually pinned into the girl's hair in an arrangement of complicated textures and designs. I made friends with the mother and grandmother of these two, who gifted me with a temblique for my own hair, and told me that making the tembliques for the two girls (aged 5 and 8) costumes took about three weeks.