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A trip to David
For all the non-Spanish speakers, the town is pronounced Da-veed. David is the second largest city in Panama.
Here we are at the end of 2025 and we needed to take a trip to David. This was partly for a medical check-up (we are fine) and partly for some shopping as some things are hard to get here in Bocas.
Because the trip couldn't be done in a single day, we decided to stay a couple nights and have someone stay and watch our house for us. With the weather being unpredictable, we left on Sunday afternoon and stayed overnight in Bocas Town where we left our boat in the marina.
On Monday morning, we boarded the water taxi to Chiriqui Grande (45 minute trip), grabbed a land taxi to the bus station (15 minutes) then enjoyed the ride to David (2.5 hours). We then walked to our hotel (10 minutes) and got checked in.
After a short rest we went to see the doctor, had dinner, enjoyed the Christmas lights in the park and had some desert on the way back to the room. Then on Tuesday we walked all over the place looking in shops, buying a few items for the house, some cloths and of course more snacks!
Wednesday, we packed up early and grabbed a taxi to the bus station. We didn't feel like walking, even though it is only 10 minutes away, it seemed like a pain. So well worth $2 for the ride. The plan was to grab the first bus (or maybe the second) and we were shocked to see well over 200 people waiting for the same bus. So we got in line and were prepared to wait several hours to get on the 4th or 5th or maybe 6th bus of the day.
While in line taxi drivers were trying to get people to pay for a private ride to Almirante but that was expensive. One asked if we would pay $25 each and share with others? So we decided to go this route. We told him if he could get us that price we would do it. After a bit he found someone to share the cost with us and off we went. Sadly, about 45 minutes into the trip, something went wrong with the taxi and we limped back to town. The driver called his sister to get her car and she arrived a few minutes after we did. Then we all piled into her car and the taxi driver took us to Almirante. It is always an adventure here.
Once in Almirante, we hopped a water taxi back to Bocas (25 mintutes), did some grocery shopping, hopped another water taxi (5 minutes) to the marina where our boat was waiting, then made the trip home (30 minutes).
All along the way, we got to talk with many nice people. Some locals, some vacationing. We shared our stories and experiences, they shared theirs. Even though getting around can be slow here, it is always fun to meet people and have nice conversations along the way.
In the end, it is always nice to get back home. To enjoy our own bed, and just relax. Being in the "big city" reminds us how much we enjoy living in the peace and quiet of our remote home.
| It's raining in the house! Published 27-Dec-2025 |
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