Being Bored in Boquete, Panamá

We had dinner with a couple that is doing their recon mission to see if living in Boquete (or Panama) is right for them. Everyone who lives here has done the same. And maybe everyone has asked themselves, "Does Boquete have enough things to do so I won't get bored?"

I think that if you are boring or have no interests, you will be bored everywhere you go. I also don't think that it is possible to be bored in Boquete unless you make it your mission. Even if you don't want to be with other people, there are a lot of things to do. Hiking everywhere. The beach is only a short distance for sunbathing, surfing or diving. There's fishing, both fresh and salt water.

For more social people, there are organizations for everyone. Cards and game people meet every day of the week. Groups meet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Other groups are more civic minded and organize construction projects, help the hungry or handicapped, or provide entertainment.

When David and I came here after we decided that moving to Boquete was definitely a possibility, we also wondered about boredom. I even asked people about it. Several times during our early visits we certainly asked ourselves if living in a small town could become boring. But we never seemed to get bored. As we kept returning, we made friends. When we came for an entire summer, we joined the theater and began helping with Amigos de Animales. We took advantage of all the outdoor activities Boquete has to offer. And we were never bored.

Just in the last 7 days we have: had people over for dinner, auditioned for a play, went ziplining, went to the gym, met friends for dinner, went with friends house-hunting, had an organization meeting with Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival, attended an open house for a new B&B, played Trivia, took Spanish lessons, and visited many friends in their homes. No, we aren't bored.

What I found was that you can be as busy or lazy as you want. A lot of people (us) actually get ourselves involved in too much. That is a common problem for the newly arrived. After being busy with a scheduled life for 30+ years, you want to continue with that pace and agree to help every group. We have decided that after fulfilling our commitments, which end in March, we will only going to be involved in the theater and the monthly spay/neuter clinic.

People who don't have activities or interests often become masters of the 12 oz bicep curl. Does Boquete drive people to drink? No. Retired people without interests in their live often turn to unhealthy activities no matter where they live.

Now that we live here, we have settled into a 'regular' life. Sometimes we just hang out at home and read or watch TV. More often we are meeting friends, going to David, traveling, gardening, running errands, hiking up Palmira, or just watching the rainbows. But we are never bored.