Rusty loves Boquete and he tells me so several times a day licking my face energetically in his canine expression of gratitude.
We are enjoying the cool breezes offsetting the hot sunshine at 3500 feet, and the gourmet food stores selling stuff we haven’t seen since the US. Dan, an Israeli who has lived in room at the pension here for three years was telling Layne about the Kosher bakery in town, so we get bagels now and bialys for example.
Rusty’s routine is developing into an early morning walk, sometimes when I wake at four well before dawn we wander a few blocks together but later he has taken to leading me around town for an hour or more. Quite the change from the other countries we have visited.
Panama is one of the wealthier countries, similar to Costa Rica, and in Boquete a town of 25,000 with 5,000 resident foreigners there is even more than average wealth. Which in turn means more cars, fewer motorcycles and bicycles and almost no street dogs. And that means Rusty has figured out he can wander without facing packs of locals on the streets. 
His favorite spot is the city park built along the lines of a vast municipal park in the US with clean public bathrooms, regular maintenance of the broad wheel chair accessible paths and a bunch of Americans who operate a friends of the park non profit to add even more value to this remarkable open space.
Our $12 a night camp spot is somewhat park-like at the Topas Pension where you can rent a room and lots of people do during the flower festival this week in Boquete.
Happily Rusty doesn’t chase squirrels especially as there are resident very rare black squirrels of a kind I haven’t seen since I was in Pennsylvania many years ago on the grounds of State College.
Rainy season really is over and we get cloud filled blue skies with some threatening evening fog rolling down the mountains into town. Our days pass with a few chores, some meal planning and trying to curb our impatience as we wait for our spare part to show up.
Boquete isn’t an architectural marvel and has none of the flair it colonial towns you might see further north, communities centered around churches and plazas with magnificent architecture and historic Spanish buildings scattered everywhere. Like Costa Rica Panana is modern and dull in an effort to be efficient.
Rusty doesn't care and I am getting used to Panamanians and their rather brusque demeanor, something that matters less and less as I read of blizzards and freezing winters Up North. This is t-shirt weather all winter long.
Early morning bus passengers to the big city of Davíd 40 minutes down the mountain to jobs and industry and economic activity.
Want to rent a place (“se alquila”)? The national strike last year shut down the entire country for six weeks to force the closure of a huge copper mine. They succeeded while strangling commerce and making life extremely difficult for small businesses, so there is room to spare now.
We’ve noticed a change in Rusty these days. He seems to be finally getting used to life in the van, and he carries himself with more confidence. He stands up to the dogs he does meet on the street so much so I don’t rate him as terribly friendly any more at least not when he’s on a leash. It’s inconvenient but I’m glad he doesn’t turn tail at the sight of a strange dog.
The can used to worry him but these days he seems to have found his happy space. He doesn’t cower any more when rain hits the tin roof, and strong winds don’t bother him anymore. I guess he had to get used to that in ever windy Boquete.
I have greatly enjoyed walking Rusty around town as it reminds me of the walks we used to take in Key West and even though he’s getting gray and clearly time is passing for him as much as, if not more than for me, he has tapped into a fountain of youth in Boquete.
Layne figures we might be shipping in three weeks if all goes well with the repair and we do want to tour some parts of Panama before we load GANNET2 onto a flat rack container for Colombia. In any event I expect Rusty gets ten more days in Boquete at least and I think he will enjoy every minute.
Strawberry town. At this altitude you can grow berries easily as if we weren’t in the tropics and they are for sale all around town. Layne insists strawberries and condensed milk (a local favorite) would be bad for me. I’m not convinced but fresh berries by themselves aren’t at all bad. Just like most of Boquete.
