Valle Escondido Newsletter

4th of July BBQ

 It was a great afternoon with live music, great food, dancing and even fireworks here in Valle Escondido this 4th of July.
About 100 people signed up for this event and even the weather cooperated with only a short sprinkle. I really want to thank all who attended and especially Caesar and his band, the staff who put it together and Janet who cooked the food and coordinated the event. Click to see a photo album of the event.

‘Napa Valley’ coffee tour in Boquete

Put coffee and adventure travel together in one sentence and you'll think "what"?. Well that is exactly what you will find in Panama.

Panama, once famous as the cross road for world commerce, has now become synonymous with Coffee. In 2007 La Esmeralda Estate sold their Geisha bean, at auction, for $130 a pound green. All of a sudden, the eyes of the coffee world were on Panama. Think coffee and what comes to mind; Kona, Jamaican Blue, Ethiopian, or Costa Rica. Now Panama had the spotlight.

Few people realize that outside Panama City, and the canal zone, is a valley of wondrous riches.

Boquete Volcano

In the province of Chiriqui, near the border to Costa Rica, is a once active Volcano. The Volcán Barú Boquete (also Volcán de Chiriqui) is the tallest mountain in Panama; 3,474 meters (11,398 ft) high.

This once active volcano has created a valley with a micro-climate like no other in the world. Boquete is often called the Valley of the Flowers, as they grow year round here.

What makes this mountainous area so unique is that its many valleys create unique micro-climates, with six or seven in less than six-square miles. It is a perfect climate for coffee; and also wildlife.

An Adventure to Reach the Coffee

However, since the discovery of this fabulous coffee is so new, just to get to some of the estates requires a 4x4 vehicle, and during the rainy season, sometimes even that is not enough.

So, here comes the coffee and adventure part. With a Kona coffee tour or a Napa Valley wine tour, you can just get in your car, take a drive, and you're there. But in Panama, to sample single estate coffee from these special small micro-growers, requires a guide, hiking shoes, and/or a rugged truck.

So you can combine coffee and adventure in the same travel experience. You just have to come to Boquete, Panama. If coffee is not your thing, Boquete also has the Resplendent Quetzal, Howler Monkey's, Sloths; an abundance of wildlife that can also be seen on your trek to taste some of that award winning coffee.

To read more about Boquete, Panama and adventure travel, check out Boquete Mountain Safari Tours

Panama Info.com article.
Boquete offers amazing coffee farm experiences.  We just went with  Boquete Safari Tours on their  a new Three Coffee Estates tour, which perfectly  showcases the Boquete coffee experience. The tour takes you to three very different estate coffee farms to taste three kinds of coffee and experience three uniquely Boquete coffee farms. One farm is a simple one by a humble  farmer who is a kind of local genius, another a more sophisticated farm by a longstanding Panamanian grower and finally a  small totally organic farm run by an American couple who grow and harvest according to the lunar cycles just Latin America’s ancient civilizations have. At each farm you do a professional tasting to savor the different coffees and take short farm tour.  The tour takes you all around upper Boquete and the mountain views and scenery are beautiful. Highly recommended

Carol Delonis
507-6613-1472 Panama cell
Carol@BoqueteSafari.com
www.boquetemountainsafaritours.com

Mystery guest revealed

Saturday night was a real treat for the many who attended a special event with our mystery guest. Unfortunately, he had to remain a mystery up until this appearance for fear of reprisals for an incident that took place in Panama nearly 20 years ago.  Mr. Kurt Muse gave a stunning account of his harrowing experience of being captured, taken from his family and put in a Panama prison just before the American invasion of Panama in 1989. He not only survived this ordeal, but became the first American civilian ever rescued by the famous delta force. A true life adventure novel has been written and a movie is in the works. Be sure to read the book, "Six minutes to freedom" and learn about this heroic American and the many people who risked their lives to free him.

Amazon reviews:"Grabs you at the first paragraph and refuses to let go. This true story reads better than any fiction and is impossible to put down. Harrowing, entertaining, inspiring, and very, very readable." -- Col. Lee A. Van Arsdale, US Army Special Forces (Ret) Former Delta Force Squadron Commander

"Crackles with such tension and fear that you'll read this with your heart in your throat. This is everything a great thriller should be ... but it's all true." --Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Vanish

"What a read! A courageous family caught in a vortex of international politics, a cliffhanger drama of survival against all odds." --Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Twelfth Card 

"A dramatic portrayal of idealism, courage, integrity and fortitude, concluding with one of the most spectacular true-life action sequences ever set down on paper." --John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, New York Times bestselling authors of Mindhunter

Kurt, his wife Annie, Thalia and me.

Mystery guest to speak at Valle Escondido

Valle Escondido has been fortunate over the years to have a number of famous people visit this beautiful valley. This coming Saturday we will be hosting another important visitor who has been kind enough to offer an hour or so of his time to share his experiences and information on an upcoming movie project that he is involved with. He has asked that we do not publicize his name or invite the press. He also asked that we limit the number of people who may attend to 100. The meeting will be held in the Bamboo room in Valle Escondido Saturday the 17th, from 5-6 pm. There is no charge to attend. Please send an email to eventos@valleescondido.biz confirming the names and number in your party who will attend. I am sure you will enjoy this very much!

Special mothers day dinner Dec. 8th

Brazil night in VE, a great success!

 

Last night we had a real treat here in Valle Escondido. Performers from Brazil provided the entertainment and the food for a very fun night that I am sure everyone will remember. This was not your typical dinner and show, this was a real party where everyone was involved and having a great time learning to samba and watching the professional dancers. Be sure to click on the photo album here.

New menu for Thursday wine night!

Each Thursday, Chef Melissa comes up with a fantastic new menu for Thursday wine night. Be sure to put this on your calendar. Click to enlarge menu.

Chili Tuesday at the cantina

    Come have some fun and meet some new friends at the cantina this Tuesday. Chef Melissa has come up with a great homemade chili and corn bread to go along with .75 Panama beer. Come on down from 4pm-6pm and give it a try!

Father's day special dinner at Sabor Escondido

This will be the debut of our new executive Chef, Melissa de Leon. Make your reservations early so you don't miss out. Click the image to enlarge.

Brazil Night in August

OK all you samba dancers out there. Its time to party to the sound, rhythm and flavors of Brazil. Coming in August is an event you won't want to miss out on. A Brazilian band along with a group of Brazilian dancers will be on hand to entertain you. The entire group consists of 11 people. Authentic Brazilian food will be served. Be sure to reserve early a get a special discount for this event. See images of past event here.