Next Move - Dolega

 The third of five stays of this trip has come to an end. I have to leave this paradisical place and ead back to the hustle and bustle of city/village life.

On the way from the Bugaba Highlands to Dolega I am passing through David again, the second largest city in Panama - with the second largest traffic jam in Panama, too! But, I have time, so I don't worry.

The time I do have to spend between checkout from Kyle's place and checkin at Cynthia's I thought would be well used by checking out some of the car dealers. 

I've seen some Priuses driving around - in Panama City, in El Valle, and also in David. So I'm hopeful I might be able to buy a Prius when I'll move here. Well, that hope was crushed as soon as I spoke to the dealer. The only hybrids they do have are the Rav4 (for close to 44,000$) and the Corolla (for close to 25,000$)! That is not really what I had in mind!

The Nissan dealer doesn't have a Leaf - my favorite car at this moment. They tell me, that the Leaf is only available in the Estados Unidos and Europe, but not in Central America. 

Hunday has no hybrids at all either - their Kona costs 22,500$. It's somewhat of a cross over between station wagon and SUV. 

Honda has Insights - but the price for those is 39,000$.

Kyle told me his Suzuki swift was 13,000$. So that might be an option, too.

I am NOT eager to spend 30-40K on a car!!!

Not sure if I want to buy a used car, though - going by the road conditions, and the lack of transparency about how well (or poorly) the owner had the car maintained, and took care of it.

Sigh!

The next day, I happen to find myself behind a Prius. Not having anything urgent to do anyhow, I decide to "put a tail on the car". He finally stops at a gas station. So I park and walk over to chat with him a little. He doesn't speak english, and with my less than rudimentary spanish I was tryingt o ask him how he's getting his car maintained. He ended up giving me the tel and WhatsApp number of his mechanic. I'm not sure, but I think he said he himself is the mechanic. But, my spanish listening skills are not good enough to be certain... We'll see. What that means, though, is, that if I really want to, I could ship my Prius here and have Mario do the service on it. Another option...

Well, a wrinkle in the plot: how to get a car, what car to get, how to finance it...

After checking a used car dealer out, too, I make it to Cynthia's Case de Dolega, in the center of Dolega - a village right on the main street leading to Boquete. Since Cynthia's house is several blocks away from the main-street, I do not hear car noise in the night. Instead, I hear the crickets, tree frogs, and the little river that runs by the back yard, and birds, and wind in the trees, and rain on the roof... A great soundscape for restful nights!

Cynthia and her husband set up this house to have 5 units, that they rent out mostly long-term. Often people who are in the process of moving here, but whose home is still in the process of being built. Or who haven't decided where exactly to settle.

Well, that's also an idea to keep in mind: create a peaceful, convenient place for people in transition...