Last Tuesday our friends Gary and Madalane asked if I wanted to go to the Frontera with them. The Frontera is the border between Costa Rica and Panama and is a duty free tax free area. It is a thin strip of land between the two countries that from the outside the stores look like nothing but holes in the walls. When Bud and I did our border hop last year we were afraid to go anywhere near them. Little did we know what great shops were found through those little doors.
We left Boquete around 10 and made a couple of stops in David. One stop was at the drivers license office to see if Gary could get an extension on his 3 month license. Once again the door is watched by an armed guard that made us remove out sunglasses. Mine are prescription and so unknowingly I put them back on and shortly felt a tap on my shoulder and pointed to the glasses and shock his head - and then my cell phone rang and I got another tap and a no - so in drivers license offices you cannot wear sunglasses and cannot talk on a phone. Gary found out that he cannot get an extension - in order to stay legal he has to leave the country for a border hop so that it will be good for another 3 months. The really strange thing is that he owns a car has the insurance etc but cannot get a license????? If you are picked up and your license is not valid they will take your car and who knows what will happen then.......
We proceeded on north to Frontera. About a mile before reaching it we were stopped at a checkpoint and had to produce our passports. Normally I carry a copy of mine but when ever leaving Boquete you have to have the original.
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| unloading granite to sell |
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| the narrow strip on the Costa Rica side with little stalls selling all kinds of stuff |
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We arrived and parked - the street is narrow and very dirty - cars parked everywhere and the outside of the buildings you step over running water filled with items that have been just tossed. I asked Gary if I needed to worry about anything and he said safety? and no not at all - It is not a place that looks safe. I stepped into the first store and found it to be stacked floor to ceiling with tiny narrow aisles. It did not take me too long to remember the feelings I had in David about being so blonde tall and whited. I am something to be looked at and it is not a pleasant feeling. I think I feel it more when I am along though. I mostly just looked. You can buy anything here from toilet paper (which I did) to appliances and furniture. Some of good quality some not so much. Gary said the items are much cheaper here than in David plus you do not pay the 7% sales tax.
One of the strangest things about it is you go in one door and you are in Panama and if you step outside of the other door you are in Costa Rica. Some of the stores are so long and confusing that I found myself turned around and finally asked a gal while pointing Panama and she shook her head and said no Costa Rica.
I did find a top I wanted to try on and asked the gal for a dressing room. She took me over to a small area and I thought I was going to duck under a stairway - No she unfolded a piece of material that was hooked to the wall - draped it across to the other corner and put me behind it - let me tell you one thing - this make shift dressing room is not made for tall gringo women- it is hot I am sticky and I am struggling to pull off my top and try this one on - all the while bending over so at least most of my upper body is not showing to anyone who walks by - but then I though who i the hell am I going to see again anyway???? And it was all for no good as the top did not fit anyway!!!
On the Costa Rica side when you step out side of the store there is a long narrow alley like place - lined it area all little "store" selling a little of everything. I did find a back pack there to haul my stuff around when I walk into town and only gave $5 for it - at that price I did not negotiate. I did find a Subway to grab a sandwich and yes it was good but not sure it is what I thought I ordered????
It is very hot here - the sweat was running off me . I shopped for several hours but mostly just wandered around looking. One thing that is very different here is that you are not allowed to carry packages or backpacks into stores - they have areas with shelves and a person staffing it who takes your items and gives you a 3" square piece of wood with a number on it that matches your cubby. I was so afraid that I would get turned around and not find the door I came in and my items would never be seen again and all I would have in my possession was a wood block.
I waited for Gary at the truck and got to people watch. I saw the one lady pictured come out of a store with a huge bag of rice I think - they hauled it across the road for her and sat it down - she waited for the bus to show and then yes they loaded the bag onto the back of the van- a strange way of life compared to ours.
The street is busy with huge dump trucks and semis. Pickups with their back ends filled with boxes and people of all shapes and sizes but very few whites. This is truly a unique shopping experience. And I know I will return.
On the way home we were cruising along and suddenly there was a cop on a motorcyle waving us over. He walked up and told Gary he was speeding and we all were confused - the signs said 100 km - in fact that is what the sign said RIGHT BESIDE THE COP. But no there is a short area no more than 1/2 mile that is 50km-the only thing we could figure out was that it is where there are larger crossroads - no not any paved roads etc just a bigger dirt road. So they slow down traffic for it and yes Gary got nailed. Now it is very easy to buy off cops here and Gary has done so several times bu this young man actually had ethics and would not take a bribe - or least Gary did not ask soon enough and it was already in the computer!!!! The fine was $55 and it has to be paid in David. That surely made up for the bargains he found!!! And as we drove off the next stop was made - wonder if he took a bribe that time????
We made another stop in David and I did more shopping and actually found a couple of stores with clothes my size- oh it only took me a year to find them though.
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