It has been a couple of very exciting weeks for those who participated in our contest to win a 2-week Panama Vacation to Learn Spanish!. And South Africa’s World Cup has had quite a few of surprises as well… maybe that’s why only two participants got it right!.
There were a decent amount of participants that were VERY close (three teams right, one wrong). There was even one of our current students (from Holland) who had three guesses right but his fourth did not get submitted, and when we later asked him he said that his fourth team was Uruguay. Even if we believe him, rules are rules… sorry Michael! He’s OK with it (at least he says so) and he’s really enjoyed the World Cup so far. As a consolation prize for him maybe Holland will win the World Cup!
If no one had got it right we would have made the draw amongst all of those who had three teams predicted correctly, but that is that: we do have two participants who predicted the four teams that reached the semifinals: Germany, Holland, Spain and Uruguay. What looked like becoming a South American showdown turned out to be a major upset for Brasil and Argentina.
Paul’s case is a bit curious one (and a very lucky one!) because the last prediction that he made did not count. The fact is his last prediction was incorrect but his previous one (his last valid one) was on target and that is the one that counts! It seems that this contest is also a bit controversial just as South Africa’s World Cup has been!
Anyways… CONGRATULATIONS to Paul and Jennifer and good luck to you both! It’s going to be like going to penalties as each of you has a 50% chance to win. We will hold the draw (or since it’s just two, maybe we’ll just flip a coin) just after the final match and will announce the official winner of the two week Panama Vacation once we have a new World Cup champion!
With only two more games to be played in the group phase of South Africa’s 2010 World Cup you still have a chance to POST A COMMENT with the four teams that you think will make it to the semifinals.
We will accept entries until 11:59 p.m. local time (obviously until today Friday, June 25th). In Panama it is currently:
PREDICTIONS ARE CLOSED!
So hurry up and cast your vote!. Vote as many times as you wish: only your last vote will be taken into account!
Once considered one of the world’s top retirement destinations, Boquete is now Panama’s Capital for Eco-tourism & Adventure Travel
Boquete, Panama – June 22, 2010. In 2001, the sleepy mountain town of Boquete was shaken out of its slumber by an article in AARP’s Modern Maturity magazine. It named Boquete as the fourth best place in the world to retire, turning the small town into an overnight sensation.
Fast-forward to 2008, when Boquete, along with the rest of the world, was hit hard by the global economic crisis and housing market crash. Of Boquete’s more than 40 planned residential developments targeted to ex-pats, less than half a dozen came to fruition. In the years that followed, Boquete worked hard to retain its newfound prosperity by turning the spotlight on its greatest strengths: its beauty and potential for adventure.
Boquete is now an eco-tourist destination that attracts a younger crowd
What seemed to be a disastrous turn of events for Boquete is turning into a positive. Tourists come prepared to spend money and local businesses benefit. Tourism also creates a vast amount of long-term jobs and opens the door for the community to flourish in other industries.
“Five or six years ago, the majority of the storefronts on our main street were real estate offices,” says Jay Thomas, Owner, Boquete Garden Inn. “They’ve been replaced by tour operators, gift shops and restaurants. In our hotel, we have seen a substantial rise in people coming to Boquete for eco-tourism and adventure, discovering more and more of what Boquete has to offer.”
Boquete, Panama is hikers paradise
Boquete seems poised for even greater growth with the announcement that Copa Airlines (a Continental partner) is adding direct flights from Miami or Houston to David, a short 30-minute drive to Boquete.
“We established our business here because we believe in Boquete’s potential,” says Jay Thomas, Owner, Boquete Garden Inn. “It offers first class services while retaining its charm. Visitors love it and there is something for everyone in Boquete: be it bird watchers in search of the Resplendent Quetzal, orchid collectors exploring our gardens or adrenaline junkies wanting to zipline through the cloud forest’s canopy or raft our ferocious rivers.”
And as if tourists needed more incentive to visit Boquete, during the first round of the World Cup in South Africa, which ends June 25, several business owners are offering potential visitors the opportunity win a two week language holiday in Panama. Participants only have to predict which 4 teams will reach the semifinals and their name will be put into a draw to win two-week stay including accommodations, Spanish lessons at Habla Ya, and several eco-adventure tours plus cash in hand. Entering the contest is easy: participants just have to post a comment with the four teams of their choice in one of the sponsor’s blogs: www.hablayapanama.com/blog/
About Boquete: The perfect headquarters to explore Western Panama
With its modern city infrastructure and small town charm, Boquete is also the perfect headquarters to explore western Panama-the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park are only a 1.5-hour drive away. Las Lajas, Playa Hermosa and La Barqueta are some of Chiriqui’s finest beaches and they are quickly gaining recognition amongst tourists. Boca Chica, a quaint fishing village, is the perfect point to grab a boat and jump to the Paridas Archipielago, Isla Secas, Isla Ladrones or even the internationally renowned Isla Coiba, frequently compared to the Galapagos due to its exuberant wildlife and pristine ecosystems. The scuba diving and sport fishing found in the Chiriqui Gulf are certainly world class and they still remain way off the tourist map.
The islands of the Chiriqui Gulf are just a step away from Boquete
As most of the tourist infrastructure of the province of Chiriqui is located in Boquete, visitors prefer to return in the evening or after a couple of days to the town’s fresh mountain air, breathtaking views, welcoming accommodations and great restaurants. Thanks to its 1,200-meter elevation (3,600 feet), the area’s microclimates deduct 10 crucial degrees (average temperature is 60° to 80° F or 16° – 28° C) from the lowland’s heat allowing visitors to come back to a more pleasant atmosphere.
About Habla Ya, Spanish Courses & Ecotourism
Habla Ya Spanish Courses & Eco-tourism, founded in 2005, is Panama’s premier Spanish school and one of the top specialist Spanish training institutions in Central America and is internationally renown as one of the leading providers of Spanish courses in Latin America. http://www.hablayapanama.com/
Media contact: Evelyne Meyer, Head of Marketing & Sales, Tourism Generation, Inc. evelyne@hablayapanama.com, + (1) – 315 – 254 – 2331, + (507) – 730 – 8344, + (44) – 020 – 8144 – 2785
To participate just POST A COMMENT with the 4 teams that you think will reach the semifinals of South Africa’s World Cup. If you can predict what will happen your name will go into a draw where you will have a chance to win the following:
Stay tuned for more details about the contest. In the following days we will announce the name of the hotel where the winner will stay at, as well the list of tours that he or she will be able to enjoy in Panama’s Eco-Adventure Capital: Boquete!
Once the first round of the World Cup ends (June 25th) we will no longer accept any more entries. Feel free to change your mind: your last guess is the one that will be considered and after a couple of games your favorite 4 teams might be others! But you would be so cool if you could just guess at your first try!
* Restrictions for the winner’s stay at Isla Verde apply: 2 weeks are only available during the months of September and October. During the rest of the year, only 1 week can be granted. The prize cannot be transferred and needs to be used by June 25th 2011.
I had 10 vacation days left and I was wondering what to do with them. Bored of the same thing everytime: beach, big resort, all you can drink, eat until you burst, pass out, fly back home… I was in search of new horizons. I needed something different, that would allow me to really get to know the place’s culture. Meaningful, yet exciting… and even better if I could gain a skill. So I streamed through my friend’s photo albums on facebook to see what they’ve been up to during the last years and this led me to Habla Ya’s photo album on Facebook and I said to myself: these people really know what it’s about! I’m going on a Panama Vacation to learn Spanish!
So I booked my flight to Panama and the next week I was landing in Tocumen Airport. After picking up my luggage and going through customs, there was a driver called Bladimir waiting for me with a sign with my name on it: easy and no fuss at all. 30 minute drive through modern Panama City, over the bay and enough time to stop for a bite in a trendy restaurant in Casco Viejo. I took my time to admire the colonial feel and walk the cobbled streets with churches full of art, kids playing soccer in an abandoned monastery and a group of old men talking politics in the park’s benches.
It’s only 1 p.m. so there is still time to see the Panama Canal before catching my 4:00 p.m. flight to David. Bladimir makes nice conversation and he tells me tales from another time about Gamboa, Coló, and the Canal’s treaties. Finally I have to say goodbye to my first companion of the journey and I take my 45 minute flight on one of Air Panama’s new aircrafts. I was told that I could also take a bus to David, but as it takes around 7 hours and I only have 10 days of vacation I decided to fly. Even though I thought I would miss some of the beautiful countryside views, I wanted to make the most out of my time in Panama!
At David’s airport Gerardo is already waiting for me. I identify him by his smart Habla Ya polo shirt and we head off to Boquete. After a beautiful 40 minute ride up the road to Boquete (1,200 m above sea level), we make a quick stop at the school where I have a glimpse of the activities of the week (I like what I see). I’m also given some reading material to cover before class on Monday and I sit down to enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
I can already start feeling how special this place is: everybody is smiling and chilled, the temperature is nice (nor hot nor cold), the skies are blue and the sun is warm, I can see a rainbow over the river and the mountains are covered with greens of all shades. I’m at peace and I decide to find out what is scheduled for tomorrow: an out and back hike to the Quetzals Trail, so I sign up for that.
Now it’s time to go and meet my host family (although I could have also stayed at a Boutique Hotel such as the Boquete Garden Inn or even a Luxury Resort). I get to their house and they were all there waiting to greet me, just like my own family would! We had a fabulous meal and we spent the entire evening looking at family photos. I can’t thank them enough for how they made me feel… I really felt like a part of the family!
On the next morning I was picked up at 6 a.m. Our guide was Álvaro and besides me, there were another 7 Spanish students: a great way to start meeting people! Álvaro gave some explanations in English, French and Spanish, and put lots of emphasis on how quiet we needed to be in order to spot a Resplendent Quetzal. It was our lucky day: as soon as Álvaro started calling the birds we saw five of them perched up in an old tree in the midst of the cloud forest. I instantly realized why everyone wants to see a Quetzal and what’s all the fuss about: it’s a truly magical experience.
After a 5 km hike we had lunch in the middle of the Quetzals Trail in a place called Mirador La Roca. It was nice having a picnic with people from all over the world after such a gorgeous hike. On our way back we got lucky again and saw another two quetzals.
Once I was back in my host family’s house I decided it was time to have a look at my welcoming pack: a nice map of Boquete, advice on how to learn Spanish and motivational material to get students inspired to work hard! We shared a tasty hot chocolate and then saw a movie.
On Monday I paid the school a visit around 10 a.m. after visiting one of the town’s most beautiful gardens called Mi Jardín es tu Jardín. The first thing I noticed is how the school is really well organized, things are clean, feels cozy yet proffesional and everyone in the staff was happy to meet me and they addressed to me only in Spanish (which was a little difficult to deal with at first, but as the days went by the Spanish started coming along more natural!).
I talked with Swan, the school’s Customer Experience Director, and arranged the rest of my extra-curricular activities during the week, and I also had a chat with Roy, Habla Ya’s Volunteer Director, and I decided that I would go and volunteer in Paradise Gardens for a day. It really got my attention how many possibilities there are for having excursions near and in Boquete: no wonder it’s considered Panama’s Eco-Adventure Capital. It’s really great that one can do tours during the morning when the weather is nice, and then have classes in the afternoon (during Panama’s rainy season – May to November – it’s more common for it to rain the afternoons).
After lunch with some fellow students and Habla Ya’s staff, I started my group lessons. My teacher Ericka was great! Everyday at class we would chat a little about travelling in Panama and before I knew it, we were already having a conversation in Spanish (as much Spanish as I could speak, of course). I will never forget how great it was to have Spanish classes everyday! My Spanish definitely got better very quickly by having my host family speak to me in Spanish and having the wonderful teacher that I had!
There was a Social-cultural activity during every night of the week. I particularly enjoyed the Panamanian Dinner and Poker Night at Hostal Mamallena. We also watched a cuban movie called Habana Blues (which comes highly recommended) and we really had a blast after class on Thursday, when we went to Zanzibar’s Charity Quiz and Theme Party (crazy hats was for me). They were all great oportunities to immerse myself a little bit more into the language and into the town’s personality! Many of the staff people at the school ended up being partners in crime as I discovered all the fun things to do in Boquete! Everyone was so friendly and wanting to have a great time.
I also went to the Caldera Hot Springs after some Horseback Riding in the valleys. I can’t describe enough how beautiful the place is and how relaxing it was! We had a little bit of what they call around here “Bajareque” which is a misty rain, very light, almost absent but you can feel it and in combination with the Hot Springs it was a sublime experience…
At the end of my trip I spent two nights in paradise: at Isla Paridita in the Chiriqui Gulf National Marine Park. Five private beaches with white, gold and black sand, turquoise water, colorful fish and coral… bliss. I sea kayaked, hike the islands hidden spots and ate fresh sea food. One day we went to see dolphins and it was so special.
I just love how everything was set up perfectly for me. I didn’t even have to pay in advance! I just signed up, bought my plane ticket and that’s it. Habla Ya was wonderful and they took care of everything!
Since I was having such a great time, I thought about rescheduling my return flight but that would have meant me loosing my job. The only downside of my Panama trip was that I had a very difficult time departing from this enchanting place. I had so much fun studying Spanish, going out with my new friends, dancing and doing some really amazing Panama tours. Just walking around town gave me a great sensation of being in a very cozy and peaceful (“cozy” is my favorite word so far to describe Boquete).
