With a population of 125000, David is the country’s third largest city after Panama City and the notorious Caribbean port of Colón. The urban life follows a leisurely pace, which is also due to the often sweltering heat in the lowlands of Chiriquí. David does not have any tourist attractions to offer, but it is an important traffic junction and serves many travellers as a starting point on the way to the highlands, to the archipelago of the Bocas del Toro or to the beaches of the Gulf of Chiriquí. The highlight of the annual calendar of events is the “Feria de David” in March, a cattle, agriculture and tourism fair that traditionally opens with a large equestrian parade through the city that evokes associations with the Wild West. David has numerous, mostly inexpensive, restaurants offering mainly Panamanian cuisine, as well as good shops in several shopping centres and supermarkets. A good place to escape the heat is the newly designed Parque Central. Several tens of thousands live in the surroundings of David, mostly North American foreigners, who have established a residence for their retirement in Chiriquí.