Introduction - Kris and Joel

Hello Kris and Joel.

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you for this introduction.

Aurélie

Thank you

Aurélie wrote:

Hello Kris and Joel.

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you for this introduction.

Aurélie

hola, why did you choose David over other areas? What other areas did you consider? Any regrets?

No regrets! Things are working out wonderfully so far.

We wanted a tropical climate, affordable living, decent infrastructure, access to beaches, reasonably safe and stable country, and something close enough to the US to be able to visit family.

We considered Costa Rica but were put off by reports of crime, bad roads, rising cost of living, etc. We looked at Panama City and loved it, but it's a bit too crazy for us at our age. But, we knew we wanted city life vs. rural living so we looked at David next. It felt just right to us, and here we are.

Negatives so far - communication is difficult in a foreign language. I have a hard time finding things in town. Shopping and doing business can be multi step processes, so it takes more time and was confusing at first. Driving style is different, more aggressive, but once you get used to it you find it works very well.

Positives - I could write a book! (but I am writing a blog) The biggest one for me is the people, warm, friendly, and just lovely folks.

Kris

Davidcdn wrote:

hola, why did you choose David over other areas? What other areas did you consider? Any regrets?

We are coming down to Chiriqui Province in March to look around.
ANY suggestions...does not have to be David.  Is this the intn'l airport location though?  June 2012 loved our visit to Panama City and people at the Canal suggested this province to settle in.  do not where to start though.clyde and christy

cvincent - David is called an international airport because it has flights into and out of San Jose, Costa Rica (there is a fee to do this).  Other than that the only other airline that flies into it is Air Panama. 

How are you planning to get to David in March to look around?  Are you driving, flying, busing it? 

We chose Boquete because the humidity in David is just too high.  We didn't like it and we didn't want to live with the AC on during the summer.  Here in Boquete we are at 4000 feet elevation (it's where the coffee plantations of Panama are) and it's very windy in the summer and very wet in the winter. 

Are you coming on an escorted tour in March or are you freelancing it and doing your own thing?

The Tuesday Expat Farmers Market is held from 8:30am to around 1:00 every Tuesday right off the town square.  I would suggest you attend to talk to as many expats as possible. 

I would suggest you rent here for no less than 6 months to see if you like it here.  So many people come, buy or build, then realize they don't like it and they leave.  I also suggest that you visit the local hospitals just in case you ever need to use them.  And under no circumstances begin the process for getting the pensionado visa until you have been here 6 months to see if you like it.  It could be money lost if you realize that you won't be staying after all.

And then you have to decide how you want to retire and how much you want to spend.  And what that means to you in what you will have to give up or in what you are willing to spend here.

Lots of variables.  Lots to discover.  Sign up on viviun.com to see some of the property that gets listed all the time and also some of the rentals to see if you can afford them.  It's a place to start.

And ask questions, lots and lots of questions on various expat forums about Panama in general.

David is the biggest city in this province and a good place to start. But, there are no flights from the US to David. You can get here by bus or plane from Panama City.

We love David. It all depends on what you want, what you need, what feels right to you. Do your research and see if it would suit you, and then come visit for a while. If you like it, I agree with everyone's suggestion to rent for 6-12 months. Living here is different from being a tourist and visitor. Also, do you speak Spanish? Few people here speak English. Boquete is much easier in that regard, more English speaking people.

Come visit!

Kris

cvincent wrote:

We are coming down to Chiriqui Province in March to look around.
ANY suggestions...does not have to be David.  Is this the intn'l airport location though?  June 2012 loved our visit to Panama City and people at the Canal suggested this province to settle in.  do not where to start though.clyde and christy

THANKS for input on all levels.. as I said, we have a place in Guanacaste and in May/June we bussed to SJO to fly Copa to Panama City.. loved the city. We do not need, however, to live in city.  People working at the Canal all advised the area around David. and ...we want to check it out..this time for a week of our vacation.
The problem with this post is that when you reply..you cannot see the message to answer the questions!!!
Lived in Florida 33years...do DONE w/humidity..no, no, no.
I will stay in touch if okay w/you all and of course, would love to go to that Farmers Market also!christy

Try clicking on the "quote" button. Then the message is in the box where you can refer to it while you type. I have to do that or I can't remember anything of what I'm responding to!

Where in FL? We moved here from Sarasota. We happen to like the warm and humid climate so David works. It sounds like you won't like it a bit but the nice thing here, just go higher in the mountains and it's much different. You might love Boquete! It's cooler, gorgeous, lots of expats. Many people are also interested in Volcan.

This site is all about connecting and staying in touch so I hope you do, and let us know when you're in the area

Kris

cvincent wrote:

THANKS for input on all levels.. as I said, we have a place in Guanacaste and in May/June we bussed to SJO to fly Copa to Panama City.. loved the city. We do not need, however, to live in city.  People working at the Canal all advised the area around David. and ...we want to check it out..this time for a week of our vacation.
The problem with this post is that when you reply..you cannot see the message to answer the questions!!!
Lived in Florida 33years...do DONE w/humidity..no, no, no.
I will stay in touch if okay w/you all and of course, would love to go to that Farmers Market also!christy

Tampa Bay and Pasco County...
will have to investigate a car and hotel,etc. if we fly into David and drive. do you know how far David is? and is Boquete where the farmers market is?c

kristc99 wrote:

Try clicking on the "quote" button. Then the message is in the box where you can refer to it while you type. I have to do that or I can't remember anything of what I'm responding to!

Where in FL? We moved here from Sarasota. We happen to like the warm and humid climate so David works. It sounds like you won't like it a bit but the nice thing here, just go higher in the mountains and it's much different. You might love Boquete! It's cooler, gorgeous, lots of expats. Many people are also interested in Volcan.

This site is all about connecting and staying in touch so I hope you do, and let us know when you're in the area

Kris

cvincent wrote:

THANKS for input on all levels.. as I said, we have a place in Guanacaste and in May/June we bussed to SJO to fly Copa to Panama City.. loved the city. We do not need, however, to live in city.  People working at the Canal all advised the area around David. and ...we want to check it out..this time for a week of our vacation.
The problem with this post is that when you reply..you cannot see the message to answer the questions!!!
Lived in Florida 33years...do DONE w/humidity..no, no, no.
I will stay in touch if okay w/you all and of course, would love to go to that Farmers Market also!christy

Ahh, we were almost neighbors.
David is about 7 hours from Panama City by bus, $18, if I remember correctly. Flying - check http://www.airpanama.com/. The airport in David is on the edge of the city, just a few minutes away (depending on where in David you want to go, but the city isn't that big, 15 min at most to pretty much anywhere)

There is a market in Boquete every Tuesday morning, and there should be lots of expats there. Boquete is 45-60 minutes away from David (depending on where in David you are)

David has a great farmer's market downtown for produce, but I think you were asking about the Boquete market?

We stayed at a hostel http://www.chambresenville.info/english/index.html  It's fun mingling with other travelers, and this one is close to downtown. The owner speaks excellent English. There are also other hostels and hotels in town so I'm sure others have other recommendations.

There seems to be the usual car rental agencies at the airport, Budget, Avis, etc. but they are expensive. Keep in mind that there is good public transportation and inexpensive taxis everywhere.

Kris

Good news..will love the bus transportation. In Guancaste we ride our bicycles everywhere and bus out to bigger towns.
so used to that.  we have 4wks in March so will be down to David on the 2nd week hopefully, and would love to meet you, if possible.
I will check on your hostel recommendation now though. c

kristc99 wrote:

Ahh, we were almost neighbors.
David is about 7 hours from Panama City by bus, $18, if I remember correctly. Flying - check http://www.airpanama.com/. The airport in David is on the edge of the city, just a few minutes away (depending on where in David you want to go, but the city isn't that big, 15 min at most to pretty much anywhere)

There is a market in Boquete every Tuesday morning, and there should be lots of expats there. Boquete is 45-60 minutes away from David (depending on where in David you are)

David has a great farmer's market downtown for produce, but I think you were asking about the Boquete market?

We stayed at a hostel http://www.chambresenville.info/english/index.html  It's fun mingling with other travelers, and this one is close to downtown. The owner speaks excellent English. There are also other hostels and hotels in town so I'm sure others have other recommendations.

There seems to be the usual car rental agencies at the airport, Budget, Avis, etc. but they are expensive. Keep in mind that there is good public transportation and inexpensive taxis everywhere.

Kris

I'm actually going back to the US to visit kids the first of March. I think I'll be back around the 12th though. So, that should work out My husband isn't going so before your trip I'll have to get you in touch with him too, in case you need anything or want a friend in town.

Kris

Good news..will love the bus transportation. In Guancaste we ride our bicycles everywhere and bus out to bigger towns.
so used to that.  we have 4wks in March so will be down to David on the 2nd week hopefully, and would love to meet you, if possible.
I will check on your hostel recommendation now though. c

OKAY.... hope u have a safe trip!

We also had heard a lot about Los Tablas..3-4hrs from Panama City. christy

kristc99 wrote:

I'm actually going back to the US to visit kids the first of March. I think I'll be ... ack around the 12th though. So, that should work out My husband isn't going so before your trip I'll have to get you in touch with him too, in case you need anything or want a friend in town.

Kris

Good news..will love the bus transportation. In Guancaste we ride our bicycles everywhere and bus out to bigger towns.
so used to that.  we have 4wks in March so will be down to David on the 2nd week hopefully, and would love to meet you, if possible.
I will check on your hostel recommendation now though. c

I forgot to say: I did email on availability at Chambresen villa
and they have March 11-14 open for a room..$31.night?? unheard of, right?

cvincent wrote:

Good news..will love the bus transportation. In Guancaste we ride our bicycles everywhere and bus out to bigger towns.
so used to that.  we have 4wks in March so will be down to David on the 2nd week hopefully, and would love to meet you, if possible.
I will check on your hostel recommendation now though. c

kristc99 wrote:

Ahh, we were almost neighbors.
David is about 7 hours from Panama City by bus, $18, if I remember correctly. Flying - check http://www.airpanama.com/. The airport in David is on the edge of the city, just a few minutes away (depending on where in David you want to go, but the city isn't that big, 15 min at most to pretty much anywhere)

There is a market in Boquete every Tuesday morning, and there should be lots of expats there. Boquete is 45-60 minutes away from David (depending on where in David you are)

David has a great farmer's market downtown for produce, but I think you were asking about the Boquete market?

We stayed at a hostel http://www.chambresenville.info/english/index.html  It's fun mingling with other travelers, and this one is close to downtown. The owner speaks excellent English. There are also other hostels and hotels in town so I'm sure others have other recommendations.

There seems to be the usual car rental agencies at the airport, Budget, Avis, etc. but they are expensive. Keep in mind that there is good public transportation and inexpensive taxis everywhere.

Kris

That sounds about right. It is not the Hilton, but it's clean and comfortable, and way more fun!

cvincent wrote:

I forgot to say: I did email on availability at Chambresen villa
and they have March 11-14 open for a room..$31.night?? unheard of, right?

HOLA!  We have made arrangements to get from SJO,C.R. to David Malek airport 3/11 to 3/18 and arrangements at chambresenville to stay. 
we will be travelling by bus, I guess, to Boquette.
Again, thanks for the recommendation on where to stay... they said, "$10.to pick up at Malek and also pay cash at ville upon arrival". Does this sound right?  and maybe in USD??
probably.
I can email them back on that one. have a good day!c

cvincent wrote:

Good news..will love the bus transportation. In Guancaste we ride our bicycles everywhere and bus out to bigger towns.
so used to that.  we have 4wks in March so will be down to David on the 2nd week hopefully, and would love to meet you, if possible.
I will check on your hostel recommendation now though. c

kristc99 wrote:

Ahh, we were almost neighbors.
David is about 7 hours from Panama City by bus, $18, if I remember correctly. Flying - check http://www.airpanama.com/. The airport in David is on the edge of the city, just a few minutes away (depending on where in David you want to go, but the city isn't that big, 15 min at most to pretty much anywhere)

There is a market in Boquete every Tuesday morning, and there should be lots of expats there. Boquete is 45-60 minutes away from David (depending on where in David you are)

David has a great farmer's market downtown for produce, but I think you were asking about the Boquete market?

We stayed at a hostel http://www.chambresenville.info/english/index.html  It's fun mingling with other travelers, and this one is close to downtown. The owner speaks excellent English. There are also other hostels and hotels in town so I'm sure others have other recommendations.

There seems to be the usual car rental agencies at the airport, Budget, Avis, etc. but they are expensive. Keep in mind that there is good public transportation and inexpensive taxis everywhere.

Kris

Excellent! Louis will take good care of you. Tell him Joel and Kris say hi.

Yes, Panama uses USD, same currency as the US. You will find a balboa here and there also which is the same as $1.

There will also be cabs at the airport which may charge you a bit less unless you have a lot of baggage.

This is a cash society, so most business is done in cash. Larger stores will accept credit cards but small establishments and individuals work with cash. There are ATM's all over so it's easy to get cash, though you will probably be charged $3 or whatever fee your bank puts on the transaction.

There are buses to Boquete, I think every hour, maybe more? Most of them are US school buses but they get you there, and it's fun to travel with the locals. I think it's $2, maybe less, and you pay when you get off. They drop you off in the middle of town so it's easy to walk around from there. You get on the bus at the bus terminal which is an experience in itself. If you really want a sense of local life, that's the neighborhood to explore.  http://thepanamaadventure.wordpress.com … -terminal/

Kris

cvincent wrote:

HOLA!  We have made arrangements to get from SJO,C.R. to David Malek airport 3/11 to 3/18 and arrangements at chambresenville to stay. 
we will be travelling by bus, I guess, to Boquette.
Again, thanks for the recommendation on where to stay... they said, "$10.to pick up at Malek and also pay cash at ville upon arrival". Does this sound right?  and maybe in USD??
probably.
I can email them back on that one. have a good day!c

Okay!  I will try to remember that...

so bring cash...may see U also???  when will u return from USA?c

and asking how to contact Joel while u r gone?

kristc99 wrote:

Excellent! Louis will take good care of you. Tell him Joel and Kris say hi.

Yes, Panama uses USD, same currency as the US. You will find a balboa here and there also which is the same as $1.

There will also be cabs at the airport which may charge you a bit less unless you have a lot of baggage.

This is a cash society, so most business is done in cash. Larger stores will accept credit cards but small establishments and individuals work with cash. There are ATM's all over so it's easy to get cash, though you will probably be charged $3 or whatever fee your bank puts on the transaction.

There are buses to Boquete, I think every hour, maybe more? Most of them are US school buses but they get you there, and it's fun to travel with the locals. I think it's $2, maybe less, and you pay when you get off. They drop you off in the middle of town so it's easy to walk around from there. You get on the bus at the bus terminal which is an experience in itself. If you really want a sense of local life, that's the neighborhood to explore.  http://thepanamaadventure.wordpress.com … -terminal/

Kris

cvincent wrote:

HOLA!  We have made arrangements to get from SJO,C.R. to David Malek airport 3/11 to 3/18 and arrangements at chambresenville to stay. 
we will be travelling by bus, I guess, to Boquette.
Again, thanks for the recommendation on where to stay... they said, "$10.to pick up at Malek and also pay cash at ville upon arrival". Does this sound right?  and maybe in USD??
probably.
I can email them back on that one. have a good day!c

I think I'll be back on March 12th (still waiting to confirm dates with kids, etc)
You can contact Joel through his blog http://findingmyselfinpanama.wordpress.com/  Of course, he or both of us will have to get together with you when you are here

Kris

cvincent wrote:

Okay!  I will try to remember that...

so bring cash...may see U also???  when will u return from USA?c

and asking how to contact Joel while u r gone?

we look forward to visiting you and Joel... 
anymore thoughts...bring them on!  I want to hear everything!


Have a good day.c

kristc99 wrote:

I think I'll be back on March 12th (still waiting to confirm dates with kids, etc)
You can contact Joel through his blog http://findingmyselfinpanama.wordpress.com/  Of course, he or both of us will have to get together with you when you are here

Kris

cvincent wrote:

Okay!  I will try to remember that...

so bring cash...may see U also???  when will u return from USA?c

and asking how to contact Joel while u r gone?

Mornin' to U2!!!
We R ready to go...be in costa rica  2/26.  then in March to meet you, I hope. I cannot wait to see Chiriqui province..bus or what ever.  just want to say, if you want email for personal [email protected] works!c

kristc99 wrote:

Excellent! Louis will take good care of you. Tell him Joel and Kris say hi.

Yes, Panama uses USD, same currency as the US. You will find a balboa here and there also which is the same as $1.

There will also be cabs at the airport which may charge you a bit less unless you have a lot of baggage.

This is a cash society, so most business is done in cash. Larger stores will accept credit cards but small establishments and individuals work with cash. There are ATM's all over so it's easy to get cash, though you will probably be charged $3 or whatever fee your bank puts on the transaction.

There are buses to Boquete, I think every hour, maybe more? Most of them are US school buses but they get you there, and it's fun to travel with the locals. I think it's $2, maybe less, and you pay when you get off. They drop you off in the middle of town so it's easy to walk around from there. You get on the bus at the bus terminal which is an experience in itself. If you really want a sense of local life, that's the neighborhood to explore.  http://thepanamaadventure.wordpress.com … -terminal/

Kris

cvincent wrote:

HOLA!  We have made arrangements to get from SJO,C.R. to David Malek airport 3/11 to 3/18 and arrangements at chambresenville to stay. 
we will be travelling by bus, I guess, to Boquette.
Again, thanks for the recommendation on where to stay... they said, "$10.to pick up at Malek and also pay cash at ville upon arrival". Does this sound right?  and maybe in USD??
probably.
I can email them back on that one. have a good day!c

Hi again! I also wanted to add a note about weather here. It is summer in Panama now, and will be until April. It's not nearly as humid and it's dry, a bit hotter in the afternoon (but cooler at night), and very windy at times. I haven't been to Boquete for a while, but I hear that it's very windy up there. We haven't had any rain for a while in David and things are starting to look a bit brown, though many things are flowering and fruiting too. (a few views in our neighborhood yesterday and the day before, if the link works)

So, your visit will not be representative of the weather here all the time. I found the rainy season (April - December) a lot like summer in Florida, warm, humid, afternoon rains, everything very green. I like that a lot, but if you don't like humidity you may not like it. 

Funny, I notice the seasonal differences much more now than I did when we were visiting, not sure why.

Kris

cvincent wrote:

Mornin' to U2!!!
We R ready to go...be in costa rica  2/26.  then in March to meet you, I hope. I cannot wait to see Chiriqui province..bus or what ever.  just want to say, if you want email for personal [email protected] works!c

you got used to it... 
for me it was same in Fla. from Illinois in 1973.
Oh...the summers were so HOT...HUMID...
then 2nd year..I forgot to notice!  the large bugs..was always the issue...and mold.  I used to buy Clorox by the box.
no kidding.c u soon!

You understand that you will still be fighting the mold and buying the bleach, right?  I lived with spray bottles of bleach to fight the mold and I never closed the window in the bathroom so that we had constant airflow through the bathroom (where the mold was the worst). 

We even asked the hotel owner on Bocas why he just didn't leave the towels for us to use a second time (since we had hung them) and he said he couldn't because of the high humidity the towels never dried out, so he had to launder them daily.

Only saw one scorpion in our 6 months but we were told never to walk around without shoes on because they were everywhere.  As long as the place you are living sprays once a month or every 3 months (most homes are sprayed every 3 months), then you will just be sweeping up the bugs on a daily basis because they will be dead when they enter the house.

The only appliance I wish I had was a vaccum cleaner.

We're in David and there really isn't a bug problem here. We get a few moths and little things attracted to light at night if we leave the doors open, but no mosquitoes or scary things. We haven't sprayed.

We had some problems with mold. When the rainy season returns we'll see if our measures continue to be effective. Our closet and bathroom are parts of the same room which sounds like a good idea, but really isn't here because of the added moisture for the clothes.

Kris

AuntieFlo wrote:

You understand that you will still be fighting the mold and buying the bleach, right?  I lived with spray bottles of bleach to fight the mold and I never closed the window in the bathroom so that we had constant airflow through the bathroom (where the mold was the worst). 

We even asked the hotel owner on Bocas why he just didn't leave the towels for us to use a second time (since we had hung them) and he said he couldn't because of the high humidity the towels never dried out, so he had to launder them daily.

Only saw one scorpion in our 6 months but we were told never to walk around without shoes on because they were everywhere.  As long as the place you are living sprays once a month or every 3 months (most homes are sprayed every 3 months), then you will just be sweeping up the bugs on a daily basis because they will be dead when they enter the house.

The only appliance I wish I had was a vaccum cleaner.

Do you know if there are direct flights into David from Miami yet?  Looking to come in February and hoping to fly direct