New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourself here

Hello Everyone

Hello,
My wife and I are looking at several places to "retire" to and panama is on the top of our list.  We will be looking to visit the first part of 2015. We are interested in learning more about this great country.  We are also interested in meeting up with local businesses, attorneys, etc.. as we are wanting to look at potentially starting a business when we move.  I have ran several technology businesses including a wireless ISP, as well as, running a business networking group.  I currently am pursing my PhD in business administration (as I would eventually love to teach when I finally retire)and work for a large fortune 50 financial company as the cloud development team lead.  I would also love to learn about the universities and potential for teaching part or full time.

Thank You,
Jeff

Contact me when you get here or a couple of weeks before arriving. I have lived here for over 30 years and could provide you with more info than most put together. Information locals, attorneys and (carpetbaggers because they do not know)  will not tell you and DO NOT want you to know. My first advice is DO NOT buy anything here until you rent for at least a year....

Hello, Everyone,

Born @ Gorgas Hospital 55 years ago, I could not wait to get out on my own and move to my mother's home state.  I have regretted that move, since. I've had a lot of good experiences in the US.  But, I have always considered Panama my home.  For the last 10 years there, I haunted the jungles as a self-proclaimed naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist, biologist, anthropologist and archaeologist.  In other words, I was fascinated by everything natural about Panama including its people, flora and fauna.

I am living and working towards the day when I can retire and move back to Panama.  I am thinking somewhere in the Las Tablas or Chiriquí province.  I want to be reasonably close to the ocean.

Very interesting your post. I think its a good idea to rent first to see if  panama is the right place to live. I saw lovely apts located in San Carlos those are new  Complex near the ocean. If you know any information i will appreciate it.

Thanks

I hear that, a lot... to rent first.  I have a place lined up, I think, that I can rent.  I think that it is a good idea.  I grew up in Panama and I loved it when I was there for almost 18 years.  But, I understand that a lot has changed and it may not be what I envision, any longer. 

My focus is not on living in the city, but in the interior around David, Boquete or, perhaps, near Pedasi.  David and Boquete are relatively close to Costa Rica, with Boquete getting into the mountains.  So, Boquete can range from slightly cooler than Panama City, to quite a bit cooler, depending on the altitude you are at.  The rent out in that area also seems to be cheaper than in Panama City.

hello everyone,
I live in Panama city, willingly I answer your questions and help you find the home of your dreams.
I speak french and Spanish perfectly, but my English is not very good! but between people of Willingness we arrive at understanding
A very soon

we are from Calgary Alberta. retired and considering moving to Panama. we are selling our home in Arizona and want to explore Panama this winter and see if we like it. We want to get away from the hassle of bering a snowbird.

Hello everyone

I am a landowner and residente permanents in Panama.

I love Panama and am glad I made the choice to come here.

Hello and thank you for the warm welcome to Panama.  My wife and I arrived here two weeks ago and we love it here.  We are living in Boquete and plan to visit and explore other Provinces and cities over the coming year.  I am from the U.S. and have a great deal of experience when it comes to traveling, because I love to experience other cultures, customs, foods, and people.  However, my wife is from Jamaica and have never traveled before.  This is all very new and different for her, but she is beginning to adjust well to her new surroundings.  It would be great if she could meet other Jamaicans who also live here in Panama, so that she can find out where she can get some of the products and things from Jamaica which are familiar to her, such as Ackee, Breadfruit, and spices that are common to Jamaica.  For example, finding someone or a Solon where she can get her hair treated in the fashion that she, as a dark complexioned Jamaican woman, is accustomed to, has been the most difficult challenge that she has faced so far.  Therefore, any advice or suggestions concerning this matter would be very much appreciated.  Even with those difficulties, we are very pleased and excited about living in Panama.  We have found the people of Panama to be so friendly, warm, gracious, and welcoming.  The country is so beautiful and the diversity of people, scenery, and wildlife is amazing.  Everything here has been so wonderful and the weather and climate is great.  The only dis-satisfaction that I have encountered so far is the inability to purchase a bus ticket or board a bus at the International Airport in Panama City.  The correction of this situation would greatly improve and ease the burden of the international traveler to get to planned destinations in and around the country.  It would also very likely increase the return rate of repeat visitors to the country.  But all in all, I have found Panama to be a wonderful country to spend my retirement years and I already think of it as my home.

HELLO ALL,
I AM ITALIAN AND 54 YEARS OLD.
ACTUALLY I LIVE IN REPUBBLIC OF SAN MARINO, I HAVE DOUBLE CITIZEN ITALIAN AND SAMMARIN.
I HAVE BEEN A GOOD TOP MANAGER FOR IMPORTANT BANKING AND FINANCE GROUP.
NOW, I AM PLANNING TO GO IN PANAMA FOR LIVING A NEW LIFE.
COULD YOU HELP ME INDICATE TO ME SOME INSTITUTE OF CREDIT OPERATING IN PANAMA, IN THIS WAY I WILL BE ABLE TO SEND ITS MY CURRICULUM VITAE AND OFFER MY CANDIDATURE.
THANKS AND BEST REGARDS.

Hola,

http://www.mici.gob.pa/detalle.php?cid=17&id=2238

I am sure you will find info to this link

Friendly

Hello my name is Niko and I am a Canadian living in Panama for the last 2 years now.  I love it!!!  Born in Toronto, I am the owner and founder of Niko Cosmetics.  I now run my company from the comfort of my 30ft ocean balcony in Santa Clara.  I am also a hairstylist that returns to Toronto every few months to take care of my exclusive clientele.   In the past I was featured on several television programs including City Tv's City Line.   Since my move to Panama I have focused on my paintings and have put together quite a collection of modern abstract art.  My plans are to eventually open a gallery.

Beautiful project !

Thank you.  You know, you live your life full of dreams.  It's interesting how you wake up one day and you realize it's time for your dreams to become reality.  Please feel free to visit my art website.  nikopapadatos.artweb.com/
I hope you enjoy the paintings.

Yes I too have made ​​the leap there 5 years, I live in Panama City and I love !!

Excellent!  What drew you to Panama?

the weather! I'm Belgian!

Hello Sammi and Alex,

I am a retired Psychotherapist from Tennessee.  I have been retired for two years now.  My wife and I now live in Boguete, Panama and we love it here.  Boquete is a small town on the Caldera River, in the green mountain highlands of Panama, in western-most Chiriquí Province, about 60 kilometres (37 mi). from the border with Costa Rica.  Boguete is also near to Volcan Baru, the highest point in Panama at 3,475 metres (11,460 feet).  Because of its altitude, some 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level, its climate is cooler than that of the lowlands.  My wife and I recently move into a newly constructed house that was just completed on August 15, 2014.  The house is located in a new sub-division in Alto Boquete, which is situated about 2 miles away from the main road at the foot of a small mountain and near a small river and aqua duct.  This sub-division is so new that construction of additional houses is still in progress.  My wife and I are so pleased and amazed at the low cost of, not only the house, but also utilities, transportation, food, and clothing.  If you are anything like my wife, and love to shop, David is only 35 kilometres (22 mi) away from Boquete, with a 4 lane highway connecting the two cities.  The bus ride from Boquete to David cost only $1.75usd.  David is the second largest city and the third city in importance in Panama.  In David, you will find MALL CHIRIQUI and other shopping venues which are the equivalents to Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, and several other stores of the USA.  Also in David, you will find the International Airport Enrique Malek, several rent-a-car companies, good hotels, excellent restaurants, theatres, discoteques, bars, and casinos.  When not on occasional shopping trips to David, my wife and I enjoy the peace, quite, and much slower pace of life in Boquete.  Well Sammi, I have attempted to give you a very brief overview of Boquete from the prospective of someone who retired from the same profession as you and Alex.  I hope this has been helpful, but to really get a real and true sense of the country, a visit to see for yourself is required.  My wife and I love this country, its culture, customs, food, and people.  We especially love Boquete, which provides us with a quite, relaxing, peaceful, and beautiful environment, but also all the necessities of life that we need to live and enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle at a fraction of the cost of the equivalent lifestyle in the USA, Europe, or Canada.  Although, I do not foresee ever leaving Panama to live somewhere else, I do recognize that Panama is not for everyone.  The language, culture, customs, foods, and rhythms of life are very different from what one is accustomed to in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and other parts of the world.  However, that in itself makes Panama so appealing to me and many others who have found this place to be the ideal corner of the world to live out our dreams.  Sammi, the only other thing that I would share with you at this time is to seek out a truthful, honest, professional, and ethical attorney to handle your visa processing and other legal matters.  I conducted two years of research and comparisons with other countries before I made my final decision to retire and relocate to Panama.  Because the legal environment, just as all other aspects of this country are different from other countries, it is important to find an attorney who is not out to take advantage of your lack of knowledge of the processes and cost of services.  Over the two years, while interviewing dozens of attorneys and requiring detailed breakdowns of their fees and cost of services, I found that there are a wide spectrum of charges for the same exact services from each attorney.  They ranged from very expensive, to expensive, to moderate, to reasonable, but what I found to be most troubling was that all with the exception of one, doubled, tripled, and in some cases, quadrupled, the cost of the processing charges that are assessed by the different governmental agencies that must examine the documents that you provide for the issue of visas and other credentials that you must have to reside in this country.  Luckily, through persistence and patients, I found an attorney who now handles all my legal matters in Panama, because by comparison, I found that she was not only very reasonable in cost, but I also found her to be very knowledgeable, professional, ethical, and most importantly, very candied and honest.  I also get great comfort by knowing that her office is located only 22 miles away in the neighboring city of David.  There is one more thing that I wish for you to be knowledgeable about.  Be careful also of the various people who you will meet on internet websites and the websites themselves, who will be very happy to share with you the tidbits of knowledge that they have discovered and gained from their trials and errors over the many years that they have lived here in Panama.  These people always seem to want to share this information with you for a fee.  However, as a former member of the helping profession as you and Alex are, I do not believe that neighbor helping neighbor should be for monetary gain.  It is impossible for me to tell you how many people, both expats and Panamanians, who have assisted me and my wife as we oriented and adjusted ourselves to this vast, beautiful, and wonderful country without asking for a dime.  In my opinion, that is as it should be - neighbor helping neighbor, and neighbors helping the stranger and new comer at the gate is the right thing to do.  Well Sammi, I know that this is a lot to take in at one time, but I hope that it will be helpful as you and Alex consider making Panama your retirement destination.  If you have other questions that I may be able assist you with, please feel free to ask.  If I do not know the answer, I will ask one of the many expats or native citizens that I have access to on a daily basis simply from living here in this wonderful place.

hi,
i am trying to view your paintings?

Ciao,
you give me great news!
Thank you, I will informe you.
Friendly

Hello all,

Thanks for your precious contributions so far!

> alecor: Kindly do not wite in high caps as it is considered as shouting on the forum. I invite you also to post an in the section jobs in Panama.

All the best
Olivier
Expat.com Team

hi, my husband and I live in the campana area.  we bought a house and are renovating it.  we have trouble sometimes finding the workers to help us.  We do not speak as much spanish as we would like.  we have about 1000 meters, and i am entertaining the idea of getting 2 goats?  I grew up on a farm in Canada and so i familar with livestock, but have never had goats, only cows, pigs, chickens, horses, etc.   Any advice, suggestions?

where can i view your paintings?

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How exciting!!!  You are going to love it here.  We are also from Canada.  We are living in the Santa Clara area, right on the beach.  We have many Panamanian friends and could assist  you with finding help.  My partner Mario speaks Spanish very well.  We will be in Toronto for the next 10 days but upon our return (Sept 5)  if  you need some help we are more than happy to assist.

hi , my husband and are also from calgary, bought a house in the mtn. with an ocean view.
we love it.  when are you planning in coming?  We have contimplated driving down to pa, through Yama, but a little scared, lol. ?

Hi all,
please I would like to live and work in Panama because I love it and I want to change my life.
I am 53 yeras old, expert of banking and finance.
I have been Top manager for five important italian and international bank.
Please, if you can, help me about information and how to make.
Friendly.
Alessandro

Greetings all. This looks like a fun and informative site about expating in. Panama. I am currently expatriating away from USA and will be arriving in Panama City in about a week. Have spent 3 weeks in Mexico and 3 weeks in Roatan. On arrival in Panama, I was planning on staying maybe at Sheraton in the financial district for a week so I could get a lay of the land. Casco Viejo sounds and looks amazing (just watched an expat video on it) . I'm worried it may be a little away from the "hub" financial district which may limit my business/personal opportunities for initial indoctrination. FYI, I'm 45 so I still plan on fissuring out atleast a minor working career to supplement. Are there good areas between or would I be in "no man's land" and should commit to one or the other ?

It's a very daunting move for me so any assistance would be greatly appreciated as I've pretty much been living out of suite cases,for 2 months wheel I search for "my Happy Place" why I hope could be Panama City.....

Ps. Please tell me the women on Casco are amazing....lol

Hunter Bourne

Hola,
do not hesitate if you have any specific questions
except on Women in Casco Viejo, hahaha

Hi!  We are Murray and Barbara from Boston.  After last winter's deep freeze, we have decided to begin our search for warmer climes.  Panama looks amazingly diverse, interesting and affordable.  We are coming down on November 1 and will stay until April 1, 2015. 

We are both athletes-I am a runner and my boyfriend is a distance cyclist, so we want to  be in an area where we can exercise outside daily.  We both eat raw and fish, so we would like to rent a place near grocery stores.

Ideally, we would like to rent a small casita for $500-800/month.  We would also be interested in staying in a number of different towns during the 5 months we are in Panama.

I should mention that we do not speak Spanish, and are willing to learn.  We like simplicity, ease and nature wherever we move to.  The places I have researched are Gorgona, Boquete, Panama City.  We welcome any and all ideas of ways to structure our stay.  Thank you for your time and attention!!!

Murray and Barbara

Hi everyone!
My chef partner and I are exploring restaurant opportunities in Panama and will be visiting pty next month to assess the scene and potentially tee up a pop up resto in January. High end, Multi course (chef trained at The French Laundry).  Is there interest in this and any thoughts on how to promote it would be great. 

Thanks!
Janet

Hello everyone I am american and looking to drift over to Panama. I am a club Dj and looking for work. If anyone is looking for a Dj or anything like that please let me know. Also if anyone has any info on how Dj's are living and doing in Panama please let me know. Thank you very much 

Hello everyone,

My name is Kevin. I am from New York and I have been living in Panama City for 5 months now. I'm am working in real estate for House Hunters Panama in Trump Ocean Club.

I am looking to make new friends and meet people that I can network with. I am a friendly guy, feel free to ask me anything.

- Kevin

Hey. Kevin
I actually just moved here and am looking for a monthly apartment. I spent 15 years in commercial real estate in California and am basically flying by the seat of my pants here in Panama. As you've been here 5 months, maybe you could give me some advice and guidance?

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

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Bob & Patty near Atlanta, GA.  Looking to move to Panama.  Considering the pacific coast or highland property with ocean view.  Want to be within 1 1/2 hours of Panama City.  Also interested in land to grow fruit trees.  Any ideas on communities/developments/locations will be greatly appreciated.  Looking forward to our visit to Panama!

Hi Everyone I am originally from London,UK .I have been a teacher all my life,teaching English as a Foreign Language in several countries. My husband and I took early retirement and went to teach in China and now we are looking for a new country. Panama is looking very inviting. Does anyone know how I can get a teaching job there? My husband doesn't want to work as he has a pension, and is a bit older than me.I don't yet know if we should go for Panama City or David,which looks rather lovely.

I am an Attorney in Jamaica mid 40s so no quiet ready to retire but am looking for a change of scene and opportunity for my two kids aged 5 and 6 to learn second language and new culture. I speak just a little Spanish and spent a weekend in Panama City 2 months ago just to get a feel of the country. Stay was too short to see much but saw enough to want to pursue a second longer exploratory visit. Would be interested in sustaining and income either through consulting or business. Didn't get the opportunity to travel outside of Panama City but have been reading about chiriqui as a possible option for expats. I also have to bear in mind proximity to schools for my kids as well as access to other amenities. Would welcome any insight from English speaking families that took plunge to migrate with young children and how the transition worked as well as potential opportunities for operating a business including a traditional us franchise eg quick service restaurant.