Having taken a Panama Relocation Tour in August of 2018, I can vouch for the quality of this tour. It was one of the wisest investments we could have made. See a list of testimonials here. Taking the Panama Relocation Tour allowed us to see for ourselves that Panama was he right move for us. It gave us the confidence to move full steam ahead, knowing Jackie would also be there for us AFTER the tour as well.
Jackie has put together this Ultimate Guide to living in Panama to introduce you to Panama and all of the major topics that you’ll want to know before considering a move there. They have been operating since 2010 and have helped over 1,800 people discover if living in Panama is right for them. If you don’t have time to read the whole guide all at once, there is another version of the guide that is broken up into 8 emails. Just enter your details and you will be on your way to receiving your 1st of 8 emails detailing different topics.
The final step in our process had been completed. We had instructed our attorney in Panama City via power of attorney to pick our e-cédulas up and courier them to us. This card is an official government issued ID, similar to a social security card. Without a cédula, anything you do from getting a bank account, electricity, buying land, or even registering your car is done using your passport number. Unfortunately, every time you renew your passport you get a new passport number as well. Changing the passport number you have associated with almost everything in Panama is a nightmare and takes time. You don’t need to haul your passport around anymore. Just show your cédula. It entitles you to all the benefits of a Panama citizen, except voting.
Some Beach Time
Las Lajas Beach
Mangrove
We just got back from a short getaway to Las Lajas Beach. It was our first overnight trip since arriving almost 3 months ago. It was an easy 1.75 hour drive from Boquete. The ocean there is a bit calmer on that spot of the Pacific Ocean. There are other beaches that are closer, however swimming can be dangerous. Las Lajas reminds us of the beach on the TV show “Lost”. We walked quite a ways westward, enjoying nature’s splendor, until we reached the estuary of Río San Juan. We also walked on a boardwalk through a mangrove jungle and saw different species of mangroves and wildlife who call the habitat their home.
Weather
The weather here had been mostly dry of late, even though we are in the rainy season. It is considered winter now but we are having Indian summer, and it has been very pleasant. In Boquete about 114 inches of rain fall per year; rainfall exceeds 12 inches per month from May to November, while it drops below 4 inches per month from January to March. At altitudes above 6,500 feet, in the tierras frías (“cold lands”), nights can be cold, especially during the period from December to March. Above 10,000 feet, it can get cold even during the day. Where we live is around 3,900 feet or so above sea level. The temperature is perfect.
I cannot believe sometimes that we actually live here in this small piece of paradise. Hasta la próxima vez!
We’ve been living in the mountains on Panamá for two and a half months now and we’re still adjusting. I don’t think we expected the emotional changes we would be going through. Missing the old routines, missing the old house, cars, even missing the old jobs. Most of all missing family and friends that we haven’t seen and have limited contact with. It all takes far more getting used to and adjusting than we expected. Every day that goes by it does get a bit easier, but its been difficult. We’ll be back in the states for a visit in a couple of months and we are really looking forward to seeing friends and family. Panamá, despite all the gringos in our current neck of the woods, is a different country, with a different language, and culture. Just driving a car is challenging because of the way people drive here. Its much more of an “every man for himself” mindset once you get behind the wheel. The food here has different flavors, even the eggs and milk. Not bad at all, but not the same. Most of the usual brands are available in the food stores, but you generally have to hunt for them. The milk is not refrigerated, and neither are the eggs. The milk is triple pasteurized so it keeps for a long time without refrigeration, and the eggs are not washed which apparently makes it far less likely that they will be spoiled by bacteria. (There are a lot of indigenous people living in this area that do not have refrigerators.) We have no inside hot water heater – an outside propane tank provides gas for hot water and cooking. When the tank is empty you take it almost anywhere and trade it in for a full one at a cost of under $6, which is enough for a month plus for just the two of us. Despite our best efforts at learning Spanish we still have a long way to go. Its possible to get by without speaking a lot of Spanish, but its going to be much easier for us once we’re at least functional speaking the language. The government bureaucracy here functions differently. Its not necessarily better or worse, but definitely different. Things take longer and there is far more waiting in government offices (some new buildings, most not so new). Patience is a required skill here. Its normal to wait in line just to get into a bank (usually past an armed security guard). In Panamá “mañana” doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow but it definitely means “not today”. (“When will the car be fixed? I really need it!” “Don’t worry señor. It will be ready mañana.”) We were living here for a couple of weeks mostly without internet before we figured out that rebooting the router will normally bring it back. The public water system mostly consists of white PVC pipes, some buried, some not. The water runs for a few hours per day with virtually zero water pressure. We have a couple of large tanks that fill up overnight and a pump that pumps the water into the house on demand. The electricity is fairly reliable but it will flicker on and off at least a couple of times a day. Our online life got a lot better once we got a battery back up for the router. We call it the “trifecta”: water, internet, and electricity all working simultaneously. The more time we have invested in our lives here, the better it seems to get. We have made some very good friends both Panamanian, and not. The country is spectacular and hiking can be really great (and a reminder of how out of shape we are…). There are plenty things to do and friends to hang out with. We just have to hang in there!
This week we spent a few days in Panamá City. We flew from David to Panamá City to complete our e-cédulas. David, the 3rd largest city in Panamá, is a 35 minute drive from Boquete. The flight is approximately 45 minutes, a real time saver and relatively inexpensive with a 20% jubilado discount. The drive would take you around 7 hours.
The e-cédula is an optional form of identification that provides an unique ID number which becomes the official proof of identity in Panamá. Permanent residents are not required to obtain the e-cédula; however, it is highly recommended. This is because the e-cédula card is an accepted proof of identity anywhere in Panamá, while the permanent residency card requires foreigners to carry their passport as a proof of ID. All Panamanians over the age of 18 are issued a cédula. The only difference between the cédula issued to those who are born in Panamá and those who become permanent residents, is the “e” on the card’s ID number, which stands for extranjero – foreigner in Spanish.
It’s not necessary for an attorney to accompany you, however we did have our bilingual driver/tour guide extraordinaire, Marc Vargas, drive us to the Tribunal Electoral in Albrook, Panamá City, and he helped us with any translation issues. After our files were reviewed, we paid the fee of $32.50 each (normally $65.00 but we get a 50% jubilado discount), then got our photos taken and also fingerprinted. In a week our e-cédulas will be mailed to us. Everything was done in less than 3 hours, which left us some time to explore which is always very enjoyable. This completes our process!
We are back home in Boquete, until our next adventure.
Today is Independence Day in the US, home of the free because of the brave. I remain grateful for our many freedoms in both my mother land and my newly adopted home of Panamá. Happy Independence Day!
Arriving in Boquete a little over 3 weeks ago, we are slowly getting acclimated to our new home. It has been quite an adjustment to say the least. Having arrived at the start of the rainy season, you can expect a bit of rain every day, some days can downpour for hours, other days just a short period or two. Everything is lush and green, the flowers really love it!
This week, my daughter Jess gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Stella Louise. What a joyous occasion! It was difficult for me not being able to be there and share in their joy. Thank goodness for Skype and Google Hangouts, the next best thing to being there, until we can make a trip back to visit.
Our days are filled with taking walks, going into town to pick up groceries and necessities, having snacks and a cerveza or margarita at our new favorite bar & grill, Big Daddy’s, Spanish lessons, and relaxing. We also joined a local gym that has a pool, hot tub and saunas.
Every Tuesday we go to the Boquete Tuesday Market. It has a good selection of items including an assortment of food, medicinal items, fresh fruit and vegetables, souvenirs, and Panamanian handmade items. All the expats in the area seem to congregate there every week.
no water! washing my hands in the rain!
One cannot underestimate how much we rely on the basic necessities, such as water, electricity, and internet. It is pretty common for one of these 3 things to be out at any given time. I think this is our biggest adjustment. We have two water reserve tanks for when the city water goes out, but when the reserve tanks are low, water pressure is slim to none, and at times doesn’t give us enough hot water. We get our showers when the getting is good. Electricity can flicker on and off. We have not had any major disruptions thankfully. We have a propane tank for our hot water and cooking. We have figured out when to return the tank for a new one…an empty tank weighs 6.17 kilos. We have been using our luggage scale to weigh it so we don’t run out! The internet is another story. The first week or so that we were here, it went out at least 3 times a day, which made our VPN router get all messed up with numerous calls to Sabai Technology for technical support. This week we’ll drive into David and get a UPS battery backup for our electronics to hopefully lessen future issues.
Craig in front of large rock formation
We are getting to know our community and some locals. Everyone has been so welcoming. Hasta la próxima vez!
A few days after our arrival in Boquete, we found an open layout modern 2 bed, 1 bath home that we are renting in the Volcancito area, which is about 2 miles from Boquete. Our furnished rental is $625/month including internet, water and garbage, and washer and dryer. It is fenced and also has a small yard out back. There is also a reserve water tank for any water outages. The oven, stove, dryer and hot water are heated by propane gas. We have been picking up things little by little to make it a little homier, it is still a work in progress. This will be our home base while we do some discovering.
view from kitchen window
Our altitude is 3,938 feet, with Boquete being at 3,200 feet. The surrounding mountains rise 11,000 feet above sea level. On a clear day you can see Volcan Baru clearly, but much of the time it is in cloud cover.
We are finding that stores in Boquete are pricier as far as name brands from the US. Normal day to day things are also a bit pricy due to the high influx of expats living in this area. Getting your fruits and vegetables from roadside stands or from the back of pick up trucks will get you freshness at a very reasonable price. We’ve had some great fruit and are anxious to change our eating habits and get into a healthier lifestyle.
We drove into David today, which is about 30 minutes away, to check out some of the stores. Their prices are lower and they have an amazing array of department stores with whatever you need. We went into a Conway store today which is a 3 floor department store. Also the Do It Center has all your household and home improvement needs at good prices. While in David we had lunch at TGI Fridays. We wanted a good old fashioned cheeseburger, lol. It was delicious.
After accomplishing all the administrative work in Panamá City, we hired a driver to take us to the western part of the country where we have decided to settle, at least for now. There are a large expat numbers here in the Boquete area where we can get help with learning how things work around here. The highlands are absolutely beautiful. Boquete means “hole” in Spanish. It is in a valley surrounded by mountains, including the highest point in Panamá, Volcán Barú.
The Volcán Barú is an active stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Panama, at 3,475 metres high. It lies about 35 km off the border of Costa Rica in the province of Chiriqui. It is also the twelfth highest peak in Central America. Due to its height and the narrowness of the isthmus of Panama, it is possible to see both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea from Volcán Barú’s peak on a clear day.
There are all kinds of eco tours, hiking and bird watching here. There is also a plethora of coffee plantations which flourish here because of the altitude. The coffee is to die for! Every Tuesday morning, Boquete has an Open Market with plenty of people selling their wares, various fruits and vegetables that they have grown, a variety of homemade foods, as well as plants and herbs. We purchased 2 bags of delicious tomatoes for $1! The indigenous tribe in this area, the Ngöble-Buglé, also sell their hand made items.
Boquete has a lot of English speaking people…the area is a draw because of its spring like weather all year long. Right now is the start of the wet season and we have been having some rain every day now. This morning the sun is shining, but this afternoon more than likely will have a few hours of rain. In Boquete, over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 55° F to 75° F and is rarely below 53° F or above 78° F. Just from the short period of time we have spent here thus far, we are learning towards temperatures that are a little warmer than this. Of course it has its benefits. There is no need for heat or air conditioning here, saving lots of money in electric bills. There are so many micro-climates here. From what we have seen in town, most people wear long pants, and in the evening, they wear jackets.
After the sale of our house on March 28th, we needed extra time to get our things in order before making our move to Panamá. We stayed an Airbnb for a month. During that time, we sold both our cars and secured a rental that we could drive down to Florida to visit my brothers. After 5 fantastic days in Fort Pierce and Lake Park, we were off.
Early on Sunday April 27 we left my brother’s house and drove to Miami International Airport where we caught our Copa flight to Tocumen which was fairly uneventful other than the challenge of trying to get all of Nancy’s luggage through the airport and then again out of Tocumen to the taxi. Needless to say, she was not (and generally never) traveling light. I thought the handle on her large suitcase would never survive the trip – I was mistaken about that, but another one of her suitcases lost a wheel which made thigs REALLY challenging. We checked into the Executive Hotel which is now our go to place when we’re in Panamá City.
at immigration
The next day we went to see our lawyer Marcos Kraemer where we left our passports and temporary residency cards to get sent back to immigration. We followed them to immigration about an hour and a half later (immigration was just as charming as we remembered it to be) and three hours after that we walked out with our passports back in our pockets and our brand-new permanent residency cards in our wallets. It felt like quite an accomplishment after all the effort spent getting fingerprinted, getting FBI background checks, gathering paperwork, and spending a day in immigration back in December. Time for a cerveza or two.
Before leaving for the western part of Panama, we also started the process of getting a Panamanian drivers license, which I will get into more detail in another post.
What a long strange trip it’s been … I can hardly believe that it’s actually happening. Many thanks to our family for sharing in our excitement with us, you all helped make a stressful time a little easier.
After having spent the last 5 days in Florida visiting Craig’s brothers, we took off from Miami this morning and arrived in Panama City 3 hours later, along with 2 pieces of checked luggage each and our carry-ons. This week we’re finalizing our visa paperwork. Tomorrow we’re off to our attorney’s office and to immigration to get our permanent residency visas.
We also have another day planned to get our drivers licenses. You can only drive for 90 days with your US license. Apparently this is quite a process. First we have an appointment at the US Embassy to get our US licenses notarized. Then we take the notarized documents to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for certification. Followed by a trip to a lab to obtain proof of blood type, and then finally bring all these documents to a Sertracen Service Center to get our licenses.
On May 1st, the Panamanians celebrate Labor Day and businesses will be closed. We look forward to finding something fun and relaxing to do.
At the end of the week we’ll leave Panama City for the highlands of Boquete in western Panama, where we’ll look for a furnished rental and explore this lovely area.
Where to begin. These past months have been a whirlwind, everything we have set out to do has culminated to this moment in time. Our emotions running amok with the sale of our home and most of our personal belongings, leaving family and friends, to Craig’s last day of work tomorrow, it is hard to describe.
With that being said, I have had very little time to work on the blog. This is most likely my last post until our big move on April 28th. The plan is to rent a car and drive down from Pennsylvania to Florida right after Easter (our cars will be sold), and spend some much needed time with family before we fly to Panamá.
We had settlement on our home on March 29, but still needed time to get business and personal matters settled. We were lucky to find an Airbnb in the Nazareth area as a “home away from home” for the weeks prior to our departure. I had no idea how much work this is. In retrospect, having lost my job prematurely last November was a blessing in disguise.
We set up a “digital mailbox” in Miami to receive mail, which will be forwarded to us in Panama. We will be able to also receive Amazon packages this way also. I get an email from them when there is mail and I will see a photo of the envelope. I can choose to discard or shred mail I don’t want.
This has certainly been a learning experience and we feel so blessed that we are able to make our dreams come true.
