PAYING BILLS IN PANAMA

No no, it’s not that bad. We live in David. Our realtor comes by every month to pick up the rent in cash. We go to the supermarket down the street to pay the electric. I can also pay the phones at their office nearby, or you can set up automatic payments by credit card. The cable/internet is charged automatically to my credit card. Supermarkets and larger stores all take credit cards. You need cash for the veggie market on the corner and smaller things like that, and there are ATM’s everywhere for cash. If you are disabled you can hire someone to take care of all these things for you. The farthest we’ve ever gone is Dolega where the cars are registered. Don’t worry. There are ways to get things done! Whomever talked to you made it sound way harder than it is.

Oh, and elderly or disabled automatically go to the front of the line. There’s a lot of respect for older people here.

I sm do deeply grateful for your valuable info. This was a deal breaker for me. There some information you just can't get easily on videos. So I will take a chance in asking these. I have a challenge called EHS (electro-magnetic hypersensitivity to cell tower, cell phones, electronics etc. That is why I am leave the states and my beautiful Shangi-La because it is surrounded by 5Gs. I barely survived but cannot stay here long term. can I get the following in Boquete?

1. A landline phone connection (wired)
2. Ethernet cable instead of wifi (wire hook up to computer)
3. Organic meat esp. fresh chicken for my pet (not canned)
4. Reverse osmosis water preferably in quality plastic bottles, not the cheap mass produced ones
5. I opted out of moving to Ecuador because of incessant dogs barking everywhere from lack of spaying. It is a din and you cannot get away from it. If you live remotely you are a high risk for theft/mugging. Do they spay their dogs in Panama and I recently was disappointed to read that dogs suffer the same fate in Panama. How bad is the dog problem and can you avoid it esp. in your home. Thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to me, Kashmyra

Ooops...one more question

My preference was Costa Rica because I am inclined towards holistic eco living and am a yoga, Pilates and alternative health practitioner. But tons of problems there with endless govt. restrictions and v costly. I wonder if you have a full spectrum of fresh organic fruits and vegetables in Boquete. I have read that Panamanians spray their crop heavily and people have stomach problems from the heavy pesticides. I also read that the variety of organic veggies are grown on the Volcan side because they have the perfect climate for that. Whereas on the Boquete side, the soil and climate are more amenable to colder climate veggies and therefore the veggie offerings are limited. Do they have a full spectrumof organic fruits and veggies available in boquete. And are tey only available on Tuesday market or are there other organic regular grocery stores that carry organic produce in Boquete / David. E.g if you are sick on a Tuesday, then what do you do if there is only one day you can get organic produce! apparently there is only one big organic farmer there.  Take that away and you have nothing..or am I wrong?

@Kashmyra Yes you can get a land line and an Ethernet cable. I don’t live in Boquete or have the same needs though. There are Boquete groups in Facebook which could be much more helpful. Finca Santa Marta is in the area and has a variety of organic produce and meats, I think. There are hydroponic growers in the area also. Most of the produce for the whole country is grown in Chiriqui above Volcan, so we have delicious fresh produce every day. I’ve been here 11 years and eat just what is grown locally and I feel better than I ever did in the US.  I don’t know anything about reverse osmosis water.

Depending on where you live, there are plenty of dogs and they bark, and roosters crow, and parrots make a racket, and other such noises. Spay/neuter is becoming more and more common here among the locals and they tend to look out for the rare homeless or lost dog that wanders into the neighborhood (in David, where I live). I’ve found people good hearted and kind to animals. But there are 15 dogs on our small street of 7 houses, and anyone coming here will be announced very loudly 😁 

don’t forget the parties either. If you are within hearing of the fairgrounds you will hear loud music through the night. There will be fireworks for Christmas, New years and other festivities. Be sure to ask what noisy surprises might happen in an area you are considering.

Cell phones, I forgot and I haven’t paid attention, but pretty much everybody has a cell phone so there must be towers for this. Many of the people I know run their whole lives from their cell phone, and I think they country would come to a stand still without WhatsApp. You can have WhatsApp on a computer but I don’t know if you need to start with an account on a cell phone. Mine won’t work until I connect it to my cell.

You are so kind to share so much information. It is very valuable. Do you know I have searched the world over for a warm climate, organic and peace and quiet, untainted nature with an easy visa and good internet. There is not one place that has those natural surroundings that were the norm in the early 1900s! Boquete is the closest I have found except the noise.  Then I find out that there are dogs barking. In Equador they poison the dogs on the street to put them out of their misery. I hope they don't do that in Panama. I come from India, so the other noises are similar. I have everything here in the US and I live in paradise. It is quiet, all amenities and stunning. Life is easy. But people here have become transactional, impersonal, impatient and efficient to the point of losing their humanity, compassion and kindness. Esp. the medical profession. Money and greed seems to fuel all action causing prices to skyrocket.  4Gs are different from 5Gs. And I am sure 5Gs are coming to Panama as well. So I have to leave my Shangri-La. I would love to make a friend or two before leaving. Why did you leave the US? Are you happy there compared to US and why? Are you retired or work from home? Why did you pick David over Boquete, since it is so hot there? If these are too many questions, you don't need to answer! Have a very special day

I have never heard of poisoning dogs, and I’ve heard of at least one organization that rescues dogs and finds them homes, and I’m pretty sure there are others as well. I get what you say about the US. The culture here is different, and IMO better in many ways. People here have been super kind and welcoming. I’m a retired nurse so don’t get me started on the health care there. This also is so much better here. We moved here because we could afford it, not knowing of the many, many additional benefits we would enjoy. We wanted the convenience of a city. Everything we need is close by, and we have AC in the house for the hot afternoons. Boquete is too chilly, and too full of gringos. I prefer living with the locals, but it’s nice that Boquete isn’t far if we do choose to go there. We are retired but have a band that plays in Boquete once a week. We’ve been here almost 11 years, and I only go back to visit family. I have no intentions of ever living in the US again. We are way too happy in Panama.

That is absolutely wonderful to hear!!!! My heart feels cold and empty here because people are like Stepford Wives. Robots. Stressed. Working 7 days a week to pay for all their material goods. I am looking for warmth, caring, compassion and kindness because I come from the heart. I am in the alternative health field. When my organs were shutting down one hair from death and the pain was beyond human endurance; my Dr. told me that if I did not see a neurologist he would take away my pain medication. I explained to me that I would like to tackle this naturally because I knew that he was completely off track thinking that drugs would cure me. The only thing that will reverse this is less exposure. He had his nurse call me and say "By the way, if you decide to commit suicide call 911!" He takes away my pain medication knowing that I would not be able endure the pain and would have to put myself out of my misery. This is how cold and inhumane the medical profession has become. They spend 5 minutes with you, give you a prescription and 'Next'.

Re. Boquete. I don't really like cold. But it is only cold at night, right? Anyway, I am hoping that is the case as they say it is 75 in the day. I will look forward to hearing your band!

I’ve had chilly days in Boquete also, but I’m a total wuss when it comes to cold.

im actually in the US at the moment with family and not keeping up with everything on line, but I’ll be back soon.