New members of the Panama forum, introduce yourselves here - 2020

My name is Terry Trumbull and have lived in David,Panama for 11 years now and lost my wife in 2018. I am healthy at age 74 and enjoy meeting others. ***

Hey neighbor, we also live in David (North side, a couple miles north of El Rey) Where are you? So sorry to hear about your wife.

Hi sir how r u?my name is Muhammad nadeem living n doing business in swaziland, sir,can u plz tell me that how can I get Panama permanent residence??if u can plz give me some lawyers and attorneys contact details for this ,ur prompt reply will highly be appreciated..thanking u

Hello,
I am interested in relocating from Canada to Panama. I am a licensed electrician with 35 years of experience in the industry. Very interested in sustainability, net zero carbon footprints and energy conservation. In addition to my electrical skills, I offer software, products and services in an effort to have all energy consumption systems within a structure residing under one platform.
This would apply to single family dwellings, condominiums, hotels, office buildings and really any structure looking for an integrated solution.
I have recently started my due diligence on relocating to Panama and felt this site would be useful.
If anyone has any contacts including builders, developers, condo corps that you feel may have an interest and/or need for these services it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kirk MacMillan

Hi i am Terence Jacobs living in Durban South Africa and would love to move to Panama.I have 30 years experience in the security field and i am looking for a security consultants job.I also have Health and safety experience which i can implement.Can also do quality control setup for the security industrie. I would appreciate it if i could be assisted in this field.
Kind Regards,
Terence.

Hello newcomers
I have been living in Panama for 20 years.  I chose Panama because it afforded me the best possible options for sustainable living in times like we are now experiencing.  Given the what I have seen thus far,  I believe that my choice was a good one.  I am self sustaining, living comfortably and optimistic for the future.

Yes, I definately agree with my vecino Brad........But having said that, I must confess I have absolutely no faith or confidence in the govt here.....And the faster I can leave this messed up country the better....I do NOT recommend anybody to buy real estate here.........STAY AWAY from Panama for the time being.....Watch it closely.....Nice piece of real estate....BUT, a miserable corrupt stupid govt........and the culture not so hot........Definately not among my favorites......

Good Day,

My wife and I live on Vancouver Island, BC and visited Panama last November for the first time. We have travelled extensively throughout the world and as we are creeping towards retirement we can see ourselves spending our winters in Panama.

As we currently live next to the ocean our thinking is that we would rent in the Nueva Gorgona area for the beaches, water, and proximity to Panama City. We have our air tickets and condo booked for a month this Christmas and as long as the borders are open and it is relatively safe to travel we are looking forward to returning for our "practice retirement".

We spend 3-4 months a year in PTY- and the rest in the USA where we work and earn our pay. PTY is a vacation destination now; and, it will be the place where we retire in 12-15 years. I am a permanent resident of PTY. My wife is native born. We met in the U.S.

Each year I bring 20 of my MBA students to PTY (not 2020, of course) for a 2-week experience across the country to learn about the people and business culture. For each student, it is a highlight of their graduate program.

As one who has been regularly coming to PTY for more than 25 years, I have seen all kinds of changes.

I speak in broad generalities:

- If you want to do "cheap", stay away from PTY. Anything near to U.S. standards will cost U.S. prices and maybe a little more. Real estate, grocery store, ultilities, etc. are about the same as the Midwest. If you are from the Coasts it will be a bit cheaper.

- If your Spanish is poor- and the 2 years of high school Spanish you took decades ago doesn't count- stay away as a long-term resident. Speaking only English - or, more dangerously, understanding merely 50% of the Spanish you hear- puts you at a terrible disadvantage. Why would anyone do that and expect nothing but a negative outcome?

- The Panamanian people respect Americans and realize the American-built infrastructure (water, sanitation), Canal, and Dollar are what separate them from the basket cases in their neighborhood.

- At the same time, Panamanians are deservedly proud of their country and patriotic to the core. Nationalism is huge. Take a knee during the national anthem and you will get a beating. Never disrespect La Marea Roja... Or, make the condescending comparison, "In America THIS is the way we do things..." Of course no good person would ever disrespect someone when they are a guest in their home, right?

- Latin culture is not generally service-oriented, unless you pay extra. A little more to the Uber driver, waiter, contractor, etc.. This gets you an incredible return on investment.

- Panamanians love to dance, drink, and party. You can't fully partake- nor become a real member of the community- if you don't speak the language well.

- Finally, many of the expats I have met are usually a little broken and running from something. Not bad people the vast majority of them, mind you. They are just looking for "greener grass" outside of their lives in the U.S.

In addition to our life in the Midwest U.S. we have a small home in a middle-class PTY suburb, belong to the Club De Golf, Club Union, and keep a race horse at San Isidro. We are able to do all of this on two upper-middle class salaries in the U.S.

We tend to hang out primarily with Panamanians and, like all people, they run the spectrum.

We would never even consider Florida.

PTY is the place for us.

Hi Kirk,
We are Cdns. From Calgary, we live in the Capira district.  We have been snowbird for 8 years,
Except this year we are summerbirds as well, 😊, due to the airport shutdown,  In What part of
Canada do you live?  Your electrical skills will come in handy, and don’t be too shocked at the
Electrical practices you will find here.  grounds??. Hey, just extra work, skip that!!, 🤪.  Want
Electrical plug directly above the kitchen sink??.   Hey, that’s not a problem either, 😂.  But
There are many widows in this country as a result.  Changing a main breaker in the rain??.
We (panamains) do it ALL the time, 🤦‍♀️. 
Would be happy to answer any questions you may have.  I assume you have spent some
Time here?
Kathy n John.

Hi Gringopty,
I have to smile when I read your comment about expats, “usually a little broken or
Running from something/someone, 😊😊, yep, mostly true, at least our experience
Too.  And having higher std. in constructions, is very true.  My husband is English,
So his stds. Are even higher than cdns. And he watches how to videos all the time,
Particularly how to mix cement.  But I swear you CANNOT GET A PANMAIAN worker
To make the cement mixture less wet, no matter, HOW MANY TIMES you repeat,
In Spanish, “not so wet, less wet, less thinner, more dryer,  🤷🏼‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️.  Each batch
Of cement in the cement mixer will turn out the same as the last.  There is only ONE
Way, You grab the the water hose, and control the amt. of water that is added and
Then get them to put it into the pail BEFORE they can add more water., lol.  Once
They have learnt something one way, they CANNOT change it.  So mostly all the
Construction panama is very poor construction, so for critical jobs it is always
Out sourced.  Sad.,  But hey the beaches and weather is nice.

Information on the current status for entry into the country is not hard to come by, but I'm wondering if you all might have a feel for when Panama will open its borders again with no travel restrictions? We've cancelled travel plans once, and it seems almost pointless to make plans at this time. JoAnn and I would really appreciate an assessment from people with feet on the ground, so to speak...  And is there a national conversation about what is best, or are there simply surprise decrees?  Thanks in advance...

When we see the numbers rising we get the feeling restrictions are coming, like what has recently been put in place for the holidays. Borders continue to be open for air travel, but travel between provinces has been temporarily restricted through the holidays. Beyond that your guess is as good as anyone's.

Thanks! Just found your blog and detailed information on that very subject. That was very helpful and I appreciate  your sharing that info. Hoping things return to a new normal after the holidays! - Jay

Thanks! Just found your blog and detailed information on that very subject. That was very helpful and I appreciate  your sharing that info. Hoping things return to a new normal after the holidays! - Jay

I just found and joined this community today. I am arriving in David, Panama on January 6 for a three month stay. I want to explore the Chirique Province while I am there. I hope to meet some of you along the way.

Salt Life - you like riding bikes? We'll have to go for a ride when you're here.

Kristc99  I ride a bike most days here in the US. I would really love to ride with you. In fact, I was thinking that I was going to ride while in Panama and it was one of the first things I was going to figure out how to do. Do you happen to know a gringo named Michael Smith in David? I am renting his house, Do you know where it is or could you ask him? I am coming mid January. Can we text/talk on whatsapp so we have more privacy? I don't now how we could do that without leaving too much information here. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

My arrival date changed because of the new restrictions.

Hi there, my name is Michael and I just signed up with the Panama Forum. I am retired and planning to visit Panama sometime in the near future. I'm hoping to like it and then I'll begin my residency process.

By the way, I also ride, but haven't been riding for some time due to an injury.

Hi Michael. Welcome.

Thank you and hope we all can ride together one day. What kind of bike do you ride ?

I ride a hybrid Nishiki. Its half comfort and half street.  We will have to get together in David for a bike ride.

That's so cool.

We'll have to put together a David bike ride!

No, I don't know Michael Smith. I'll PM you and maybe we can figure out where you'll be. David isn't that big though. I'm north and can get to the south side in 20-30 min.

I ride a Rali steel bike, basic and inexpensive but it's served me well for a lot of years now.

Rali is a great bike. Did you purchase your bike there ?

Really?! Thanks, good to know. I was riding it down the coast in Oregon and a bike shop guy said he'd never seen anyone traveling with a worse bike. But hey, I was doing fine, just needed an inner tube.

Yes I bought it here in David.

OK When you get a chance you can PM me. I arrive in David on the 18th.

Good morning, hope all is well. I say if the bike does the job, that all that matters.

Good morning to you too! And yes, I agree about bikes.

Salt Life, I'm concerned about your travel plans. Things here seem to be going from bad to worse with the pandemic, and the current holidays will probably only make things worse. Keep a close eye on the situation and be ready to postpone your plans.

Wow ! Be careful Salt Life with this Covid situation. As bad as I want to make that trip, I am watching and praying that things would clear up pretty soon. Good luck.

Hi,

I invite you to follow this topic on this new thread:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=916052

Thanks!