|
|
| *Travel Tips>>>Panama Travel Tips |
What is life like for a gringo living and doing businessin Panama today? |
Travel Info Where is best place to live with large young family? Also, any tips on home purchase, schools, medical availability, etc. Travel Tips Gringo is an offensive racial slur. My first tip is to erase that from your vocabulary (at least in respect to using it regarding yourself and your family) and learn to be offended by it. Otherwise you will be a laughingstock. Others Since they are use to American there I think ( I have never been there but have done research on the country) you will find it a pleasant relatively safe country. I have lived a few years off and on in Costa Rica which cost approx. 1/2 as much as things in America so I expect things in Panama to be a little less than in C.R. I think you will find banking, school and medical to be fine. C.R. has some of the best trained (in America) Drs. It does not cost much to go there if you do not find a good Dr. in Panama. They border each other on the west coast. Panama uses the US dollar. The busy place is Panama City but I like Boquete and Bocas del Toro on the other side of the country. It is a little more difficult for a gringo to get good pricing in some places but there are advantages for retirees in Panama. I hope you speak some Spanish. If you don't start learning now. Panama is the most wonderful country! Americans, as well as many other cultures, love Panama mainly because of its wonderful people & the beautiful surroundings. I lived in Panama 15 years ago when I was married to a military man & we were at Ft. Clayton, across from the Miraflores Locks (the Canal on the Pacific side). I fell in love with Panama & would like to retire there some day. I hadn't returned since 1992, so last year my husband & I went to visit. For us, it was even better than Hawaii & we've been there several times. In 1999, Pres. Carter gave the Canal zone back to Panama & a lot has changed since then; some good, some not-so-good. I was still in love with it, and so was my husband. Depending upon where you wish to settle, all terrains, people & culture vary. For a large, young family, there are ANY number of wonderful areas in Panama. Schools will vary & a good real estate agent will help you with that. Panama city is very metropolitan, busy & high energy. It is as large as any city but driving can be comparable to New York City. You have the Atlantic (the Caribbean) on the one side to snorkel & scuba, whereas the Pacific on the other side is just as lovely, but better for riding the waves. Sometimes you can go to a secluded island & be the only people there. Because the military pulled out, that income is being replaced with many resorts. Panama resorts are as remote as you want or as energized. Once you get into the interior, you slow down & catch some scenery. The mountains of Boquette, David & Conception are breath-taking. When you are up 4,000 ft. above sea level, you can see for miles. This is the area of farmers & serenity. The people all over Panama are welcoming, kind, honest & family oriented. Yes, there are areas of concern & dishonest people, but they are everywhere. You will FEEL when you are in an unsafe area. There is a language barrier & now, more than ever, you really should speak Spanish. But just an attempt & they love it! They are so accomidating & kind, that they are thrilled that you even try to learn their language. It is relatively inexpensive & you can eat like royalty. Fish & other seafood are a mainstay. You can trust in many of the little places along the side of the road, or go as fancy as you like. It is one of the most inexpensive vacations I take & the most rewarding. The Kuna Indians live in Kuna Yala, (the San Blas islands on the Atlantic side) & are an amazing society. Be sure to take a quick flight to visit them. They are some of the most endearing people in the world & simply cannot do enough for you. They sell their goods all over Panama, but on Sundays, go to the market up in the mountains of El Valle & get some good deals. If you are interested in visiting the Kunas, please email me & I will give you a wonderful young man, who is the great grandson of a Kuna chief who helped liberate the Kuna's from the Panamanian government. Staying on one of their island really gets you in touch with the community of people. Some things need no words. Real estate varies in Panama & many communities are gated. You can get a single home, a condo, an apartment, whatever & wherever you want in Panama. Most real estate agents speak English, so call them. I have looked at houses & am still deciding upon where I want to be. As for the medical, word has it that John Hopkins is opening a facility in Panama City but many of the hospital, especially Gorgas Hospital in Panama City, is fine. I have been treated there & never felt uneasy. If you go to visit & want to consider living there, don't stay at a resort, stay where the locals stay to get a true feel of Panama. We stayed at a very nice hotel in the city & it was just perfect for us, although a bit noisey due to the casino next door. Panama is a 3rd world country but safe in most areas. I hope that you will love it as much as we do. I still maintain friendships there. Please write if you have any further questions. Blessings, Helene Relax. I am Panamanian and we do not use "gringo" with offensive purposes. In the same way we call "paisa" the colombians and "chino" the oriental people. In the worse case, just realize we are all americans because we live in America. Isn't?? I have travel some and I have concluded that some countries are "better" but they come in black and white. We are not perfect but we come in colors. Good Luck!!! The best source of information is through chat rooms of expats living down here. Most Americans build a home, which is a total nightmare. Depending on where you live, medical service is okay, but not outstanding. Schools are not up to par. Unless you start or buy your own business, expats are not allowed to work down here unless an employee of a foreign country. I would start with Chiriqui Chatter and Panama Guide. I have lived in Panama for over two years, a gringa solo. Thank you, Fushia; you are exactly right. I live in Panama and am a Gringa. I have never felt offended when someone refers to me using this description. Gringa is not anymore derogatory than calling someone a foreigner. In fact it is used to refer to anyone living here that basically wasn鈥檛 born here and looks European. And I also agree with your statement about Panama being in color. I am so in love with your country both its beauty and its flaws. Helene, comments were also very good. And I would like to add to Beez comments that all information you can gather about Panama from every reliable source available to you would be good. However, the best source of information you can gather will be ground level in person while you are in Panama. Why? Everyone is different. With different expectations, wants, needs, and desires. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... Quality of life here is good for us. I will tell you what I like first. I like having a maid and a driver to run small errands; we also have a part time chef since we entertain a lot. I love the local culture, the hustle and bustle of the city, the closeness of the mountains and the beaches, taking trips out of the city and exploring the country. We are extremely health conscience, so the cleaner foods of Panama are a great benefit to us. Our budget in the US was $6,000 a month. Here with our staff and monthly living expenses we are at $2000. Our maid is $225, our driver is $400, and our chef is $220 PER MONTH. You can live very frugally or as extravagantly as you desire. There is always something going on in the city, fireworks for some occasion, some parade, some event or concert at the convention center, some expat meeting, freevconcerts in Balboa, etc. There is no reason to be bored and sit at home. As for what life in Panama is like? It's like life in general that varies from person to person. People are either both amazingly happy and content here or totally miserable, mainly due to their own expectations. What do you need to be happy? Name brand clothing, foods, etc? It's here but it's not going to be cheaper than the US. Can you give up your central air and live with splits (think the units like the hotels in the US) or ceiling fans? If you choose the city can you live with traffic like NY? Or if you choose the country can you live with the locals and the language? Do you need a Little America and English speaking neighbors? What I don鈥檛 like: The traffic in the city when I need to run errands, especially on paydays. The constant noise I have from living in the heart of the city on the 24th floor, the dirt that blows in from the city even living on the 24th floor. There is no one-stop shopping in Panama (say good bye to the Wal-Mart Super Centers, they don鈥檛 exist here). If you don鈥檛 know the language you will tire quickly of trying to make yourself understood. Driving in Panama is more about reading the other persons face and trying to figure out what they are going to do rather than know the rules. http://www.panamaexpertos.com/forum/view... or smell of sewage from Punta Paitilla. If rain bothers you there will be six months of almost daily rain. But when I lay every thing in the balance scale for us the benefits out weight the dislikes substantially. Even paradise and it is paradise here; has its warts. Some of the new medicines that you are able to buy in the US aren麓t available here in Panama. Some of the medicines that are available here in Panama aren鈥檛 available in the US. But there are a lot of good meds here, especially since we have the Johns Hopkins affiliated hospital here in Panama City. The cost of Rx are usually 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of the meds in the US. Right now, I recommend staying away from the nationally produced medicines, currently there are quality issues that Panama is in the process of trying to rectify. There been a lot in the newspaper currently. Here鈥檚 a link to the national newspaper http://www.prensa.com/ In some ways business is easier in Panama than in the US. There are less rules and regulations overall. I have read that with the new trade agreement that is in the works between the US and Panama that one of the things that will be changing is American business opportunities in Panama. Currently it is very limiting to the tourist industry, but if I understood the terms of the agreement there will be areas of commerce open to Americans that have previously been unavailable. Doing business in Panama from a personal perspective I you can expect two things. There is a small under current here that says you have no right to earn money here from our country. And honesty, I can understand why many would feel this way when the average monthly wage (the last time I checked) is around $350 a month for unskilled labor. The other thing we鈥檝e experienced which is healthy for the country and challenging for the business owner; expect someone (Panamanian or otherwise) to benefit from your ground breaking work and start a competitive business. I would strong suggest putting your things in storage in the US, renting a small place in the city, try it for six months. Explore and travel the country, this will tell you if you like and what part of the country you want to live in. When you first come you will be on your honeymoon with Panama, but as with every new union after about six months or so you will start to notice little annoying things you will need to adjust to or not and move back to the states. You really need to try before you buy, one shoe doesn't fit all and a million descriptions won鈥檛 give you the answers you are looking for. But for some great information about Panama and the acclamation process from one Expat's point of view see http://www.panamaexpertos.com/ Read the articles and visit the forum |
| Tags |
| Chile Costa Rica Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Panama Peru Uruguay Venezuela General - Latin America Ancona |
Travel Info Categories--Copyright/IP Policy--Contact Webmaster |