Not Everyone Has A Positive Retirement Experience In Panama
Panama is a beautiful country with many benefits. North Americans and European are settling here at a growing rate, either for retirement or investment purposes. Some find their move to Panama as the best decision they’ve ever made, but not everyone has a positive experience.

Filed under: Living & Retirement, News on September 30th, 2008 | 9 Comments »

Cucuas From Penonome in Guarare
The Festival de la Mejorana took place this weekend in Guarare, a small town just outside of Las Tablas. Though Panama has many annual festivals and events, the Festival de la Mejorana is certainly one of the best.

Filed under: Culture, News on September 29th, 2008 | No Comments »

Balboa Avenue In Panama City
Generally speaking, expats living in Panama are quite friendly. For the most part, expats will try to help out other newcomers in need. That being said, I had a very weird experience last weekend in Panama City.

Filed under: Living & Retirement, News on September 26th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Obama and McCain: which would benefit Panama?
They say everyone votes in their own self interest. With the U.S. presidential election in it’s final weeks and the global financial crunch hitting hard, it leaves an expat like me here in Panama wondering, “which guy would be better for Panama’s future?”
PREFACE: I’m not taking sides here [...]

Filed under: Politics on September 25th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Panama Needs To Learn From Dubai’s Mistakes
Natives of Dubai are facing a situation that could soon be seen in Panama. Dubai and Panama already have a lot in common as Casey Halloran pointed out in an earlier entry. Like Panama, Dubai has an ever growing population of foreigners. Though Panama is relatively welcoming to expats, [...]

Filed under: Culture, Living & Retirement, News on September 24th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Panama’s Party Buses Are Unlike Anything You’ll Find At Home
The very purpose goes against everything North Americans have been taught about safety. You are not supposed to drink alcohol while in a motor vehicle; you are not supposed to be jumping around a moving vehicle; it is frowned upon to be obnoxious while leaning out [...]

Filed under: Culture, News, Reviews on September 23rd, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Panama City’s Seafood Market Offers Up The Catch of The Day
I have a confession. I’ve lived in Panama for 3 years and I just visited the Mercado de Mariscos (seafood market) in Panama City for the first time. I suppose because I have lived near the ocean in Panama’s interior for quite a while, I [...]

Filed under: Country Guide, Food, News, Reviews on September 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »

Traditional Panamanian Dancers- One Of The Many Groups To Appear At Festival de la Mejorana
Mark your calendars – one of Panama’s best festivals takes place next week. Festival de la Mejorana runs from September 23 to 28 in Guarare, Los Santos. This national festival is a great place to learn about Panamanian traditions and folklore.

Filed under: Country Guide, Culture, News on September 18th, 2008 | No Comments »

Panama Offers No Visa Options For Foreigners Who Work Online
Much debate has taken place in Panama with regards to visa options for foreigners. Many foreigners come to Panama planning to get a retirement visa, investors visa, or one of the other visas available for foreigners. Though there are a handful of visas, there is one [...]

Filed under: Living & Retirement, News on September 18th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

Panama Has Many Mail Service Options
North Americans usually don’t spend much time worrying about mail service. This tends to change when moving to a foreign country. Panama does not have door to door mail delivery, but there are still options available for you to get mail in Panama.

Filed under: Living & Retirement, News on September 17th, 2008 | No Comments »

Boat transport to one of Azuero’s island national parks
By now, most sun worshipers are familiar with names like Cabo San Lucas (Mexico), Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica), Puerta Plata (D.R.) and Negril (Jamaica), but if you rattle off “Azuero Peninsula” at a cocktail party, you’re likely to be met with wide eyed stares.
Panama is well [...]

Filed under: Country Guide, Real Estate on September 15th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Getting Around In Panama Can Be Tricky
One of the many things I love about Panama are people. In specific areas of the country you will find locals have their own idiosyncrasies. One of the most endearing is how many Panamanians in the interior provinces give directions.

Filed under: Culture, News on September 15th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

The Tucan Country Club in Panama

Aside from the occasional downpour, Panama is the perfect place to take up golfing. A few years ago there wasn’t much in the way of golf courses in Panama, but that is quickly changing. Golf pros and amateurs now have a number of options throughout the country.

Filed under: Country Guide, News, Reviews, Sports on September 12th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Buying Real Estate In Panama Is A Tricky Business
Panama is often touted as one of the best places to buy real estate. Aside from rising prices, there are some aspects of the real estate business that you must know before buying property in Panama.

Filed under: Living & Retirement, News, Real Estate on September 10th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

How Much Freedom Of The Press Exists In Panama?
Panama is a country that has so much potential, yet once in a while someone in the government makes a decision that gives Panama a true “Banana Republic” image. Last week a Panamanian civil court ordered the seizure of assets belonging to a weekly newspaper, in response [...]

Filed under: Business, Culture, News on September 9th, 2008 | 3 Comments »