Panama Relocation Tours Blog

Last Updated Oct 17, 2018 - by Panama Relocation Tours

July Panama Tour Recap

Today was the last “official” day of the July Retire in Panama Tour. With our help, some attendees opened an offshore bank account. Everyone attended the Tuesday Market. The Tuesday market is a great way to meet a lot of expats and find out about “deals” for rentals or houses for sale. It was raining this morning ( rare for Boquete) so there were fewer people at the market. During rainy season, we usually have sunny mornings then some rain in the late afternoon.

A few of the attendees went back to Panama City but most are staying in Boquete for 5-10 days to do some exploring on their own.

Tomorrow is an optional day. I chartered a bus to take us to Volcan. The bus pulls out of Boquete at 9 am and 14 tour attendees will go with me to visit Volcan. Volcan is about 1 hour from Boquete but the towns have a completely different vibe. Volcan is smaller and more laid back than Boquete.

We were honored to have Richard Detrich, author of “Escape to Paradise,” join us for the July Panama Relocation Tour. Richard moved to Panama in 2004 and his book is a “must read” for anyone considering a move to Panama or anywhere offshore. Each day Richard Blogged about the daily events for the tour. See the links below for more details:

Panama is not right for everyone. One lady on the tour didn’t like Boquete at all, she said it was too cold. Of the 15 people on this tour, 2 are planning to move to Boquete by the end of the year, 2 liked the casual beach areas the best, no one liked Panama City, and 11 plan to come back to spend 3-4 weeks to do some more exploring on their own; their objective is to move within a year or two.

Everyone said they accomplished what they came for — to determine if Panama is right for them.

See some pictures from this tour:

Old town Casca Veijo with New Panama City in the Background

Casca Veijo Street — Old Town — Casca Veijo

Lunch at Rancho Del Caldera — Lunch at Rancho del Caldera

Last Updated Mar 22, 2013 - by Panama Relocation Tours

My First Hair Appointment in Panama

For years I have been going to the same lady to get my hair cut and highlighted. She knew what to do and I didn’t have to worry about her screwing up my hair.

Now that I live in Panama I had to find a new person to do haircuts and color. My first thought was to ask everyone I know who they recommend. But when I did that I got mostly recommendations for people who would come to my house or I could go to theirs. Not very professional but it was cheap… only $30 for a haircut and highlights.

So, PLAN B was to spot people with good haircuts and highlights and ask where they got their hair done. The same name came up over and over again so I made an appointment at a Salon in downtown Boquete. They have several stylists and all the fancy equipment you’d expect to see in a salon. But still, it’s a little scary going to a new person.

Since I don’t speak Spanish YET, I wrote out exactly what I wanted done then put in in Google Translate so I could give it to them in Spanish. They read my printout then said, in perfect English,” so you want highlights, lowlights, and a haircut. How much would you like trimmed off?”

The costs for a shampoo, haircut, highlights, low lights was $50. I also got a manicure and pedicure for an additional $13. And.. they did a GREAT JOB!

The same thing would have cost $150 – $200 in Texas

Yes, you really can live for less in Panama and still find quality professionals IF you do your due diligence.

Last Updated Mar 22, 2013 - by Panama Relocation Tours

Life In Paradise

A few weeks ago I moved to a village in Central America. It’s completely surrounded by beautiful mountains. The air is clean and crisp, the temperatures are 70-75 degrees every day, the water is really fresh, the food is full of nutrients, and it’s reported that most people live well past 100 years of age here.

My house is about 5 miles outside of town and at a higher elevation.

Yesterday we went in to town for lunch at a great little restaurant owned by an expat. The food is fabulous and the setting is incredible. The special of the day was fish tacos, made with Amberjack which was just caught that morning.

When you’re here – you just feel like “this is life”. You want to slow down and take in the beauty of the surroundings, the sounds of the birds, and the smell of the fresh air.

Instead of taking the quickest way home, we took the long way to explore more of our new home country. [Read more…]

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