Panawanna

We were there on our first visit to Panama in 2016. Raquel is delightful and our experience with the animals was just magical! If there were more folks on the planet like her the world would be a much better place. She told us about herself. Used to train dolphins for use in the armed forces when she was stateside.

Do these happen to be the newest digital imaging?

Yes, there is a special high dose vaccine for those of us 65 and over. Apparently our immune systems are not as strong as we age so a higher dose is required to get the desired immune system result. I had mine today here in CA. I would imagine it can be found in Panama as well. Let me know! I will need that information for flu season 2018!

What is the current experience on the ground in Boquete/David? Has the drug shortage been resolved? What do expats do when they need drugs that are not available in Panama? Can prescriptions be purchased in the U.S. and successfully mailed or couriered to Panama?

So, I chased down World Wide Health Insurance only to find that policies were no longer available! (?). At least the agent that I was forwarded to indicated that those policies were no longer being offered. What we did find was a fantastic policy through Meridien (underwritten by Azimuth Risk Solutions) with a choice of deductibles and coverage locations. I have Medicare and only need coverage out of the country. My husband isn't old enough for Medicare yet so needs coverage in the U.S. as well. We chose a high deductible anticipating only catastrophic coverage and will look for local coverage in Panama once we are there. Sum total for 12 months for us both is less than $300/mo. Renewable annually.

As an important piece of our preparation to become expats in Panama (January is just around the corner!) is research x 10 + boots on the ground. After several visits to Panama and the Chiriquí area, we chose to focus on those things important to us AND became aware of those things that may not be so comfortable in comparison to our lifestyle in the states. Once we determined that nothing was a show stopper, we put the move plan into place. Realize that not many go to this length of prep because it is easier to just believe what you read because you want to believe what you read. Once we are there, time will tell but we are not at all worried. We find problem solving fun... and recognize that not all people think the way we do. I agree with the statements above that attitude is 99% of being happy. That includes developing patience, which neither of our careers nurtured. Interesting to note that as we traveled through Panama, Mexico and several other possible retirement locales, we seemed to pick up a set of different lenses through which to view our current lifestyle in Los Angeles. Go anywhere in L.A. these days and see, using one of those different lenses, the same or worse issues you will find in any 2nd or 3rd world country. We relate to what Mary T states above. Lest I start a rant on unequal distribution of wealth and get political.... I'll stop here. Thanks to many of you that contribute this board, we feel well prepared for this next chapter.

I have just signed us up for a service that will repack orders delivered from any vendor into a consolidated box and also offers discounted shipping rates given their volume contracts. U.S. Global Mail out of Houston. They also offer a mail scan of hard copy with email service. Not expensive. Provides us with a street address, etc. to maintain our 'presence' in the U.S. Highly rated and used by thousands of expats globally. We don't intend on getting much snail mail or ordering gobs of stuff online once we are in Boquete, but want to be ready just in case.

Thanks, Bonnie. Renting a car in PTY may prove difficult as we will have a lot of luggage and two dogs with us. We plan to take our time getting to Boquete so it could get quite expensive. And we know that PTY is a bigger car market with more choice for purchase! Keith, not sure what email you refer to, but I'll search my inbox and the entire board. Thanks for everyone's input. Hope to meet some of you when we get there!

OK. Help me out with this one.... We want to buy a car in Panama City when we arrive in January. However, we won't yet have a local bank account. We can't carry enough cash into the country to buy a car. If a cashier's check from a local bank is all that a car dealer or individual will accept...how can we buy a car?

Updates on Fidelity fees and moving money. Using the Fidelity ATM or other credit cards, there is a 1% only fee if used for a purchase at a point of sale. The fee is not charged for an ATM cash withdrawal and ATM fees are reimbursed. Only wire transfers are available to move cash from Fidelity to a Panama bank. Wire transfer fees on both sides apply and a form must be set up prior with authenticated signatures. The form is The Standing Instructions Authorization Form, which would then allow your Fidelity to wire transfer funds to your Panama Bank at your request. The 1% is not applied to wire transfers. EFT, or Electronic Funds Transfer, is not available to send money to non U.S. banks. The daily limit for the ATM/credit card purchase is $10k. Cash withdrawal is limited to $500/day. I've also talked with PayPal. If an individual or a business has a PayPal account, there is no issue in sending money from your PayPal account to their PayPal account. The sender is charged 1/2 of 1% of the total send. The max daily is $10k. I am not certain about the receiving end because if they wish to move the cash from the PayPal account to their bank account, I am sure there are fees from the receiving bank. Those fees will vary if it is a business versus an individual PayPal account. My question now .... is PayPal common in Panama? For individuals? For business? My attorney in PTY does not use PayPal or any other 3rd party money transfer app. She maintains a U.S. bank account to accept payment for her services.

Our arrival time is getting closer, mid-January so I'm back studying all the comments on bank accounts. Points of clarification 1) as renters for at least one year, is a bank account really needed at all? @Bonnie, when you say 'US bank check' do you mean a personal check or some other type of check? 2) what about using a 3rd party internet based money transfer such as Paypal? We need to buy a car while we are in Panama City and are considering the best way to do this without carrying a wad of cash on the plane with us, Advice? 3) Is there one bank that serves David, Boquete and Panama City that is recommended over all others by this board? Thanks.

Gordon, you are correct. 1% stands but all other fees are covered. What is the recommendation for drawing money from the U.S. as necessary? If we open a Panama bank account then wouldn't we have to pay transfer fees to get our money deposited? And then the FATCA headache.. Guidance is appreciated.

I did confirm that it has no time limit. And it is underwritten by World Wide (found that in the very small print). I was told as long as we keep our current policy in force, we would receive the same benefits even if we are out of the country for one year or more. I'll reconfirm that time limit thing before banking on that.

I just received a notice regarding our current health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield, providing global health insurance. They have a direct bill relationship now with Mae Lewis in David but only one doctor so far, a surgeon, Dr. Jose Isabel Gonzales Moreno. It is indicated as 'travel coverage' so it may have time limitations and not apply to current residents. I will look into this. Anyone have experience with this?

The question begs, then, is the signage perhaps purposely confusing or lacking so as to provide a revenue stream via tickets? I want to drive by the rules but seems, by the comments here, the rules are not concise. Are the rules of the road and signage definitions published somewhere rather than just painted on the streets?

I hope I don't have the experience you outline, Brudageba! We drove to Las Lajas from Boquete and back on the last visit in November. The highway was still being worked on and our friends were warning us of the detours and poorly marked diversions. I did the driving and was tense the entire ride. I grew eyes on the back of my head. Thankfully we didn't see anything horrible, accident or driving wise. Keith, thanks for your guidance. I responded in a private message.

The exemption of liability with certification of First Aid...does Panama offer a certification program? Are other country's certifications considered? Would be a shame for deaths to occur because certification was not widespread and non certified people were concerned about litigation and therefore did not provide assistance.

Honestly, reading the Road Safety post by the Moderator above...if I didn't know it was Panama I would swear it was Los Angeles! I can also add that the driving and pedestrian behavior we experienced while in Panama is actually somewhat more docile that what I've managed to live through in India, China, Italy, Spain and Mexico! Not that I'm offering an excuse for unsafe roads and driver ability. Just seems we Americanos have a pretty high bar against which we measure others and, IMHO, that bar is not is not even close to the realities of most other countries. Now I understand why the Panama rental car agencies are militant about car insurance. Yah, I don't want to die on the roads either. Perhaps we all drive hummers or tanks?

Bryant and Sharna are moving to the Boquete/Chiriqui area permanently February 1, 2018 and seek a mid to long term sit to get us started. We have local friends and references. As retired professionals, global travelers and fur baby parents, we are capable of providing many services for your home, pets and/or hospitality business. Capable B&B and property managers, we are comfortable with the many challenges serving a variety of cultures and lifestyles. And we speak a bit of Spanish, badly. Bryant was a commercial/residential general contractor and he can build, maintain or repair just about anything. His hobbies include fine woodworking, furniture refinishing and tinkering with how to live green. Sharna was a global technology consultant and also served as a non-profit board member providing service dogs to families and veterans, and as a pet photographer for the Humane Society. Hobbies include dog training and grooming, healthy lifestyle & gluten free cooking, home accent/interior design, home organization, travel blogging, gardening and photography. We have been property owners, landlords and renters and that experience gives us perspective with many property related challenges from all viewpoints. Responsible, trustworthy, friendly, fun and open minded, non smokers and adaptable to just about any situation. As parents and fosters to both cats and dogs we are comfortable with administering medicines, special foods and tender loving care. We have two of our own senior dogs that will be with us. Max is a Sheltie and Bear is a Pekingese. They get along with just about every four-footed being, including yours! Whatever your home or pets require, let us know and we will take care of it. Yes, we have references for our home sits and our character, as do our dogs. Note: we are currently engaged on a house sitting project until mid January 2018 in the U.S. Contact us now to arrange for sits beginning February 1, 2018! Viendo hacia adelante!

When we were there last November there was a gluten free baked goods table, Gluten Free Gold I think. Please tell me they are still there!

Interested in the outcome of the above meetings Penny. We plan to move permanently to Panama in January and I've been studying the best approach to medical coverage. Seems International coverage plans are the best for the first year we are there until we can figure out a plan 'on the ground'. Looking forward to your postings after the meeting conclusions!

I would be very interested to know if homes/lots are actually available in this price range as Carol describes. My husband is a builder and we will be looking for a livable 'fixer' on a nice piece of land for possible purchase late in 2018. We appreciate breathing room. However....having visited the Chiriquí area extensively we understand how 'remote' some areas can be even if a short distance from David or Boquete. And that is pause for many considerations, security being only one of them. Transportation (if not driving) another.

OK. Good. I was wondering what the 'reputation' thing is as well. However, I don't see if my 'reputations' given by readers is good or not. I suppose if I receive a few not good 'reputations' I will hear from the Admin? Not my goal, just to be clear. I am finding this board, and the folks therein, to be very helpful and the voices to be very logical, reasonable and intelligent. I hope I will achieve the same accolades!

Thanks for the reality check! Yes, we saw all of this during our extended stays in the area and none of this was mentioned in any of the publications that tout the 'perfect' retirement in the area. It does not present a deal breaker for us at this point. But I do wonder if things will improve over the years and become reliable when we are no longer physically able to fulfill our own needs. It does appear that infrastructure is being improved around the country.

We are aligned with Uncle Doug's thinking and experienced a similar retirement path to Bill Uhlman. Our desire to move to the Boquete area is comprised of many things. But we are certain of one thing... you can't ever leave politics behind completely. We belong to a global community/economy and all of us are affected by the politics and actions of the other. Mexico was high on our list throughout our retirement location vetting process. Until The Donald started talking about that wall. Mexico/U.S. relations won't be going in the right direction, IMHO.