Best Places In The World To Retire

I am not certain if there are American-trained doctors for Pedasi and Azuero.  However in Panama City there are quite a few US trained doctors.

 

Note that Latin American doctors typically do their post-doctoral specialization training in Mexico, Spain, Chile' and Colombia.  While MOST doctors want to train the USA, academic medical centers have a limited number of paid positions for foreign doctors. Absent paid support, the cost of training...

I am not certain if there are American-trained doctors for Pedasi and Azuero.  However in Panama City there are quite a few US trained doctors.

 

Note that Latin American doctors typically do their post-doctoral specialization training in Mexico, Spain, Chile' and Colombia.  While MOST doctors want to train the USA, academic medical centers have a limited number of paid positions for foreign doctors. Absent paid support, the cost of training in the USA is prohibitive for most Latin doctors.

 

I can assure you that training credentials form any of the above listed countries is a PLUS.  If you need a recommendation about a specific specialist, feel free to contact me.  

 

BE WELL and STAY HEALTHY.

 

 

 

 

What are the best places in the world to retire? The answer to this question will obviously be different for each individual, so I'll just give you my own answer - make of it what you will.

 

For now, I have chosen to spend my time in beautiful Bocas del Toro on the sunny Caribbean coast of Panama. Take a look at the picture on the right, which shows Starfish Beach, a short bus or boat ride from Bocas Town. That might give you some suggestion as to why you...

What are the best places in the world to retire? The answer to this question will obviously be different for each individual, so I'll just give you my own answer - make of it what you will.

 

For now, I have chosen to spend my time in beautiful Bocas del Toro on the sunny Caribbean coast of Panama. Take a look at the picture on the right, which shows Starfish Beach, a short bus or boat ride from Bocas Town. That might give you some suggestion as to why you might consider Bocas as a possible retirement location.

 

I'm not sure that I can actually classify myself as retired, but I haven't done a stroke of paid work for anybody else for over five years now, and that's how I'd like it to stay. I'm a writer, and I wrote my second book right here in paradise. Now that certainly beats some  writing in some chilly flat in wintry London, fingers gloved to keep them warm.

 

Bocas del Toro offers a cheap alternative to the rat-race, a place where the cost of living can be very low, but the quality of life disproportionately high.

 

The best things about living here?

 

1). The people - both the expat community and the local populace are wonderful people to spend time with. This place seems to draw interesting, and sometimes slightly eccentric people.

 

2). The weather - it can rain quite a bit, which is a good thing if you are off-grid and rely on rainwater collection. But when the sun comes out, which it does often, and there is no wind, the lagoon is so beautiful.

 

3). Wonderful restaurants - away from town, down in the lagoons there are some hidden gems which offer wonderful social scenes, awesome views and great food.

 

4). Dolphins - I live just outside Dolphin Bay, and when out and about in the boat it is rare not to see at least a couple of dolphins. They always brighten your day.

 

5). Swimming and snorkelling - I can do both right from my dock.

 

6). Clothing choice - one of my favourite things is that here the temperature is pretty constant. When you get up in a morning there is no clothing dilemmas:

"Will I take a jacket?"

"What shoes should I wear?" 

You can be pretty sure that shorts, t-shirt and a pair of flip-flops cover all occasions.

 

I could go on, but instead I'll just suggest that you really need to come and take a look at this special place for yourself.

In the oceans of Portugal, there are no harmful animals like sharks but we do have jellyfish starting in the winter season. From November to January, you will find quite a lot of jellyfish on the shores. Some are still whole and some are bits but you just have to avoid them. Don’t step on them, which is easy enough to do because you would see them on the shore.
 
You’d usually see jellyfish on the rough beaches and where the sea is rough. You won’t see them on...

In the oceans of Portugal, there are no harmful animals like sharks but we do have jellyfish starting in the winter season. From November to January, you will find quite a lot of jellyfish on the shores. Some are still whole and some are bits but you just have to avoid them. Don’t step on them, which is easy enough to do because you would see them on the shore.
 
You’d usually see jellyfish on the rough beaches and where the sea is rough. You won’t see them on the bays. Cascais (an upscale area just to the west of Lisbon) is all bays. If you go up to the coasts of Sintra, where the seas are very rough and where they practice the radical sports, there is where you will see the jellyfish.
 
The waters in the ocean of Portugal are cold so sharks do not like it, especially on the west facing coasts, including the beaches west of Lisbon.  Because the air temperatures can be a maximum of 35 to 37 Celsius (95 to 98.6 Fahrenheit), it’s hot, so it’s a pleasure to go into that cold water.
 
The oceans in the Algarve (which face south) are completely different from the oceans in Lisbon.  The Algarve gets warms waters because of the Gulf Stream and because of the Mediterranean. The temperatures in the waters of the Algarve could be around 20 to 22 degrees Celsius (68 to 71.6 Fahrenheit) and up here in Lisbon, it’s around 17 to 18 degrees Celsius (62.6 to 64.4 Fahrenheit). It’s hotter and less windy in the Algarve as well. Lisbon is a windy area because we are on the westernmost part of the European continent. There is also a breeze here so we don’t use air-conditioning in the summer because we don’t need it.
 
The coasts of Sintra get rough waves but overall, the other coasts of Algarve and Lisbon are perfectly safe for swimming.  

 

(The village of Azenhas do Mar on the coast of Sintra, Portugal, pictured.)