Best Places In The World To Retire

Mexico in general, and even the state of Baja, California, and the city of Tijuana have different topography. We have mountains, the beaches, and deserts. So depending on the nature of the surroundings, you could find different kinds of animals that, due to the wilderness, might be exposed to people, which usually happens when you go hiking or if you go to the desert. You could find snakes, and other animals in the wild. There are crocodiles in places like Yucatan or Chiapas but they are...

Mexico in general, and even the state of Baja, California, and the city of Tijuana have different topography. We have mountains, the beaches, and deserts. So depending on the nature of the surroundings, you could find different kinds of animals that, due to the wilderness, might be exposed to people, which usually happens when you go hiking or if you go to the desert. You could find snakes, and other animals in the wild. There are crocodiles in places like Yucatan or Chiapas but they are in special places where they are not very accessible to humans.
 
Generally, someone who is moving into Mexico and would be living in the average expat areas won’t have to worry about dangerous animals because dangerous animals do not go to areas frequented by humans. They are usually in the jungle or in the wilderness.
 

(Motorcycling camping at San Francisquito, Baja California, Mexico, pictured.)

In Boquete, there is no medical facility to spend the night. There are only clinics and that is even for the Panamanians. There might be a couple of overnight beds  for women who are giving birth and cannot make it to David, which is the provincial capital. In general, there are only clinics and no overnight stays.

In Boquete there are around five or six private doctors.  Some of them come and go. Most of them tend to speak some English and those are the...

In Boquete, there is no medical facility to spend the night. There are only clinics and that is even for the Panamanians. There might be a couple of overnight beds  for women who are giving birth and cannot make it to David, which is the provincial capital. In general, there are only clinics and no overnight stays.

In Boquete there are around five or six private doctors.  Some of them come and go. Most of them tend to speak some English and those are the doctors that the gringos go to mostly.

There are two medical systems for Panamanians. The health department system, which is the clinics, and the social security system, which is for people and their families who are covered under a health plan for laborers or workers. So if you are covered by social security or if you are in a family that is covered by social security, you will go to a social security clinic for medical attention. If you are not covered by any health plan, you will go to the health department for medical attention.

Occasionally, gringos go to one of those systems if they are destitute. Most of us feel that, if we can pay, we should not take advantage of the Panamanian welfare system because this is a poor country and already it is hard for them to cover just their own people.  There are, however, some gringos out here who are destitute and they will be treated within these systems and the payment is very minimal.

Often times in these systems the wait is very long. It could take you eight hours in the waiting room. The conditions are not the most sterile, which is what you would expect in most public facilities. Most gringos would prefer to "bite the bullet" and pay for going to one of the private clinics or hospitals in David.

The private hospitals in David are very good. There are two major hospitals there. My insurance plan is with Hospital Chiriqui, which is the biggest hospital in David. They have clinics for almost all the medical specialties. They have high-end medical equipment such as MRIs and CAT scans. They can cover pretty much everything. But I think, if you need to undergo an open-heart surgery or if you have a very rare condition, they will send you to Panama City. There is a hospital in Panama City that is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US and therefore, they have to maintain the standards of the facilities and the equipment that Johns Hopkins requires.

If you are a gringo who lives in Boquete, you can go to the clinics if you need some minor medical attention. If you really need care in a hospital, you have to go to David, which is only 30 minutes away. If it is a serious case, they may send you to Panama City, and if worse comes to worst, you have to go back to the US.

One challenge for us in Boquete if we need to be taken to David is the ambulance is sometimes very slow to arrive. Or sometimes, they have a hard time finding the address where you live. Overall, however, in Boquete, we are very lucky. Even if we cannot speak Spanish well enough to give directions to the ambulance, we have a system in place that compensates for that. We have a guy who is a bilingual Panamanian, who answers the phone 24 hours a day.  We are all registered with him so he has the directions each of our houses. When we call him in an emergency, we just have to say our registration number, so he can look it up and then give directions to our house in Spanish to the ambulance. This is a free service, supported by charitable contributions.

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.