Best Places In The World To Retire

Do you remember the Biblical story of the Exodus? The Israelites managed to escape Egypt, its bureaucracy and crime and unpleasantness -- and through the forty years of wandering in the wilderness they whined and complained for ever having left, and, when they got to the Promised Land, they proceeded to set up a country with a king, bureaucracy, crime, and unpleasantness.

There's a moral in this story for expats moving to Panamá or any other foreign country. Don't expect it...

Do you remember the Biblical story of the Exodus? The Israelites managed to escape Egypt, its bureaucracy and crime and unpleasantness -- and through the forty years of wandering in the wilderness they whined and complained for ever having left, and, when they got to the Promised Land, they proceeded to set up a country with a king, bureaucracy, crime, and unpleasantness.

There's a moral in this story for expats moving to Panamá or any other foreign country. Don't expect it to be your home country. Think of yourself as a guest, and respect the way things are done here. You will certainly conclude that some things might be done better; but, if you keep your mind open, you will realize that some things are, in fact, done better in your new country. Don't rush to judgment, and don't sneer or criticize your new neighbors. Don't leave the United States (or wherever) for various reasons (high costs, political turmoil, psychological tension, crime, etc.) and then demand the same kinds of services here in Panamá that lead to the same factors!

 

The community of Boquete, for example, is about half "gringo" by now, with the proportion constantly increasing. As an inevitable result, the cost of living is higher there than in other parts of the Tierras Altas - and crime is more common, government is more irritating, and the pace of life is far less tranquil. The gringos there, sadly, have been creating a new "Egypt" in imitation of the one they couldn't wait to get away from.

 

My advice is come with few preconceptions - and come with few physical possessions. You can buy what you need when you get here. Start fresh!

Do your homework. If you rely on Social Security or Medicare, get solid information on their availability to you. If you have medical needs, consider proximity to a good hospital. (There is a top-notch facility in the capital city of this Chiriquí province, and a new hospital is about to open in Volcán. Don't rely on other gringos for information; I have lost track of the completely erroneous un-facts given to me by gringos living here.

 

Above all, be gracious. On my first day here I began the practice of walking about my new neighborhood - for exercise, and to get to know my neighbors. My Spanish was at the time execrable, but by this means I quickly improved, and speak it fluently now; I find it abhorrent that some gringos expect everyone here to speak English, and start angrily shouting at Panamanians as if that will somehow improve their ability to understand English. By walking about, I also became known to my neighbors, such that they looked out for me as good neighbors do.
 

Become used to how things are here. The electric power and internet services often quit for a few minutes or an hour -- that's life here, so don't whine about it. Panamanian homes often don't have hot showers; if that's how it is for you, enjoy it (I find it's better than coffee in the morning). Shops and services often make promises and are rather flexible about when they keep them or whether they will keep them at all; don't let this get you angry; it's just how it is here. You do better to ask someone knowledgeable for a recommendation of a good service provider.

The best thing about living and retiring in Ambergris Caye is the weather. It is always warm. Although it may be humid, it is always warm. There are times during the year when the bugs are out, but and if you are prone to getting bitten you really have to look after yourself and put on some bug spray. They are not really that pleasant if you are prone to getting bitten. After my five years of living here, though, they do not bite me anymore.
 
The water and the water sports is...

The best thing about living and retiring in Ambergris Caye is the weather. It is always warm. Although it may be humid, it is always warm. There are times during the year when the bugs are out, but and if you are prone to getting bitten you really have to look after yourself and put on some bug spray. They are not really that pleasant if you are prone to getting bitten. After my five years of living here, though, they do not bite me anymore.
 
The water and the water sports is another best thing about living in Ambergris Caye. There are several communities here that will suit anybody. So whether you like water sports or you are an artist, you will find something in Ambergris Caye that is suitable for you.
 
Another good thing about living here in Ambergris Caye is the proximity to other places. If you are living in Ambergris Caye, you are only a 12-minute flight away from the mainland and from the mainland, you can take a 2-hour flight that can take you to Atlanta, Georgia, Houston, Texas, or Miami, Florida. You are never too far away from the main international airports that give you access to the rest of the world.
 
The island of Ambergris Caye is a real melting pot of people from all over the world. They are all here because they want to be here. So most people here are particularly happy. Even the local Belizeans who work here choose to be here, even if they have families on the mainland. In general, people are happy here in Ambergris Caye.
 
As far as cons, there are cons to being on a small island. Everybody wants to know your business and they will talk sometimes, but I find that a comforting thing that everybody here looks out for each other and they are there to help you when you need it. If I cannot find my daughter one afternoon, I will just ask somebody or put it on Facebook and somebody would say, “Hey! I saw your daughter here.” It is quite comforting for me.
 
If, on the other hand, I don’t want to get involved with the community, I can stay at home and cook and do my own thing without everybody being in my business. I do not know if that is a pro or a con, but I do find it comforting for the most part to be living in a small island. I feel safe as well.  Safety is something that I very much value here in Ambergris Caye.  
 
The technology here is very good. Our Internet is improving all the time. Skype is a new thing over the last couple of years that Belize now offers. International business is now easy to conduct because of Internet connectivity.
 
Another very good plus of Belize is that we are in one of the safest financial jurisdictions in the world, so Belize if a nice place to keep your money.  
 
And again, everybody knows each other. If, for example, you are thinking of getting into the medical tourism industry, you just go ahead and see our town mayor, who will make an introduction and you might be having tea with the prime minister’s wife the following day because your business might be something that she is interested in, too. There is a real sense of community here.
 
I don’t have many bad things to say at all. If one day you cannot buy oranges in the store because they are not available, then you buy lemons or bananas and that is just a way of life here. Things are not as quick as you might like them, but that could be the reason why people move here to retire.