The Beach, the (Holiday) Breaks, and the BBQ
Jet Metier has noticed there are three things you can do after reading a person’s reason for moving to Panama. You can 1) learn from them; 2) laugh with them; or 3) interview them to learn and laugh some more with them.
Giselle Otero lives in a world in which she hears operatic airs from humpback whales and smells the “life-giving bitterness” of the flowers that lent their essence to coffee beans. In this interview, Giselle shares with...
We thank Daryl Ries for giving us the idea to have Jet Metier interview select contributors of Best Places who enliven our pages with their experiences and revelations. The conversation began with Daryl talking about a real estate expo she had attended just prior to their scheduled talk, and then continued with Daryl reviewing her life on four continents. In a chronological sleight of hand, we present the second part of the interview first, where Daryl speaks of her...
and his wife and business partner Janet in Panama, but Jet developed a “funny tummy” and had to beg off. More than a year later, as an avid listener to Rich’s radio program in podcast form, Jet wanted to turn the tables on “Your Man in Panama” and interview him. 
It was literally with a splash (more on that below) that Jet Metier interviewed one of Best Places in the World to Retire’s earliest contributors, Renate Jope, about her life in Panama, intending to talk about one subject, and then finding herself veering headlong into another: Renate’s experience canoe racing through the Panama Canal. What follows is the instant message (IM) interview.
On Saturday February 15, 2014 I visited the new Butterfly Haven located in El Valle. Yes I am truly lucky & blessed - I visited a wonderful butterfly haven while many North Americans suffered thru extreme February cold & snow. 
While the wheels/tires are 21st century (oh, OK, 20th century), the technology behind this freight mover is thousands of years old. I found it interesting and amusing that the local hauler still uses oxen to pull heavy loads. 
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ross the border from Costa Rica to Panama in