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Another Fun Weekend Exploring Nicaragua

Relaxing at the D'Santos Coffee Farm – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

This is the way to spend a weekend in February! Why fight the cold and the snow? Nicaragua has such great weather in January and February!!

Saturday morning we decided to do a little exploring, so we jumped in the car and headed south about 25 miles from Managua to the town of Diriamba. After stopping at a local fruit stand for some fresh mandarinas and a ripe pineapple we checked out a local coffee farm.

This was our...

Charity Fund Raiser for the Puedo Leer Library, Nicaragua

Some of you know that Chili Cookoffs are a tradition....not only from the south part of the United States (where my wife and I hail from) but all over now. Only national contests for the best cheese steak sandwiches, pizza, or Bar-B-Que match the competition of a good Cookoff. So it was a natural step for expats in Nicaragua to hold a contest for the best tasting chili.

Over 200 people paid $10/head for entrance (and a special spoon) to get...

Mombacho Puro (Cigar) Party, Nicaragua

Kent Payne at annual cigar party in Granada, Nicaragua – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

While I'm not a big cigar user, I like to visit one of the newest attractions in Nicaragua. We have, in the years past, driven all the way to Esteli to purchase cigars for resale or for gifts to my golf buddies back in the states. And my son Josh gets some real mileage when he produces a handful of freshly rolled Nicaraguan tobacco to his golf friends. So I'm always on the hunt for new product.

I didn't remember that the weekend that I was...

Surfing in Panamá

Regions of Panama: Punta Chame

Panamá has always been a country with warm and friendly people who welcome all nationalities. It has also been a place of transit since the 15th century, when visitors came with gold from Perú to Spain. Later, with the construction of the Panamá Canal (considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World), workers from all the world wanted to be part of this great mega-project.

...

US Citizen and Permanent Resident in PANAMA!

Hi I moved to Panama a year ago and I love it. I have lived in Puerto Rico, Peru, Miami, Atlanta and Indiana and Panama is by far the best choice for retirement. You must remember, and a lot of people often forget, that Panama is still a third world country. BUT with lots of advantages like currency, cost of living, life style, and much more. It's a lot safer than Puerto Rico and Miami. You can have a maid for $350 a month. Fruit and vegetables are always fresh. I even became...

Keeping Perspective on Panama

Presented with permission from Bob Adams of Retirement Wave

In the last eight and a half years, I’ve received thousands of emails from people all over the world interested in visiting and living in Panama. I’ve met with over 400 of you when you’ve come down and I’ve had the time available when you’ve contacted me and we got together to chat.

There are certain things that come up frequently. One of the most...

Being Bored in Boquete, Panamá

We had dinner with a couple that is doing their recon mission to see if living in Boquete (or Panama) is right for them. Everyone who lives here has done the same. And maybe everyone has asked themselves, "Does Boquete have enough things to do so I won't get bored?"

I think that if you are boring or have no interests, you will be bored everywhere you go. I also don't think that it is possible to be bored in Boquete unless you make it your mission. Even if you don't want to...

Fishing in the Rio San Juan, Nicaragua

Anglers take note: Big fish in a big river!!

The week before Christmas five of us guys decided we'd take a road trip and head to the south part of the country and do some fishing. Several of us had been there before and hooked some good sized tarpon, but the size and the ferocity of the fish caused us never to land one. We took a three hour drive south of Managua, and then an hour and a half panga ride (similar to a john boat) east on the Rio San...

The Most Important Thing To Do When You Move To Panama

Presented with permission from Bob Adams of Retirement Wave

Folks often ask me what’s important that I do when I get to Panama.

“Do I need to learn the language?”

“Is there some place I can go to learn the culture?”

“Should I travel around the country?”

Basically, while all these things are interesting and they’re good things to do, the most important thing for the entirety of the time you’re here, in...

Merry Christmas in Boquete, Panama

This is our second Christmas in Boquete. Our first Christmas was just three weeks after we arrived in Panama. We are now enjoying our second Christmas with some of the many new friends we

have made this year in Boquete.

Arne and I spent the first Christmas with our landlord and his friends.

We have been to a couple of small holiday events.

Parties are all over the place, festive decorations are

up in...