On Wednesday, January 7th 2018, while walking near my apartment in Medellin, I had a heart attack. I realize it was above and beyond the call of duty for a writer/contributor to go to this length for a story. No need to thank me, I’m recovering nicely, and because of my Colombian cardiac adventure I now have in-depth, personal info on health care in my adoptive country.
I once lived in Colombia. Now I live in the land of Ace Inhibitors, Beta Blockers, Plavix &...
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A large percentage of Mexicans in San Miguel de Allende perceive that all expats (Gringos) living in the blissful hamlet of San Miguel de Allende are wealthy.
This is so far from the truth!
Many expats, and in particular Americans, live here on their monthly Social Security check. Most can live exceedingly well while others truly perish and must live like the locals in the marginalized communities.
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She was walking hand in hand with her husband that cold winter's day. I was so impressed to see such an old couple holding hands. When I asked her how long have they been married, she offered me a toothless smile and said, "67 years, Señor."
Her gentle words touched me in a very special way on that cold winter's day, so I offered to help the both of them with FREE dental treatment and dentures in my clinic.
From the photos attached,...
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I titled this "My Part Time Life in Volcan" because unfortunately I can only live part of the year in Panama. I'm still in my working years in the US and I still haven't figured out how to totally check out and live in Panama full time. It isn't for a lack of trying. Thus far I am able to work in the US for about 9 months and then take 3 months off, with as much of this time in Panama as feasible, depending on the year.
Since I am building my house...
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Some things in life we earn, and others, we don’t.
We use many names to describe the things that happen to us that we don’t earn, including “fate,” “destiny,” “God’s will”, “luck,” and my personal favorite: “dumb luck.”
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What does it take to build a house in Panama?
This is what I was able to get done in the last 12 months:
- Paint on the exterior walls.
- Interior walls erected on the second floor.
- The building permit, occupational permit, the power lined dropped and hooked up.
- Purchased a car!
It was a productive year, apparently. Although I didn't realize that until I took a look back and made a list of the year’s...
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I am normally a positive person who likes to focus on the good and positive in life and living. However, as we all know, nothing and no one is perfect. There is no Shangri-La place to live in the world. When choosing a place to live, whether it is to work or retire, it is best to do some research first. That is why I am writing this article for those of you looking to move to Panama. I have lived here in the Boquete area, in the Chiriquí Highlands for over 13...
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The care I received for my cardiac event at Medellin’s Pablo Tobón Uribe hospital was excellent, with world-class attention, state of the art equipment, and highly professional staff. Tobón Uribe is a Joint Commission accredited institution, ranked as one of the best hospitals in Latin America. Indeed, my only complaint concerning the four days I was embedded there was about the mediocre meals. Hospitals must have been in competition with the airlines for worst food, and the airlines....png)
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Lest you be skeptical of that “Best City in the World” designation in the title, dear readers, let me begin by saying that Travel + Leisure magazine in 2017 bestowed that very designation on San Miguel de Allende, as had Condé Nast Traveler magazine in 2013. And many other publications have granted very similar titles to our little village over the past several years. .png)