Lessons About Moving To Panama

We think that we are smart because we found this near paradise called Panama; by my estimation that is about an 80% correct assumption. On most scales this country rates higher than others. So what is the problem you ask?

Recently a friend's demise caused the brain to kick into over drive:

My husband is 73 and he was on several medications over the last few years in America. We have been in Panama only 10 months and he has cut his medications in half. He feels better, has more energy and feels less stressed. We attribute our good health to foods, climate, and less stressful lifestyle here. He has lost over 12 pounds, walks often and enjoys our life here.

Many people have this idea that Panama is a backward place with grinding poverty, poor infrastructure, political instability and lots of risk for investors. In fact, while there is poverty there in relative terms, the people are happy, relaxed, friendly and open.

 

Much of the country is pretty much like parts of California or the American south, and was so, long before swarms of gringos arrived at the start of the current economic boom.

What is happening in Panama...

I have lived in Panama for nearly seven years with my wife Any.  We have a beautiful home on the Caribbean side (known as the Gold Coast), near the town of Portobello, Colon.

 

I spent three years researching Panama before my first visit and I brought six people to Panama on my first visit.  I thought the people who came here with me were interested in moving to Panama, but they were much more interested in golfing than discovering the country. 

 

My...