Welcome to NexusFi: the best trading community on the planet, with over 150,000 members Sign Up Now for Free
Genuine reviews from real traders, not fake reviews from stealth vendors
Quality education from leading professional traders
We are a friendly, helpful, and positive community
We do not tolerate rude behavior, trolling, or vendors advertising in posts
We are here to help, just let us know what you need
You'll need to register in order to view the content of the threads and start contributing to our community. It's free for basic access, or support us by becoming an Elite Member -- see if you qualify for a discount below.
-- Big Mike, Site Administrator
(If you already have an account, login at the top of the page)
I'm from Central America and lived in Panama for three years when I was younger. It is beatiful in the mountains there as well as the carribean type beaches on the atlantic coast. There is a lot of opportunity down there, and the first world countries would not allow things get out of control due to the importance of the canal.
@Xav1029, what can you tell me of Boquete? Rainfall and temp ranges? How many expats? I assume since I am far outside Panama City, and even David, that it will be Spanish-speaking only. Adequate retail shopping, markets, places to have dinner in Boquete? Or would you need to drive to David? (not that that would be a bad thing)
Chiriqui is a beautiful area. I think there is decent tourism there, so that might help you out if your spanish is limited. The local indians out there don't speak spanish either. Latin America is a different world when it comes to retail and dining areas. It depends on what you mean by "decent" place to have dinner. For me a decent place to have dinner is the shacks on the side of the road in El Salvador that have the best food. When I lived there in the 90's, the only westernized city was Panama City. The luxuries of these locations are that they are secluded and don't have your western retail stores. Money seems to not matter while you are there. The locals are very simple people, and when I go to places like that in Latin America I feel at peace(except for the crime in other countries). The infrastructure in Panama is much better than other countries, so you could easily get around without fear of being ran off the roads by crazy bus drivers.
Being from the area, I would recommend for you to take a couple week trip to each of your candidates. My main concern that most tourists seem oblivious to is crime. This is why my eye has been on Panama for years now.
It is always hot in Panama, but cools down a little in the mountains. There are 2 seasons- dry and wet. During dry season there is no rainfall. During wet season there are torrential downpours every day. Your main concern down there is mosquitoes.
I haven't been there in years, so I would recommend taking a trip down there.
Just remember .... a catamaran is the most stable when it is floating upside down .... a sailboat is most stable when it is laying on the ocean floor...
I'm just a simple man trading a simple plan.
My daddy always said, "Every day above ground is a good day!"
The district of Boquete has approximately 19,000 inhabitants (2008).
More recently, Boquete has become the second home to many North American and European retirees. Some 14% of its population are of foreign origin, according to La Prensa, a national newspaper. Ex-pats are attracted by the comfortable climate, excellent potable water, and clean air, by the tranquility, and by Panama's relatively low cost of living.
Tranquility is the big one for me. Also, as a side note Panama used to have great tax incentives some years back. Not sure if this is still true, but it was something like 20 years no real estate tax if you built a home over $30k or $40k.