A View for My Panama Retirement

For all of those who are interested in retirement in Panama, I came up with a good question for you.

Take a look at this photo of mine. Beach front. Mountains in the background. A view of the sea. The sun shimmers on the water. You can almost hear the water which gently laps against the white sand. The palm trees offer you their calm shade from the hot sun. You hear a few of the tropical birds singing. You watch the sun rise and the sun set on a daily basis.

Perhaps you own one clock or watch, but you rarely stare at it. You shop at the local markets just down the road, food is fresh, organic, tastes much better than the meals you ate in your previous life in that cold northern city. And somewhat cheaper too.

You might just own an old car. It doesn't matter. It gets you over the rough roads, from point A to point B. To the beaches, to town, to your friends, to your local bar, to Panama City when you need to hear some roaring and other such noise, visit the restaurants and bars, meet people, walk around the old city.

I never said I wanted a condo for my retirement in Panama. I don't want to be stuck in some skyscraper. Am aiming for simplicity. I wanted a beach front property in Panama.

Okay, so like I said. Take a look at the picture. Now tell me how long it will take you to get bored of this scene?

If I actually retire here. This is my Paradise for my retirement in Panama. Will not get bored. What about you?

Time to go check out Bocas del Toro Real Estate

It was time for me to go to Bocas del Toro to check out the real esate in the town. We drove to Almirante and took the ferry. Stayed for a week. You can do this when you retire in Panama. I don’t have a schedule. I refuse to have a schedule for the rest of my retirement. I am not rushing anywhere. I do not have a schedule, that's my rule. I might make it to catch a plane but that's about it.

The Bocas del Toro archipelago, located amidst spectacular scenery in the northwestern part of Panama is a favorite with tourists and people from around the world wanting to retire in Panama. The natural beauty of the place is such that almost anyone would be enticed to settle down here. No wonder Bocas del Toro real estate is among the most sought after in Panama. As a matter of fact, Panama real estate, whatever may be the part of the country, is in great demand these days. Even with the world wide recession. The good news I found is that there are plenty of properties in Bocas del Toro that are still available, including condos and single family dwellings.

Although you can easily find details about properties in Bocas del Toro, you should always make it a point to visit the place in person which I did, before I make a purchase decision. Since a lot of paperwork is involved in the process, I did a bit of online research on Bocas, the construction companies and the real estate firms I might deal with. You should not take any decision in haste. I didn’t. Time is my friend. Shopping around is the key to finding the right Bocas del Toro real estate. Real estate agents are a good source of information but try to have contact with more than just one agent. I do. It’s good to get different information from different sources. Try and have a look at as many properties up for sale, as possible and that’s what I’m doing. This is the best way to clinch the right deal when it comes to Panama real estate.

Life here has the Latin American spirit but English is spoken widely. I still believe if you are going to live here, you should learn Spanish. Bocas del Toro has been growing into a new vacation destination for people looking to escape the cold winters of the north. It offers some of the best priced beach front properties in the world. So we went to take a look.

For a little bit of history for you, it's a diverse place and Bocas is the home for at least two of the indigenous peoples. You can visit their villages by invitation when you go there. See how they have lived for 1000’s of years. The villages are located within Bastimentos National Marine Park, one of Panama’s national parks.

The town of Bocas situated on the south eastern tip of Isla Colon and has a modern infrastructure, with a treated water system, paved streets, a hospital with ambulance service, restaurants, a few new hotels, internet services, cable TV, and even a fire department. How do you get to Bocas? Travel is easy, either by air, land or sea. You can catch one of several flights from Panama City. There is also a water taxi service from Almirante or you can drive your car and take the ferry from Almirante. Like I said, we drove and took the ferry. I wanted to soak in the scenery so I took the scenic root. I am not in the habit of rushing anymore.

On the islands with their beautiful beaches, you can witness the rainforests and all the tropical wildlife and greenery. The birds and mammals (turtles), mangroves, and coral reefs are spectacular. We spent some time there snorkeling close to Cayo Nancy. Watched the surfers at Punch Beach. Walked along the beaches for miles and miles. Visited one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with the strange name of Red Frog Beach. Took pictures. Ate one of the best Panama meals I’ve had at a little restaurant called Guari Guari. Meal was about $20, tons of food. Delicious!

There has been a real estate boom in Bocas, along with a quick growth in tourism to Bocas del Toro. Real estate prices have risen as a result but you can still find some good buys if you are looking to retire in Panama. You have to check out the Bocas del Toro real estate.

My Daily Bread in Panama

I suppose you might be wondering what the food is like down here in Panama. I mostly eat the local food while enjoying my retirement in Panama. Don’t miss much the food from back home because it didn’t seem so healthy when you think about it. When you retire you have to think more about your health and you have the time.

I eat out a lot with friends at restaurants in Panama City. It’s not that expensive. You can dine for about $20 for a full dinner. You will find that people like to go out a lot, celebrate, party, sing, drink, and eat together. It’s quite cheap to eat out in Panama, if you want it to be. I eat a lot of fresh fish, tropical fruits and okay, yes, beer. Add to that, the coffee is fantastic here. It’s grown on the slopes of Volcan Baru, Boquete, hand picked. I suppose you would call it organic coffee but it is delicious. No more Nescafe, on my Panama retirement. It’s so good in the morning as I take my coffee, read the newspaper and then head on over to my computer to check up on things, read emails etc.

Okay, so let’s talk about the Panama cuisine. As I mentioned, there’s a lot of fresh seafood ( a favourite is the exquisite Panama Seviche which is white fish and/or scallops). The fish is marinated with fresh lemon juice overnight, and then you add chopped green chilies, a dash of chili or Tabasco sauce, sliced onions, tomatoes chopped and cup of olive oil garnished with a little chopped pimiento and fresh coriander. It’s so damn good and tasty. Served cold. Cooking generally uses herbs and spices for taste. There’s also heavy Spanish influence to the cooking you will find.

Some of the food I’ve found that’s really popular here in Panama are tortillas which consist of ground maize and then fried. Tamales are a local specialty, the corn is boiled, crushed with spices and then either pork or chicken is added, wrapped in a banana leaf and then boiled. Other things I like to eat are patacones, green fried plaintain. Empanadas are, well, pastry stuffed with cheese, meat or chicken and I try not to eat too many of them because I’m sure they’re responsible for expanding waistlines. Then there’s Tajadas which are plantain sliced length ways and baked with cinnamon. And, I cannot forget Carimañola, made from ground, then boiled yucca, which has minced meat and boiled eggs inside and then fried, Are you hungry yet?

Other food we eat in Panama, which very popular recipes are things like Escabeche of corvine, Ceviche de pollo, Ceviche de corvina al curry, Ceviche de garbanzos, Arroz con pollo, Carimañolas and for dessert, there is my favourite Panamanian dessert Flan de caramelo, which is like a crème caramel custard. Also for dessert, I favour the Pie de limon which you might have already figured out is Lemon Pie.

I’ve tried a little cooking myself and have become somewhat of a skilled Panamanian chef. It’s a hobby you could try taking up if you decide to retire to Panama. Thought I’d write about the food in Panama because it’s a part of my retirement. A big part of daily life, in fact, for me and for you if you decide to retire in Panama. I guess later, I could write about some of the restaurants in Panama where you can eat some of this delicious food. Gotta go, dinner is served!