Single Lady retiring to Panama

Patti....
Your post sounded almost exactly like my situation....would love to hook up!  How best do we do this???

I would love to meet up with other North Americans who are considering a move to Panama (retiring out of the USA).  I'm especially interested in meeting other gals who are likely facing the same concerns as I am.  I'd be happy to hear from you

mgmombo....I plan on moving to Panama at the end of the year and know no one there so yes! I'm definitely interested in finding out more about the whole process....so count me in!! :-)

I had planned on retiring to Panama with my husband, but it turns out I'm going to be single again.  I still want to go, but I'm just a little more concerned making the move on by myself.  Retirement date is March 31, 2020 so I have some time to do some research and figure out Panama on my own.  I'm so glad to see there are other single females making the move.  Hopefully I'll be able to find my small tribe in Panama. I'm not afraid of being there alone, just a little concerned and definitely need to make some friends.

this made me think about one of the many single lady expats here...  http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2016 … /91847270/   I would much rather be single here than in the US if something happened to my husband. This culture has a strong sense of community, supporting each other, and taking care of each other.

What a great article.   I'm fortunate enough to be able to retire at 50 with full benefits, but no husband or children.   Knowing there are other ladies like myself trying to live a happy and comfortable life outside the states makes me feel more confident about my decision, as it is by no means the norm.  I have yet to have anyone say, "Great idea.  I think I'd like to go try that too."

Don't wait for anyone else to tell you that it's a great idea. I heard a lot of "oh I wish i could do that" (well you can!) but mostly, that's crazy! What happens if you get sick? do they have indoor plumbing? and many other fear based questions. We know that everything you need is here and you can have a good life. And, if it doesn't work out you can always do something else. Some people move around until they find the right place for them, or enjoy the moving around life for a while, or find it works and put down roots.
I'm assuming that your marriage went kaput. That totally sucks but what better therapy than doing something radically different, having a great adventure, and making a great life for yourself! Normal is boring and quite overrated

It's funny, even as as single man, I have yet to meet anyone who thinks retireing to Panama even on a semi basis is a good idea. OYE!

I think everyone that thinks it's a good idea is already there!  😀

You're right.  I am just going to go on a Panamanian sabaticle and try different areas at least a month at a time to see if I can find a good fit.  You are so encouraging!  Thanks so much!

Hi, I was wondering why you left or are leaving Ecuador? My dream is to move to Panama, I'm just afraid it will be to expensive in four years, so equador was is my second choice. Thank you for your time.
Riiibitfrog

hi solochick,
I am married, but was single for 15 years and quiite independant.  My 2 cents worth, also says, "Go for it."
we are snowbirds, but I think retiring here, if you have the financial means, is better.  And you can keep us in mind, if you like the area we live in, we have an extra bedroom upstairs, with an ocean view, and your own kitchenette, and bath downstairs..

Hi, thanks, for the reply. I'm not sure how all of this works. I'm a technology idiot, lol. Do we exchange emails ?
Riiibitfrog

hi,
yes, we can see, my address is alwaysstraightupatgmail.
Your concern about prices, is a good one.  Food has really
gone up this last year.  maybe things will change in 2 years??l

Thank you so much Panamachick for the encouragement!  Which area do you and your husband reside?   How did you decide on that area?   What do you love about being there and what has taken some adjusting to?  I  would really appreciate any advice you would like to share!  My biggest concern is making sure I'm someplace that is safe, and of course, that I love.  If you want to correspond through private message on here please let me know and I  will send you a message so we can correspond that way.  It's really easy.

For the unvarnished truth about Panama check out Connie's blog at www. ourthirdlifepedasi .com, take out the spaces.
For the best map of Panama and stunning hand illustrated Panamanian Nature Guides of the flora, fauna and fish of Panama, check out www. expatimports .com, take out the spaces.

Hi PattiH
Just read your post and wanted to convey that I too am considering moving to Panama this year some time.  It would be great to have someone to "bounce" things off on.  I haven't done mch traveling and am more than alittle apprehensive about this.  But I too live off a small retirement and I too am looking for some place I live and have it affordable.  Have you gotten very many replys to your post?

Suzan

Panama is becoming more and more an expensive and hostile country for foreigners, local people do not like immigrants. They're pushing politicians to make immigration process more dificult and expensive than actually is!

Local people is quite agresive with foreigners...

I suggest you contact Ken Neal who has a number of cabins in Alto Boquete.  We stayed there for a month while investigating the area.  Have been in David for 8 years now.

Ken Neal-Momentum    ***

Local people is quite agressive with foreigners... Well, that could very well be the case in Panama City, but not really in the rest of the country......Maybe not the most sociable or service oriented people in Latin Amer but generally not aggressive ........Compared to Hawaii, not even noticeable........plenty of other downsides tho.......

This topic "Single Lady retiring in Panama" started in Feb 2013 and the last post from the person who started the topic was in 2013.  I would suggest not replying to this topic since the person who started the post has changed plans to Columbia and/or Cuenca, Ecuador and that was in late 2013.

Hi Patti!
I'm ChristyK from Richmond VA, USA. I've just joined this Panama forum (among others) and was pleasantly surprised to read your post! Word for word you and I could be carbon copies!
Have you left yet? My grown daughter and I were to be in the David/Boquete area last February, but an emergency surgery for my daughter on Christmas Day...postponed our plans. Life happens and you recalculate!  My plan now is to get there as soon as I can (sooner if I win Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes's in December!), hoping within 3 years latest!!
I'd like us to keep up on our adventures, advice, information and optimism !
Respectfully, ChristyK 😊

I'm also a single woman looking to retire in Panama, I have been staying in the David area between David and Boquete. This area does seem to suit some people, but not me so far, too much like the city that I trying to get away from with traffic and buildings. Traffic in David is really bad and I don't think I'm ever going to feel comfortable getting into a car and driving around here. I am going to check out the Las Tablas area next for a couple of weeks and then move on to another area, most likely in Bocas del Toro. I've actually retired and have the opportunity to do nothing but travel around Panama and explore. Since it is now November you're probably not here any longer. I have decided to check out various regions, mountains, beaches, jungle... No commitments until next year(or not) plan to go back to the US for a few months to spend Summers up there with my sisters and then return next September or October. Not looking for any romantic relationships and would be great to have a friend to hang out with and do activities with, so next time you're here let's get in touch!

Hi Candy,

Yes, David has been growing so much that traffic and city issues are starting to rear their heads. 

Since you are in David now, you may want to check out Puerto Armuelles.  It is only 1 and 15 minutes away from David.  It is a beach town, not a city, and has the slower pace of a beach town.

Puerto Armuelles is a beach town that was built by Chiquita Banana starting in the late 1920s, so it has a unique look and feel.   

There are a number of independent single women living here in Puerto.  You may want to check it out while you are in the area.   

Best wishes,
Betsy

I definitely will! Thank you!

I am retiring to Boquete, Panama at the end of the year. I took a relocation tour of the country earlier this year. I am in my early 60s, love adventure and travel and found other similar folks in the Boquete area.

Tampa? We moved here from Sarasota. Now we are down the hill in David. I hope you are as happy as we have been here!

That's my plan!
Chris

Thanks Zeus! I appreciate your eyesight. I missed that date in my excitement!  Definitely want the most updated information 😏

Hi

I am a single lady and looking at retiring to Panama.  Would like to find another to explore or rent a home with.  This is my first adventure in quite a very long time.  I have tried to watch some videos on Panama which i have found interesting.  Would like to learn more about health care, health insurance, places to live,  finding a expatriate community, exploring other places in Panama, all the usual questions one has and one would need to know.  Any input from others already living and exploring with the pros and cons would be very helpful as well.  Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from other single ladies or just anyone who has advice on the move and living in Panama.  Thank you so very much.

I imagine google can help you find a lot of answers. Here's a list of blogs that might also be helpful
http://www.panamaforreal.com/ Panama City and eastern Panama
http://www.panamadiaries.com/  Panama City
http://pty.life/  Panama City
http://blog.thepanamaadventure.com/  David
http://www.chiriquichatter.net/  David
http://www.anewlifeinparadise.com/  David
http://onemoregoodadventure.com/  Chiriqui (Boquerón)
http://panamaprattle.blogspot.com/https://latitudeadjustmentblog.com/ Boquete
http://hollycarter184.wordpress.com/  Boquete
http://tombseekers.wordpress.com/  Boquete
https://bobandsuzisperpetualvacation.wordpress.com/  Gorgona
http://www.ourthirdlifepedasi.com/  Pedasi
http://indacampo.wordpress.com/  Pedasi
http://panamadude.com/ Pedasi
http://time4panamaniacs.blogspot.com/ Panama City
http://panamaforbeginners.com/  Panama City, and general info for expats.
http://www.2RetireesinPanama.blogspot.com  Chame and Coronado area
http://blog.wanderpanther.com/  travels all over Panama
http://panamajen.blogspot.com/  A peace corp volunteer in the Cormaca

Thank you for forwarding all of the blogs..... It will be very useful to many of us and it is  greatly appreciated.

Oh good, thank you, glad you will find them helpful. Not all are still active but there is still a lot of good info there from people living the life here.

Wow.....some good stuff there, like this adventurous guy who was living right here below me in Boqueron for years and I never knew him......Hes already off on another sailing adventure at 74 yrs old..........Thnx for the leads......

We met him when he was selling a motorcycle. We didn't buy it but we were friends ever since. He went back to the US for medical care and his dream of living on a boat. He's doing ok, but says he's really missing Panama after reading my last blog post about the holiday weekend here. His Panamanian friends and neighbors treated him like family and that doesn't happen much in the US.

It doesnt happen much here either, jaja.........Tell me Kristc, was he livin in a house in lower Boqueron renting from Pablo ? For a long while there was a French guy and a Swiss guy I think living in the two or three houses behind Pablos family......

We, my husband and I have come here now, 6, 7 ? years now, for the winter.  And I will tell you how I
have changed, based on my experiences.  You hear stories, right? and most of them are true, I think, and because you have NO personal experience BEFORE you come, that is most of us, of course, there is
wisdom in being cautious.  My first year, I was not sure of any of my neighbours.  They looked different,
spoke different and I was sure they were out to rob me blind, lol.  Then I found out they were friendly! lol,
and we were sort of a novelty, and they were always will to lend a helping hand, on spur of the moment,
carrying something to the house, too heavy for us, like a granite table, helping solve of problem with bugs,
And yeah sometimes we fight, but then we are friends again!!,  Last year we were adding a 20.ft. water
drainage tube, then hired a backhoe to backfill the area to make a new parking space for a car.  Well,
they were upset, and we did not know why.  They talked about calling the police, lol.  It turns out they
are the boss of the water lines, and we need to consult them first, because if there is a break in the
waterlines, many people are affected!! Sounds fair right?  well, there was one leaky tube, a smaller one, but it had nothing to with us, it was there before our work began, because it had not been repaired with any glue, and they had used the substd., paper thin tube to save money.  We thought it
should be repaired immediately so me and my husband, in the dark with a flashlight did an immediate repair so that no neighbour below us would lose water!,  However, "the bosses" were NOT at all concerned about this already leak, they were only wanting a 2 inch diameter tube, even though it was not broken so we did not understand why IT was an emergency that night, after dark and so did not come back from the store with it, and after that they never asked for it again, lol.
I am way off track here!!, Anyway, I now come and and stay at our house myself for a couple of weeks
at a time and feel completely safe and were something to happen to my husband, I WOULD live here
by myself.  It's funny though, because Panamaian women generally don't do that!  I have a panamaian neighbour whose american husband died 6 months ago, and her brother comes and stays there at
night so she does not have be there alone at night, lol.

I don't know his landlord. I remember turning north at the main intersection on the highway, going up a mile or so, a bus stop, turning down a residential street and he was in a 2 story White House at the end. If you get to the town park you went to far. That probably doesn't tell you much. He's from the US so probably not one of Pablo's guys.

dumluk wrote:

It doesnt happen much here either, jaja.........Tell me Kristc, was he livin in a house in lower Boqueron renting from Pablo ? For a long while there was a French guy and a Swiss guy I think living in the two or three houses behind Pablos family......

If something happened to my husband I would definitely stay here. I'd have much more support and community ties here.

We are lucky to have very good friends Across the street that we can go to with questions. That could have helped in the water line miscommunication, for example. Things don't always make sense to us when they are done differently here.

And women, I think we have talked about this, they tend to be cared for and watched over more than we are. They think I am very unusual for traveling by myself. There is a single older woman in the neighborhood and the whole neighborhood is aware and watches out for her, parks a car at the house to make it look more occupied, checks in on her, etc. It's not considered normal for a woman, especially of her age, to be alone so everyone is worried.

Merry Christmas!

panamachick wrote:

We, my husband and I have come here now, 6, 7 ? years now, for the winter. 
And I will tell you how I
have changed, based on my experiences.  You hear stories, right? and most of them are true, I think, and because you have NO personal experience BEFORE you come, that is most of us, of course, there is
wisdom in being cautious.  My first year, I was not sure of any of my neighbours.  They looked different,
spoke different and I was sure they were out to rob me blind, lol.  Then I found out they were friendly! lol,
and we were sort of a novelty, and they were always will to lend a helping hand, on spur of the moment,
carrying something to the house, too heavy for us, like a granite table, helping solve of problem with bugs,
And yeah sometimes we fight, but then we are friends again!!,  Last year we were adding a 20.ft. water
drainage tube, then hired a backhoe to backfill the area to make a new parking space for a car.  Well,
they were upset, and we did not know why.  They talked about calling the police, lol.  It turns out they
are the boss of the water lines, and we need to consult them first, because if there is a break in the
waterlines, many people are affected!! Sounds fair right?  well, there was one leaky tube, a smaller one, but it had nothing to with us, it was there before our work began, because it had not been repaired with any glue, and they had used the substd., paper thin tube to save money.  We thought it
should be repaired immediately so me and my husband, in the dark with a flashlight did an immediate repair so that no neighbour below us would lose water!,  However, "the bosses" were NOT at all concerned about this already leak, they were only wanting a 2 inch diameter tube, even though it was not broken so we did not understand why IT was an emergency that night, after dark and so did not come back from the store with it, and after that they never asked for it again, lol.
I am way off track here!!, Anyway, I now come and and stay at our house myself for a couple of weeks
at a time and feel completely safe and were something to happen to my husband, I WOULD live here
by myself.  It's funny though, because Panamaian women generally don't do that!  I have a panamaian neighbour whose american husband died 6 months ago, and her brother comes and stays there at
night so she does not have be there alone at night, lol.