Hey everybody,
Yesterday, I wrote about the real costs of living in Panama, and one of the things I wanted to do was add a list of all the prices you'd find at a Panama City supermarket. So, today I did just that. I went to the Rey in Chanis, walked up and down the aisles and took notes on all the prices. Because I have a plugin that makes charts easy at the Panama For Real site, I put it together over there. Trying to make it work here in this blog is nearly impossible, so if you'd like to see the post I put together, please click on the link below and you'll be taken to that blog post at Panama For Real. Thanks so much for reading. Hope you like it.
Chris
http://www.panamaforreal.com/the-real-supermarket-costs-in-panama/
Friday, January 10, 2014
Thursday, January 9, 2014
The Real Cost of Living in Panama
I thought I'd write about cost of living today. I go over cost of living in each destination we cover at Panama For Real (www.PanamaForReal.com), but it's very location specific in those reports. So, here in this blog post, I want to cover cost of living in general. What does that mean?
Things like cable TV, Internet, phone service, cell phone service, gas (for cooking or gas dryers), and many other budget categories won't change much, no matter where you're living in this country. However, some of the others, like rent, electricity, entertainment, and food costs can fluctuate depending on where you base yourself.
I decided to write this post after visiting a mini-supermarket across the street from El Panama Hotel on New Year's Eve. It was hours before the festivities would begin, the kids were hungry, so I walked across the street with my daughter to get some snacks for the hotel room. While I was there, I was appalled by the prices I saw on the shelves. Everyone knows if you buy snacks in a hotel gift shop, you're going to get price gauged, but a mini-super across the street charging outrageous prices? Come on.
A bag of Cheetos that would usually cost less than $3 was going for $4.95. A bag of Doritos that would cost $.99 anywhere else, was priced at $3. A six pack of beer, local brand, that would cost maybe $3.50 was priced at $5. Then, I overheard a couple speaking English in the next aisle. I heard the husband ask the wife if she wanted coffee. I rounded the corner and saw that he was holding a medium size bag of coffee that would cost $4.95 in any supermarket in Panama. I heard him say to his wife, "It's $7.95." I immediately walked up to him and whispered in his ear that he shouldn't buy the coffee. I told him that the Rey supermarket was right around the corner and would sell the same bag for less than $5.
See? Less than $5
This reminded me of how much the cost of living fluctuates across this country. For anyone living right there, in the heart of the city, near the hotels and casinos, price gauging is a way of life. Imagine you're one of these young college-age kids moving to Panama to teach English. Most of them get an apartment in the middle of the city where they think the prices in their immediate vicinity are fair prices, the norm for living in Panama. That might not be the case.
Panama City isn't a low-budget destination anymore
Now, for those living there, in the heart of the city, higher priced foods and utilities is something they have to get used to, because, for the most part, it wouldn't make sense to travel far away for a tub of butter or a gallon of milk. This is important to know when establishing the budget you'll need when moving to Panama.
So, what I'd like to do is take the general budget that I use when putting together the PFR Location Reports, and break each section down. So, let's start with Rent.
How much will it cost for a roof over my head?
Rent is one of those things that varies, depending on where you're living. I'm going to be honest here, and tell you, straight up, that Panama City is not a budget destination anymore. Not for most people and definitely not for people wanting to move here on a shoestring budget.
Where we lived in Villa Lucre
Can you find low-cost rent? Sure, well, I guess that depends on what your idea of low-cost rent is. The problem is, in many of the places where the rent is lower, safety can sometimes become an issue. For example, in places like San Antonio, Cerro Viento, Brisas del Golf, and Villa Lucre (this cluster of neighborhoods is located on Ave. Domingo Diaz near the outdoor shopping center, Los Pueblos), it's still possible to find 2-3 bedroom houses for rent, for as low as $700 per month. I've lived in Villa Lucre and had no problem at all. However, right behind Villa Lucre is an area called Samaria, which is one of lower income areas known for being not-so-safe, especially for foreigners.
Samaria, on the hill, in the background
Brisas del Golf has some very nice homes, homes that start at $800 per month and skyrocket from there. I'd live in Brisas del Golf and wouldn't be concerned at all. Brisas is close to Metro Mall and has a Pricesmart (like Costco) and nice restaurants and supermarkets. The traffic into and out of the area is insane most hours of the day.
Brisas del Golf from above. See the higher-income gated community in back?
My wife tells me all the time about homes getting burglarized in Brisas. And I know it's true. So, you can live there, and probably be fine, but you have to understand that for the lower rent, you're going to be living near the lower income areas and in Panama (much like anyplace else), as much as I hate to say this, a lot of the time it's The Haves and The Have Nots.
Rent in Marbella's banking district can be quite expensive
So, realistically, unless you're planning on renting a room in someone's apartment (which is a popular set up for single people here), to live in a decent area, you can expect to pay at least $800 per month, and that's very low. Looking online, just now, I saw a 3-bedroom apartment in Juan Diaz going for $650, but in that area you'd be living very local. If you want to live in the nicer parts of the city, downtown Panama City, and want an apartment you should be looking at the following areas, and expect to pay closer to $1,000+ per month: Obarrio, El Carmen, El Cangrejo, San Francisco, Marbella, and Bella Vista, Punta Pacifica (I'm sure I've missed a few, but those are the main ones I can think of right now), going from the lower end to extremely high-end.
Costa del Este, which is a suburb on the outskirts of Panama City (I reported on Costa del Este here), has apartments starting at $800 per month, but you have to search for them.
This place in Costa del Este had rentals starting at $1,200 per month
A good majority of the people wanting to move to Panama have no interest in living in the city. It's the interior of the country that holds great appeal. So what is the rent like once you abandon the high-rise condos and the hectic Panama City streets? Not all places outside of the city are super affordable, but most of the time you will get more bang for your buck.
Coronado, Boquete, and El Valle de Anton are probably the three most expat-friendly, move-in-ready destinations, which of course makes them a lot more costly. Rent in Coronado and in El Valle de Anton is usually around $1,400 on the low end. You'll find homes in Boquete advertised at $1,000 and up. My friends and readers living in these areas, please let us know what you think about these figures in the comments below as I've visited all three, but haven't done a serious investigation yet (although we definitely will before 2014 is over).
This house in Penonomé was going for $700 per month rent
In smaller towns like Aguadulce (read my Aguadulce report here), Penonomé (read my Penonomé report here), Rio Hato, Anton (not El Valle), Capira, Las Tablas, and many other places, you can find homes for rent for as low as $300 per month. The trick is, in any destination, if you're able to, don't stick to the Internet or real estate agents to find rentals. Sure, if you have no other way to go about your search, these methods will suffice, but the real bargains are found when you visit the area, make friends, and find out about rentals by word of mouth. Sometimes a trip to the local supermarket will yield great results. You might find the advertisement for a two-bedroom house pinned to the wall near the front door, going for only $400, in a market where the lowest price you found online was $1,000 per month. People know there's a good chance that anyone looking for a rental online is probably a foreigner, and foreigners are usually unaware of the going prices and usually have more to spend.
So, keep reading our location reports at www.PanamaForReal.com, and if you want to compare the cost of living in different towns we've covered, check out our Budget Snapshot here.
Also, I've yet to find a real estate agent to work with. I've found realtors who are very location specific, but if any readers or friends of readers would like to work with us and are really interested in helping our readers find a home here in Panama (not ripping them off), please get in contact with me at chris@panamaforreal.com. I love the immigration attorney we're working with and it'd be great to find a real estate agent we can have the same type of relationship with.
In the meantime, if you find that you really do need to search for something on the Internet, the two websites I use all the time are http://www.encuentra24.com/panama-en/classifieds and http://www.compreoalquile.com/.
How much will it cost to power my home?
Electricity is one of those things that Panamanians have mastered and we foreigners can't seem to get a good grasp on. I know. I'm living it day by day. When I travel around this country, I always try to figure out the average electric bill. That's difficult because one person might run their air conditioner all day long while another might not even own one. Most Panamanians don't use an air conditioner, or if they do, it's usually only in the bedroom. Most have gotten used to keeping the windows open and fans going. This significantly reduces the electric bill.
My electric bill, having a family of six of us, all spoiled by living in the U.S. where we always used our central air system, hovers close to $300 per month. That hits my wallet hard. So, this is something you have to keep in mind when putting together your budget. If you live in Panama City, which is hot most of the time, and you live near the ground floor, you'll need to use an air conditioner or get used to the heat. If you live on the penthouse floor, you might be able to get used to just letting the breeze blow in, but let's face it, if you can afford to live on he penthouse floor, you can probably afford to crank up your AC.
From up here in Nancito you might not need an AC
In places like Volcan (read my Volcan report here) and Boquete and even the mountain town that's super close to Panama City, Cerro Azul (read my Cerro Azul report here), there's a good chance you'd never need to run the air conditioner. In these places, the nights are quite cool, sometimes even requiring the use of a fireplace. You might find daytime temperatures in he 70s and nighttime temperatures in the 50s.
From Cerro Azul the views are amazing and the weather is cool
When I first moved here, I had a container shipped with all of our furniture and stuff, but I decided to buy our appliances in Panama. I wanted everything electric. I'd used a gas dryer and stove when I lived in Aurora, Illinois, and I hated having gas appliances. I was warned, over and over again, that I'd be better off buying a gas dryer and stove here. I eventually conceded and bought gas appliances. I'm so glad I did. Not only has it helped reduce my electric bill a little bit, but it has helped greatly anytime Panama City has had any issue with electric. Power dips and power outages occur quite often. Not so often that it's a concern, but they happen, and every time we were without power, I was so happy I had a gas stove. Plus, for most people without kids, you can pick up one of the $5 propane tanks to cook with and it'll last you at least a month. I use a $5 tank for my dryer and have the gas company deliver the huge 3 month tanks (usually around $45 per tank) for the stove.
Gas tanks being delivered to Cerro Azul
So, to wrap this electric issue up, I'd say that in most towns, especially the small towns in the interior, you'd be safe to budget about $150 per month. That should give you some wiggle room. Again, remember, if you use the AC all day every day, you can see bills upwards of $300.
If you've looked at any of the budgets on the PFR site, you'll notice that I've never included water and garbage. I probably should. These are usually very low, especially if you don't have kids and aren't letting them play in the front yard with the hose every day. The costs vary depending in which zone you live. Water and garbage collection are usually combined on one bill and will probably cost you less than $30 per month total. I'm not in the very affordable zone and my current water bill is $20 and our garbage bill is $8.
Here are a few good websites to know. Just FYI, most of the websites I give you in this blog post will be in Spanish.
Ensa (for electric): http://www.ensa.com.pa/
Idaan (for water): http://www.idaan.gob.pa/
Panagas (gas): http://www.panagas.net/
Tropigas (gas): http://www.tropigas.com.pa/
Union Fenosa (gas): http://www.gasnaturalfenosa.com.pa
Cable, Internet, phone, and cell service?
Most people living in Panama will either use Cable TV or satellite and the Internet and phone service is usually wrapped up in the package. The basic bundle typically costs about $45 for all three and of course becomes more expensive if you add extra channels and higher speed Internet.
Cell phone, Blackberry, and Smartphone service really depends on the provider you decide to go with and whether or not you own the phone. If you go with one of those plans where they give you the phone, your bill will be a lot more expensive. A friend of mine got a new Smartphone and one of the more expensive plans and her monthly bill was about $100.
3 cell phone providers are located at this end of Metro Mall
On the other hand, I bought my own phone, got it hooked up so that I have data for $10 plus tax per month, which allows me to check Facebook, chat with anyone who has the Whatsapp app downloaded on their phone, and lets me check the Internet. I buy talk time minutes at the supermarket cash register. I don't talk on my phone a lot, so I just buy the $5 prepaid card and it lasts me awhile. I put the code into my phone and I have $5 worth of talk time. One cool thing about Panama is you don't pay when you receive a call. So you can literally have no minutes at all on your phone and still answer the phone and talk if someone calls you. I remember in the States, the majority of the charges on my bill were from incoming calls. That's ridiculous. I like the Panama way of thinking. My monthly bill is about $11 per month, plus $5 in minutes if I want it. I chat with everyone through Whatsapp, Facebook chat, and Google chat, so it's rare that I call anyone.
My mom and brother were on the computer
singing happy birthday with us on Skype
Speaking of calling people, we keep in touch with family back home very easily. I've heard lots of talk about the Magic Jack and other services like it, but we just stick with Skype. We Skype with my mom every Sunday, completely free. Since we both have skype, we connect for no charge. Grandma Jackie gets to see the kids every Sunday.
Anytime I want to make an actual phone call to the States I just buy one of the $5 Telechip International cards, which gives me 5 hours talk time. The hours expire quickly though so you have to remember to use the card when you have it. So I spend maybe a total of $5 per month to talk to people outside of Panama. You can buy the Telechip International card at the cash register of most supermarkets. They sell $10 cards too.
Here are the links to the main cable companies and cell phone providers in Panama.
Cable Onda (cable TV): http://www.cableonda.com/
Cable & Wirless (cable TV and Mas Movil cell service): http://www.cwpanama.net/residencial/
Sky TV (satellite): http://www.sky.com.pa/sky-ca
Claro (TV, Internet, and cell phone): http://www.claro.com.pa/portal/pa/pc/personas/
Movistar (cell phone): http://www.movistar.com.pa/onsite/index.php
Digicel (cell phone): http://www.digicelpanama.com/
Eating on the cheap
The subject of food costs is one that I dread each month when putting together the budget, because it's so subjective. I have no idea how much each person is going to spend grocery shopping each month. So, I do my best to put together what I imagine a couple spending, with a little bit of room to play with the numbers.
The most expensive budget I put together last year was for Amador Causeway. Most of that was because of the rent. Rent is expensive on the causeway. Unless you're renting a tiny room on someone's parked boat. Even with the cost of living so high on the causeway, I set the monthly food budget at $400. It was the same in Costa del Este, which is another high-rent area. For most of the areas outside of Panama City, in the interior, I set the food costs at about $300. So what creates that difference?
In Panama City, you're more likely to buy imported goods. Velveeta Mac & Cheese, Corona beer, Apple Jacks cereal...the list goes on and on. If you buy things that are imported from the United States or anywhere else, you're going to spend a lot of money. You can reduce your budget while living in the city, simply by not buying so many imported goods. Just take a look at the supermarket tips on the PFR site to read more about that.
Also, in the interior of the country, especially in places like Aguadulce where vendors sell fresh fish plucked from the sea earlier that morning from coolers strapped to the back of their motorcycles, and other vendor sell nearly every fruit and vegetable you can imagine, you can save an incredible amount of money by buying these fresh items right on the street. In Volcan, vendors sell pre-packaged bags of miscellaneous vegetables to include cabbage, carrots, onions, etc. It's amazing, all very healthy, super affordable, and purchasing from these farmers helps them immensely. It's win-win for everyone.
Penonomé's Saturday market
In Penonomé (you can see the video report on Penonomé here), I visited the Saturday market, which goes on every Saturday (and happens in many other towns, even in parts of Panama City). I picked up small bags of tomatoes, onions, green beans, garlic, and 2 heads of cabbage for $6. That's awesome! If I lived in Penonomé, I would never buy fruits or vegetables from a store again. Even in places like Coronado and Boquete, it's typical to see small fresh markets set up on the street, sometimes right out of the bed of someone's pickup truck.
Check out these prices at the Penonomé market
A box of cereal packaged here in Panama might cost $3.65 while the same brand, imported (Lucky Charms is a good example), might cost $6.65. That's a three dollar difference for the same cereal. I have to admit, sometimes the imported cereal tastes better...but then again...sometimes the Panamanian version tastes better. A six-pack of Panamanian beer will cost just over $3, usually about $.57 per can. A six-pack of imported beer can cost around $8.
$4.69 for these Nestle Lucky Charms, while at the same store...
$7.09 for the General Mills Lucky Charms!
What about having a little bit of fun? What can I expect to spend on entertainment?
This is another subject that can vary depending on where you live. If you live up on the mountain of Cerro Azul, you'll find that there's very little to spend money on. You'll find a ton of walking trails and places to picnic or bird watch, but you won't spend a dime on entertainment unless you travel down the mountain. So it depends on you.
If you live in Panama City, near Calle Uruguay, you're more likely to head out to the clubs, the bars, and the fancy restaurants. Or even there you can save money by hanging out on the Cinta Costera for free.
Free fun for the kids on the Cinta Costera in Panama City
If you live in Volcan, you can climb the volcano or fish in the river, or you can go to the pool hall or spend money in the few restaurants around.
So how will you entertain yourself? Answer this, and you'll have a better idea how much to budget for entertainment. A young man on one of the Facebook pages challenged my budget in Condado del Rey, explaining that my $2,000 budget was not realistic as he easily spends $3,000+ in Panama City. Of course you can spend $3,000+ in Panama City. It all depends on your lifestyle. He likes to go out and have a good time. That requires a significant amount of money.
If you live in Condado del Rey, a nice suburb of the city (read the Condado del Rey report here), you'll find a lot of small restaurants in town. You really don't have to leave the area unless you want to. You might only spend money on rent, utilities, and dining out once a week, or you can drive to Zona Viva on the Amador Causeway and party every night away. So, again, if you're retiring in Panama, just wanting to chill and relax, you can do that on the cheap, but if you're here to go nuts and party every night, it'll be just as expensive as partying on Miami's South Beach.
Condado del Rey, Panama City
My final thought on entertainment is, if you plan to dine out once a week, give yourself a good $200 extra for entertainment ($50 per dinner), a little more if you're headed to downtown Panama City. At a small restaurant in Las Tablas, I paid $5 for rice, beans, meat, soup, and juice. So you might spend much less than $50, or of course, you can find restaurants where you'll spend more.
What if I need frequent medical attention?
I'm asked all the time about health insurance and the cost of medical care. I find the medical care in Panama to be much more affordable than in the U.S., and the doctors, God bless them, seem to actually care about solving the problem. I've never felt like a number here in Panama.
I don't have health insurance. I know I need to with a family, and figure it out eventually, but the cost of medical care is so affordable here that I just haven't done it yet. My son went to the doctor a couple of weeks go and we paid $12 for the consultation and were given a prescription for medicine, which ended up costing about $10. My wife saw the doctor for $12 and then paid $11 for an injection. We took our son to the dermatologist for $40. We had no insurance during these trips. I've written about all this before.
Dr. Tiberio A. Rodriguez Calvo, a great dermatologist
I've seen that you can get full-coverage health insurance for about $140, if you're within the age limit. I honestly don't know much about health insurance. If you want to know more about insurance, the best expert I can refer you to is Kevin Bradley at http://panamakevin.com/. Check out his site and shoot him an email if you need insurance info.
In every budget I've put together, I always add $50 for doctor visits. I figure, for a routine doctor visit, you'll pay about $25 (of course anything extra will cost more). So, for two people to each see the doctor, that's $50 per month. This is at the small clinics in most towns. If you head to the larger hospitals you might have to pay a little more for a consultation.
I also try to add a little bit for medication. I have no idea what your medication needs are. You might not need medication at all. I have borderline diabetes, so I just take a pill each day and I also take a pill for high blood pressure. I spend about $45 per month on medication. One of the cool things about Panama is the ability to not only purchase many of the medicines right over the counter that you'd need a prescription for back home, but you can also buy most medicines by the pill. So if you're running low on cash and there's only ten days until your next paycheck, buy 10 pills of the medicine you need instead of the whole pack.
What if I want to check out the rest of Panama?
Cash for travel is another category I've included in the budget, but it's often difficult to nail down a number. In most places in Panama, you can get by without owning a car. This is important because if you're making payments on a vehicle back home, you won't be able to bring it with you. Or if you just don't feel like shipping a car. In these scenarios, you might find yourself without a vehicle. It's not that big of a deal. For me, having a big family, it's a lot harder to get by without a car, but if I were single, I think I'd enjoy taking taxis and taking the bus.
Panama City in the evening
In most of the small towns in the interior, you could easily get by without a car. Taxis to anywhere in the immediate vicinity will usually cost no more than $2 and buses are very affordable, only $.25 in the city. In places like Boquete or Penonomé or Volcan, where things are a little more spread out, it would probably be easier with a car. In Aguadulce you can walk just about anywhere you need to go, then hop in a taxi if you want to go to the beach. In Las Tablas, if you live near the town center, you wouldn't need a car to do most things.
The town center at Las Tablas
So travel inside of town I usually set at about $20 per month. I met a couple living on the beach in Las Tablas, who refused to buy a car. They didn't see the point. They lived on the beach, with great seafood restaurants nearby, and if they needed to head into the main part of town, they either hopped in a cab or took a bus. The cost of maintaining a vehicle, paying for gas and insurance, and renewing registration each year just wasn't appealing to them.
Uverito beach, just outside of Las Tablas
Traveling outside of the immediate area will cost a little bit too. You'll either spend money on gas if you own a vehicle, or take buses that are very inexpensive. From Albrook terminal in Panama City to Penonomé I paid $5. From Albrook to Aguadulce, I paid $6. From Albrook to Las Tablas I paid $9. So you can see how inexpensive it is to get around. Plus, once you're out in the interior, buses from one small town to the other are very affordable. I paid $2.40 to take the bus from Las Tablas to Pedasi. You can get on a bus in Coronado and head up to the mountain town of El Valle de Anton for less than a tank of gas, for sure.
I think it's safe to allow yourself $20 for traveling inside of town (a little more if you plan to take taxis everywhere instead of walking a little bit) and $40 for one trip out of town per month. That gives you $20 each, roundtrip. If you travel very far, like maybe from Panama City to David, you might need to allow yourself a little more.
Any extras
To make sure you're able to buy some of the extras, like bath soap, a T-shirt, toothpaste, a toothbrush, etc., I always put an extra $50 on the budget.
Other things to consider
I hope that I've been able to give you fair examples of what the cost of living would be like in Panama. Of course there are things I can't account for in every budget. If you're here with school-age children, and you're planning to enroll them in a Panama school (rather than homeschool them), the costs of schooling can be very expensive, so that's something you'd definitely need to add to your budget. For a list of schools, with links to schools and prices, check out my post on that here.
Something else you might want to leave room in your budget for is your want or need to travel back and forth to your home country. If this is something you imagine doing at least once per year, add a section of your budget for savings. Maybe save $50 per month to add towards your travel fees. If you imagine you'll spend a great deal of time in the casinos (a lot of people do that here) don't start dipping into your food funds, instead, create a casino section of your budget. Oh, and if you're not moving here legally, full-time, as in going for your pensionado visa or something like that, remember you'll need to spend money every 6 months making a border run, so save for that.
Living in Panama can be very rewarding and it's not as difficult as some people think. I honestly don't recommend it for people needing to work here, as I'm finding out it's very difficult to make money here, but if you have retirement income or any other income to live off of, life here can be great. Just make sure you keep track of your funds. I hope this post helps.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
Monday, January 6, 2014
Monday Q and A - Traveling around Panama, contacting home, best places to visit, and much more.
Happy New Year!
Can you believe it's 2014 already, the year President Martinelli plans to finish up everything? Seriously, living in Panama, it seems the answer to every challenge and every new project is, "It will be completed in 2014."
So hopefully this year means an end to our traffic woes (with the new Metro train station due to be completed by the end of this year). I hope you all had the chance to see our New Year video. I posted it on our Panama For Real Facebook page and on our Youtube channel, but incase you missed it, here's the link to that video. I tried to embed it, but for some reason it's not working right now. So here's that link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBk4NwThXo0
We had a great time at El Panama Hotel with Orquesta Zafiro, Samy y Sandra Sandoval, and Aldo Ranks all performing until very early the next morning. I think the music stopped at 6am. I retired to the hotel room with the boys at about 1am. They passed out right away. Marlene and the girls partied until about 4am. It was a lot of fun.
So, I took a brief holiday break to spend time with the family, but I'm back now, and ready to get today's Monday Q and A going. We've got a lot of information to cover as I've been receiving lots of emails over the past two weeks. As always, I invite you to add to my answers in the comments section. So many people have so much great info to offer, so let's all share. Okay, here we go.
Les wrote (via email):
"Just read your article on taking the bus and being scammed for baggage charges. My wife and I will arive in Panama mid January and plan to travel around the country a fair bit. We're from Canada, currently in Ecuador for 3 months, and now realizing we packed way too heavy. We have two large 50-pound suitcases and two smaller ones about 25-pounds each. I think it would be reasonable for the bus company to charge us for extra baggage, but wondering if you have any info to share on that point? Also, the security of bags checked under the bus, how is that monitored? Thanks in advance for any info or advice you can share with us."
Chris replied:
"Hi Les,
"You'll be glad to know there are a lot of Canadians here. There's even a Canadian Report every Wednesday from my friend Michael Drouillard on Cool 89.3 FM. If you haven't seen Michael's site, you should definitely check it out at www.canpanconnection.ca. He has a lot of great info on his site and he's a really nice guy.
"As far as I know, you shouldn't be charged any extra for bags. I've been told that no one pays extra for bags. I know when you're just here visiting, and have all your vacation cash, an extra $5 doesn't seem like much, so if it's mentioned and you're okay with that, then go ahead and pay it. I don't think it'll even be mentioned though. I just happened to run into a crook. I've been here a long time and I don't have the money I had when I first arrived. I live like a local and definitely notice when someone is price gouging me, so every $5 counts, lol.
"Depending on what kind of bus you're taking, and this depends a lot on where you're traveling, you may find your bags on top of a Coaster-style bus or in the bottom compartment of a nice Greyhoud-style bus. To be honest with you, there's no real security system in place for your bag. But I suppose it's no different from having your bag thrown into the bottom of a bus in the U.S. or anyplace else. Once it's in, it's in. I'd just hang around and watch them stow it away. Then get off the bus quickly enough and wait for your bag. If you don't, they will just sit it out on the curb until you get there (that's probably the biggest security risk).
"Keep anything valuable on you or in a carry-on just in case. I've never had anything taken out of my bags while riding the bus and I've ridden quite a few. Hope this helps. Thanks for checking out the site and for your email."
Dan wrote (via email):
"Do Telechip International cards only work from pay phones, as I've read, or from cell phones and private phones as well? Enjoyed the travelogue about Penonomé, but it doesn't seem to be a place we'd like. Thanks anyway because the towns/areas and cities that are not to our liking are useful information also."
Chris replied:
"Hi Dan,
"I've never used a Telechip International card on a payphone. I use mine from a regular landline phone. I've never tried on a cell phone. I've called the U.S. from a cell phone here, with the regular prepaid minutes cards. It works fine that way, it just eats up your minutes really fast. When I first moved here, before discovering the Telechip International cards, I'd just buy a $5 or $10 Movistar card (I have my cell phone set up with Movistar), put the minutes into the phone, then call family just as I usually would on any phone. I know I was able to have at least one fairly long conversation. So if you're only calling every once in awhile, that can be an option too, but the Telechip International cards work great and allow more talk time.
"By the way, in order to use your foreign cell phone here in Panama, you'll need to take it to one of the cell phone shops, like the one in the photo below, and have it unlocked. This usually costs about $30, but can vary depending on your phone. An iPhone will probably cost more than one of the old free Nokias. Once it's unlocked, you'll be able to put the chip in from one of Panama's cell phone providers, and use it like a local, with a Panama phone number.
"Thanks for checking out the Penonomé report. Even if you don't imagine living in some of the places we report on, they could still make excellent mini-vacations once you're here."
For anyone wanting to check out the Penonomé written report, click here.
For the Penonomé video report, click here.
Ariel wrote (via email):
"I'm seeking out expatriate communities because it's been my dream to buy a house (someday) in Panama. I'm starting with visiting for spring break. I may join a school or research team, but if not, I want to travel safely as a single female.
"Funny side note, I'm pretty racially ambiguous and even in Vietnam I melted into the crowd easily. I do speak some Spanish but not fluently. I mostly understand it. I'm studying to be an ESL teacher among other subjects.
"So my question is, where are my best resources for connecting to young non-retired communities?"
Chris replied:
"Hi Ariel,
"Are you wanting to live in Panama City or in the interior? If you're looking for young, non-retired folks, you'll probably need to stay in Panama City for the most part. At least start your adventure there.
"My best contact for young expats (and to all the readers, like myself, I know we're all young, right?) would be Skyler, who runs Young Expats in Panama (YEP). The link to the facebook page is below. They're constantly having cool hangouts, meet-and-greets, and fun parties.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngexpatsinpanama/
"I think your best bet, since you're not here yet, would be to get involved in some of the Panama Facebook groups and meet people. I see young expats on these pages all the time. Some of the good ones to know are:
Playa Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/54462871494/
Expats in Panama: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2397416901/
Tropical Cowboys and Cowgirls: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tropicalcowboys/
Panama, land of my heart: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9190600325/
Where? When? How? Panama!: https://www.facebook.com/groups/536740279713342/
"There are others, of course, bust those are just a few to get you started, if you haven't done that already. If any readers have additional info for helping Ariel get in touch with young expats, please tell us in the comments below."
Dave wrote (via email):
"Hi Chris, I'm going to be in Panama in February. What places do you suggest for a 2-3 area experience in your adopted country. I love golf, beaches, yoga, and I love to dance. I'm not a heavy partier but enjoy beautiful, healthy women."
Chris replied:
"Hey Dave. Are you planning to move here eventually or you just want 2-3 beach destinations worth visiting?
"If you're just coming for vacation and want the cool places to hang out, I'd say:
Bocas del Toro
Isla Grande
San Blas
"If you're thinking of living here, and are scoping out where you might want to eventually base yourself, I'd say:
Coronado (beach area with most expats)
Pedasi (best beach area for surfers, expats from all over the world live here, it's a small town)
Bocas del Toro (popular beach area, I hear people looking to move here mention it all the time)
"Some other cool places to visit:
El Valle de Anton (mountain area, but has horse/ATV rentals, ziplining, great fruit/vegetable and souvenir market for tourists)
Casco Viejo (great place to visit in the city, full of jazz bars, hip restaurants and clubs, old fashioned architecture, etc.)
Portobelo (on the Caribbean side near Isla Grande, has cool pirate history, still has canons set up and everything)
Amador Causeway (in the city, has nice restaurants on the water, can rent a bike and cruise up and down the strip)
"If you want to stay at a resort:
Nitro City (plenty of activities, like windsurfing, surfing...just check out the website) http://www.nictrocitypanama.com/
Gamboa Resort (all kinds of rainforest activities) http://www.gamboaresort.com/
Playa Blanca (all inclusive beach resort) http://www.playablancaresort.com/
Hotel Decameron (all inclusive beach resort) http://decameronhotelpanama.com
"That's all I can think of right now. Everyone has his or her favorite resort in Panama, so maybe others will chime in in the comments section and let you know about some other great places to visit."
Allison wrote (via email):
"Happy New Year! I wanted to "pick your brain" and was wondering if you have any ideas for restaurants to try and dine at next week when Ray and I are in Panama City. We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott at Multiplaza Mall. We have not stayed in the city before, so I don't know the layout so to speak. Are there any good restaurants you would recommend near our hotel, or in the mall? They can be Americanized restaurants or not, doesn't matter."
Chris replied:
"Hey Allison and Ray!!!
"I'm glad to hear you're still moving forward with your move. You're gonna be in a great spot at the hotel because you have everything nearby. There's a lot of construction going on right there, but that's usually during the day so it shouldn't bother you much.
"As far as restaurants, at the mall alone you have Fridays, Benihanas, Tony Romas, and a handful of other great restaurants. In the food court you'll find one of my favorite places to eat, Leños y Carbon (you have to try the Pollo Gratinado, butterflied chicken breast covered in melted cheese, and if you'd rather have steak, my wife likes the Punta Palomilla). I know there was a Ruby Tuesday opening up, but I don't think it has yet. And Multiplaza has a movie theater too, just make sure any movie you want to watch is Subtitulada (in English with Spanish subtitles).
"If you like sushi, my favorite seafood/sushi restaurant is right next to the mall. Just look for the 3 big towers next to the mall parking lot, called Torre de Las Americas. The restaurant is called Sake and is located inside the main tower. Just walk out of your hotel, walk through the mall to the opposite end, cross the parking lot, enter the main tower and you'll find it inside the main door on the left hand side. Their website is http://www.sakepanama.com/en/.
"Oh and a good website to know, if you ever want to check restaurant reviews here in Panama is www.degustapanama.com. I think it's mostly in Spanish, but at least you can see how many stars the restaurant you're curious about has earned. Hope some of this helps."
Paul wrote (via comments on PFR site):
"Chris, thank you sooo much for getting this project going! I came across your blog, which in turn led me here (PFR site), after searching for info on putting kids in school in Panama.
"Originally from Seattle, after 10+ years building a life, family, and business in Bolivia, my wife and I feel it's time to leave here, but the States is not very appealing to my wife. We took a short vacation to Panama a couple of months ago on a whim and LOVED it, and the idea has been getting on us ever since to relocate there.
"Your site will undoubtedly help us save a lot of time in doing initial research before we make a trip back to see in person where might be the best fit for us. Best of luck with your endeavor/adventure, and just a side note--have you considered a donation option so people who benefit from your site and would like to could be able to contribute?"
Chris replied:
"Hi Paul. Wow...Bolivia. I hope some of the info on the site helps you guys with your decision. To answer your question, I did recently (like a week ago) put a donation button in the right sidebar of the website. It just says something like, "All this info is free, but if you'd like to buy us a coffee or a beer, you can do so by clicking here." It goes to my Paypal account. So far no donations, but of course any is seriously appreciated. Right now all of the money for traveling (and everything else) is coming out of my pocket. Thanks for mentioning it and thanks again for making use of the site and for participating with your comments. That's what it's all about!"
Kevin wrote (via comments on PFR site):
"Hi Chris, thank you for your efforts to inform us of life in Panama. I will be traveling from the U.K. to Panama in February. To avoid driving through Panama City, I plan to stay the night in the city and get the bus to Penonomé the following day, where I intend to hire a car to continue my journey to David, Las Tablas, etc. If you can remember, are the car rental places you mention in the Penonomé article anywhere near where you get off the bus from the city? Thanks in advance. Cheers."
Chris replied:
"Hi Kevin,
"I don't blame you for wanting to avoid the drive through Panama City. Sadly, neither of the car rental places are super close to the bus stop, but it's kind of funny because once you reach Penonomé, you'll see that people start calling out "Parada!" to stop at regular bus stops along the way. By the time I reached the final stop, there were only maybe 5 of us still on the bus.
"So, if you speak any Spanish at all, you can probably tell the driver or his assistant that you want to get off at the Dollar Rent-A-Car. The Dollar is on the right hand side as you enter Penonomé, before the bus veers right to make its way through the old part of town and to the final stop. Both car rental places are on the Pan-American Highway. The other place I mentioned in the Penonomé article, Express, is closer to the McDonald's and Super 99, farther down the highway (you won't pass it on the way to the final stop).
"If you're not comfortable getting off early, you'll find plenty of taxis at the final stop. It'd probably only cost you $1.50-$2 to catch a taxi to one of the car rental places. Also, if you're traveling with heavy bags that will need to either be placed under the bus or on top of it, they might not be too fond of unloading alongside the highway outside the Dollar Rent-A-Car. Good luck."
Mike wrote (via comments on PFR site):
"Thinking Chitre might be a decent size town in the lowlands/interior to do such an expose' over. Thanks again for all this inspiration, you're a busy man with this site."
Chris replied:
"Hi Mike,
"Thanks for commenting. Yes, Chitre is definitely worth visiting and reporting on. I've been to Chitre before and I like it a lot. I love how Chitre has a mall, small movie theater, and large supermarkets, while all the areas around it don't. So it's kind of an escape for those living in Las Tablas and Pedasi, but it's still small town enough that you don't feel like you're stuck in the city.
"Plus, it's the only place around to eat American fast food. So if you get a craving for McDonald's or KFC, Chitre is your place. If you plan to live there you might want to get out of town during Carnaval though as Chitre and Las Tablas are the most popular Carnaval party spots and things get really wild.
"I'll be hitting Chitre this year for sure. I can't wait to get it all done. 2014 will be a very busy year!"
Kevin wrote:
"Hi Chris, thought I would let you know of my experience getting a bus from Albrook Mall to David last November. I don't speak a word of Spanish and the ticket person didn't speak any English. He was very patient with me and I eventually managed to get my ticket. I knew nothing about the RapiPass card, so I had a bit of a problem when I had to go through the turnstile. The attendant at the turnstile saw my confusion and with a smile, let me through a gate at the side of the turnstile. So in contrast to the rip off artist you encountered, all the people I met were more than helpful."
Chris replied:
"Hey Kevin, good to hear from you again. I'm glad you had a much easier time with the bus. Sounds like you had good luck all around. I've traveled to the interior by bus on many occasions and that one bad trip as the first time I've been hassled. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's important that people realize it's not a Panama thing, but an asshole ticket counter guy kinda thing."
Thanks for reading,
Chris
Can you believe it's 2014 already, the year President Martinelli plans to finish up everything? Seriously, living in Panama, it seems the answer to every challenge and every new project is, "It will be completed in 2014."
At El Panama Hotel
So hopefully this year means an end to our traffic woes (with the new Metro train station due to be completed by the end of this year). I hope you all had the chance to see our New Year video. I posted it on our Panama For Real Facebook page and on our Youtube channel, but incase you missed it, here's the link to that video. I tried to embed it, but for some reason it's not working right now. So here's that link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBk4NwThXo0
We had a great time at El Panama Hotel with Orquesta Zafiro, Samy y Sandra Sandoval, and Aldo Ranks all performing until very early the next morning. I think the music stopped at 6am. I retired to the hotel room with the boys at about 1am. They passed out right away. Marlene and the girls partied until about 4am. It was a lot of fun.
The boys made it 'till just after midnight, then passed out
So, I took a brief holiday break to spend time with the family, but I'm back now, and ready to get today's Monday Q and A going. We've got a lot of information to cover as I've been receiving lots of emails over the past two weeks. As always, I invite you to add to my answers in the comments section. So many people have so much great info to offer, so let's all share. Okay, here we go.
Les wrote (via email):
"Just read your article on taking the bus and being scammed for baggage charges. My wife and I will arive in Panama mid January and plan to travel around the country a fair bit. We're from Canada, currently in Ecuador for 3 months, and now realizing we packed way too heavy. We have two large 50-pound suitcases and two smaller ones about 25-pounds each. I think it would be reasonable for the bus company to charge us for extra baggage, but wondering if you have any info to share on that point? Also, the security of bags checked under the bus, how is that monitored? Thanks in advance for any info or advice you can share with us."
Chris replied:
"Hi Les,
"You'll be glad to know there are a lot of Canadians here. There's even a Canadian Report every Wednesday from my friend Michael Drouillard on Cool 89.3 FM. If you haven't seen Michael's site, you should definitely check it out at www.canpanconnection.ca. He has a lot of great info on his site and he's a really nice guy.
"As far as I know, you shouldn't be charged any extra for bags. I've been told that no one pays extra for bags. I know when you're just here visiting, and have all your vacation cash, an extra $5 doesn't seem like much, so if it's mentioned and you're okay with that, then go ahead and pay it. I don't think it'll even be mentioned though. I just happened to run into a crook. I've been here a long time and I don't have the money I had when I first arrived. I live like a local and definitely notice when someone is price gouging me, so every $5 counts, lol.
On the Coaster bus from Pedasi to Las Tablas
"Depending on what kind of bus you're taking, and this depends a lot on where you're traveling, you may find your bags on top of a Coaster-style bus or in the bottom compartment of a nice Greyhoud-style bus. To be honest with you, there's no real security system in place for your bag. But I suppose it's no different from having your bag thrown into the bottom of a bus in the U.S. or anyplace else. Once it's in, it's in. I'd just hang around and watch them stow it away. Then get off the bus quickly enough and wait for your bag. If you don't, they will just sit it out on the curb until you get there (that's probably the biggest security risk).
"Keep anything valuable on you or in a carry-on just in case. I've never had anything taken out of my bags while riding the bus and I've ridden quite a few. Hope this helps. Thanks for checking out the site and for your email."
Dan wrote (via email):
"Do Telechip International cards only work from pay phones, as I've read, or from cell phones and private phones as well? Enjoyed the travelogue about Penonomé, but it doesn't seem to be a place we'd like. Thanks anyway because the towns/areas and cities that are not to our liking are useful information also."
Chris replied:
"Hi Dan,
"I've never used a Telechip International card on a payphone. I use mine from a regular landline phone. I've never tried on a cell phone. I've called the U.S. from a cell phone here, with the regular prepaid minutes cards. It works fine that way, it just eats up your minutes really fast. When I first moved here, before discovering the Telechip International cards, I'd just buy a $5 or $10 Movistar card (I have my cell phone set up with Movistar), put the minutes into the phone, then call family just as I usually would on any phone. I know I was able to have at least one fairly long conversation. So if you're only calling every once in awhile, that can be an option too, but the Telechip International cards work great and allow more talk time.
"By the way, in order to use your foreign cell phone here in Panama, you'll need to take it to one of the cell phone shops, like the one in the photo below, and have it unlocked. This usually costs about $30, but can vary depending on your phone. An iPhone will probably cost more than one of the old free Nokias. Once it's unlocked, you'll be able to put the chip in from one of Panama's cell phone providers, and use it like a local, with a Panama phone number.
Get your foreign cell phone unlocked for use in Panama
at small cell phone shops like this
"Thanks for checking out the Penonomé report. Even if you don't imagine living in some of the places we report on, they could still make excellent mini-vacations once you're here."
For anyone wanting to check out the Penonomé written report, click here.
For the Penonomé video report, click here.
Ariel wrote (via email):
"I'm seeking out expatriate communities because it's been my dream to buy a house (someday) in Panama. I'm starting with visiting for spring break. I may join a school or research team, but if not, I want to travel safely as a single female.
"Funny side note, I'm pretty racially ambiguous and even in Vietnam I melted into the crowd easily. I do speak some Spanish but not fluently. I mostly understand it. I'm studying to be an ESL teacher among other subjects.
"So my question is, where are my best resources for connecting to young non-retired communities?"
Chris replied:
"Hi Ariel,
"Are you wanting to live in Panama City or in the interior? If you're looking for young, non-retired folks, you'll probably need to stay in Panama City for the most part. At least start your adventure there.
A little late, but...Yep's New Year's Eve event
"My best contact for young expats (and to all the readers, like myself, I know we're all young, right?) would be Skyler, who runs Young Expats in Panama (YEP). The link to the facebook page is below. They're constantly having cool hangouts, meet-and-greets, and fun parties.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/youngexpatsinpanama/
"I think your best bet, since you're not here yet, would be to get involved in some of the Panama Facebook groups and meet people. I see young expats on these pages all the time. Some of the good ones to know are:
Playa Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/54462871494/
Expats in Panama: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2397416901/
Tropical Cowboys and Cowgirls: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tropicalcowboys/
Panama, land of my heart: https://www.facebook.com/groups/9190600325/
Where? When? How? Panama!: https://www.facebook.com/groups/536740279713342/
"There are others, of course, bust those are just a few to get you started, if you haven't done that already. If any readers have additional info for helping Ariel get in touch with young expats, please tell us in the comments below."
Dave wrote (via email):
"Hi Chris, I'm going to be in Panama in February. What places do you suggest for a 2-3 area experience in your adopted country. I love golf, beaches, yoga, and I love to dance. I'm not a heavy partier but enjoy beautiful, healthy women."
Chris replied:
"Hey Dave. Are you planning to move here eventually or you just want 2-3 beach destinations worth visiting?
"If you're just coming for vacation and want the cool places to hang out, I'd say:
Bocas del Toro
Isla Grande
San Blas
"If you're thinking of living here, and are scoping out where you might want to eventually base yourself, I'd say:
Coronado (beach area with most expats)
Coronado from a condo balcony
Pedasi (best beach area for surfers, expats from all over the world live here, it's a small town)
Best beaches for surfing in Pedasi
Bocas del Toro (popular beach area, I hear people looking to move here mention it all the time)
"Some other cool places to visit:
El Valle de Anton (mountain area, but has horse/ATV rentals, ziplining, great fruit/vegetable and souvenir market for tourists)
Amazing sunsets in El Valle de Anton
Casco Viejo (great place to visit in the city, full of jazz bars, hip restaurants and clubs, old fashioned architecture, etc.)
Close up on Casco Viejo
Portobelo (on the Caribbean side near Isla Grande, has cool pirate history, still has canons set up and everything)
Awesome pirate history in Portobelo
Amador Causeway (in the city, has nice restaurants on the water, can rent a bike and cruise up and down the strip)
Go for lunch, for a jog, or for a bike ride on the causeway
"If you want to stay at a resort:
Nitro City (plenty of activities, like windsurfing, surfing...just check out the website) http://www.nictrocitypanama.com/
Gamboa Resort (all kinds of rainforest activities) http://www.gamboaresort.com/
Playa Blanca (all inclusive beach resort) http://www.playablancaresort.com/
Hotel Decameron (all inclusive beach resort) http://decameronhotelpanama.com
"That's all I can think of right now. Everyone has his or her favorite resort in Panama, so maybe others will chime in in the comments section and let you know about some other great places to visit."
Allison wrote (via email):
"Happy New Year! I wanted to "pick your brain" and was wondering if you have any ideas for restaurants to try and dine at next week when Ray and I are in Panama City. We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott at Multiplaza Mall. We have not stayed in the city before, so I don't know the layout so to speak. Are there any good restaurants you would recommend near our hotel, or in the mall? They can be Americanized restaurants or not, doesn't matter."
Chris replied:
"Hey Allison and Ray!!!
"I'm glad to hear you're still moving forward with your move. You're gonna be in a great spot at the hotel because you have everything nearby. There's a lot of construction going on right there, but that's usually during the day so it shouldn't bother you much.
"As far as restaurants, at the mall alone you have Fridays, Benihanas, Tony Romas, and a handful of other great restaurants. In the food court you'll find one of my favorite places to eat, Leños y Carbon (you have to try the Pollo Gratinado, butterflied chicken breast covered in melted cheese, and if you'd rather have steak, my wife likes the Punta Palomilla). I know there was a Ruby Tuesday opening up, but I don't think it has yet. And Multiplaza has a movie theater too, just make sure any movie you want to watch is Subtitulada (in English with Spanish subtitles).
"If you like sushi, my favorite seafood/sushi restaurant is right next to the mall. Just look for the 3 big towers next to the mall parking lot, called Torre de Las Americas. The restaurant is called Sake and is located inside the main tower. Just walk out of your hotel, walk through the mall to the opposite end, cross the parking lot, enter the main tower and you'll find it inside the main door on the left hand side. Their website is http://www.sakepanama.com/en/.
"Oh and a good website to know, if you ever want to check restaurant reviews here in Panama is www.degustapanama.com. I think it's mostly in Spanish, but at least you can see how many stars the restaurant you're curious about has earned. Hope some of this helps."
Paul wrote (via comments on PFR site):
"Chris, thank you sooo much for getting this project going! I came across your blog, which in turn led me here (PFR site), after searching for info on putting kids in school in Panama.
"Originally from Seattle, after 10+ years building a life, family, and business in Bolivia, my wife and I feel it's time to leave here, but the States is not very appealing to my wife. We took a short vacation to Panama a couple of months ago on a whim and LOVED it, and the idea has been getting on us ever since to relocate there.
"Your site will undoubtedly help us save a lot of time in doing initial research before we make a trip back to see in person where might be the best fit for us. Best of luck with your endeavor/adventure, and just a side note--have you considered a donation option so people who benefit from your site and would like to could be able to contribute?"
Chris replied:
"Hi Paul. Wow...Bolivia. I hope some of the info on the site helps you guys with your decision. To answer your question, I did recently (like a week ago) put a donation button in the right sidebar of the website. It just says something like, "All this info is free, but if you'd like to buy us a coffee or a beer, you can do so by clicking here." It goes to my Paypal account. So far no donations, but of course any is seriously appreciated. Right now all of the money for traveling (and everything else) is coming out of my pocket. Thanks for mentioning it and thanks again for making use of the site and for participating with your comments. That's what it's all about!"
Kevin wrote (via comments on PFR site):
"Hi Chris, thank you for your efforts to inform us of life in Panama. I will be traveling from the U.K. to Panama in February. To avoid driving through Panama City, I plan to stay the night in the city and get the bus to Penonomé the following day, where I intend to hire a car to continue my journey to David, Las Tablas, etc. If you can remember, are the car rental places you mention in the Penonomé article anywhere near where you get off the bus from the city? Thanks in advance. Cheers."
Chris replied:
"Hi Kevin,
"I don't blame you for wanting to avoid the drive through Panama City. Sadly, neither of the car rental places are super close to the bus stop, but it's kind of funny because once you reach Penonomé, you'll see that people start calling out "Parada!" to stop at regular bus stops along the way. By the time I reached the final stop, there were only maybe 5 of us still on the bus.
Dollar in Penonomé
"So, if you speak any Spanish at all, you can probably tell the driver or his assistant that you want to get off at the Dollar Rent-A-Car. The Dollar is on the right hand side as you enter Penonomé, before the bus veers right to make its way through the old part of town and to the final stop. Both car rental places are on the Pan-American Highway. The other place I mentioned in the Penonomé article, Express, is closer to the McDonald's and Super 99, farther down the highway (you won't pass it on the way to the final stop).
Express in Penonomé
"If you're not comfortable getting off early, you'll find plenty of taxis at the final stop. It'd probably only cost you $1.50-$2 to catch a taxi to one of the car rental places. Also, if you're traveling with heavy bags that will need to either be placed under the bus or on top of it, they might not be too fond of unloading alongside the highway outside the Dollar Rent-A-Car. Good luck."
Mike wrote (via comments on PFR site):
"Thinking Chitre might be a decent size town in the lowlands/interior to do such an expose' over. Thanks again for all this inspiration, you're a busy man with this site."
Chris replied:
"Hi Mike,
"Thanks for commenting. Yes, Chitre is definitely worth visiting and reporting on. I've been to Chitre before and I like it a lot. I love how Chitre has a mall, small movie theater, and large supermarkets, while all the areas around it don't. So it's kind of an escape for those living in Las Tablas and Pedasi, but it's still small town enough that you don't feel like you're stuck in the city.
Chitre is a really cool town
"Plus, it's the only place around to eat American fast food. So if you get a craving for McDonald's or KFC, Chitre is your place. If you plan to live there you might want to get out of town during Carnaval though as Chitre and Las Tablas are the most popular Carnaval party spots and things get really wild.
"I'll be hitting Chitre this year for sure. I can't wait to get it all done. 2014 will be a very busy year!"
Kevin wrote:
"Hi Chris, thought I would let you know of my experience getting a bus from Albrook Mall to David last November. I don't speak a word of Spanish and the ticket person didn't speak any English. He was very patient with me and I eventually managed to get my ticket. I knew nothing about the RapiPass card, so I had a bit of a problem when I had to go through the turnstile. The attendant at the turnstile saw my confusion and with a smile, let me through a gate at the side of the turnstile. So in contrast to the rip off artist you encountered, all the people I met were more than helpful."
Chris replied:
"Hey Kevin, good to hear from you again. I'm glad you had a much easier time with the bus. Sounds like you had good luck all around. I've traveled to the interior by bus on many occasions and that one bad trip as the first time I've been hassled. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's important that people realize it's not a Panama thing, but an asshole ticket counter guy kinda thing."
Well, that's it for this Q and A session. Thanks for reading and I hope some of this helped.
If you haven't already, check out our new website at www.PanamaForReal.com. It has a ton of info and enter your email address into the field below the red suitcase (in the top right corner of the page) to start receiving our bi-weekly newsletter.
And check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Panama-For-Real/418977398194595
Our Youtube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6N7Ih2bjD0FjOBnDg_-Flg
Thanks for reading,
Chris
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
New Year's Eve in Panama!
Hey everybody,
Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I took a little bit of time off to spend with the family over the holidays. I'm back now and excited to start the New Year off right. This will be a short, and very quickly written post, as I'm about to head out with the family. We're staying at a hotel and partying tonight. But, I didn't want to go out without wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and writing a quick post about the traditions here in Panama.
New Year's Eve is such an extraordinary time of the year here. Everyone is in great spirits and ready to party like rock stars (minus the hardcore drugs and naked groupies). It's rare that you'll find anyone just sitting around watching TV when the ball drops. Why is that? It's because Panamanians believe that how you start your new year is how the rest of your year will unwind.
Last year, my wife asked my mom how she spent New Year's Eve, and my mom replied that she was so exhausted from work that she passed out and didn't wake up until well after midnight. You should have heard my wife's gasp. She turned to me and whispered, "Your mom was sleeping at the start of the New Year?"
To Marlene, and to many other Panamanians, starting the new year off in bed means there's a good change the rest of the year will be lazily wasted away. Now, if you're in bed doing other things, does that mean that's how the rest of your year will be spent...in bed...not-so-lazily? Hmm...
Okay, I was about to go off on a tangent again. So, I'm writing this post, early in the afternoon on New Year's Eve, to push you to get out and do something. It doesn't matter if you're dancing in your living room, sipping champagne, just husband and wife. The point is, you're dancing and having a blast at midnight. Just grab some pots and pans and get ready to bang them together like crazy with your neighbors, or relax in lawn chairs and watch the fireworks go off all around you.
Panamanians have a lot of fun, and some odd, traditions for the holiday. My sister-in-law, yes, Dr. Dar, held a toy car in her hand until after midnight because she believes that having a brand new car at midnight means you'll soon be getting a real, brand new car. She did that with a house the year before and guess what...she bought a brand new house in David. So, if you haven't already, head out to your local toy store and buy some new toys. I might pick up the Barbie Mansion and hold it in my lap until 12:05 (maybe the 5 extra minutes will help).
Another tradition, and if you're living here in Panama you might have seen this already, is the running around the neighborhood with a suitcase. Panamanians who love to travel, or wish to travel, will sometimes grab their rolling suitcase and take it for a stroll. This is supposed to ensure that you'll spend the year traveling.
Make sure you have 12 grapes (per person) ready, as it's another tradition that you're supposed to eat a grape for each year of the month. This is supposed to lead to good luck and prosperity.
I could probably go on all day about the traditions here in Panama. I've been told that you have to have on new underwear, and new clothes, and I've been told that it's good luck to have money (bills) between your toes at midnight, and you have to have some money in your wallet, and I can't remember all the others.
I'm sure you have some traditions of your own back in your country or ones you've brought here to Panama. Share those traditions. Panamanians love to learn new fun ways to bring in the new year. So wherever your new year finds you, whether with family, friends, or complete strangers, make sure you're receiving it well, with smiles, laughter, dancing, and a good mood to set the pace for the coming year.
Happy New Year and thanks for reading,
Chris
Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I took a little bit of time off to spend with the family over the holidays. I'm back now and excited to start the New Year off right. This will be a short, and very quickly written post, as I'm about to head out with the family. We're staying at a hotel and partying tonight. But, I didn't want to go out without wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and writing a quick post about the traditions here in Panama.
We spent last New Year's Eve with extended family
New Year's Eve is such an extraordinary time of the year here. Everyone is in great spirits and ready to party like rock stars (minus the hardcore drugs and naked groupies). It's rare that you'll find anyone just sitting around watching TV when the ball drops. Why is that? It's because Panamanians believe that how you start your new year is how the rest of your year will unwind.
Last year, my wife asked my mom how she spent New Year's Eve, and my mom replied that she was so exhausted from work that she passed out and didn't wake up until well after midnight. You should have heard my wife's gasp. She turned to me and whispered, "Your mom was sleeping at the start of the New Year?"
To Marlene, and to many other Panamanians, starting the new year off in bed means there's a good change the rest of the year will be lazily wasted away. Now, if you're in bed doing other things, does that mean that's how the rest of your year will be spent...in bed...not-so-lazily? Hmm...
We always keep the family together to start the new year
Okay, I was about to go off on a tangent again. So, I'm writing this post, early in the afternoon on New Year's Eve, to push you to get out and do something. It doesn't matter if you're dancing in your living room, sipping champagne, just husband and wife. The point is, you're dancing and having a blast at midnight. Just grab some pots and pans and get ready to bang them together like crazy with your neighbors, or relax in lawn chairs and watch the fireworks go off all around you.
The kids love New Year's Eve!
Panamanians have a lot of fun, and some odd, traditions for the holiday. My sister-in-law, yes, Dr. Dar, held a toy car in her hand until after midnight because she believes that having a brand new car at midnight means you'll soon be getting a real, brand new car. She did that with a house the year before and guess what...she bought a brand new house in David. So, if you haven't already, head out to your local toy store and buy some new toys. I might pick up the Barbie Mansion and hold it in my lap until 12:05 (maybe the 5 extra minutes will help).
Found this car in my sons' toy box. It's going in my pocket tonight!
Another tradition, and if you're living here in Panama you might have seen this already, is the running around the neighborhood with a suitcase. Panamanians who love to travel, or wish to travel, will sometimes grab their rolling suitcase and take it for a stroll. This is supposed to ensure that you'll spend the year traveling.
Make sure you have 12 grapes (per person) ready, as it's another tradition that you're supposed to eat a grape for each year of the month. This is supposed to lead to good luck and prosperity.
Happy New Year!!!
I could probably go on all day about the traditions here in Panama. I've been told that you have to have on new underwear, and new clothes, and I've been told that it's good luck to have money (bills) between your toes at midnight, and you have to have some money in your wallet, and I can't remember all the others.
I'm sure you have some traditions of your own back in your country or ones you've brought here to Panama. Share those traditions. Panamanians love to learn new fun ways to bring in the new year. So wherever your new year finds you, whether with family, friends, or complete strangers, make sure you're receiving it well, with smiles, laughter, dancing, and a good mood to set the pace for the coming year.
Happy New Year and thanks for reading,
Chris
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