Panama, Costa Rica and Living outside the U.S.

[John Raabe]

On Monday I'm off for 10 days to Panama. My brother is looking for a non-US retirement location (he's the smart one in the family  ) and has already checked out Costa Rica and Belize. Sounded like a fun project and a good chance to spend some time with the guy. (The last time we spent 10 days together was on a long summer hike in the high Cascades when I was 12.)

Oh and then there's the sun... and the surf... and the... well, you get the idea.

Hopefully I'll bring back pictures and perhaps a couple of useful ideas. I might even get to an Internet café and post a note or two from there. My wife, Miriam will be manning the order desk for plans but she won't be able to handle the technical stuff. Go easy on her, she's a nurse so she's caring but also not afraid of blood!

This group is so solid and self sufficient these days that nobody would likely notice I was gone unless I posted this. I remember the days when I responded to every post! Now I don't have to pontificate on things I know little about. The quality of the information has gone up as I post less! There must be a lesson here  .

[jonsey/downunder]

Have a good trip. Surf huh! Got the surfboard with you, I could handle a bit of that. Don't forget to come back we still need the odd shove in the right direction. And we will definitely need pictures.

[glenn kangiser]

Have a good trip, John.  There has got to be interesting things to see down there.  I lost a distant relative down there - 15 to 25 years ago or so - some kind of political military thing - he disappeared never to be seen again as far as I know.  Looking forward to seeing you back here with pics - vernacular housing and building if you have time.

There -- now you have an assignment and the entire trip is deductable.

I think we all know better than to mess with nurses. :-/

About the forum- we can handle the bulk, we have a lot of great incognito pros, craftsmen, and members with lots of experience but when it gets to details, you're still the man.

[mark brown(Guest)]

this would be an interisting topic retirement in general.  my last house was built for old age, one floor and heavy insulation and outlets at wheel chair height.  wife and i are thinking how to handle our older years and health care is a big issue. prescriptions is a big thing.  have a nice trip  i have a niece who works in costa rica

mark

[PEG688]

Have a good time   Enjoy the sun and all :)PEG

[Jimmy C.]

 Things to know before you go.


General Information
Oficial Name: Republic of Panamá
Capital: Panama City
Nacionality:
Name: Panamanian (s); adjetive
Panamanian/Panamanian

VISA Requirements
Depending on your nationality, you may be required to have a valid passport and a visa or a $5.00 tourist card. Tourist cards may be bought at the airline counter at the time of departure.

Religion
Most Panamanians are Roman Catholic. However, due to the great diversity in the country, there are numerous churches, temples and synagogues all over the country. There is freedom of religion in Panama.

Language
Although the official language in Panama is Spanish, English is widely spoken and understood in the major cities.

Climate
The country enjoys an agreeable tropical climate and an average daytime temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with cooling in the evenings. The average humidity is 70%. The rainy season goes from May to December. Throughout the dry season, trade winds keep the air continuously cool. In the mountains, the average temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Clothing
Light clothes are recommended. Business clothing is formal. A light jacket for men and a tailored suit or a two-piece pants suit for women is recommended. A wide-brim hat and sun glasses are necessary if you go to the shore or inland.

Time Zone
Panama time is the same as the United States Eastern Standard Time (GMT -5).

Electricity and Public Services
The current is 110w - 60hz and 220w. Telephone and international cable services in Panama are excellent. We have a direct-dial system to locations inland and all over the world. Our country code is 507.

Money
Since 1904, the United States dollar has been the legal currency in Panama. The Balboa, the Panamanian monetary unit, is par valued with the dollar. Prices can be expressed in Balboas (B/.) or in Dollars ($). Traveler cheques and credit cards are widely accepted. The International departure duty is US$20.00, payable in the airport. The hotel tax is 10%. The added tax value to products and services, with the exception of food and medicines is 5%.

Business Services
More than 150 international banks and their branches operate in Panama. The United States, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Taiwan, Argentina, South Korea, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, China, Spain, France and others are represented here. The banking hours vary, but most of them are open from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Some banks offer services on Saturday. www.superbancos.gob.pa

Getting Around
The Pan American Highway, also known as Interamerican Highway, joins Panamanian cities with Costa Rica. At this time, the Darién jungle continues to be impenetrable, preventing access by land to Colombia. A tour by car along the Transisthmic Highway joins Panama City with Colón. Even the most remote areas of Panama are accessible by paved secondary roads. The bus service is good and covers the entire country as well as the other countries in Central America and Mexico.

The transportation to the interior of the country is located in the National Transport Terminal in the Former Albrook base.

Taxis work with a tariff system and most car-rental companies are represented in Panama. The minimum age for driving is 18 years, and foreign licenses are valid for 90 days.

[Mark_Chenail]

Have a great trip John.  You might be interested to know that Belize has a large
Amish population that migrated there in the 1950s.  Ive always seen that as a rather surreal image, bearded black hatted men in buggies in the deepest jungle.
But I suspect they know a lot about  small simple houses.  Bon voyage.

[CREATIVE1]

Great minds think alike.  I was looking at Panama and Costa Rica too, as a place to get away from those Washington winters once I build my cabin there.  It's actually cheaper to fly there from Washington than from Florida--go figure.

Everybody says Panama is cheaper, but look around Dominical, C. R. slightly inland.  Found a Garden of Eden-like 10-acre property on the Baru River for $40,000, with a "native" house  (roof over your head, looked like the trees were swallowing it).  Otherwise, Costa Rica did look more expensive.  But if you qualify, I think you can still retire there and get their REALLY CHEAP health insurance.  Sounds interesting, especially since ours is going to cost over $8,000 per year thru my husband's ex-employer.  Ouch!

Oh, I didn't get the property because my Mom was in hospice care at the time and I really couldn't plan ahead.  Maybe in the future.  Or maybe we'll get used to the cold weather with really good long underwear and quality rain gear.  

[Doug Martin]

My uncle has lived in Florida for the last 45+ years.  He and all of his Florida buddies all talked about retiring to Costa Rica -- he bought a boat instead and wanders up and down the Inland Waterway.  I wonder where the Costa Ricans retire?  

Two nice things about Belize: English is the primary language and the caving is amazing (i've never gone but I saw some amazing pictures when I was part of the Chicago NSS chapter -- a contingent went down every year).

[John Raabe]

Power just went back on from a huge blow down here on Whidbey Island. Still, we went to a great community party last night all powered by generators.

Right now I'm packing and off to airport tonight.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions on the Panama area.

Next report will be - from the field (I hope  )!

John

[highlight]NOTE:[/highlight] For a link to the photos and a full report from this February Panama Trip click HERE.

[John Raabe]

Follow-up on Costa Rica discussion:

I just found this Costa Rica Information site. Well done and worth joining (for free) if you are interested in the country.

[2guysWmass]

For anyone looking for a non-US retirement area - but more metro - you should check out Merida, in the Yucatan - Mexico.  Cost of living is pretty cheap.  And the tax advantages can't be beat.  From my understanding, any money you earn while living 11 months a year outside of the US (ie retirement), is not taxed.  Should you have a little business to earn money in Mexico, the US doesn't tax it at all, and Mexico only wants a 3% flat rate.  There are also outer-lying areas that are more open; old haciendas to restore, etc.  You can also buy a house right on the beach - 2-3 br for about $50,000, or a lot to build.  The benefit is having a metro area like Merida no more than 30-45 minutes away, with decent healthcare, etc.  The Yucatan is completely unlike the rest of Mexico as well.  We've thought of moving to Merida now, and opening a small guest house.  One downside - you generally have to have cash for real estate purchases.

Costa Rica, Santo Domingo and Panama have been favorites for a while for ex-pat retirees.  Unfortunately, this means that their prices are getting up there in some areas.  Recently, Ecuador, and other less-developed countries have come into the picture.  But these are a little too undeveloped for me.  'Course, I've got a few years to go.

There are several online sites dedicated to those wishing to retire abroad

expatexchange dot com  is one of them.

Happy dreaming!

Shawn

[southernsis]

Hi,
My husband and I lived in Costa Rica for 3 years. We still own over 2 1/2 acres of beautiful property out of a town called La Fortuna. It is near Arenal Volcano. That is the mountain you see in the picture posted earlier. We have a spectacular view of the volcano, safe side, with a fantastic river running through the property. We were going to build our dream home on it, still have the plans, but my husband got ill and we had to come back to the states. The people are wonderful and the country is about as pretty as it gets.
This photo is taken from our property with the view of Arenal.
We have our property for sale there.
I hope you enjoyed your trip.

[jraabe]

My brother (who I went to Panama with in February) just bought a two bedroom house in Costa Rica! They went down there planning to visit Panama but airline conflicts made them spend more time in CS so they ended up visiting the town of Atenas, about 20 minutes west and up into the highlands above San Jose.

They really liked the area and will be renting the house as a vacation rental until they are ready to retire in a couple of years. Here is a link to the house.

For those who are interested, I explored the Expat exchange site that Shawn mentions above. Here is a link to their Costa Rica Forum.

[glenn-k]

That is one cool looking area.  Nothing like your very own back yard volcano.

[mark_chenail]

John:  A young friend of mine that just graduated from Art School is moving to Costa Rica in about a month.  It seems to be one of the places to go for all ages now a days.  Maybe your brother can help you open up some new markets for the little house-tropicale.

[jraabe]

It is quite easy and relatively inexpensive to get down to Costa Rica from much of the U.S.

I would like to explore doing a small development of cottage houses for retirement folks and winter getaways. Could be an exciting project.

[southernsis]

John, your idea on retirement and vacation homes would work in Costa Rica. We are still tossing around that idea for our property, if our Tico real estate agent doesn't sell it in the next couple of weeks. There is a demand for this in certain areas.

[sherab]

SouthernSis, I have a friend of mine on the prowl for land in C.R. right now! Can we communicate on this? I'd be happy to send her your way. Private message me or email me at worldcyclist@gmail.com . Email is probably better.

I LOVE C.R.. It's a wonderful place.
Julian