Jordan On Why He Likes Living In Puerto Armuelles Panama

Jordan Gives His Perspective In The Video Below

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In the video, Jordan describes "what he likes about Puerto Armuelles"

Below is a summary of what he says in the video

He likes the city and loves the people
The People

  • Very laid back
  • Very much in-the-moment 
  • They enjoy life for what it is

The City

  • Tropical bird sounds
  • Plants and vegetation are very colorful and beautiful
  • Very tropical

Cost of Living in Puerto Armuelles

Monthly Living Expenses Of A $300 A Month. 

  • I think he is forgetting a few expenses.  
  • It is more like
    • $750/mo for a thrifty person
    • $1200-$1500/mo for a comfortable lifestyle
  • Rents a 2 bedroom house, 1 bedroom with A/C
  • Very comfortabel lifestyle
  • Get a plate of food for $2 to $2.50.  A drink for 40 cents

All around, Jordan say that he enjoys working and living in Puerto Armuelles

Jordan recommends Puerto Armuelles for anyone who is looking for a good experience.

For More About Puerto Armuelles, Start By Clicking Here.

Ever Wonder How To Make Money Overseas In Panama

In the video below, Jordan explains his "How, What & Why"  of earning money in Panama.
He also tells you how he likes it.

For more information, go to making money in Panama.

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The video is transcribed below.

My name is Jordan. I live here in Puerto Armuelles.

I'm here for my ministry. But, to be here, to stay here, it's on my own coin. So, I had to find a job.

Before I left the United States to move here I had to figure out a way to make some type of cash. I asked somebody who had already been abroad, a friend of mine, and asked him what he did for work.

And he said, look online and see what you can find.

The one that just fell right into my lap was my pretty much teaching English.

And it gives me more than enough to stay here in Puerto.

I  had to get something quick that I already knew how to do, that's not going to take very long to find. And it just so happened that Open English was there.

Open English, to work for them, I had to speak English fluently was the number one main thing that they stressed, which I do, I'm from America.

The other one is either, living abroad, they didn't say it while hiring, but they really like the fact that you're living abroad and you're living amongst people who are of a foreign tongue, hopefully Spanish is what they were looking for.

So, I told them I lived in Central America, Spanish, boom.

I knew how to speak English, boom.

Also, one of the prerequesits for working for them was that I had to to be able to work weekend evenings, because that's the most undesired shift. And of course I'm very malleable. I didn't have a job. So, that works.

So, that's why I was able to swiftly and an easy transition into working for Open English.  It's good.

It took a process of about a month to get hired.

It's rewarding, it is. I get to teach people English, something that they need for work or, so you are actually helping somebody get a skill set, which is kind of really rewarding to you as a person, because you're helping somebody else out.

But also, it's easy to teach.

The tools that Open English gives you to teach is, it helps you as a teacher to teach somebody.

I'm going to say probably in about a month I'll put it on cruise control and be able to teach anybody on that site how to speak English, and I'll be comfortable with it.

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This property is very beautiful.

The video doesn't do it justice.

It is also affordable.

This real estate is in Puerto Armuelles Panama.

  • 3 beachfront lots
  • 5 lots only a short stroll from the beach

For more information on the properties please, visit Corazon de Oro.

There you will see

  • More photos and information 
  • Links to each of the 8 individual lots.

It is a good place to start your research.

However, it is very hard to get a sense of a place via videos and the Internet.

No amount of research can replace a visit.  

In the meantime, we are happy to answer your questions about these Panama properties and living in Panama. 

Again, to get the details about the beach property in the video, go here.

To see all our Panama real estate, go here for listings.

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On Tuesday, a group of us went on a mini-adventure outside of Puerto Armuelles, where we all live.

Robin organized the trip.

A couple he knows, Annie & Danny, own a finca (farm/ranch) in the hills behind Puerto Armuelles. They live on the ranch some of the year, but live in town during the school year. They have caretakers and other workers take care of the ranch during the school year.

We gathered at Annie and Danny's house in San Vicente, where they also have a horse stable.  From there we rode down the street a short way to the beach. 

It was a blast riding on the beach.  

Then we veerred onto a wooded trail, for another short jaunt.

  • Crossed the road that heads out to the PTP and Punta Burica. 
  • Then quickly dropped down to the Guanabana River, at the first bridge.

We headed up the river, up and down paths, we crossed streams a few times.  Heading  up and to the west/northwest.

I'd been that way on horseback before, but not for awhile.  

It was a gloriously blue day.   Perfect weather.

Before we knew it we had arrived at Annie's finca.   I think it only took us about an hour to get there, maybe less.

Already, I knew I would be sore the next day.   I don't do much horseback riding these days.

A snack and then a hike.

The first hill was the steepest.  We lost a couple of people who had expected to do a hike.  It was a pretty steep hill to do in Converse All-stars.

After that, althougth we keept going up and up, it wasn't quite as steep.  We went through cow pastures and enjoyed the views.

It was a pleasure when we go to the top of one hill and were welcomed by a view of the ocean.

It was even better when we went as high as we could.  .

This Photo Shows Only A Section Of Our View

We could see the entire Charco Azul Bay.  A wonderful vista

We could even see Puerto Armuelles.   We could pick out our friend Liz and Ron's house in Las palmas neighborhood.

We headed back down after drinking in the sight.

At the farm house we ate lunch and were asked if we wanted to milk a cow.  

Como no.  Why not!

I had never milked one before.   It is much harder than it looks.  I barely got out a stream.

But Annie could make the milk bucket sing with the streaming jets of milk.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSMK9ecoN70[/youtube]

Then came by daughter's favorite part of the trip.  

She really wanted to gallop.    Her, my, and Robin's horse obliged.

We had a blast.  When we could we encouraged our steeds to go as fast as they could.

We had streams to cross, a few patches of mud and varying terrain.  So were always able to go a speed, but when we could we did.

It really was very fun.  My daughter was thrilled.

The gallop down the beach was particularly wonderful.

Next time, I think we will organize a trip with more time on the beach.

For more on Puerto Armuelles Panama, click here.

 

January 23, 2013
Activity Is Bubbling in Puerto Armuelles, Despite Its Relaxed Lifestyle

The other day I took a client for a drive around Puerto Armuelles.

He was primarily interested in looking at beach properties, or something within easy walk of the beach.  

While we focused our investigations on the beachfront neighborhoods, I drove him through a number of other neighborhoods, so that he could get a better idea of the whole range of lifestyle possibilities available in Puerto Armuelles in order to understand a little better what makes this unique town “click”.   

He said that the tour was really “ an eye opener” .

It’s always fun to watch people’s jaws drop when they discover that this place, which they had heard so little about, is actually a bustling (for Panama) urban village of 20,000 or so residents.

It’s situated right on the ocean, has a cohesive downtown, and boasts literally dozens of unique neighborhoods, each with its own social class, style, and housing density.  These range from smallish downtown houses, right up to hacienda style ranches at the fringes of town.

When our tour arrived at the beach, I realized that in the short time since my last tour, there were already more new developments.

In fact, I counted five new construction projects by ex-pats underway.

Don & Sandy's Project 2 Months Ago - Now Almost Finished (no photo of that yet)

This was just in the beach neighborhoods to the north of Puerto Armuelles.  Specifically,  between the Corazon de Jesus and the Cucuy neighborhoods;  a ten minute walk down the beach apart.

The quality of these projects was quite high.  By far the most exhilarating construction to date in Puerto is in its final finish phase in the Coronado neighborhood.  Don and his wife Sandy are putting the finishing touches on a huge volume, barrel-vaulted  beach house that truly inspires the visitor.  I won’t even try to describe it here.  I’ll go back with my camera and get some photos to post.

Tsunami Inn Has A Great Location On The Water In Puerto

Also, at long last, there are nice places for folks to stay overnight when they are checking out Puerto Armuelles.

The Hotel Tsunami Inn is finishing the first of their second phase of construction.  They are adding four new brightly painted guest cabanas to the existing three built last year.  Folks who stay at Tsunami Inn especially appreciate the great location right off the beach, and the pool only steps outside the private cabanas (Be careful not to fall in, before you’ve had your morning coffee).

For more about the Tsunami Inn, visit this post.

The owners of the Tsunami Inn, Bob and Scott, continue to host a casual get together for horse shoes by the pool every Sunday afternoon.

Plus, they recently inaugurated a pickup softball game every Thursday afernoon at 3:30.

I missed the first game, but I heard that Tsunami Inn provided all the baseball gloves, bats, and balls, and that twenty folks showed up for the very first game.  I will definitely be there this coming Thursday to join in the fun.

You can find out more about Puerto Armuelles by clicking here.

Click to explore our real estate in Puerto Armuelles.

 

Green & Blue Ocean Views From The Property

This in-town property is just steps from a beautiful beach.

Best of all it is priced at less than $50,000.

It is located in the San Vicente neighborhood of Puerto Armuelles Panama.

Click for information on this ocean view real estate.  

There you will discover a video, more photos, and more property details.

Puerto Armuelles is the only true beach town in Panama.

To find out more about Puerto Armuelles, go here.

We Have A Growing List Of Places To Stay In Puerto Armuelles

As promised, we have information on places to stay in Puerto Armuelles

Our list has expanded to include more than hotels.

See our list of accommodations in Puerto Armuelles here.

Our list includes

  • Wonderful B&B
  • House near the beach
  • Comfortable studio apartment.

UPDATE:

We are not listing more rentals at this time.
But I have written up a 5+ ways to find a rental in Puerto Armuelles, or anywhere in Panama.

Click to get my tips on how to find a rental in Panama.


If you have questions, ask them below or on our contact us page.

Click here to learn what to do while you are in Puerto Armuelles, go here for activities.

Want to look at real estate?  We'd love to show you both real estate and the town.
Go here to request property tour.

 

January 11, 2013

This "Welcome To Puerto Armuelles" Sign Is By Coco's Place (a hotel)

But you won't find information on 2 of them on the internet.

UPDATE: There are now 4 hotels (and its long-standing B&B) in Puerto Armuelles.

Info on the 4 Hotels in Puerto Armuelles 

No matter how much you search the Internet.

Only 1 of the 3 hotels has a website.  

Lack of information is why I get so many emails and calls from people trying to find a place to stay in Puerto Armuelles.

To help us all, I have gathered the contact info for all the hotels.

I include my opinion and some basic information about each hotel as well.

Personally I like to see what a plaee looks like before I fork over money to stay there.

For those who feel the same, I will post photos of the hotels without websites.  Reyn took photos of Coco's Place already.

Future Information On Other Accommodations

As I have mentioned before, I will post information on other accommodations and rentals in Puerto Armuelles as well.

For instance, there is a very good bed and breakfast in town.  There are also a number of short term and long term rental options.

It is taking an amazingly long time to gather information on all the rentals.   Therefore, I will be posting information on these as I get them.

Full information is very hard to get in Panama - even on rentals in your own town!

We always recommend that you rent before you buy.   

Keep that in mind, when you explore these properties for sale in Puerto Armuelles.

January 5, 2013

Students Fight Over Raising of Panama Flag At U.S. Balboa High School

Read on for that answer.

More immediately, don't forget to buy beer the day before.

You cannot buy any alcoholic beverages in Panama on January 9th.

It is Martyrs' Day  (el Día de los Mártires).

Like many holidays in Panama,  it is a dry day.

However, in order to have a 3 day weekend, this year Panama is commemorating the day on Monday, January 7th. (And will most likely be doing so every year)

What is Martyrs' Day?

It happened on January 9, 1964

  • A Flag was torn

  • 3 days of rioting
  • 4 Americans Dead
  • 21 Panamanians Dead (estimated)
  • US starts thinking about surrendering control of the Panama Canal

The riots were really about the tensions between the Americans in the Canal Zone and Panamanians.

The Canal Zone was a 553 square mile territory surrounding the Panama Canal.

There was a fence built around the zone to separate the US territory from the rest of the Republic of Panama.

After this event many called it the "fence of shame".

Panamanians were tear gassed or shot at for pulling on or climbing over this cyclone fence of shame.

"In Panama there exists today another Berlin Wall."

is how Colombia's ambassador to the Organization of American States described the fence a few days after the riots ended.

It is an involved story.

It started over the desire of Panamanians to have the Panama flag fly along side the US Flag in the Canal Zone.  The Zonians (as they were called) were generally against it.  Panamanians were for it.

In January 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued an Executive Order for the 2 flags to be flown together in the Canal Zone.  Then Kennedy was killed.

One month after President Kennedy's death, Canal Zone Governor Robert J. Fleming, Jr. issued a decree that crippled Kennedy's order.

He decreed that the US flag would no longer be flown outside Canal Zone schools, police stations, post offices, or other civilian locations where it had previously been flown.

He did that so Panama's flag would not be flown either.

The governor's order angered many Zonians.  They thought not flying the US flag was the first step  to the US renouncing its sovereignty over the Canal Zone.

metal statue of 3 figures climbing a flag pole, Panama flag on top
Panama City has 2 Martyr's Day monuments. This one is a lamppost made to look like the Life photo, seen at the top of this page. I could only get a photo of it from my car as we speed by.

Some kids at Balboa High School, a US school in the Canal Zone, raised the American flag.

In response, some kids from a nearby elite Panamainan high school, tried to raise the Panama flag at Balboa H.S.  They wanted to make a point of the two flags flying side by side.

The school officials were okay with it.  The student body at Balboa High school was not.

A scuffle broke out among the students from the 2 schools and the Canal Zone police.

During the scuffle, the Panamanian flag was torn.

This infuriated Panamanians everywhere.  Riots broke out.

The result was some very tragic deaths, including an 11 year old girl. 

One eventual result was the US giving up control of the Panama Canal.

A new treaty was signed in 1977.  Control of the Canal was transfered to Panama on January 1, 2000.

The US had been in charge of the Canal and the Canal Zone since the 1st treaty was signed in 1903.

For those who want more details about the Martyr Day riots and why they happened, click here.

The link above is to maestravia.com.  There you can read excepts from both Life Magazine and the Panama newspaper, La Prensa (translated), which more fully explain these events.

Another good source of information on the event was done by Eric Jackson.  View it here.

So, is it safe to be an American in Panama on Martyr's Day?

Yes, it is just fine.

It is simply a holiday.   Many Panamanians I talk to are vague about what the holiday is about.

Those that profess to know what happen mostly tell me that 3 or 4 Panamanians were killed by American soldiers  They are unclear about why.  Those folks don't seem to hold any anger about the event.

Of course, the feelings and knowledge of the event may be clearer in Panama City where it happened. (FYI, I asked people in Puerto Armuelles, where I live.)

But 49 years later, for many Panamanians it is just another welcome day off work.

Photo source (top photo):  Life Magazine via maestravia.com