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I am very glad that she fell in love with Puerto Armuelles. That she felt that it was the perfect place for her to live.
As you see in the video, Joan is a very positive person and a delight to be around. We look forward to when Joan is living here full time.
Joan doesn't retire for another 13 months, but she is starting her new yoga business now.
She is partnering with Scott, Bonnie, Brenda, and Don of the Tsunami Inn to start a yoga retreat center.
It is called, Asana Panama. You can find out more by visiting the website, asanapanama.com.
Yoga studios and teachers can rent the Tsunami Inn as a Yoga Retreat Center for a week at a time. The yogis will have full use of the Tsunami Inn.
Amenities. There is a newly built outdoor yoga shala (seen in the video) in front of the ocean for their use.
Yogis will also be able to book massages, manicures and pedicures. There will be yoga equipment as well as bicylces available for their use.
Excursions can also be booked. Excursions include: whale watching, bike rides, fishing, surfing, river tours, and more.
Don't worry, the Tsunami Inn is open for regular hotel business whenever it is not being used as a yoga retreat center.
The Yoga Retreat Center is just being launched. So at least for the time being, you can still book a room at the Tsunami Inn in Puerto Armuelles.
I wish her, the Tsunami Inn, & all its owners, much success.
Find out more about the charming Puerto Armuelles here.
If you already love Puerto, check out our fabulous Puerto Armuelles real estate options
I added some topic headings to the transcript to make it easier to skim.
Betsy: I'm talking with Joan about why she fell in love with Puerto Armuelles and why it's the perfect location for her new yoga retreat center.
Joan: I spent 11 years traveling all through Panama, and I fell in love when I came here.
And I knew this was the place that I wanted to have my business.
And this is my retirement business. I'm so excited to retire.
This is the most gorgeous place I've ever been. And I've been all over the world.
In fact , Scott was saying, you've traveled everywhere, and this is where you're choosing to live?
Absolutely. I love the people. I love being with the Panamanian people. They are wonderful people. They're kind and respectful.
And the country: you have fresh fruit every day. And the fishing out here (gesturing to the ocean). You have fresh fish every day.
I had lunch for $2.75 for rice and beans and chicken and a coke. I don't normally drink coke, but that's what they had.
It was so inexpensive and wonderful.
But more than anything, it is just the sense of ahhh - I'm here.
And that's what I think that is what we all need. Especially coming from such a busy lifestyle that we have the States. I know I have that, I am still flying (Joan is an airline attendant). But in my world, everything is time time time time.
It's nice to just sit back here. I sit under the yoga shala (i.e., the thatched gazabo/rancho she is sitting in front of in the video) and just watch the ocean and listen to it.
I am NOT an early riser by nature; on my days off, when I'm not flying.
But I automatically wake up every day here before sunrise.
And I'm out on that beach. I come and do my yoga. And then I start the day.
And I just feel so good!
Betsy: And is that why you started the yoga business?
Joan: Actually no.
It started because I've been in the airline industry for many, many years. And unfortunately, in every industry, there's trouble and they file bankruptcy. And you lose pension.
So I had to reinvent myself.
And I thought, I have to move out of the country. No problem. Where do I go?
Research. Panama. Number one on my list.
And then I thought, I want to have a business. What would I like to do?
Well, I want to be involved in yoga. But I don't necessarily want to be an instructor, but around the people and the community
So I thought thought, a yoga retreat.
Find a place that I can have yoga retreats come to that is peaceful. That people will just be filled with joy when they leave.
And after 11 years, I came and stayed here.
Came back, and stayed again.
I got to know the owners, Scott and Bonnie. And they have new partners, that just came down here, Brenda and Don.
And I just put it out, Would you like to partner with me? This is my idea. And they said, yes.
And that's where I want to spend the rest of my life. Just helping people come down and relax.
Because when you're here, you don't have the airplanes, you don't have the noise, you don't have the news.
You have nothing but peace.
So here we are.
Just opening up and looking forward to being full with Yogi's every week.
Betsy: Thanks for watching!
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The more formal one, followed by the more casual dog show. I have captured the causal version of the dog show in the video above.
It is only in that less stringent show, that our dog, Ziggy, could win the most obedient dog award. Which he did.
The dog show happened in the parking lot of the Romero Supermarket in Puerto Armuelles.
Romero is a major supermarket chain in Panama. They sponsor dog shows throughout Panama.
We meet a young woman at the show who had had participated at the dog show in Bugaba 2 weeks ago.
She had come down to Puerto Armuelles from David to be in our dog show as well. She has 2 dogs. She belongs to a dog club and takes it very seriously. She didn't even bother to have her dogs out during the 2nd, less formal, dog show. They stayed in the shade and in the car.
In the video, I also discuss start times in Panama. How some events start right on time and some don't.
You have to be here for awhile to figure out which type of events will start promptly and which do not. Although, you can still get it wrong when you are not a native - as you will see in the video.
You can hear me, Betsy, doing a voice over in the video. Here is what I say:
You can check out a bit of the dog show in Puerto Armuelles, Panama.
Well, this dog show was really over when we arrived. They were giving out prizes and taking photos.
But it turns out, that even though we had thought it was over, and we'd come late because we didn't think it was starting right away. There's two parts of the dog show.
And we were pulled into it, happily, for my daughter, there, with our dog Ziggy. Because she had wanted to put her dog in.
And Veronique, who is with the cast, we had told about this dog show, so she is happily there.
But Sheryl, who you see there, she was just coming over to have us help her fix something. We had told her we were going to be there so we could fix it while we were there.
But we're all pulled into the second part.
You can see there's little obedient checks. Whether the dog will come to you, whether it will sit...
They do one run of that.
And then they have the audience give their input. They base the 2nd round of prizes on how much applause each person got.
Pretty much everyone got some dog food.
Here's an interesting cultural item.
You can easily think that everything happens late in Panama. You know, its a relaxed lifestyle.
Things tend to be late, but not everything.
When my husband was at Romero's. They said the dog show was going to be starting in a few minutes.
My husband looked around and said it didn't look like it would start for about an hour. But it started right away.
When we showed up, an hour and 20 minutes later, it was pretty much over. The main part at least.
And so, that is something we should have known - that the dog show would start on time. There's certain things that start on time.
It's just one of those things you kind of have to learn over time. What things start on time and what things are likely to be very very late.
One thing I do like about Panama, is that there is no pre-registration. Maybe for the first part, people pre-registered. But I'm sure if you showed up, you could still participate in that. And here, we were completely not prepared for the second part, and it was fine.
It is not necessary to do a lot of pre-planning in your life. And I love that about Panama.
I made a slideshow type video of the 1st annual dog show. The monthly spay and neuter clinic happened on the same day last year and I included some photos of that as well. You can see that video here.
Learn more about Puerto Armuelles by starting here.
If you already love Puerto, explore our Puerto Armuelles real estate.
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As a bonus we ran into a few other people from Puerto who were at the Circus.
This was the first time we have seen Circus Portugal.
This circus has no live animals.
I know there are many reason people object to animals in the circus. But one thing I like about animals in circuses, at least in Panama, is that you get to see them up and personal.
They are housed right outside the circus tent. So even if you don't go to the Circus, you can see the animals. I have seen camel, giraffes, elephants and more housed outside when the circus has been in town.
If you don't want to watch the video, the transcript is below.
Hi this is Betsy of Living in Panama
We went to the circus in David the other day
I just wanted to give a little snippet of what it was like.
The circus comes through the Chiriqui province probably 2, maybe, 3 times a year. Different circuses.
It stops in David as well as in Pasa Canoas, which is at the border.
We really like going to the circus.
We used to love the Circus Renato.
But for reasons that are understandable I don't think they are around any more. They had a many live animals and for obvious reasons, people have objections to that.
But Renato was an amazing showman. He put on a great show.
This was a fine circus.
It was mostly, which I don't capture much here,great for its comedy.
The best comedy we saw, I actually didn't record.
If you ever want to go, it is here to the end of the month. It's right next the Pricesmart and the Chiriqui Mall.
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Thanks for watching
We have been there twice now.
It is near ESPA on the main road that runs through Puerto Armuelles.
ESPA is a school in the Los Angles neighborhood. ESPA is across from the fair grounds on one side and the cemetery on another side.
As you will see in the photos they do have a sign on the street, but the restaurant can be alittle hard to see since the land dips down from the road there, so it is not level with the street (see photo).
It is an open air restaurant located in part of an old Chiquita building. I imagine this building was once up on a banana finca and after Chiquita left someone moved it to this spot.
You will discover transplanted Chiquita building in various locations in the Baru district.
The family who runs it are friendly and pleasant to talk with. They live in the Chiquita house.
So far we have only tried their BBQ chicken, fries, and patacones. And we have only ordered it to go. We have not used their delivery service yet.
The chicken has been pretty good. Moist and not too greasy. Much less greasy than the roasted chickens you can buy at Romeros.
However, they do not serve any vegetables. Which is one of the main reasons we order it to go. We take it home to eat with our own vegetables and rice.
It takes about 30 - 45 minutes to get your food after your order. So you may want to order, do some errands, and come back. Of course, you can also use their delivery service or call in your order.
It is typically open after 5pm, 7 days a week.
Call to order or for a delivery: 6802-2163
They offer an intensely meat-focused menu. Pretty typical of a BBQ place.
For those of you new to Panama or Spanish, here is a translation of those menu items.
Ari BBQ is on Facebook. It doesn't have much information on it, but here is the link.
Been to Ari BBQ? Please share your experience below.
Find out about more restaurants in Puerto Armuelles
The majority of expats who live full-time or part-time in Panama drive their own, personal car.
And why not.
The highway system is being improved every year. There are thousands of miles of brand new, smooth asphalt to drive, and often there are few cars to share the road with.
Cars in Panama are relatively inexpensive and there is a good used car market (Please see our previous articles on purchasing a used car in Panama).
However, not everyone who moves to Panama wants a car. There are some very good reasons for not owning one.
Expense
Probably the number one reason most people choose not to own a car is the expense. As in the US, owning and operating a car requires that you purchase, and maintain your car. You need to buy fuel. You need to register your car. You need insurance. You need to buy new tires, wiper blades, etc…etc… Plus, you need to be financially capable of paying for the occasional major repair. This can be expensive as well as being stressful.
Being Green
The most obvious reason for not driving a car is that cars are very destructive of the environment. Regardless of your beliefs about irreversible global warming due to burning fossil fuels and the emission of huge amounts of carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, we can all see the vast impact that our use of the car has on our planet. Can you believe that people have been here for six million years or so, and that cars have only been around for a little over 100 years?
So, if you are on a tight budget, or you just want to do your part to preserve the environment, there is good news. You can simply “grab a cab”.
You will find the typical yellow-painted 4 door Toyota, Hyundai, or Kia cabs circulating throughout Puerto Armuelles all day, and much of the night as well. It shouldn’t take more than a minute of two to hail a cab on the street in Puerto Armuelles, or anywhere in Panama.
Taxis Are Cheap
Another bonus. The ride is cheap.
Puerto Armuelles Example
Most destinations in our town can be reached for less than $1.00. Even to get out to the beach at Corazon de Jesus might set you back $2.00. When you first arrive in town, you might find that cab drivers overcharge you a bit. However, once you learn the fares, you won’t have a problem. Everyone pays the same price, expats and Panamanians. Shared taxi rides (where they pick up other people on the way) are less expensive than your own exclusive ride.
Although Betsy and I drive a car, I still maintain contact information for 3 or 4 cab drivers in my phone. Good to have for emergencies, or just if you want something picked up and delivered.
If you don’t have a car, and you always want to be confident of having reliable transportation, you might want to keep as many as 6 or 7 cab driver contacts. That way, you can have phone numbers of favorite cab drivers who drive during the day, and numbers of favorite drivers who work the graveyard shift.
If you wish to go to David, the current price for one passenger is $30-$35. It’s the same to the international airport in David. Or, you could take the bus to David for $4, and then take cabs in David to do your shopping. Then return to Puerto by bus, or by cab one-way. Alternatively, if you have a lot to accomplish in David, you could take a bus, run errands by cab, and spend the night in a hotel (See article on a good hotel in David). Then return to Puerto, fully rested, the following day.
In Panama City, there are even more alternatives like its many buses, its subway, taxis and more. Uber is particularly popular in Panama City. It is not offered anywhere else in Panama yet.
My curiosity has been piqued by the big boom in the use of electric bikes in Seattle. One might employ some combination of bicycle, electric bike, or scooter, and taxi cab in your daily life. This way you could easily cover all of your transportation needs in Puerto Armuelles. One could enjoy a flexible, economical, and convenient lifestyle this way.
If you like being green, you should check out our Living In Panama house, an affordable non-air conditioning dependent home.
You need a policy that is a good fit for your age, health situation, location, budget, and any pre-existing conditions you may have.
A broker can help you figure out which health insurance policy is the best fit for you. They can also help you through the application process.
If you find a good broker, they can also be an invaluable help with any future issue you may have with the insurance policy you chose together.
Plus in Panama the information you can find online can only take you so far. Website are not updated as often and as thoroughly as westerners are used to. It really helps to have the personal connection.
I mention 3 recommended insurance brokers. However, I would ask your local friends, and on forums and groups for recommendations as well.
Before you apply, I recommend you review 9 important details about health insurance in Panama. You may also want to read my observations of health care in Panama
The process is generally pretty simple, especially if you use a broker.
Medical records and Spanish Translation. The most time consuming part will obtaining your past medical records. Those records will be examined for pre-existing conditions. You may need to get these records translated into Spanish. Your broker can help you with this. If they require a translation, you should find out if you need a Panama certified translator to translate the documents.
It is best if you turn in all the required documents at one time.
Typically the company's review process takes about 2 - 3 weeks. That is, once all the documents are submitted.
Make sure you fully understand your insurance before you start using it. You should feel confident that you know the following facts about your coverage.
Congratulations. If you followed all these steps, you now have health insurance in Panama.
If you like this post, please like or share it. Thanks.
More and more expats in Panama are choosing international health insurance. One reason is that the local policies have become more limited. More importantly, international health insurance covers you even when you are traveling, offers a wider network of doctors and hospitals, and offers a higher coverage amount.
Typical Limits - International Insurance Policy
Here are some International companies to check out.
Save Money Don't Have USA Coverage
The policies are less expensive if you exclude coverage in the USA. You can include coverage in the USA, but it tends to double or almost double the policy cost.
When traveling to the US, whether you are US citizen or not, you can simply buy travel insurance for the specific time you will be in the States. This works well if you will be in the States for under 3 months. Also, I have heard that the International insurance company, Cigna, allows you to add up to 3 months of coverage in the States for a reasonable price.
For the questions you should ask before you buy insurance, click here.
Hospital-based policies and local HMO-style insurance policies offer coverage only in Panama. If you don't plan on travel much outside of Panama, or are have insurance back "home", it can be a good option. It is generally cheaper. However, most will not accept new applicants after the age of 65.
Typical Limits - Domestic Insurance Policy
If you do decide to go outside the HMO group you are reimbursed for only 60% of what would have been paid to the preferred provider.
If you are over 65, you will have to look into an International insurance company that accepts new applications 66 years old and older.
Here are some International companies to check out.
Don't know if you need health insurance? Ask yourself these 3 health and financial questions to find out.
A Broker's Recommendation.
Cari Collins is an insurance broker I often see recommended on various Facebook groups and forums. I reached out to her and asked for her advice for expats looking for health insurance in Panama. We had a very friendly exchange. And, importantly, she responded to her email and my questions very quickly.
Cari Collins' Advice To Expats
The name of the company I represent is Global Health Insurance. I think the name is a good description of what we provide. Not only is health insurance available but also travel medical, property, auto and life insurance.
For medical, I can represent WEA, Cigna, IMG and VUMI, among others. The policy I feel is the best value is WEA.
The things I like about it that you may not find with other insurance plans here in Panama, are:
So many expats visit the U.S. though. If they exclude the U.S. to save money, they still need coverage for those visits back. In those cases, travel medical coverage is a great solution. You can purchase a policy to cover only the days you are visiting. No medical background is needed because no pre-existing conditions are covered. But it will cover any accident or illness incurred during your visit.
The WEA policy that excludes the U.S. combined with an IMG travel medical policy for visits is a great way to make sure your health care costs are covered and because medical costs are so much less in Panama insurance costs are also significantly less.
Cari Collins' contact information: email: [email protected]. website: www.globalhealthinsurance.com/cari-collins.
Find out how to apply for health insurance in Panama
If you like this post, please like or share it. Thanks.
Panama has had health insurance for over a 100 years. More recently, more insurance companies are offering coverage in Panama.
1) International Insurance. International coverage is a good choice, especially if you travel frequently. The right international policy is also a good stop gap to cover the 2 year wait period before a local policy will cover any pre-existing condition. However, more and more expat are choosing International medical insurance over any of the local insurance plans.
2) Domestic Insurance. These are local HMO-style policies that only cover medical care in Panama. Coverage varies widely, but generally it is between US$300,000 and US$500,000. You are limited to a select group of doctors, hospitals and labs. Go outside the group, and you will only be reimbursed for 60%o of what would have been paid to the preferred provider. When selecting one of these policies be sure to review the list above of factors to consider when selecting insurance.
Panama health insurance companies will not issue insurance until you are living in Panama. You’ll need to prove that you are renting in Panama or have bought a house. And they will have have restrictions about how long you can back in your home country to stay insured. So, you cannot buy insurance in Panama at the much lower price then move back to the United States full time.
3) Domestic hospital discount plan. This is not true insurance. It is a discount plan at a specific hospital. These membership plans give participants hefty discounts on procedures performed at that facility only.
I know people who with the preventative discount plan at the Chiriqui hospital who are very happy with it. However, it is not an insurance policy. It can not be used in a hospital in Panama City for instance. The usefulness of some of these plans may have deteriorated in recent years due to changes in coverage.
4) Tricare insurance. This is only available to US retired military. It is actually not insurance, but a military benefit. From what I hear, Tricare coverage in Panama used to fabulous. However, due to various factors including abuse by consumers, it is more costly and limited. At this time, I am not sure what it covers or where it can be used. Those who qualify to use Tricare can find out more by going to visiting the tricare.mil website
You also may be able to use your current (non-Panama) insurance in Panama, but you will have to check your policy. Some cover some costs at out-of-your network rates. I believe this is particularly true if you have Blue Cross or Blue Shield and go to an affiliated hospital or clinic in Panama.
If you don't want the headache of comparing policies, you may want to use an insurance broker or agent. They can help you select the plan that best suits your needs and budget. I have heard positive things from other expats about these 3 insurance brokers. I have not used them myself.
I recommend you also read my observations and tips about health care in Panama.
Given the cost of an accident or major surgery, it is smart to get medical insurance coverage. This is particularly true if you are in your early 70s. It becomes very difficult to get insurance once you are 74 years old. Keep in mind, pre-existing conditions are not covered. So you may want to get insurance now, so those conditions are covered if and when they crop up.
Because health care is so affordable in Panama, some people, especially when they are younger, opt not to get medical insurance. If that describes you, you may want to read the 3 things to consider before you decide not to buy health insurance in Panama.
For instance, a typical doctor visit is $10. Total. Although, in a private clinic like Mae Lewis in David, it can be more, 20-$65 per visit depending upon the doctor. If you go to a public hospital, it is only a $1.50 to see a doctor and $10 a day if you are hospitalized.
However, if you need an operation or need cancer treatment or anything major you are going to wish you had insurance. The cost of all those items will be cheaper here in Panama than in the USA (and many other locations), but it will still cost you a pretty penny.
Before you decide not to get health insurance, review these 3 age, health, and financial factors. It will help you decide whether you should get a Panama health insurance policy now, later, or maybe never.
1) Your Age. It is possible to get international health insurance to cover you anywhere in the world at any age, if you’re willing to pay for it. Affordable options, however, become limited to non-existent after age 65, and extremely difficult after age 74. In fact, a desirable policy might not be available at all once you are 75, especially if you want to a local insurance policy.
I am referring in all these instances to the age you are when you initially apply for insurance. Once you have insurance, you can retain it regardless of your age. Although the cost of the insurance will rise as you go from one age bracket to the next.
2) Pre-Existing Health Conditions. No local health insurance in Panama covers pre-existing conditions. International health insurance companies are more likely to cover pre-existing conditions, but not necessarily every type. This is also an age-related consideration. The older you are the more likely you are to develop various medical conditions. If that is likely for you, you may want to consider getting insurance before a medical condition develops. That way any medical condition will be covered immediately as it starts to emerge.
Otherwise, you will have to get insurance and wait 2 years. After 2 years of coverage, most Panama insurance plans will cover all conditions, whether they were pre-existing or not. Which is why some people keep their "home" insurance or get International insurance for 2 years while also paying for Panama insurance. In this way, you are covered for any unexpected and costly outlays for major medical issues due to “pre-existing conditions” or any other gaps in coverage.
3) Access To Cash. Do you have the cash to cover any unexpected major health issue? You can pay the cost of procedures by credit card, but you usually must pay the doctor's fee in cash. You are almost always required to pay a private hospital, in full, before they will perform any major or costly procedure.
If you plan on using Panama's public health care system, you will save money. As I said a doctor's visit is $1.50. In fact, you can visit most doctor's in Puerto Armuelles for only 5 or $10. We have visited to the emergency room in Puerto for only 50 cents. But most expats opt to use the private system, for at least part of their care. The public system tends to have long waits and is limited in what they offer. I did just that went I went to the Mae Lewis clinic about my ankle.
Find out about Panama's 3 Health Care Systems here
Ultimately, whether you decide to get health insurance or not will depend upon your current and expected health & your risk tolerance. If you choose to be without health insurance, you won't be alone. A number of people chose that option in Panama. It is a fine option as long as nothing goes wrong.
You may want to invest in preventive care. We have written up some tips for a healthy lifestyle in the tropics, and ways to both eat well and save money in Panama.
But if you do have a big medical need, you may be forced to return to "home" to use medicare or other health insurance. Or perhaps you will be forced to move from one of Panama's private hospitals to a public hospital if you cannot afford the higher cost of private health care.
However, as you get older and the specter of major health issues starts to raise its head, you may want to rethink your health insurance decision. This is especially true as you enter your 60s and 70s. It becomes harder to get health insurance after you are 65 and extremely difficult to secure health coverage once you are 74 years old. Of course, if you will keep your health insurance back home, that can be a plan B, at least for conditions you can plan your travel around.
Find out more about your health insurance options here.
