I bought my property long before I retired and moved here, but I made frequent trips to “window shop”, as they say.
I selected the delightful beach community of Puerto Armuelles as my retirement haven. I have never looked back.
I retired from my real job to my hobbies – and there are many. I am well suited to entertaining myself. And that is fortunate as Puerto Armuelles is almost completely void of entertainment.
I do not consider eating out a pleasant pastime. There are several excellent restaurants in our community, but since cooking is one of my hobbies, I prefer to prepare my own.
There are no movie theaters (rely on your DVD collection or Netflix) and the closest “mall shopping” is a 30 to 40 minute drive from Puerto Armuelles. Although, with our new 4-lane road the drive is much more pleasant (it used to be only 2-lanes).
There are movie theaters in David, but mostly in Spanish and reportedly the sound system is awful. I would not know as I do not care to drive 1 ½ hours to watch a movie when I can sit in the comfort of my home with Netflix!
Panama cable television is primarily in Spanish with a few English channels – I tried it for a while, but just did not derive enough benefit. Reruns of programs that I had no interest in the first time around!
Cell phones are the primary means of communication. Almost the entire country relies on Whatsapp. Whatsapp is a free application that allows people to talk and text, send photos or videos, etc.
Best of all if you are outside the country and have your phone, your WhatsApp will continue to work as it does in Panama. At least it does in Canada, the United States and Colombia – that I can attest to. I have no reason to doubt that it works the same elsewhere.
Panama is not a country of seasons – it is always hot! While it does cool off pretty quickly at night – if you are outside a major city – because there is little concrete – including paved roads, it will always be warm during the day.
In the mountains it is cooler, but it is also rainier.
The beaches are delightful here in Puerto Armuelles. And there is always some shell collecting to be done.
The tide drop is huge and I generally take advantage of this to walk on the firmer wet sand for exercise. Slogging through dry sand is its own special type of intense workout.
Find out what is and isn’t available to you in Panama.
Not everything you are accustomed to finding easily in your “home” location is readily available in Panama.
If you have items and/or services (reliable high speed internet springs to mind) you “cannot live without” then you may possibly want to reconsider your decision to move here, learn to live without some of those luxuries, or adapt to what is available here.
Fruits and vegetables are readily available from truck vendors in our town. Many of them drive through the neighborhoods, which I find extremely convenient!
Fish
There is a fish market is in town. But again, there are also neighborhood vendors. The fish you buy was generally caught last night. The boats go out at night and return in the mornings.
Do not let them convince you that a rooster fish is good to eat – it is not. I am not sure I would even want to make a soup with it!
Red fish, tilapia, shrimp in season, lobster in season, tuna, mackerel are some of the more readily available varieties.
Small stores
The small grocery stores, called tiendas, are generally well stocked, albeit in the small size. They are a handy source for staples – chicken, rice, sugar, milk, onions, carrots, green peppers, etc. None of the tiendas near my house sell beer, but they may in other areas.
Goods from USA
PriceSmart (like Costco), and supermarkets such as El Rey/Romeros, Super 99, Extra (I am told), Dorado (I am told) and several other stores seem to be adding more and more U. S. items to their shelves.
That being said, you must remember that just because you find it one day does not mean you will find it again at a later date. Sometimes it is really hit or miss. If you find it, buy it is a good rule of thumb.
If internet is important to you, be sure there is availability in the area you are considering.
Not much has changed in the last several years in the way of improved service, if you are considering living outside a major city. While there have been some improvements, a lot must still be done to improve the standard of Internet service in the outlying areas of Panama.
The dogs roam freely here as many are compelled to forage for their food.
The dogs are sometimes a noise issue. Learn to sleep with ear plugs or put a pillow over your head!
Panamanians like their music loud!
There is a law in our town and you can call the police who may or may not come to your aide. The police are required to take down the name, address and identification number of the person in violation and report that to the local Corregiduria for further action. Eventually, the neighborhood will be quieter, but it does take some effort. I just learned to basically tune it out.
Panamanians love to celebrate their independence from both Spain and Colombia (both events occur in November). The school bands start practicing well in advance!
I love the enthusiasm and the parades. It reminds me of the 1950s when people weren’t so consumed with their lives and had time for family activities and major celebrations.
Panamanians typically view Gringos as ATMs. They think that all Gringos are rich.
I have been told that the preachers in some churches have told their congregations, if a Gringo has it and you want it, just take it. I cannot personally vouch for that, because my Spanish is not that developed and I do not attend the “local” (read that, neighborhood) churches.
Panamanians also have little regard for borrowed property. If you loan something, you will have to ask for it back. And it will not always come back in the same condition. There will be no offer of repair, replace or reimbursement.
/panama/frustration-employees-appointments-electricity-internet/Best rule of thumb – if you don’t want to be without it, don’t lend it.
We welcome your contributions. We are looking for points of view and experiences that would be beneficial to our readers. We can name you as the author or give you some anonymity by using the "guest contributor" byline. There will be mild editing of all contributions to help readability.
Please let me know if you would like to write something - or do a video - on a topic that would benefit other readers of this site. Thank you.
You may also want to check out a post I wrote recently about other not-great-parts of life in Panama.
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I (Reyn) decided to walk down the beach to investigate. Betsy suggested that I take her camera to get video of this unusual event. Hopefully the video came out okay.
There had been pretty good surf for over a week in Puerto Armuelles. It being a Sunday we sometimes see surfers from Playa La Barqueta (near David) here. These, mostly young, Panamanians drive to Puerto Armuelles to surf when their own break is too big and “gnarly” to ride.
Since Puerto Armuelles is sheltered by Punta Burica from the prevailing southwest swell, we have more days without waves than less protected surf locations.
On the other hand, when the surf gets big and and ugly at other spots, we still have a relatively playful wave suitable for less than expert surfers.
Plus, our beach is always safe for swimmers.
Playa La Barqueta is generally considered to be too dangerous for swimmers. There are annual reports of swimmers and even beach walkers drowning at La Barqueta.
I have body surfed at La Barqueta before, and it was intense. I would never swim there without swim fins; The current is too strong.
So, it was Sunday, and the waves had been pretty good all week. But still 12 surfers in the water was an all time record for Puerto.
“What was up?” I wondered. I walked up to a woman surfer standing on the beach and asked her “why the big crowd?”
She explained that the entire Chiriqui Surf Club just happened to be holding a big get-together this Sunday. They caravaned down from David to surf in Puerto Armuelles. This was not a regular event.
Secretly, I was relieved that our “old guy surfers’ paradise” had not been discovered by the mainstream surf population. Yes, it’s true. Even we old guy surfers have a hard time sharing our local surf spot with a sudden invasion of out-of-towners.
Not surprisingly, when I went surfing at the same spot on Monday morning, I was the only surfer in the water. Victor, an expat who lives nearby and who surfs every morning, is out of town, or there would have been 2 of us.
The waves were still 3-4 foot, as they had been on Sunday, but they were much cleaner. This is the kind of surf session that I treasure in Puerto Armuelles.
In all honesty, conditions are often flat here even during our surf season of June- November.
If you take a look at the video, the waves I filmed are pretty good size for our area. I would say 3-4 feet. We definitely have more flat days in Puerto than we have days like this.
However, even when the waves are small, our swell is generally a lot cleaner than the waves pictured (not so many closeouts).
We generally have glassy morning surf with nice peeling rides….even if the waves are only waist high they are often clean and “rippable”.
Puerto Armuelles is definitely not a destination surf spot. However, if you are a surfer, or you would like to learn, there is uncrowded small surf at many locations here.
Plus, within a half hour drive (Manaca) or boat ride, you can get into some big waves, if that’s what you are looking for.
I generally surf right at our local break at Corazon de Jesus, when there are waves.
If the ocean is flat, I swim.
Surfing is exhilarating. Swimming is relaxing. Both help remind me of how lucky I am to be living here.
Thanks for reading
Reyn
To learn more about Puerto Armuelles, start here.
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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.
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.
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We had fun, and bought a couple of different kinds of fish. Although, we were hoping to find a tuna that day, but no luck.
We love tuna, but it isn't popular here. Which is great for us. It is not popular so they sell it for only 60 cents a pound. Lightly seared and served with wasabi it is delectable.
Maybe next time they will have some tuna.
Where do you buy your fish in Panama?
We like to buy it off the boats. But people will walk or bike around with fish for sale.
We are alittle leary of buying non-iced seafood.
But if you go that route, here is a video that explains how to tell if a fish is fresh.
It is done by one of the YouTubers my daughter Blaise likes, Bart's Fish Tales. He also has alot of receipes for seafood of all sorts.
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Please comment below
If you are Panamanian, you are much more likely to get away with it. Well, unless you have a neighbor who doesn't like you, or if the tree cutting damages your neighbor’s property.
It is the law.
Expats are expected to, and should, follow the letter of the law here. It is a sign of respect. A neighbor, or even a passerby, is much more likely to turn an expat into the authorities, than a local. Mostly, because it does seem disrespectful for foreigners not to follow the law.
You really do not want to gain a reputation for being someone who doesn’t respect the laws of your new country. It is a reputation that will only make your life more difficult.
Trees are considered a valuable resource in Panama. They are used for buildings and furniture. Their fruit and nuts are a valuable commodity as well.
And the reality is that deforestation is a real problem here. The climate of the Azuero Peninsula radically changed after they cut down most of their trees to expand cow farming. While your back yard trees are not part of the deforestation issue, the regulations to protect Panama's forests and tree resources, include you and your trees.
Panamanian law states that you must get a permit to:
You can request both permits at the same time.
You can be fined, if you cut down a tree without a permit. The more trees you cut down, the more you will be fined. Of course, someone has to complain for you to be fined.
The threat of fines does seem to keep people from harvesting trees for money, at least in areas where they are not likely to be seen felling a tree.
An Illegal Tree Cutting Experience. We had a neighbor, an expat, of one of our properties cut down 200 of our trees! The trees were all over 4" in diameter. We had planted them to block the sight of his cell tower. Unfortunately for him, the tees also blocked his ocean view.
While we were out of the country, without attempting to contact us, he decided to cut them all down. When we asked him about it, he claimed that his gardener said, "it was okay to cut them down". Yeah, it was the gardener's fault.
Although, we had ANAM come out and verify the number and size of the trees that he cut down, we did not press any charges. Given the number of trees, the fine would have been quite substantial. While were miffed and mystified about the incidence, but trees are easily grown here. So we decided to let it go. We simply replanted.
We have cut down a few trees in Panama over the years. Usually because the tree was in some way hazardous. For instance, when coconut palm trees get over a certain height, they are dangerous. A coconut falling from up high can kill someone.
Of course, we have also planted over ten thousand trees. We love both the ease of growing as well as the variety of trees here. We usually plant trees for shade, architectural interest, property boundaries, as well as fruit trees for their fruit.
Getting a tree removal permit is:
Required Documents
You must submit the following documents to your local ANAM office.
We typically ask our tree cutter to take his aserrador’s (logger) license to the ANAM (Environmental and Marine Administration) office to apply for the permits. We give him all the required documents above. It is much easier that way, as we discuss later in this post
You can apply for up to 5 trees to be removed per permit request.
ANAM in Puerto Armuelles: The ANAM office in Puerto Armuelles (see photo above) is 1 block south of the baseball stadium in Rio Mar neighborhood (on the same street as Pizza Pilo).
In addition, once you (or your tree removal guy) hands over all the required paperwork, you need to formally request an inspection of the property by an ANAM engineer.
The engineer usually comes out to visit the site very quickly: That day or the next. Then he returns to his office, fills out, signs, and stamps the permit.
So far, we have never had any request to fell trees on our property denied.
The property owner then goes to the ANAM office and pays the $13 permit fee. Make sure you leave with the permit in hand.
You then should give the permit to the person who is actually cutting down the tree.
Panamanian law requires that the tree felling permit be in the hands of the tree cutter, just in case of a surprise site inspection.
However, we have never had a follow up inspection in over 10 years of living in Puerto.
The whole process sounds arduous. In reality it is not.
Generally, this entire process can be accomplished in a day or two.
We have obtained our own permits many times.
We used to go to the office ourselves (well, Reyn usually went). Then it did feel arduous.
We find that having the guy who wants to do the tree removal (this applies to all kinds of contracts and contractors) apply for the permit himself, speeds the process up.
The worker knows the engineer. The engineer knows that the worker needs the work to feed his family. It makes it much less likely that there will be any bumps along the way. It is a “done deal”.
Of course, when we did it ourselves we never had a problem, though it did seem to take more time to get the permit. We don't want to discourage you from getting your own permits, but it is something to consider.
Our Tree Removal Guy - Lalo
Typically, we have Jose “Lalo” Samudio get the tree removal permit for us.
Lalo is a logger/tree remover here in Puerto Armuelles. Lalo is a licensed logger (“aserrador”). He also owns a tractor which is very helpful in the tree removal biz.
Lalo is also a competent woodworker, logger, backyard mechanic, and jack-of-all-trades. In short, Lalo is very handy guy to know. Plus, he has a lovely family, with a wife and three children.
In case you want to hire him, Lalo lives on a corner lot in the Coronado neighborhood, which is just north of the Corazon de Jesus neighborhood. Ask around and someone will point out his house.
Getting a permit will cost you $13 and about 2 days of waiting.
Most importantly, it helps you maintain good relations with both your neighbors and local officials.
So, on Feb. 15, Reyn and I will share why and how we decided to live in Panama.
And, most importantly, what it is really like to live here in Panama.
The Live and Invest Overseas (LIO) literature about the conference is a bit over the top.
But it looks like the hype could be limited to getting people to attend the conference.
They even magnify the benefits of the accommodations. For instance, in their conference sales page, they state you save money because their special hotel rate includes free breakfast and free wifi. They assert "Internet alone can cost you US$30 a day at some hotels!" However, I have stayed in Panama City countless times and have never been charged for wifi, and almost always breakfast is included in my stay. You can see their sales page here.
However, in no way has LIO asked us to sugar coat or hype our presentation. They simply asked us to share what we would typically share about living in Panama.
So that is our plan. Our talk will be the straight scoop on our experiences moving to and living in Panama.
If possible I will tape our presentation and share it with you, our readers.
Our plan is to attend most, if not all, of the conference.
Neither of us have ever been to an event like this. I am very curious about what is presented and whether it seems realistic. Also, we want to be around to answer attendees questions.
I will write about our impressions when we return.
Although, we have never been to a LIO (or any) Panama conference, we have been in communication with them.
Back in 2013, 2 young men from Live and Invest Overseas came to do a report on our town, Puerto Armuelles. You can read about Live and Invest Overseas' visit to Puerto Armuelles, Panama.
Also, Reyn and I once interviewed Lief Simon of LIO via Skype about his Panama experiences. We put together a video in which he talks about the cost of living in Panama.
Have you been to a conference like this one before?
What was your experience? would you recommend it to a friend?
Please share in the comments below.
Jan. 26, 2017
On my very first morning, I went to the beach at Corazon de Jesus on for a swim.
I had been told that the November rains were heavy this year and that there was still a lot of drift wood on the beach. However, to my eyes it looked pristine and beautiful.
I had been away for over three months this trip. I had been spending my days in a very cold, grey, and rainy Seattle, so I was not aware of anything other than a perfect morning at the beach.
I was the only one out. The gentle curve of the beach was an empty crescent. Just the sand, nearly mirror flat, the early morning ocean, and I.
I took a short swim, which was plenty. (Note to self: I am really out of shape). But, man did I feel wonderful! The water was probably a warm 80 degrees, or so.
After swimming, I decided to go visit some of my neighbors on the beach.
There are several ex-pat residents in the Corazon de Jesus neighborhood. I was especially interested in talking to a couple of these folks who are doing construction on their homes using local contractors.
I enjoyed hearing about their experiences with the various contractors and sub-contractors. I will write about what I learned in a future post.
In the few days I've been back in Puerto Armuelles, I am noticed a number of new northern faces.
One woman, who had just ended a Panama relocation tour, made a special visit to Puerto. She said that she heard about Puerto Armuelles on our site, and wanted to check out for herself.
She says that she has "caught the Puerto bug". We’ll see if she decides to join us in Puerto soon.
Several of our visitors have visited Puerto more than once to “check it out” and are now expressing interest in buying. Most of our recent buyers are either from Canada or from northerly parts of the US.
A few folks have decided to rent homes in Puerto, rather than buying. Hopefully more rentals will continue to come on the market to meet this growing need for long-term rentals.
Some big news is that Del Monte may finally be coming to Puerto to start up banana production this June 2017. At least this is what the news media here tell us.
My most skeptical Panamanian neighbors here say they will only believe Del Monte is coming when they have peeled and eaten a Del Monte banana that was grown in the soils of Puerto Armuelles.
We all hope Del Monte really does come to Puerto. The town will benefit from the mostly working class jobs that Del Monte will provide.
However, as far as the arrival of ex-pats and any tourist industry here are concerned, I do not think that Del Monte will have much effect. I believe we have passed the “tipping point” and growing appeal of Puerto Armuelles to expats and Panamanians alike is certain. It is already happening.
But don’t believe me: Come visit and see for yourself. Who knows? You might “catch the Puerto bug” too.
