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Panama

It’s a Bird – It’s a Plane – it’s a Speeding Ticket!

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Recently we experienced a less-than-pleasant aspect of life as Panama expats. We were driving from Las Tablas to Chitre and got a speeding ticket just outside the town of Guarare. It was a motorcycle cop who pulled us over. We could see him as we came around a gentle curve in the road. He was standing with his back to us talking with another driver he'd pulled over. As we approached he gestured -- without turning around -- for us to pull off the road. He walked over to the driver's side window …

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Can I Afford to Live in . . . (Pick a Country)

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What's the cost of living? Can I afford to live in Country X, or Y or Z? Lots of folks want to make sure their dollars, pounds, euros or other currency will be enough to support them comfortably after they move abroad. I totally understand, because that was a huge concern for us as well. Last month, to note the anniversary of my move to Panama, I asked readers to submit questions about their biggest concern about living in another country. I'm gradually working my way through the …

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Do You Need to Habla Español to Live in Panama?

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Many plan-to-be expats are concerned about the language, and rightfully so. After all, if you can't communicate you'll have a much harder time with everything in your new country. Shopping, eating out, finding a place to live, getting utilities turned on, taking cabs and buses or getting car repairs -- all the business of life requires that you be able to communicate with others. How good does your Spanish need to be to live in Panama? As with so much else in the expat life, the answer …

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Expat Mailbox – Shipping and Mailing in Panama

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Last week marked the first anniversary of my arrival in Panama to start my life as an expat. Just out of curiosity I sent out an eletter asking readers to send in questions about their biggest concern in moving overseas. (If you're not on my mailing list but would like to be, you can sign up here.) I'm tickled that lots of you responded with quite a few interesting questions. Far too many to answer in one post, so I'll spread them out over the next few weeks. They tended to fall into …

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My First Year as a Panama Expat

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I became a Panama expat one year ago. On March 13, 2012, I landed -- along with my mini-mountain of luggage -- at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City. My first few days here were pretty stressful. I'd flown down by myself to find us a place to live. My husband and the dogs would follow once I'd accomplished that mission. I had no definite plans. I'd reserved a room at the Centrum Tower Hotel in Panama City for the first night, but everything after that was a mystery. My …

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The Pains, Perils and Joys of Buying Panama Oceanfront Property

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Over this past weekend, I looked at two very different pieces of Panama beachfront property. The first belongs to an expat couple we met. They're not selling it, and I can see why. It's absolutely beautiful! Directly on the beach near Chitre, it was built as a collection of small buildings all opening up to a central, covered, open-air courtyard. They have trees, grass, bougainvillea, and lots of other plants in this courtyard. Lovely ocean breezes waft through, and they can open their …

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