Why Choose Panama to Retire?

Many have asked me why I have chosen Panama as my retirement destination. A couple of years ago, we went to check out Belize, and came back firm in the belief we could never live in Central America. So we went to Panama in March 2011 with mixed feelings. We had read a lot about the attractive retirment programs offered by the government, so decided to go.

We flew into Panama City on Delta and stayed in a hotel our travel agent had found for us. We had booked on the spur of the moment, not realizing it was Carnaval in Panama - one of the biggest holidays in the country. So all things considered the hotel was pretty good - excellent food, friendly staff, convenient location.

Panama City itself was a big surprise. Futuristic, it looks like a movie set.

We planned to stay in Panama City only one day, then drive west. It was Sunday. We decided to check out a mall. Took a taxi - agreed on the price with the driver first. I can only say my jaw dropped open when we got there. The mall was huge, far bigger than any in the Canadian city in which I live. The stores ranged from very nice to high end. The crowds of shoppers were well dressed. Definitely not the Central America we saw in Belize.

We came back to the hotel, stood on our balcony overlooking Our Lady of Carmen church, and offered ourselves up to the universe. If it's meant to be...

The following day we rented a car, only thanks to the dogged persistence of the friendly hotel staff - did I mention it was Carnaval? We got totally lost, thanks in large part to the street closures for the holiday, but also a lack of what we would consider in Canada to be 'proper' signage.

Eventually we were crossing the Panama Canal over the Bridge of the Americas, on our way to Boquete in the western highlands. Many expats have settled in the Boquete area. As we headed west, we were surprised by the excellent condition of the highway, divided all the way to Santiago. Approval has since been given for the section from Santigo to David to be twinned as well.

However, I digress.

We have yet to get to Boquete.Why? Because on the way we stumbled upon Las Lajas, where we planned to stay overnight and instead remained for eight nights.

If it's meant to be...

Next time I'll tell you what we love about Las Lajas, and why we're building a condo there.