Panama
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Not to mention these benifits for American retirees:
As a qualified pensioner in Panama, you would be entitled to:
* 50% off entertainment anywhere in the country (movies, theaters, concerts, sporting events, etc.)
* 30% off bus, boat, and train fares
* 25% off airline tickets
* 50% off hotel stays Monday through Thursday, 30% off Friday through Sunday
* 25% off restaurant meals
* 15% off at fast-food restaurants
* 15% off hospital bills (if no insurance applies)
* 10% off prescription medicines
* 20% off doctors' consultations
* 15% off dental and eye exams
* 20% off professional and technical services
* 50% off closing costs for home loans and more
Plug, pease try to keep this on the down-low. :SIB
As a qualified pensioner in Panama, you would be entitled to:
* 50% off entertainment anywhere in the country (movies, theaters, concerts, sporting events, etc.)
* 30% off bus, boat, and train fares
* 25% off airline tickets
* 50% off hotel stays Monday through Thursday, 30% off Friday through Sunday
* 25% off restaurant meals
* 15% off at fast-food restaurants
* 15% off hospital bills (if no insurance applies)
* 10% off prescription medicines
* 20% off doctors' consultations
* 15% off dental and eye exams
* 20% off professional and technical services
* 50% off closing costs for home loans and more
Plug, pease try to keep this on the down-low. :SIB
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The Darien Province is one of the most dangerous places in the world. That's right. In the world. Panama's government has tossed it to the side, and pretty much pretends it does not exist. A shame too. The area is littered in beauty and history, and yet the warlords of Colombia have infiltrated into the border and hold many towns as their own. Mainly home to Indians and slave decendents, Darien Province is a poor province, lacks everything from running water to adequate services for the average tourist. If you ARE a tourist in the region, you won't be joined by many. Kidnappings are common past Yaviza, and the Panamanian Police cannot guarantee your safety past this town. The closer you get to Colombia, the more dangerous it gets. If you decide to go past Yaviza, at least register with the Panamanian Police. Also - most embassies will really advice you not to travel into this region. Yaviza was as far as I went with a friend. Both of our embassies, Canada and USA, both warned us against it. We both refused to continue towards Colombia. We turned around and went back to Panama City. Far eastern Darien is more under Colombia's drug lord control than it is Panama. So being in this region makes you subject to laws you didn't think existed, implemented by people who don't belong there.
A very bad smell invades your nose in a certain area of Curundu, a suburb outside of Panama City. Nicknamed Hollywood, it is a Shantytown (Hooverville if you're American) where running water does not exist, people are very much on the bottom of the food chain, and it's very dangerous to boot. Disease is rampant here, as the people have no running water, and the government cares nothing for them. Even poorer than those of El Chorrillo, Hollywood has residents that will rob you point blank. It's easy to avoid Hollywood though. Do yourself a favour and use the toll roads versus using the libre roads. You'll steer clear of Hollywood and not take that risk of being around there. I took this from the safety of my vehicle with a non-photo lens camera. I hope you don't mind. I cared about being safe.
Make it a good habit to check the license on the vehicle in which you plan to use, albiet a Taxi or a Diablo Rojo (AKA wildly painted bus that look similar to Chiva Buses). Some Taxis are illegitimate, and will charge you up the @$$ if they sense you are a foreigner. I had a friend here of the female type that made the mistake of not checking. The "cab" driver offered her a stick of gum. He pulled over to a convenience store. She awoke at daybreak outside, without her purse. The gum had been laced, and his friends were apparently waiting at this place to get what they could from the victim. Luckily she was not raped. She filed a report at the police station, but they were less than helpful. So, since Men can get robbed just as women can, especially with drugs incapacitating you, it is best to go ahead and check the license plate, and ask if he has insurance before entering. "Tienes Segura?" Check it. It could be fake. Negotiate the price before getting in. Don't use broken spanish. Say something like "Cuanto is la tarifa para nosotros a ____" and fill in the blank with the destination.
On the west side of Panama City lies a very dangerous neighborhood. The paint all but stripped off the buildings. The roads nameless, except the main road "4 de Julio." Prostitues line this road, but they are not women, but men. (Local name is quekos)The song "One night in Bangkok" is very fitting. The people here are very poor, so they have nothing to lose by robbing you. This include if you are just sitting in your vehicle in traffic. I made a habit of bringing a knife and some mace if I had to go through here. The region is unavoidable if you are heading east from Chiriqui into Panama City. Take extra caution. This area is high murder rate, smells like a stink lodge, and gives that overall uneasy feeling for anyone new in the area.
The city of Colon has a really bad reputation because the crime rate is tremendous. Unfortunately this is the place where all the cruise ships arrive because it's the most important port at the Caribbean Sea. As the city hasn?t to offer that much anyway it isn?t recommendable to stay here. So don't roam the city. Take a taxi or one of the tour guides waiting in the passenger terminal at the port and go to the more interesting destinations outside the city.
Panama City has a beautiful coastline along the water and a lot of tourists tend to walk from Casco Viejo to Amador along the water edge. The problem is, one has to walk pass the bad and dangerous area Chorrillo and many people get mugged on that streatch. DO NOT WALK BETWEEN THE TWO SPOT. TAKE A TAXI, it only cost $2 to $3. If you are unfortunate to get mugged. Contact the Tourist police, there are many on the streets either walking or cycling. There are lots especially in the Casco Viejo area.
If you are as taken by Bastimentos and the people as we were, you will undoubtedly find yourself mingling into the night with the locals which means making your way back to Bocas after dark. It must be noted that many boats (botes... the large dugout canoes pictured here) zip back and forth all day and all night through the small channel between Bocas and Bastimentos. Their outboard engines are very loud and these boats have NO running lights, which means they are inaudible AND invisible to all other boats. You do the math! Requirements: Good swimming skills and a helmet :-
Because the humid climate is an ideal environment for mosquitos, you should take precautions to avoid bites using a good repellent with DEET. Malaria is a serious, but preventable infection that can be fatal. Your risk of malaria may be high in Panama, including cities. If you plan to spend some time there, you may want to investigate obtaining a anti-malarial drug from your doctor.
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I was wondering if I can bring some guns into the country legally ?
I was thinking of retiring in Panama , and starting a business robbing the criminals, taxi drivers, drug dealers, and the cops and goverment officials.
I think I could get rich.
I dont speak spanish much though. I would be like Butch Cassidy having to read from notes.
how do you say in spanish
up against the wall and spread them !
give me your money or die bitch
take off that watch hombre
thanks
A very bad smell invades your nose in a certain area of Curundu, a suburb outside of Panama City. Nicknamed Hollywood, it is a Shantytown (Hooverville if you're American) where running water does not exist, people are very much on the bottom of the food chain, and it's very dangerous to boot. Disease is rampant here, as the people have no running water, and the government cares nothing for them. Even poorer than those of El Chorrillo, Hollywood has residents that will rob you point blank. It's easy to avoid Hollywood though. Do yourself a favour and use the toll roads versus using the libre roads. You'll steer clear of Hollywood and not take that risk of being around there. I took this from the safety of my vehicle with a non-photo lens camera. I hope you don't mind. I cared about being safe.
Make it a good habit to check the license on the vehicle in which you plan to use, albiet a Taxi or a Diablo Rojo (AKA wildly painted bus that look similar to Chiva Buses). Some Taxis are illegitimate, and will charge you up the @$$ if they sense you are a foreigner. I had a friend here of the female type that made the mistake of not checking. The "cab" driver offered her a stick of gum. He pulled over to a convenience store. She awoke at daybreak outside, without her purse. The gum had been laced, and his friends were apparently waiting at this place to get what they could from the victim. Luckily she was not raped. She filed a report at the police station, but they were less than helpful. So, since Men can get robbed just as women can, especially with drugs incapacitating you, it is best to go ahead and check the license plate, and ask if he has insurance before entering. "Tienes Segura?" Check it. It could be fake. Negotiate the price before getting in. Don't use broken spanish. Say something like "Cuanto is la tarifa para nosotros a ____" and fill in the blank with the destination.
On the west side of Panama City lies a very dangerous neighborhood. The paint all but stripped off the buildings. The roads nameless, except the main road "4 de Julio." Prostitues line this road, but they are not women, but men. (Local name is quekos)The song "One night in Bangkok" is very fitting. The people here are very poor, so they have nothing to lose by robbing you. This include if you are just sitting in your vehicle in traffic. I made a habit of bringing a knife and some mace if I had to go through here. The region is unavoidable if you are heading east from Chiriqui into Panama City. Take extra caution. This area is high murder rate, smells like a stink lodge, and gives that overall uneasy feeling for anyone new in the area.
The city of Colon has a really bad reputation because the crime rate is tremendous. Unfortunately this is the place where all the cruise ships arrive because it's the most important port at the Caribbean Sea. As the city hasn?t to offer that much anyway it isn?t recommendable to stay here. So don't roam the city. Take a taxi or one of the tour guides waiting in the passenger terminal at the port and go to the more interesting destinations outside the city.
Panama City has a beautiful coastline along the water and a lot of tourists tend to walk from Casco Viejo to Amador along the water edge. The problem is, one has to walk pass the bad and dangerous area Chorrillo and many people get mugged on that streatch. DO NOT WALK BETWEEN THE TWO SPOT. TAKE A TAXI, it only cost $2 to $3. If you are unfortunate to get mugged. Contact the Tourist police, there are many on the streets either walking or cycling. There are lots especially in the Casco Viejo area.
If you are as taken by Bastimentos and the people as we were, you will undoubtedly find yourself mingling into the night with the locals which means making your way back to Bocas after dark. It must be noted that many boats (botes... the large dugout canoes pictured here) zip back and forth all day and all night through the small channel between Bocas and Bastimentos. Their outboard engines are very loud and these boats have NO running lights, which means they are inaudible AND invisible to all other boats. You do the math! Requirements: Good swimming skills and a helmet :-
Because the humid climate is an ideal environment for mosquitos, you should take precautions to avoid bites using a good repellent with DEET. Malaria is a serious, but preventable infection that can be fatal. Your risk of malaria may be high in Panama, including cities. If you plan to spend some time there, you may want to investigate obtaining a anti-malarial drug from your doctor.
...............................................................
I was wondering if I can bring some guns into the country legally ?
I was thinking of retiring in Panama , and starting a business robbing the criminals, taxi drivers, drug dealers, and the cops and goverment officials.
I think I could get rich.
I dont speak spanish much though. I would be like Butch Cassidy having to read from notes.
how do you say in spanish
up against the wall and spread them !
give me your money or die bitch
take off that watch hombre
thanks
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take me to a nightclub taximan, and if you overcharge me........
PS - how do you say in spanish
A bat to the fawking head !
thanks
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Been to belize earlier this yr and if your not going to visit the keys there,please save your moeny cause the rest of the country is depressing to look at
Love these threads--maybe between all of us we can find perfect retirement country.
Can't see retiring in U.S. on tax consequences alone--and they'll get worse before better.
Would be nice to find country in close proximity as I'm sure most would want to return frequently and visit family.
Have visited several places that would qualify per my requirements: Safty-taxes-cost of living-recreation (golf courses) but all lack one important factor--communication. Have found that regardless of other attributes being unable to communicate with general population will wear on you eventially. Would think area that had small community of english speaking people would over ride that hurdle.
Thanks for report on Panama--is very informative.
Can't see retiring in U.S. on tax consequences alone--and they'll get worse before better.
Would be nice to find country in close proximity as I'm sure most would want to return frequently and visit family.
Have visited several places that would qualify per my requirements: Safty-taxes-cost of living-recreation (golf courses) but all lack one important factor--communication. Have found that regardless of other attributes being unable to communicate with general population will wear on you eventially. Would think area that had small community of english speaking people would over ride that hurdle.
Thanks for report on Panama--is very informative.
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I think if you are serious about moving when you retire you will have to take language courses to the place you move to. Seems it would be cheap and help alot in not too long a time.
Kinda like in Georgia now. I am at a car wash and the machine I put my money in is speaking to me in spanish.
Maybe you could start a revolution and get english spoken in your new found country. When they have the car washs speaking spanish, wtf.
this is America. Love it or leave it.
bessa me coola