[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Bob,

No worries at all and thanks for the reply! Yes I’d still love to interview you, perhaps we can schedule it for next month…then you’ll have been there about six months, which would tentatively work well for one of our “first year in” pieces. If you could please either email me at jramesch@internationalliving.com or post your email here so I can email you?

Thanks again!

Jessica
IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

You’re welcome, thanks Yves and Julie. Ancon and the surrounding areas are great but you would be all the way across town (as far as possible from the school) and thus you would have to deal with a lot more traffic. Ancon is indeed one of the greenest areas but Costa del Este is very nice and much closer!

Best,

Jessica

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for visiting the Forum!

Salud Panama has a website that lists doctors and dentists, visit http://www.saludpanama.com/periodoncia-e-implantes-dentales. The company also offers medical tourism/concierge type services.

Also here’s a list of practices with central locations. I cannot vouch for any of these practices. I haven’t been to any of them, but Panama has excellent healthcare in general. (I’d give you the info for my own dentist but she doesn’t speak English; larger practices tend to have English speaking dentists.)

CLINICA ARANGO ORILLAC
Address: Cl 54 Urb Obarrio, Edif Arango Orillac
Tel: (507) 2638216,(507) 2638502,(507) 2638166
Fax : (507) 2647993
http://www.arango-orillac.com/english/index.html

CLINICA DENTAL VALLARINO
Address Cl 50 Edif La Colmena
Tel (s) : (507) 2640237
Fax : (507) 2636564
http://www.dentalvallarino.com/

3- More listed here: http://www.whatclinic.com/dentists/panama

Hope this helps!

Best,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Thanks for posting that, Linda! I’ll just add that the same is true for other regions of Panama. You will find practitioners not so much online but rather via word-of-mouth, and yes, caveat emptor. That said I’ve had nothing but good experiences with my chiropractor in Panama City, Sherry Goldsberry https://www.facebook.com/sherry.goldsberry.9?fref=ts (considered by some to be alternative medicine, though it’s much more mainstream these days).

Best,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Rebecca,

Thanks for visiting the forum. It is possible to get these loans from banks in Panama but amortization periods shrink as age increases with loans often unavailable for those over the age of 75. Interest rates and terms vary depending on the home you buy, so you would have to approach banks with a property in mind (or at least a price range) to get more info. For example, if you are 57 years old and seeking a mortgage, the longest term you will be able to obtain here is likely 18 years. Hope this helps.

Best,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hello Yves and thanks for visiting the Panama Insider Forum.

I believe that school is close to the communities of Club de Golf and Brisas del Golf, but I wouldn’t want to live out there, I’d consider a more city-central area like San Framcisco/Coco del Mar or between there and the school is Costa del Este. Hope that helps, best of luck,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Ronald,

When I owned a rainforest home in Clayton we fumigated every six months and as the wood was good and head been properly treated/sealed we never had an issue, thankfully. I’m sorry I can’t offer any personal insight but I am sure expats and/or experts in Pedasi can help you. I’d bet if you asked around at Smiley’s or Casita Margarita you’d get the info quick enough. I hope we get some posts here as well. And you might try real estate professional and engineer Jean Paul Villamil who is based in Las Tablas and speaks English, and who in my experience knows a lot about home care in the region:

JEAN-PAUL VILLAMIL
Panama Homeland
Tel. +507 994-0111; cell +507 6612-8777
Email: info@panamahomeland.com
Website: http://www.panamahomeland.com

Call or drop by his offices.

Best,

Jessica

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Thanks so much for sharing your insight Bob. If you’re interested in potentially being interviewed about building a home/life in Pedasi, please let me know via jramesch@internationalliving.com. Any interviews would take place by phone after April 21 as I’ll be traveling before then, but if you’re interested let me know as soon as possible so we can plan ahead. No pressure if you’re not interested or too busy now!

Best,

Jessica

Jessica Ramesch
IL Panama Editor

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Steve,

I hope some of our forum members chime in with any thoughts or tips gleaned from their time here!

You may want to check out smaller stores like Girasol (https://www.facebook.com/Gira-sol-1479680738955617/ I think they do custom furniture as well), Casa Confort (EL Dorado mall), Muebleria Ancon, DoIt Center or Furniture City (near the intersection of Via Brazil and Via Espana) and http://www.inandoutdeco.com/ (for blinds etc) that might be able to show you catalogues for items they can order or have in their warehouses. In addition there is a brand new mall called Altaplaza you may want to check out (I haven’t been yet). There is an expat-run consignment store called Deja Vu that is great for finding that one special or missing piece (and they have a lot of inventory). I’m sure your new neighbors and realtor/developer who sold you the unit will also have recommendations.

Hope you find what you’re looking for!

Best,

Jessica

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Alan, in Panama my understanding is that the only medical conditions that would cause you to get rejected for a visa would be those that are communicable. I don’t believe that your son’s syndrome would pose a problem but you can probably get helpful insight from the attorney listed on the Rolodex section of this website, Rainelda Mata-Kelly:

The Law Offices of Rainelda Mata-Kelly
Suite 406-407, Tower B, Torres de las Americas
Punta Pacifica, Panama City, Panama
Local tel: +(507) 216-9299
From the U.S. or Canada tel: (011 507) 216-9299
Email: rmk@mata-kelly.com
Website: http://www.mata-kelly.com

Hope that helps.

Best,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Wayne,

I love visiting Costa Rica, something that is easy for me to do from Panama City, where I live. I hope that if any of our readers have lived in both Costa Rica and Panama they will post here. As I’ve only visited Costa Rica I can’t offer any insight on long-term living there. I think a lot depends on your personal criteria and what you’re looking for, whether you plan to live full-time or part-time, how often you plan to fly back home, whether you will need a source of income, etc. If you’re able to visit both countries, take into account any of the following depending on their importance to you: how you feel about the locals, how safe you feel, ease of travel (both getting to and getting around the country), amount of English speakers (unless you speak Spanish), and of course expenses and taxes as Linda mentions above, along with any other criteria that is important to you.

As you research and read about these countries, your questions will get more specific and that will help, as well. You can send specific questions to IL’s Costa Rica Editor Jason Holland via costarica@internationalliving.com. We wish you good luck as you continue reading and planning…it’s an exciting stage in the retire overseas journey, enjoy it!

Best,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Our pleasure, thanks Gregt. Enjoy your visit!

Best,

Jessica

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Gregt,

Thanks for visiting the forum. Many of the foreigners moving here today have children and find the private school system in Panama City convenient, as there are many private bilingual schools which here are very affordable as compared to the U.S. and other countries.

Though the schools differ in many ways from schools in the US or Canada, expats here say there are many pros for their kids, such as growing up bilingual, attending private school where classes are small and personalized attention is a given, and learning from international friends. Some of the schools here may offer internationally recognized accreditation such as the IB or International Baccalaureate, making it easy for graduates to apply for colleges in the US and elsewhere. You would need to do the due diligence yourself to find out what accreditations your school of interest offers.

We always recommend that you bring your kid(s) down for a long vacation if at all possible, so they can get a feel for the place and you can start to understand how they may or may not adapt. Young kids and young adults seem to find it easy to learn enough Spanish to feel included.

One of the things to take into consideration is that waiting lists at the best schools are long…so it is best to come down and start inquiring sooner rather than later. There are a handful of options outside of Panama City, for example Coronado has an international school that has attracted quite a few expat kids.

Private schools can cost $45 to $1000 a month (tuition), though most are in the $150 to $350 a month range. Also there may be one-time “capital contribution” or donation fees of $0 to $10,000. Coronado International School charges fairly modest fees. A private investment by the family-owned Eisenmann Group, the school adds value to Coronado. Much of the town was developed by the group, which continues to sell land and property there. The school does not ask for a capital contribution or donation. Students pay about $700 a year for registration (this includes supplies like pencils and notebooks). Monthly tuition is $325-$350, depending on the grade. There is a new international school in Boquete (http://www.aib.edu.pa/web/) but I do not at this juncture have any additional info about that facility. However if you are interested in mountain living it might be worth reaching out to the school or visiting. Our correspondent in Chiriqui, Linda Card, is an excellent expat living resource if you are interested in the Chiriqui region, and you can reach her via Chiriqui@internationalliving.com.

There are quite a few expat bloggers out there that are raising kids in Panama, you might reach out to them, for example: http://slaglesatlarge.blogspot.com/p/directory-boquete-schools.html.

We on occasion cover this topic, though most of our readers are empty nesters or very close to it. A lot of readers have found this article helpful: http://internationalliving.com/2013/04/planting-our-kid-in-rural-panamaand-watching-him-grow/

Hope this helps.

Regards,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

PS I doubt there will be much difference in cost whether you purchase at the airport or in town.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- JESSICA RAMESCH]

Hi Ronald,

Thanks for posting. As mentioned on this website (http://internationalliving.com/country_clubs/panama/moving-to-panama/) the local providers are Movistar, Digicel, Claro, and Cable & Wireless. I am not sure what their rates are for a pay-as-you-go cell phone, which is what you will likely buy here. Most find this to be the easiest so yes, they carry two cell phones…their smart phone from back home and a cheap cell phone for Panama service. Another option is to buy a Panama SIM card on arrival at the airport and insert into your cell phone from back home. It will probably cost you about the same no matter which of these you do. You can inquire on your arrival at Tocumen airport.

Personally I am on a contract with Movistar (about $50 a month for a smart phone plan…i.e., data and calling) and I find their coverage and service to be great, I call Canada frequently for pennies a minute.

If you have a smart phone you can use that for calling the US by using your smart phone’s wifi at times when you have a connection (or data/roaming but this can be very expensive and I usually disable mine when I travel. Contact your home provider regarding international roaming charges). Smart phone apps like What’s App and Skype provide good online or wifi calling services.

Hope this helps and enjoy your visit.

Best,

IL Panama Editor Jessica Ramesch

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