conchgirl55
8/28/2017 09:38 EST
I visited Panama this summer with intentions of relocating there within the year. The town that appealed to me most was Pedasi. Is anyone on this forum currently living there who could give me some insight?
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PedasiTedd
8/28/2017 11:22 EST
Hi Conchgirl55,
My name is Tedd and I've lived in Pedasi for the last 8 years. What would you like to know?
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PedasiJC
8/28/2017 13:37 EST
Hi concgirl55,
I live in Pedasi, what questions did you have?
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petedaria
8/28/2017 18:42 EST
I am anxious to hear concgirl55 questions but if anyone can talk to me about weather, healthcare, and living conditions for couple in 60s it would be greatly appreciated
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trippinbilly23
8/30/2017 13:10 EST
Hi we are visiting Pedasi in October. Hoping to not rent a car, taking bus. Have you done the bus trip from Panama City? We are searching for a retirement town, we're about 4 years away. I'd like to get a dive in if you know any scuba shops. Can we get by with only a little Spanish? I've been working on it for 2 years but it takes time. Thanks Ken
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bluewind
8/30/2017 18:03 EST
Took the bus from PC to Chitre (sp) several years ago. Hung around there for several days, then took a cab to Las Tablas, then on to Pedasi. I found Pedasi easy to walk around, but having a care once there would of been nice cause there were many places I would of liked to visit but didn't. Looking back, I probably could of got a taxi to show me around. There were plenty in Pedasi.
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bluewind
8/30/2017 18:07 EST
Forgot to mention that I did reserve a car rental in Chitre but my Spanish was not good enough to explain to the taxi driver where I wanted to go. Drawing pictures and hand gestures got me nowhere. He ended up driving me to the bus terminal LOL.
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gentlemanfarmer
8/31/2017 12:17 EST
My wife and I, along with another couple plan to visit Pedasi in Mar 2018. We are looking for a suitable place to expat at least half of the year. Once we determine what we really like we will probably sell our farm in Oklahoma. I wanted to be somewhere with a dive shop and I know this location has one. I have been looking at places available for rent on AirBNB. Is there better rental options when you get on location? Thanks
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trippinbilly23
9/1/2017 08:24 EST
How is internet service in Pedasi/Las Tablas? Our retirement options include some consulting work, which would allow us to retire sooner. We would need reliable service. Perhaps even if there is small office space for rent with service. Looking forward to our visit next month. We've been planning it since Christmas.
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panamajames
9/3/2017 03:57 EST
Internet in Pedasi is very poor and if you need it for work, it is going to be very difficult for you. Las Tablas is better if you stay in the main areas of service where they have telephone poles. You can contact them here. https://www.cableonda.com/las-tablas
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trippinbilly23
9/3/2017 08:58 EST
Thank you. Internet service is a part of the decision as to where and when. We were planning to visit Las Tablas anyway when we are there next month.
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panamajames
9/3/2017 14:19 EST
In Boquete, a population of maybe 22,000 to 25,000 people, currently we are getting a 100 meg internet plus 3 HD Cable TV boxes with the extra high end package for more English channels for our rental apartments for $113 a month. Internet and cable are definitely getting better all over Panama. Pedasi is a very small market and is all beach related at the ends of the Panama boundaries, almost the boonies. But if you love the beach and sun and surfing, it's great. Working would mean that you would have to live in larger centers if you need high speed internet.
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trippinbilly23
9/3/2017 16:17 EST
Thanks Panamajames, Working only is a concern if we find a place we really like and want to retire more quickly (2 years). We have opportunities to work part time to supplement pension. If we wait 4 years, then its not an issue. Personally I'd rather go sooner rather than later, but we have to find somewhere we want to start out first.
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trippinbilly23
9/3/2017 16:17 EST
Thanks Panamajames, Working only is a concern if we find a place we really like and want to retire more quickly (2 years). We have opportunities to work part time to supplement pension. If we wait 4 years, then its not an issue. Personally I'd rather go sooner rather than later, but we have to find somewhere we want to start out first.
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panamajames
9/3/2017 18:19 EST
You most likely know that you can retire to Panama early and still keep working. People do it all the time. I retired early with skills in Banking and IBM Technology. One of the largest Credit Unions in Panama are opening a branch here in Boquete this October and want me to manage it. Do I work 8 hours a day? No. I make my own hours and I hire people like you to help me run it. Most of our clients speak English so that is how it will be. Don't believe a lot of those folks who tell you that you can't get a job here. You really can, and legally and happily and you can fit right in......enjoy
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panamajames
9/3/2017 18:24 EST
When you get on location, you will find awesome accommodations at a fraction of the cost that you hear about online. You have to get in touch with the locals in the places you want to be. Everyone, and I mean everyone local, knows of a place to rent or lease or buy or sell. We call it the coconut express or ask-a-gringo / tell-a-gringo
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petedaria
9/3/2017 20:25 EST
Great advice and humorous too... Is this a good forum to attract other local retirees to meet with us when we are touring?
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panamajames
9/3/2017 20:41 EST
It is truly a great forum for meeting other expats and travelers in Panama. Lots of good information and some wonderful people. I have met so many folks on here and some have become lifelong friends, travel and social buddies. You will always find a few coconuts who show up on here, but we are mostly friendly and helpful. This is my social media. I'll help anyone who asks for it, and I don't mind putting up my telephone number and email address as it doesn't get abused..........cheers and enjoy this forum. Best one that I have had the opportunity to spend time at.
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petedaria
9/4/2017 09:43 EST
Great to hear... We will use it to connect with espats hopefullu as we travel through Panama Colombia and Nicarauga this winter... We plan to find a place to settle for fall 2018.
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llseldon
9/4/2017 13:53 EST
Sorry I have not been following this thread but Coronado is a center of ExPat activity & if some one hasn't already commented to their Pindins maybe they will now, they get together at least once a month, quite often at Paraíso restaurante on the road to El Valle, if you go to EL stop there, the owner were Canukes & nice people.
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llseldon
9/4/2017 14:18 EST
Ref Canukes, the Mannelles, not to be confused with Martinelli, live in the San Carlos area, nice people, been there about 8 years now I think mas o menos.
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panamajames
9/4/2017 14:23 EST
I am not sure what a Canuke is, but a Canuck would be considered as being from Canada.
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trippinbilly23
9/4/2017 14:25 EST
Panamajames, thanks for the valuable info. If we like Pedasi/Las Tablas, it will certainly help make our decision easier as to when to go.
I will be arriving in Pedasi on October 21 and staying until the 29th. We will then have 2 nights in Panama City before flying home. If anyone is in Pedasi and would be interested in meeting, let me know. Thanks I will be celebrating my 52nd birthday in Pedasi, so if anyone has restaurant recommendations.... Ken
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panamajames
9/4/2017 14:42 EST
Smileys in Pedasi, to be sure, is the best restaurant. Happy birthday in advance. Remind me of it and perhaps around that time, it will be time for me to visit Pedasi once again and spend some beach time. Just so you know, Pedasi is not an ocean front town. It is a heft walk to the ocean or a beach and mostly likely should be a drive. We lived in El Limon in an Ocean Loft at Los Destiladeros Beach which was on the ocean, but it was a fair drive away from downtown Pedasi. Here is a nice ad for Pedasi: The Azuero Peninsula extends predominantly along Panama’s southern pacific coast and is shared by three provinces: Herrera, Los Santos and Veraguas. The Azuero is a lively mixture of cowboy culture and Spanish tradition… all enveloped in a grandeur of geographical beauty noted by small towns, lively festivals, and friendly locals. Beautiful beaches, diving, surfing, snorkeling, fishing, folkloric traditions are all part of the attractions that have let the Azuero secret “out of the box”. Yet the Azuero continues to retain its rural heritage, testimony being that your biggest traffic jam is more likely to be a herd of cows rather than a bottleneck of cars. Rodeos, cantinas, men donning Panama Hats, women in their folkloric “pollera” dresses and green hills dotted with Brahmas all characterize the Azuero.
Pedasí:
Pedasi is a clean, charming town with all the requisites for either adventure or rest and relaxation. Just a few minutes to the beach and the gateway to the southern portion of the Azuero, Pedasi and its surroundings offer a great location as a retirement community or traveling destination. Pedasi, along with the eastern portion of the Azuero (Herrera and Los Santos provinces), enjoy less rain and a longer dry season than their neighbors to the west in Veraguas province. This coupled with constant ocean breezes translates into an enjoyable climate even in the wettest months of the rainy season and the hottest months of the dry season.
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petedaria
9/4/2017 17:07 EST
That sounds wonderful... How hot does it be regularily there? Is it similarily affordabble as it is closer to the city?
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trippinbilly23
9/4/2017 19:29 EST
Hi James thanks for the info. I'll definitely send you a reminder and I was already made aware of Smileys. We've been looking at Pedasi/Las Tablas for almost a year. Excited that it's next month. Ken
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lanahallmark
9/7/2017 12:58 EST
Hello, Panama James! We were in Boquete in 2014 and enjoyed a lovely dinner with you and your wife. After our week in Boquete on that trip, we spent a week at Playa Uverito near Las Tablas. I'm excited to report that I'm retiring next spring and we're coming to Panama to do absolutely nothing but walk on the beach and read for a month. We've chosen Pedasi and will be there in May, June, or July. Is the weather about the same those months? Is there a flight from Albrook to Pedasi? We'd prefer to rely on taxis and walking, renting a car in Pedasi only for day trips. I'd be interested to know if you have available rentals in that area. Thanks for the information. Can't wait to get back there. I've been working on my Spanish :)
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panamajames
9/7/2017 22:47 EST
So nice to hear from you folks again. Keep working on that Spanish. I find that if I don't use it, I lose it. Went away to North America for a month or more and had difficulty remembering some Spanish words to make a sentence when I came back. You will find flights can be sketchy at various times of the year from Albrook to Pedasi and you are visiting in the "off" season. Weather however is always the same temperature but perhaps a little more rain in your summer months than your winter months here. https://www.airpanama.com/home.php You might find flights on Wednesday, Friday or Sunday. For May June and July I have no rentals in Pedasi available. Let us know if you find something down there and if we are free, it might be time for another beach adventure. It would be great to catch up again...........cheers.
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kumusta
9/18/2017 22:34 EST
I didn't know that considering the move to retire there I have a lot of experience at the sales end of banking cd's, Insurance, Lines of credit and second mortgages...
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kgang1957
11/15/2017 15:46 EST
Hello Ted,
We're looking to retire in spring 2019 and looking at Pedasi. We will be bringing our large dog, a friendly pitbull. We plan to rent but have been told it will be a problem with this dog? Is this true?
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StanleySankey
11/15/2017 17:43 EST
I have been renting in different places in Panama for the past four plus years, San Carlos, Las Tablas and Chitre with my two dogs a yellow lab and a golden retriever and any place I have looked for rentals no one has every had an issue with me bringing the dogs. Might be a different story in PC but out in the interior won't be an issue.
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panamajames
11/15/2017 18:51 EST
Labs and Golden Retrievers do not have the same reputation as Pittbulls. It may be a shame that bad owners have created bad tempered or vicious Pittbulls that have received a lot of public attention in the media but I know of many landlords who do not want to take on the liability. With the proper owners, they can be cuddly bears, but with the wrong owners they can be not so cuddly.
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conchgirl55
11/16/2017 11:42 EST
I am wondering if my monthly income of $1300-2200 a month is a livable amount for the area. I have lived in a very rural area in the past, a place with limited outlets for shopping etc. so a trip to a larger town once every 4-6 wks. would be no big deal.
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conchgirl55
11/16/2017 11:51 EST
I believe we may have met on market day in Bouqette this summer.
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conchgirl55
11/16/2017 11:53 EST
You are correct! We stopped for lunch there on the way up to El Valle and the owner was SUPER helpful, the food was delicious and reasonably priced.
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panamajames
11/16/2017 12:23 EST
$1300 a month is pushing it but the closer you can get to $2000 starts to get comfortable. I have friends and associates who have sold their house in the US for $300,000, put it into a Term Deposit here in Panama and it provides them with $2,125.00 monthly and they live well on only that income and leave their pension in the States for emergencies.
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fricotin
11/16/2017 15:00 EST
Ex ? pat, what’s a pat ?
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panamajames
11/17/2017 20:17 EST
Pat is short for Patriot. An Expat is an Ex Patriot
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fricotin
11/18/2017 15:37 EST
I was under the impression that “expat” (one word) was short for expatriate...
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Oldcameraman
11/18/2017 16:35 EST
Google it: ex·pa·tri·ate noun eks?p?tr??t 1. a person who lives outside their native country.
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Oldcameraman
11/18/2017 16:40 EST
Copy and paste of pronunciation I just supplied didn't work so well. Here it is in plain text without pronunciation: Googled it: ex·pa·tri·ate noun 1. a person who lives outside their native country.
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mclaughz
2/7/2018 09:46 EST
My wife,Colombiana, and I are thinking of coming to Panama for one month. Need your thoughts about where to start out. We are interested in Bocas del Toro and Pedasi. I am retired and my wife will retire in a year and a half, although she doesn't have to work in order to retire. So we are free to move about. Your thoughts will certainly be appreciated. James
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blackdogs
3/10/2019 09:13 EST
We are currently living in Los Cabos but are considering moving to a safer country. The one concern is the weather. Can you give me a better idea of how much it rains there and how frequently. Here in San Jose we get 9 days of rain per year and blue skies every day.
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PedasiPundit
3/10/2019 10:19 EST
During the "Wet Season", usually June to December. We get rain on a regular basis, however, most days it rains at night and the days are cool and sunny. Every once in a while it will rain all day or even for 2 days, but that is infrequent. Don't worry, you will not turn into a wrinkled prune! Women love it because it gives them smooth skin! For more info, check out our Pedasi adventure. www.ourthirdlifepedasi.com
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