About cabo1

Status:

Expatriate  

Gender:

Female

Currently Lives:

Las Margaritas, Cocle, Panama

Citizen Of:

United States

HR/Relo
Professional:

Provider of Expat-Related Services & Products

Some Forum Posts:

Panama: Majaqual & Gorgona:

Good evening! There are a bunch of places that are considered mountains and you will still have ocean views!! We live where we can see from Tobago to Punta Chame all the way to Las Tablas and we are consiidered to be in the mountains. We are 12 KM from the Pan American Highway on the road to El Valle. We have the best of all worlds - mountain life, 15 minutes to the Pacific beaches, and 1 hour into Panama City. We have been here for 4 years permanently, but coming down here since 2001 when we purchased property to build our retirement home. Check out our website at www.whypanama.com for FREE information, etc. Gorgona is on the beach. Matt & Mary

Panama: El Valle:

There is a great group of expats in that area and they have their own website along with a yahoo group. Mary www.whypanama.com

Panama: How should I look for where I want to live in Panama:

First you need to decide what type of area you are iinterested in (mountains, beaches or city). Next prioritize how important medical treatment, travel to the states, etc. Also what is your budget--some areas are more expensive (city) vrs. the interior. Do as much research on the internet as possible before heading down here and make sure you take off your rose colored glasses. There are a lot of pros and cons to PANAMA and it is not for everyone. We did our research and started searching in 2001 and finally purchased in 2002 and moved here permanently in 2005. We LOVE Panama, but we also know people that purchased and then decided they wanted to be back in the States. Mary www.whypanama.com

Panama: Mail forwarding:

Hi! We use MailBoxes Etc. in Panama. Our mail is forwarded from the Miami area to Coronado. Mary whypanama.com

Panama: LOOKING FOR INFORMATION:

Hi! We have been down here 2 years now and love it in PANAMA. We did extensive research in 2001 after our first trip and then came back a couple of times in 2002 looking. We found a lot and purchased it. In 2004 we found a builder we were comfortable with and started building in September. We were recently interviewed for a Washington Post article (September 12) and had a TV crew here last weekend from www.rl.tv We started our own website to help people for FREE whypanama dot com Matt & Mary Strociek

Panama: retiring to Panama:

Hi Bill! Some new things have recently come up down here. Please visit my website and contact me directly. whypanama dot com

Panama: Buying Furniture and Appliances:

Hi! I have heard that Colon is cheaper since it is "Duty Free", but that is if you are exporting stuff out of Panama. We just moved here 3 months ago to the El Valle region. We purchased all of our appliances at Casa Gala in El Dorado (by the McDonalds and down the street from the Do-It Center). We checked out 4 different places before purchasing them there. Look at their ads in the paper on Friday and Saturday. Some of our furniture we purchased from Econo Precios (www.econoprecios.com) They have 3 floors of furniture only. We purchased a bedroom set and a couple of wicker sets for outside. I just purchased a 3 piece living room set from Penonomee yesterday and had it delivered today. Real nice stuff - but it would NOT be worth the trip from Panama City. Matt & Mary Strociek

Panama: Narrowing Down Locations:

Hi! We have looked at Bocas also. We talked with locals and realtors alike and came back with a lot of good information. I am willing to share the contacts we made with you at any time. Matt & Mary Strociek

Panama: shipping car to panama:

Hi! We are in the process of relocating to Panama from Chicagoland. The thing you have to be careful with is that there is a 5% accessed value of the car that WILL be charged. Customs decides on the value. Mary & Matt cabo1@mc.net 847-669-3224

Panama: BuenaVentura, Panama:

We have visted & we are in the process of building our retirement home in El Valle Hills. Contact me at cabo1@mc.net for specific questions. Matt & Mary

Date Joined:

1/20/2003

Total Posts:

25

Posts/Day:

0.00