About thehaze74

Currently Lives:

Citizen of:

Some Forum Posts:

Panama: how much to build a house like the locals have:

pollokeeper: You mention BancPanama's website as a source of information on foreclosed properties but I can't seem to find anything on the site. Could you be more specific about where the information is located, perhaps a web address. Thank you in advance, Bill

Panama: BRINGING SEEDS FROM THE U.S.:

Lolita, I just arrived Panama on July 31st and brought some factory sealed seeds with me. I was very paranoid that I might be doing something wrong and so was very diligent in informing the agents that I had them. They expressed NO CONCERN and did not hinder me in any way, for which I am grateful. The corn on the cob here is dreadful (at least from a Midwestern born and bred's standpoint) and I am looking forward to some REAL sweet corn in about 3 months!

Panama: Shipping to Bocas:

My honest opinion is if it is just a few boxes pay the checked baggage fee. On International flights you can each bring (2) 18" X 18" X 24" (60" linear) boxes weighing <50 lbs for $80 and additional and/or overweight boxes for $100. In the long run this "expensive" checked luggage will be a lot cheaper and more importantly WAY LESS HASSLE! One thing I learned the hard way: The more crap you bring, the more crap you have to put up with.

Panama: Power Tools:

We just arrived August 1st and if I had to do it all over again, I WOULD NOT ship a 20' container here. Absolutely the ONLY thing that went right was using Gulf Express International. Jessica Green (jessica@gulfexpressintl.com) was wonderful. She helped us with all the details and everything SHE had control of went smoothly. Once our container landed in Balboa, the nightmare began. If we hadn't had a Spanish speaking friend who knew the right people to talk to, we would still be there. In retrospect, the price Jessica quoted from Everett, WA to Volcan would have been cheaper than what I ended up paying AND we wouldn't have had to transfer everything from the container to a truck on the side of the street. As a side note: The trucker who brought the container to Everett to be loaded said our price of $2160 was cheaper than he would have to pay from Everett to Los Angeles!

Panama: Used Car tax?:

I have read that one of the benefits of the Pensionado Visa is avoiding the Luxury Tax on new autos every other year but that you still have to pay the 7% sales tax. What about used cars? Is there a Luxury Tax on used cars, and if so, how luxurious do they have to be to get nailed? We will be looking for a $10,000 or less 4X4 in the next couple months, Volcan area.

Panama: perscriptions:

One thing I found on our exploratory trip was most of the drugs we needed a prescription for in the US were over the counter in Panama. Narcotics and anti-depressants were the only exception, at least from our list.

Panama: PTY to Albrook - Realistic minimum transfer time:

Having never been to Panama, I have no experience with landing at PTY procedures. Is it a long drawn out process or fairly quick? Trying to figure out if it is even worth trying to get from a 2PM arrival at PTY to a 4PM departure from Albrook. Cost wise it is about the same to stay overnight in Panama City and bus to David as it is to fly. The bus is less stressful but flying would keep total travel time under 36 hours from Spokane WA to David.

Panama: Internet Service Providers - Chiriqui:

Anyone have information about internet service providers in Chiriqui, particularly the Volcan area? I have read elsewhere that there is some sort of cellphone service available in some areas. Just got a quote for $300 to set up service for the month of November, with the company taking back the equipment after we leave. That is just nuts.

Panama: 2XLT Clothing?:

How hard is it to find big and tall clothing in David? I know Costco in the States doesn't carry anything I can wear and from what I see, Panamanians as a rule are smaller than Americans. I like to buy local and support local businesses, is there anything Panamanian style available in 2XLT?

Date Joined:

6/22/2012

Total Posts:

16

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0.01