About Maralily

Currently Lives:

Panama City, Panama, Panama

Citizen of:

none

Some Forum Posts:

Panama: Getting around:

I am 26 years old and due to health reasons I have never driven a car in my life. I live in Panama City and I get around by taxi most of the time. When I moved here, I sort of auditioned drivers and chose a driver who had a decent car with working seatbelts in the back seat (many dont even in the nice cars) and I chose two drivers I liked and got their numbers so I just call any time I want to go somewhere. If one is busy, I call the other one. This is very easy to do, as there are more taxis in Panama than anything. However, that is my situation, just to point out that getting around in Panama is very easy. I would not reccomend taking the bus as it takes a very long time, is often crowded and unpleasant. If you are going to David, you can fly there for about $30 each way if I remember correctly. The most expensive flight within Panama is San Blas, which is $50 each way. Flying to Contadora is $24 each way. You can rent a car fairly inexpensively here. If you do, simply be careful of the huge potholes in the Panamerican Highway and other roads. If you drive in the countryside, have your paperwork easily on hand as you may be stopped several times to show your paperwork. Don't worry about this, just be polite and show them your papers. As for hotels in the city, I don't have much experience with them but I can say the Executive is nice (a little expensive for Panama at $65 a night.) Costa Del Sol is my favorite but it is currently closed for renovations. I have only recently moved here but I am loving it and cannot imagine living anywhere else. Good luck to you on your visit and if you need any help you may email me at maralily@maralily.com

Panama: Should I move to Bocas Del Toro, Panama??:

With very rare exceptions, there are no jobs anywhere in Panama if you are not Panamanian. No, you will not be able to get jobs in Bocas. The expatriates living in Bocas are one of several things: a.) retired and living on fixed incomes and saved money. b.) earning money from outside of Bocas, and usually outside of Panama. c.) there are a few (very few) who operate tour companies and resort properties. I know some of them and it is a difficult business as Panama is still not a popular toruist destination. I live in Panama City. I do not know ANY expatriates that have jobs in Panama other than the tour company operators. I am a computer programmer and work from home for clients in many other countries so I earn my money from outside Panama. The average Panamanian IN THE CITY earns around $650 per month. I do not mean to discourage you, only to warn you that your idea is not likely to work unless you have a very specialized skill, are bilingual and have some genius idea for how to start your own company here. Panama is a brilliant place to live. That is why I chose it, but I have no children to think of and very little constraints. If you do decide to move to another country, I encourage you to choose Panama, but please do so wisely. In my opinion, the best way to expatriate anywhere is to have a solid way of earning money that has little to do with where you live. Others will likely disagree. Good luck to you and your family and I wish you well on traveling. Maralily

Date Joined:

8/25/2003

Total Posts:

2

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