Safe, Stable, & Welcoming: Surf’s Still Up… in Panama
Retiree perks, modern comforts, and soft-sand beaches: why Panama just works.
I've never surfed before. But many years ago, when I first saw the half-moon bay of Venao, on Panama's Azuero peninsula, I thought: ‘This is the place to try.'
A ring of jungle foliage, Hawaii-green, encircling silky, tawny sand… waves rolling in, rhythmically, languidly… and less than a dozen surfers. Some kids, just learning… others in their 50s, 60s, perhaps beyond. (Hard to tell how old people are… they all look strong and free when they pop up on those boards.)
So now, I'm back—and today's the day.
My instructor, Alexis, is a pro. He pushes at the perfect moment, yells "Ahora!" and, somehow, to my amazement, I'm up and riding a wave.
I stand… and wipe out… a fair few times. (Okay, a bunch of times.) But there are no rocks or bits of coral to cut me, just that soft Venao sand.
The exercise, the sun, and the salt air… the vivid blue of the tropical Pacific and the cornflower sky overhead… Is there anything more uplifting and invigorating?
I don't think so.
That's the magic of Panama… or at least, a big part of it.
So many of us have been lured here by the mild climate and palm-fringed beaches. And then we saw the dazzling capital city, with every amenity imaginable. Fine dining and food trucks, hardware stores and upscale malls, big fancy hospitals and amazing (and cheap) dental clinics...
And then we realized that the internet was stellar—seven undersea fiber optic cables intersect here, and there's satellite internet, too. Fresh clean tap water, excellent roads, cheap transportation… you start to think: "I could live here."
And it's more than a passing thought. It feels so… doable.
The country makes it easy. And not just because it's incredibly modern. Panama has a long and storied history of welcoming foreigners to its shores.
The Pensionado or pensioner visa this country is so famous for was revolutionary when it was introduced decades ago. And it's still going strong.
If you have a pension of at least $1,000 a month, you can apply for indefinite residency—meaning you can stay here as long as you like. And if you're a retiree resident of Panama, you get most of the same rights and benefits accorded to Panamanian citizens.
That includes government retiree discounts that run the gamut—25% off your power bill, 50% off movie and show tickets, 25% off qualifying plane tickets, 20% off medical consultations, 25% off meals at restaurants, and the list goes on.
Even if you don't have a pension, Panama has a program for you. And this is a cushy, comfortable place to sample life abroad… whether you're a remote worker, a parent, newly single, or just a dreamer with a "nomad life" bumper sticker on your car.
That was me, by the way, 25 years ago. I was itching to see the world and took a cruise ship job to feed my addiction. I sailed the Caribbean, crossed the Atlantic, marveled at ports like Saint Petersburg and Reykjavik...
I saw so many of the world's most beautiful beaches and cities, and yet my mind kept going back to pretty little Panama. The little-known republic. A progressive powerhouse with exceptional economic growth and mad potential. (And at the same time, it was almost boringly stable.)
One day in 2005, I woke up and thought: "Enough!"
I was done with the 70-hour work weeks. Done with the corporate rat race. Done with US-style customer service. (Can we all just agree to stop rewarding bratty behavior with apologies and drinks on the house?)
Panama could offer me the cosmopolitan city life I loved but couldn't afford in Miami (my "home port" at the time). Panama welcomed people from all over the world. Panama was just a three-hour flight away…
I left my job and hopped a plane. That may sound foolhardy, but I knew I could work less and live better in Panama. And though my cost of living has gone up over the past 20 years—of course it has, no country is immune from the passage of time—Panama's overall value is still the best.
I may have left "ship life" behind, but I still lead a rather glamorous existence on just $2,900 a month. I live in a beach town called Coronado—in an ocean-view apartment—and I take regular trips to the capital, the islands, and the mountains.
I eat out at top-notch restaurants and I eat extremely well at home. Imported salmon and local cobia and shrimp. Panamanian fruit and veggies—every color of the rainbow, from yellow corn to orange camote (sweet potato) and papaya to the juiciest, lumpiest red tomatoes, and the purple-est repollo (cabbage).
I have good friends who've become like family—both expats and Panamanians—and I feel safe here. Not just because of the crime stats (though, as a single woman, those are nice), but because it's just so steady and reliable.
I often say that no place is 100% perfect—not even Panama. But it did turn out to be perfect for me.
If you're looking for a new place that's welcoming and warm… a place to feel healthy, strong, and free… then it might be perfect for you, too.
So check it out... catch the wave… and make your dream life come true.
Ready?
Ahora!
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