I met Sam Taliaferro here in Boquete in 2006 after numerous months of conversations, emails and searching the internet for reasons why people were coming to Panama and why many people chose Boquete as their new home. Well, Sam pretty much summed it up when he said that I could live a life here with little to no stress, eat healthy food grown in our back yard, breath clean air and enjoy eternal spring like weather.
So, I plunged into a two week trip here exploring the mountains around Boquete and Volcan as well as nearby towns including Boca Chica on the Chriqui Coast where I rented a local panga and went out to a “Robinson Crusoe” like island for a day of snorkeling, fishing and a beach bar b que. Later that day I was in a high mountain rain forest lodge at 6,500 feet chilling at the bar knowing that Panama was a place where I could live out my life.
My favorite Island Beach My favorite mountain lodge. Note: Fire to keep warm!
After 10 days I realized that I was destined to return to the place of my birth here in Panama and Boquete would be my new home. So without any worries, I took the next step and I bought one of Sam’s villas that he had built in Valle Escondido. Upon my return home, I told my wife Susie that I bought a place in the mountains of western Panama and I had decided that we would move here. Needless to say we had a lengthy adult discussion and afterwards I let her know we would go to Panama in a few months to start the process.
Off to Panama and our new home!
Well, after a night in Panama City we flew out west and landed in David where I got a car and I drove her to our new home. She immediately told me that she did not want to discuss things any further and said that she was going to spend the day in town looking around. Later that day she returned home and we went out for drinks and dinner. At the table in Valle Escondido’s nice restaurant she turned to me and said “I am ready, let’s do it!!
As you can see we are enjoying that decision and our life here.
We have plenty of great restaurants to go out for dinner where you will see friends you know and if you want, dance the night away.
Plenty to do here in Boquete and you will never get bored. Our annual Jazz and Blues Festival is now famous and draws top talent from around the world.
Nature is everywhere here in Boquete and it is incredibly beautiful. You can spend a day hiking horseback riding or river rafting.
All of this is an hour and a half from the ocean where you can play on the beach and catch a sunset, then watch the stars, more than you have ever seen in your life!
All of this is a short flight from the US and Panama City where at the end of the day, you could be up here enjoying the rainbows with us. Here are some more images of Boquete and another reason why AARP continues to rank us in the top ten places in the World to retire.
Flowers and coffee are Boquete’s trademarks
High altitude cloud forests, rivers and mountains that reach over 11,000 feet are in our back yard.
So what brought all of this on 10 years ago back in 2006. I was an active investment broker in commercial real estate and I was watching another over heated market exploding with sub prime lending that painted the picture of impending bad times ahead, so I started planning my “Plan B”. I remember sitting at home here in September 2008 when it all unraveled and thinking, I am glad that I cashed out and came down here when I did.
So, if you are sitting there watching mass murders of children in a school, police shooting innocent people, crazy/angry people becoming snipers and killing police officers, bombs blowing up people around the world, Brexit, Trump, Hillary and a Dow that acts as if nothing could go wrong in the world, get you head out of the sand and start thinking about your “plan B”. What could happen next could make 2008 look like a cake walk!
Panama is a smart choice for retirees who want it all—in a country that really wants them. Not only does it feature attractive retirement destinations—sleek capital city, hot beach towns, cool mountain villages—but it also offers an unbeatable package of retiree benefits and discounts (and a currency tied to the U.S. dollar). Little wonder there has been a steady influx of expats in the past few years. If you want a temperate highlands retreat surrounded by unmatched natural splendor, the mountain town of Boquete, less than an hour’s flight from Panama City, is close to heaven. Here expats settle amid rain forests, coffee plantations, burbling streams, and hummingbirds hovering over dazzling flowers.
what to expect in
BOQUETE
CLIMATE: Temperate with two distinct seasons, wet (April to November) and dry (December to March). Much cooler than the lowlands and beaches.
EXPAT COMMUNITY: An estimated several thousand in a village of 25,000.
COST OF LIVING: One can live comfortably on $30,000 a year. Domestic and garden help: about $30 daily. Dinner out: $50 for two including a bottle of wine.
HOUSING COSTS: In Boquete, a small house goes for $175,000; in a gated community, $250,000 and up. Rentals: starting at about $900 a month for a two-bedroom house.
HEALTH CARE: Good, with private clinics available and even house calls by a number of docs here! For serious medical matters, residents travel to hospitals in David, 25 minutes away, or to Panama City. Hospital Punta Pacifica in Panama City is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine International and has U.S- trained doctors.
CULTURE AND LEISURE: Rain-forest hiking, river rafting, bird-watching, and coffee-plantation tours, exploring the coastal waters offshore one hour away from the mountains.
ACCESS TO THE U.S.: Less than a one-hour flight to Panama City, then a three-hour flight to Miami.
Well, it is time to hit the send button as we are going out to show some property to a friend who is moving from Costa Rica, go figure!
So now, I end this story of Paradise with my favorite theme about Boquete.
“Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high…There’s a land that I heard of, once in a lullaby. Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true. ” – E.Y. Harburg
There is indeed a land where rainbows often grace skies that are unencumbered by pollution, life is unhurried, and retirement dreams are fulfilled for many, in the Chiriqui highlands of Panama. Here’s the story…
Ex-pats, for those who are unfamiliar with the term, are those who leave one’s native country to live elsewhere. This unique breed may have a few motivational variations for permanently traversing beyond borders, but they tend to share a common character trait – a great sense of adventure in abandoning what is socially, culturally, and geographically familiar to pursue their dream of a healthier, happier, less hectic lifestyle. And, given the current economic state of affairs, perhaps they share the collective desire to avoid a possible catastrophe.
They seek a better quality of life married to a lower cost of living. They’re confident enough to start over in a new environment, making new friends. Ex-pats likely possess a libertarian streak, a do-it-yourself mentality that propels them to create their lives anew, whether it means transforming a piece of property into a model of green energy self-sufficiency, launching a new school for local kids, or opening a new café. And characteristically, they want to integrate into a community of similar-minded souls.
What gives a particular area the gravitational pull for ex-pats? It often starts with a warm climate and beautiful scenery surrounding a charming, affordable city or town. An abundance of fresh water sources, locally grown food and reliable hydro-electric power. Add a big welcome mat to foreigners from the local people, and a government actively enticing you to stay with such incentives as no property tax for the first 10 to 20 years, a generous program for newcomers to guarantee permanent residency, equal rights under the law, discounts for products and services across the board, plus excellent asset protection and solid banking institutions. Welcome to Boquete, Panama, and leave the door open. There’s more coming.
WELCOME TO MY HOME IN THE LAND OF THE RAINBOWS
If you are interested in learning more about real estate opportunities here in Boquete and Panama, drop us a line or call us to chat. We can find the right property for you, build you a home if necessary or even invest in Agriculture projects. The Ag business is what Chiriqui is all about and business is good! Life is good! Come see why for yourself.
Cheers!
Tom Brymer
tbrymer@brymerpa.com
6810-1074 in Panama
305-448-1003 in the US.