There is an excellent article today on Chiriqui Chatter.
http://www.chiriquichatter.net/blog/2017/03/26/observations-regarding-moving-to-panama/
Here’s just a little of it:
“I know I haven’t posted much lately, but I have several items consuming my time. However, I have had some time to observe several Yahoo groups and the Internet conversations about the frustration of the new immigration laws that Panama is enforcing.
For those considering retiring in Panama, this should have no major ill effect. I still maintain you should live here, as you would if you were a permanent resident, for a minimum of 6 months, prior to deciding to move here.
You should use that time for a test run to allow experiencing both the rainy and the dry seasons. That is not hard to do, but it does require effort. You should keep in mind that some locations have extra risks during the rainy season , such as bridge outages or land slides.
During that time you need to do a real due diligence to see if Panama is right for you.
I suggest several items for your due diligence.”
Read the rest of the article at the link here. If you are considering moving to Panama, (or anywhere for that matter,) it is well worth your time. http://www.chiriquichatter.net/blog/2017/03/26/observations-regarding-moving-to-panama/ Also read the comments.
The Panama Adventure 
I’ve been looking at your posts a few weeks. Very interesting, comprehensive and thoughtful. Thank you! We leave 3/31 for our first exploratory trip to Panama. We’re also thinking of Puerto Rico, Bolivia, and I already know and love Mexico for most of my life – mainly the state of Oaxaca and Mexico City. Our thoughts were Panama might be more reliably safe and have a more sophisticated medical system accessible to foreigners. Panama City really interests us, but we’re also heading to El Palmar/San Carlos and El Valle. Boquete sounds nice but a bit remote. I think having the big city more accessible might be nice. Keep posting! I’m enjoying much.
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Wow, your trip is coming up in just a few days. I hope you enjoy Panama. I haven’t been to Mexico (yet) so I can’t compare but I understand wanting to be near a city and all it has to offer. That’s why we are in David. Panama City is said to have excellent medical care. Thanks for the kind words about my blog, and happy travels!
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