My family lives on the west coast of the US so it’s much easier for us to go to them, especially now that they have little kids. It’s a long trip. Thursday we took the bus from David to Panama City and stayed in a hostel near the airport. Friday was the flights from Panama City to San Francisco where my daughter picked us up, and then we drove to Santa Rosa.

Loaded up and waiting our turn

Other planes waiting their turns

Ready to turn down the runway

We rise and fly east with the city suburbs below

It was a beautiful morning. As we flew north over the Caribbean the scenery and clouds were really beautiful.

Our flight path took us over Cuba. Here are a few pictures I snapped as we passed over.

Later we made our way up the east coast of Florida

The east coast of Florida

Finally we landed in Atlanta! We had a layover of more than three hours which I thought was good because we had to clear customs. It went very fast though. There was no waiting at the machines where you scan your passport and answer a few questions. There was a short line to turn in the printout and get passports stamped, and no wait to pick up luggage. We quickly made it through the next checkpoint, dropped off our luggage again, and cleared the security check. Then it was a tram ride and we were in the correct concourse for our next flight.

We taxi towards the Atlanta airport

Delta’s idea if breakfast was a bit lacking- a cold meat and cheese sandwich and a snickers bar, so we were ready for some lunch. We had a great burger and chicken sandwich at Boardwalk Burgers, and enjoyed the jazz pianist at the nearby pizza restaurant.

The next flight to San Francisco was totally full and I was on the aisle, so I didn’t take any photos. I sat next to Megan, photo editor for Frommers travel books, really fun lady, and watched two movies so the flight went fast. We landed in a beautiful sunset and it was lovely coming into SFO.

SFO, waiting for my daughter to pick us up

It’s a bit of a drive to Santa Rosa but it was a beautiful evening. Amy was doing the driving so I could just enjoy.

City traffic

Last but hardly least, we cross the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge in the night

Traveling from David to the west coast of the USA is a lengthy business. Thankfully we are retired and nothing has to be done in a hurry.

The flight to the US is an all day thing. There are flights from David to Panama City, but the connections don’t work out unless we are booked on an overnight flight. Being old without the stamina of youth, I would prefer to spend the night in a bed.

So, if we are spending the night in Panama City anyway, the bus is a much less expensive way to get there. It’s a long ride though, giving me lots of time to scribble things to post on the blog 😀

a pretty cloud along the way

The highway continues to be under construction. There are four lanes but only two are open. Occasionally there are stops to manage traffic where only one lane is open. The paving seems to be pretty much done but they are making curbs, finishing bridges, painting lane markers, etc. I thought maybe by now parts of it would be using all the lanes, but it’s a ton of work with a lot of details and takes time to complete.

I am always surprised by the kids on buses. There were quite a few on this bus and except for a three month old baby who cried for three very short periods in 7 1/2 hours, they were quiet. There are no toys, no snacks, no movies on tablets, just a parents lap. They look out the window, smile at the neighbors, and just generally chill out. Why are all of these kids so calm?

We cross the Panama Canal

Our flight leaves at 8am so our plan is to stay at the Express Inn hostal near the airport. They have a shuttle every hour, where our favorite hotel in the city has one at only 5 and 8 am. Our friend, driver, and man useful for a multitude of things Luis Arce will meet us at the bus and take us to the hotel. It’s a $30-35 taxi ride so we may as well pay him rather than a stranger. I did this last time and it was nice to see a friendly face waiting for me.

We arrive at Albrook bus station

Coming back, Joel is returning before me but it will be the same situation for both of us. We arrive in Panama City around 9:30 pm. Our favorite hotel in the city, the Costa Inn, has a shuttle service that will pick you up from the airport, saving the expensive taxi ride. They serve breakfast and if you don’t mind hanging around for a while, they have an 11am van that takes shoppers to the Albrook mall which is next to the bus terminal. The rooms cost us around $41 with taxes, a very good deal all things considered.

The bus, an older model, but it got us there just fine.

Yes it’s a couple long days but bring stuff to do and enjoy the ride, and it’s all good.

October 10th, four years ago, I boarded a plane for Panama to start a new life. I was excited and looking forward to the future but I had no idea what a good life this would turn out to be!

It’s interesting that after four years many things are still new. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see something for the first time, learn about some aspect of life here, learn a new word, see a new bug… it’s always something. But, this has also become my normal life. Daily activities are no longer new. I have friends and relationships here. This is home in every sense and it feels good.

I’m very comfortable here. I feel a strong sense of community and acceptance. I love how people greet and acknowledge you even if they don’t know you. I love how easily people make friends. In the US you are judged by so many things – religion, political affiliation, economic status, race, appearance…. we think we are accepting of everyone but in reality we have a ways to go. Here though, religion and politics are personal choices. No one seems to care if you are light or dark (though the men are fascinated by women with white skin and green eyes). No one cares if you are big or small, or where you are from, or how much money you have. They only care if you are kind, respectful, and friendly and will return your kindness many times over.

Do I plan to stay here? Oh my YES! I would be heartbroken if I had to leave. We came because we can live comfortably on our limited income and it’s great to not worry about money, but the benefits have been so much more than that. On surveys of the happiest countries in the world, Panama is always close to or at the top of the list. Happiness is contagious! If I need a dose of happiness all I have to do is hop on my bike and enjoy the greetings and smiles of everyone I pass.

Everyone has their own experience in Panama and it doesn’t work for everyone. People leave for health reasons, because they miss family, but also because they just haven’t found the happiness they thought they would have here. There are challenges of course, but I have found them so minor compared to the benefits. I am thankful every day for the life I have here.

My friend Eduardo has a piece of land for sale. If you go on Via Boquete to the Plaza San Francisco, turn west on that road and go about 4 miles, that is where you will find this land.

Eduardo and his wife are Panamanian and local. He is a realtor and she is a lawyer, so I think we can be pretty confident that they bought a good piece of property. It has clear title, electricity, and water so it is ready for building. The family has gotten involved in some new business ventures that are doing well, and they are very motivated to sell this property so they can use the money in other ways.

To get to the land you will go on a good paved road most of the way, and then 300 meters on well maintained gravel road.

The property is 1000 mts, and at an altitude of 1028 mts so the climate is very nice. The area is quiet and private, great for someone who wants a natural environment with many trees. But, it’s not far from a paved road so it’s easy to get to Boquete or David for shopping or other needs. Asking price is $28,000 or best offer.

This is an example of a beautiful and affordable piece of land for someone who wants a lovely mountain retreat. If you are interested or know someone who might be, you can contact Eduardo Horna at riochiriqui@gmail.com 

I went to the ATM yesterday and asked for $200, and got it all in $5 bills! Usually the ATM gives $20 bills but sometimes you run into someone who doesn’t have that much change, so I’m not unhappy about the $5 bills or the wallet that is too fat to close.

But, this got me to thinking about how to manage money if you live here. There are many ways and you will certainly get different opinions from different people, but this is what has worked well for us.

We have found it very helpful to maintain a US address for banking and other business (We live in California with my daughter and travel a lot 😉 ).  If there is something important she can click a photo of it and email it to me. It is very rare that she has to physically send something down here. Keep in mind that if you have stock market investments, it is possible that your bank or investment company won’t even allow you to continue to do business if you have a foreign address. We like Schwab because they refund our ATM fees, and I have been happy with their service overall for many years.

Supermarkets and large stores take credit cards (If you are not a resident, your passport serves as your ID when needed). Roadside markets and smaller shops need cash. Our social security payments are deposited in our US Schwab account. We pay credit cards and other bills on line and get cash as needed from an ATM. You can operate this way indefinitely without a Panamanian bank account.

Joel and I have separate accounts and three active credit cards each. I have known people who come here with only one or two credit cards and then if there is a problem, it can be a huge problem! We have things set up so we can move money between accounts and between banks, so hopefully we will never be left without access to our money. There is Western Union here though in case someone is really stuck and needs money sent to them.

We were considering buying a bit of property in the past and wanted to establish a relationship with a Panamanian bank. We were introduced to someone at Scotia bank by a Panamanian friend, and went through the process of collecting all the necessary documents (letter from our US bank, proof if income and/or tax returns, letters of recommendation both professional and personal, filling out lengthy forms… it was a while ago so I probably forgot something but you get the idea). It was a process but we were successful in getting Panamanian bank accounts, so we each now have a savings and checking account at Scotia Bank. We were not residents at the time, and I have heard the process is easier after you get residency.

Having a Panamanian account has been convenient at times. I can refill my phone time on line, rather than going to the office or buying a card somewhere. I have had to pay a few people and I can transfer money from my Panamanian account to theirs. Some bills are even paid this way, by transferring money from your account to the company account. One thing was different though. I discovered my debit/credit card was using the money in my savings account, not the checking account. This isn’t a problem as long as I know, but I was a bit confused at first when my card said I was about out of money.

We have not financed a car, property, or other large purchase in Panama so I can’t say anything about how that would work. But, for our daily lives this arrangement has worked well for us.

A third of the homeless people in America are over 50. I’m one of them.

I ran across this interesting article today, an interview with a 66 year old homeless woman.  She talks about how it happened, the fear, the sleeplessness, the medical ramifications, the social isolation, and the importance of her dog.

Homelessness is something that touched my heart when I went on my bike trip a few months ago. (I wrote about it here.) I was biking and camping so I got a feel for what it is like to be living outdoors and even more, I got to see how the homeless are treated. People didn’t want to talk with me and when I approached them, I saw the fear in their eyes. How sad!

I talked with anyone I could and I also found that almost everyone was a bit older, maybe 40’s or more, and the over 60 age group was well represented. I didn’t meet anyone who seemed to have a mental illness. I did hear many heartbreaking stories though. When you are that far down I think it’s almost impossible to get up again without help.

On a related subject, I recently read a book $2 a Day, about people living on only $2 a day. I remember one woman who applied for 100 jobs and didn’t even get an interview. These people live in very bad conditions, often don’t have enough to eat, and how do you get a job when you have little education, no decent clothes, bad teeth, and skin of the wrong color?

We are so fortunate if we have a roof over our heads, food in the kitchen, and people who care about us!