Latest Expat Stories

A Sunday afternoon turns from day to night quickly as dark, heavy clouds cover the sky. Lightening bolts across the dark sky and distant thunder rumbles to announce the coming storm.  Lights come on like twinkling stars in homes across the valley and up and down the beach. It doesn’t rain here; it is far away but welcome no matter. The fresh scent of rain comes across on the wind and cools off the balcony.

 

 Last evening there were parties in the...

In these days that moral and family values seem to be hiding in different ways, we are responsible to fight back to ensure that the new generation has a place where they will raise their children that will be safe, not only from crime or violence, but the safest place we can provide to give them values, as the best legacy we can give them.
 
The decrease in marriage has been considerable.  Divorces have increased incredible fast.  Abortion is something that women take...

An emerging personal finance trend has seen retirees and people in pre-retirement making investments in foreign real estate, especially in emerging markets. The potential benefits are very enticing; these regions are seeing growth and appreciation rates that exceed those in domestic markets, and there’s built-in potential for generating income by renting the property to vacationers. Best of all, you can live there yourself during the cold-weather months and say goodbye to winter for the...

The official national dress in Panamá is the pollera. This dress is unique and takes between two to three years to make by hand. Polleras are passed from generation to generation, making them more valuable as the years pass by.
 
What it makes the pollera unique are several things:

Boquete mornings greet us with cool, fresh air. Except during the rainy season the morning clouds melt away fast and the sky becomes a beautiful jewel tone blue. The little humming birds come to greet us as we sip coffee in the cool morning air on our patio.

 

Our patio is private and it is our sanctuary from stress. It is almost always 72 degrees,​ offers shade, keeps the rain and mist off us as we sit there during the prettiest part of the...

It is the same sun after all. Places seem familiar when you arrive in Panama City. You recognize the clean modern airport at Panama City as being so much like the airports in the United States. As you leave by car, taxi or bus you still feel quite impressed by the ease of it all. Once away from the airport, passing shopping venues, multi story apartments and condos, there are billboard signs with well known brand names the same as in the places you left behind. After a...

Only a little over and hour drive from Boquete there is a beautiful beach with something for everyone. Los Olas is also known as Playa La Barqueta. Here you will find dark volcanic sands, public access to the beach and a quaint bar that offers cold beers and beverages in cool shade with good views of the ocean. You can dine on fresh fish and seafood in the small cafe next door to the open air bar.  This open air bar is a cool place to get a...

I first came to Panama City in the fall of 1997.   Even then the city was vibrant, bustling and full of life. The towering skyscrapers that now dominate Avenida Balboa were a distant vision and the high end residential districts of Punta Pacifica and Costa del Este had yet to be built.  Just getting into the city from Tocumen International Airport could be a nightmare.  The toll road leading from the airport wasn’t complete and the notorious city traffic jams were...