The Grass Is Always Greener.....

The grass is always greener under someone elses mango tree, or so it seems to us all at times.  Maybe this is why people relocate to other countries once they retire, thinking that life will be better some where else.  But plainly stated, happiness comes from within and each of us creates our own happiness by expecting good things to happen.  I'm not trying to get deep and philosophical here, but moving anywhere doesn't make one happy, unless they were happy to begin with. 

This blog originated to allow our friends and family back in the US to follow along with our adventures.  Some of them follow it and some of them don't.  But it has become a source of information to hundreds of people thinking about doing what we've done.  Some already retired and planning a move soon, others not planning to retire for many years.  And then there are some too afraid to leave the comforts of home or their kids and grand kids, and they read it to live vicariously through us.

Those of you in the first category who are seriously entertaining the idea of retiring to Panamá, these comments are for you.  Please read all that you can, not just this blog about moving your life abroad.  This blog contains our opinions and our experiences of life in Panamá, but there's so much more information out there.  Each and every one of you comes from a different set of circumstances, with a different budget.  We don't all want to live the same or do the same things.  Do your homework and find out what's right for you.  We don't have all the answers and are not experts on Panamá, especially since we've only been here for nine months. 

In our paths we've met hundreds of other expats living here and some are happy and some are not.  And some of those people won't be happy anywhere, because that's just the way they are.  No one knows what the future holds since we are only promised now.  I certainly never thought I'd be retired at age 51 and living in Panamá, but here we are. 

Life can be stressful living in a country that's not your own with one of the stresses being the language barrier. Clyde and I both have decided we need to resume studying Spanish on our own to improve our speaking skills to make life a little easier here.  Don't expect to come here and find English speaking people along the way because it doesn't usually happen.

Visit the country to check it out for yourself, rent a car and don't be afraid to drive around.  Interact with the locals even if you only know a few words of Spanish.  Panamanians don't bite and really are accepting of foreigners as long as you treat them the way you'd want to be treated.  After your trip go back home and do more research, consider all the options and visit again and again before making your final decision. 

Some things to ask yourself are:
....can you accept losing all control at first
....can you accept growing old in a country not your own, speaking another language
....are you willing to re-learn everything all over again, just like a newborn baby
....are you afraid of dark skinned people that live in simple homes with bars on their windows
....can you see yourself going to a doctor or being hospitalized with Spanish speaking staff
....can you accept not being able to open a bank account without providing a bunch of documents first
....can you accept not finding the same products you used back home
....can you accept being all alone just you and your spouse at first with no friends
....are you willing to live in a hot, humid, tropical climate with a long rainy season
....can you live without door to door mail service or an address
....can you live in a country where hot water is a luxury and not found everywhere
....what if your relationship ends in divorce or death of your spouse, could you deal with that here
....can your relationship survive the stress and change
....can you live with geckos and frogs inside your house,  and the poop that goes along with them

These are just some of the things one must consider before moving to Panamá.  The list is endless but all my brain could think of right now.

Chame Traffic Jam



My hot, sexy, lovable, wonderful yard boy spent most of the day trimming, mowing and picking up mangoes all around the property.  Then he came in and cooked me a fabulous dinner of blackened tilapia and baked squash with melted butter and brown sugar on it.  Now he's relaxing in front of the TV before he and I hit the bed. Of course if you haven't figured it out by now, my faithful gardner is none other than my wonderful husband Clyde who spoils me with love.

Cerro Campana mountains in the background

I painted the trim around the windows which needed to be done since we had new windows installed.  Then some cleaning before having some fun getting arty fartsy outside.  Our kool outdoor shower is a little funkier now with some graphics done by me.  And when I pick up a paintbrush I just can't stop so I painted the septic tank covers too.  Thankfully there was no rain today although it did cloud up a bit and I had Clyde run and get some plastic to cover the shower area with just in case it poured. 

No it's not a cake.  Not too many people have a
Septic Tank Cover this purty!

The other Septic Tank Cover

Funky New Outdoor Shower

Another View of our
Outdoor Shower



Clyde decided since the country of Panamá wouldn't give us an address we'd make our own.  He erected the "Mango Street" sign at the end of our road and now tells everyone that we live at #1 Mango Street.  There are no street signs or addresses in Panamá since there is no door to door mail system.  Actually we do have an address according to our house deed, but it's nothing more than a finca number along with the name of our neighborhood called "Celaje."  But unless someone tells you that you would have no way of knowing the name of our "obarrio" or neighborhood.

Here is our new street sign!
Mango Street





We are enjoying life here on Mango Street but just remember that the grass isn't always greener under someone else's mango tree, but life is pretty good today under ours here in Panamá....along the gringo trail.

Raindrops Are Falling On Our Heads.......

Living in a foreign country can have it's share of stresses while just trying to live life.  Even the simple things can be difficult here until we learn to think like a Panamanian.  A new three-story department store called El Machetazo recently opened in Coronado. It's sort of Panama's version of Wal-Mart and provides groceries, clothing, housewares, electronics, hardware, garden, toys and more.  They even have a small craft and fabric department with yard goods, craft paints, yarn, needlepoint, sewing notions and such on the second floor.  The third floor houses garden supplies, a hardware and paint section, toys, and office and school supplies.

One day while looking for some post-it notes upstairs in school supplies I noticed a section on kids crafts.  There were such items as modeling clay, stencil's, artist supplies, pipe cleaners (known to crafters as chenille stems), wooden popsicle sticks used for crafts, felt squares, sheets of craft foam and more.  In the U.S. this stuff would be in the craft department not in with school supplies.  Nice to know this stuff is available here, now that we know where they keep it.  Clyde was looking for spray glue which is a craft item to us, but apparently not here so we'll have to try a hardware store.

As we were leaving for our morning dog walk today we noticed a gringo man walking by pushing a baby stroller.  He said hello and stopped to chat.  A young American originally from Miami, he's been living in Panamá for ten years now.  He married a Panamanian woman, has two toddlers and works in real estate.  They'd been living in Bocas del Toro prior to moving here, but decided it's not a good place to raise kids since it's quite the party town.  They are renting the brown house next door where the owner was burning his grass filling our house with smoke, if you remember from a previous blog.  So kind of funny that we moved into a Panamanian neighborhood and ended up with another American living right next door and another American on the next street over.

Had a quiet day today hanging out at home doing some little projects.  While moving some chairs around outside I slipped on a wet tiled step and fell on my side.  My thigh took the brunt of the fall which hurts to the touch, but thankfully nothing major happened.

New Semi-private outside shower

This ugly wall is screaming to be painted with some cute graphics

The prior owners had plants everywhere, even on this wall

A new addition to our outdoor living space is a shower complete with a rainfall shower head.  The house already had an outdoor shower when we bought it, but it wasn't too private so Clyde moved it over and changed the shower head.  Now we can feel raindrops falling on our heads in more ways than one, whether we're in the shower or not.....along the gringo trail.

Reality Resonates Loudly............

As my head sinks into the pillow I'm entertained by the delightful sounds of the night. A chorus of frogs gurgles loudly with a full range of melodic tunes resonating through the night air. A gecko soloist grabs center stage chirping out his lyrics, while a few dogs bark out a rhythm in the background. Usually a relaxing lullaby, some nights the musical serenade gets so loud we almost need to close the window. But nature has no volume control and plays it's music freely throughout the night until first light. As the night sky lightens up and breaks into day the melodies change. Loud birds chirp, sing, howl, yell and talk waking us from a sound sleep. Roosters crow loudly and wild parrots mimic the sounds of children yelling "hey," "buenas" and "hola."

It's a jungle out there and sometimes I feel as if we're living in a tent since the sounds are so real. In our old life we missed so much by closing the windows and keeping the central air conditioner on all the time. But in our attempt to live cheaply here in Panamá we try to enjoy the freshness of the night air using only a ceiling fan.

Earlier this week while we were at the gym the sky grew dark and it began to pour. We expected to lose power but managed to get our workout done while it was still on. Since we usually use the pool afterwards we had our beach bag with us. I wrapped a beach towel around me and ran to the car for the drive home. The highway was flooded in spots so driving was slow and we arrived home to a flooded front yard. As we looked around the neighborhood many of the yards were under water, some of which probably seeped into the houses. Our house is raised up several feet so no problem there for us, but we did find a few leaks in the ceiling along the edge of the house. The torrential rains continued for hours and hours probably leaving a foot of rain before it dried up.

The Rains of Panama

Our Sweetie trying to keep dry

The rains seemed to bring on the ticks and since Venus loves running through the hedges looking for lizards, she's been covered with them. Apparently a flea and tick collar doesn't work here so we've switched to the drops and she's been tick free since. Last night after eating her dog food she immediately ran to get a mango, as if she knew it was meant for dessert.

Clyde's always doing something around the house, and yesterday he worked on hooking up an outside shower. The previous owner had one out there, but Clyde thought he'd move it to a more private spot so we could use it Au natural. He's showered outside after getting filthy working on the garden. It's also nice to have after a trip to the beach to wash the sand off before going inside the house.

A friend called us on Thursday to let us know about a 30% off sale at a store called Saks. Since we were planning a trip to the mall anyway, Clyde made me look around the store. I bought five tops, two jumpsuits, four pairs of panties, a ten pack of socks and some reading glasses for $23.00. Three of the tops were just 70 cents! The clothing selection here is so cheap and some are buyouts from the states. For instance, I saw a ladies Jockey tank top with the original tag on it from Macy's for $24.00. It was marked down to a few bucks and then the additional 30% off of that. Last month we bought curtains for $5.99 that were labeled $35.99 from Bed Bath and Beyond. So your trash becomes our treasures for a fraction of the cost.

Moving to Panamá we've sort of been living as tourists thus far, in that everything is fresh, new and exciting. Now that nine months has gone by and we're settling in to being residents the newness has wore off. We might say the honeymoon is over and now we're seeing life in Panamá as it really is, the good, the bad and the in between. We knew this would happen since all the books we read said so. Into the life of every expat there comes a day when you look around and say, "what are we doing here?" Perhaps I'm missing the kids, family, friends and our old life in the states? Maybe a trip back to visit this summer will snap me out of that. Not that I'm unhappy here because I am happy, but just having a dose of reality that we knew would come.

But also with familiarity comes being less fearful of speaking the language or not worrying about looking stupid not knowing it. Being more comfortable going out alone without Clyde and feeling like I belong in this foreign land that's not our own. Feeling comfortable shopping alone, going into the fitting room and paying at the checkout. There's lots to learn here with millions of new experiences not yet encountered...along the gringo trail.

As my head sinks into the pillow I'm entertained by the delightful sounds of the night.  A chorus of frogs gurgles loudly with a full range of melodic tunes resonating through the night air.  A gecko soloist grabs center stage chirping out his lyrics, while a few dogs bark out a rhythm in the background.  Usually a relaxing lullaby, some nights the musical seranade gets so loud we almost need to close the window. But nature has no volumn control and plays it's music freely throughout the night until first light.  As the night sky lightens up and breaks into day the melodies change.  Loud birds chirp, sing, howl, yell and talk waking us from a sound sleep.  Roosters crow loudly and wild parrots mimic the sounds of children yelling "hey," "buenas" and "hola." 

It's a jungle out there and sometimes I feel as if we're sleeping in a tent since the sounds are so real.  In our old life we missed so much by closing the windows and keeping the central air conditioner on all the time.  But in our attempt to live cheaply here in Panamá we try to enjoy the freshness of the night air using only a ceiling fan.

Earlier this week while we were at the gym the sky grew dark and it began to pour.  We expected to lose power but managed to get our workout done while it was still on.  Since we usually use the pool afterwards we had our beach bag with us.  I wrapped a beach towel around me and ran to the car for the drive home.  The highway was flooded in spots so driving was slow and we arrived home to a flooded front yard.  As we looked around the neighborhood many of the yards were under water, some of which probably seeped into the houses.  Our house is raised up several feet so no problem there for us, but we did find a few leaks in the ceiling along the edge of the house.  The torrential rains continued for hours and hours probably leaving a foot of rain before it dried up. 

The rains seemed to bring on the ticks and since Venus loves running through the hedges looking for lizards, she's been covered with them.  Apparently a flea and tick collar doesn't work here so we've switched to the drops and she's been tick free since.  Last night after eating her dog food she immediately ran to get a mango, as if she knew it was meant for dessert.

Clyde's always doing something around the house, and yesterday he worked on hooking up an outside shower.  The previous owner had one out there, but Clyde thought he'd move it to a more private spot so we could use it au natural.  He's showered outside after getting filthy working on the garden.  It's also nice to have after a trip to the beach to wash the sand off before going inside the house.

Moving to Panamá we've sort of been living as tourists thus far, in that everything is fresh, new and exciting.  Now that nine months has gone by and we're settling in to being residents the newness has wore off.  We might say the honeymoon is over and now we're seeing life in Panamá as it really is

More Flowers......

Although we're technically "retired" we are not your average retirees.  Since we retired in our 50's we enjoy living the life of a retiree, but still going out on the town dancing and partying.  On Saturday night we joined a group of Young Expats in Panamá (YEP) for a mixer in Coronado.  The crowd included all age ranges so we certainly felt like we blended in well. 

Drove up into the clouds on Sunday, as we made our way to El Valle de Anton for a little shopping. Looking for another end table made of twisted root to match one we already have was my plan. Stopped along the way at roadside wood shops selling tables, chairs and other touristy items, but didn't find the table we were looking for. 

Once we made it to the village of El Valle a stroll through the marketplace was a must. Out of all the things to buy, we filled our car with plants to go into are already full garden. They had many varieties of unique plants for just a few dollars each. Apparently Clyde doesn't have enough to trim, cut and mow now and needs some more. Also found some ceramic birds to hang on the outside of the house to add a splash of color.

A form of ginger these flowers look like plastic

This is a heliconia plant

There are about 40 different species of heliconia. The leaves of this plant are paddle-shaped, and they are related to the banana family. Heliconias are sometimes called "lobster claws" or "parrot flowers "because of their beak-like "bracts" which can be orange, purple, red, yellow, pink, green or a combination of these. A bract is a leaf structure at the base of a flower. The heliconia's flowers are tiny and found inside these bracts, which are so large and colorful that they almost hide the flowers all-together. This keeps the flower's sweet nectar tucked away so that only specialized birds can get to it. Some species of heliconia have upright facing flowers, and in some called hanging heliconia, the flowers dangle down from the main stem.

The flower wilted right before the picture was taken

See the tiny flowers begin to grow inside

Heliconias are found throughout the Neotropics and are actually quite common in the rain forest. They are also often found as ornamental plants in gardens and landscaped areas. People enjoy their colorful, gravity-defying ornamentation. The heliconia, like the bromeliad, can also be home to other living things. Water collects in the bracts of the straight stems, which provides a habitat for many species of tiny aquatic organisms. Many other animals depend on the heliconia as well. Hummingbirds and butterflies like to drink the sweet nectar from the heliconia’s flowers.

A closeup of the flowers inside

These grasshoppers are everywhere eating our plants

Not much to say since it's just another day....along the gringo trail.

Flower info provided by the following:

Jukofsky, Diane. Encyclopedia of Rainforests. Connecticut: Oryx Press, 2002.

Biological Diversity Info: biological-diversity.info/native_heliconia.htm

A Hole In The Dark.......

Driving home last night from the grocery store we turned down our road and the right tire dropped into a hole.  Clyde got out and tried to push the car out with no success.  Although the car does have 4-wheel drive, the sensor is broken and we haven't been to the city yet to have it fixed.

A view towards the hole
NOTE:  I had mowed it the day before!

The HOLE!

Much easier to see during the day.



Since Panamanians live with their front doors wide open, our neighbors were half outside and half inside their house. With no where else to turn Clyde walked toward their house and said "ayudame, por favor,"which means "help me, please?"  A female called to her husband, a big guy who came out followed by a parade of women and children.  They helped Clyde push backward, then forward but the car would not budge.  Suddenly one of the women went inside and brought out a whole bunch more people and they all began to push the car until it slid out of the hole. 

We met one neighbor when he filled our house up with smoke while burning his grass.  Another neighbor watches our trash to see what he can get for free, although he always asks permission first.  And now a third neighbor emerged when we needed help getting unstuck on the road.

The hole was hard to see at night since it was covered by grass and had it been mowed, perhaps this wouldn't have happened.  Yes you read that right, the road in front of our house is a combination of gravel, dirt and overgrown grass that's been neglected for a while.  But today Clyde took care of the problem as he mowed the road with his riding mower.  Although the main highway in Panamá is well maintained, some of the side roads are bumpy, with gravel, dirt or broken up tar.  And most roads have large ditches on either side for drainage from the torrential rains we get here.

Clyde's been shooting pictures of interesting bugs even though they're not as huge as some we've posted before. This week he found some miniature wasps and a hive too.  So this just goes to show you that not all bugs are gigantic in Panamá, it just feels that way when they're biting.

Looks like a tiny wasp

His hive, small perfect hexagons 

Notice the interior layers.



Found these cows loose on our walk
They were more curious about us!

Thought this was funky looking

NOTE:  Not on our property

A hole in the road, we just couldn't see but at least we didn't run into a tree.  We made it home safe although slow as a snail, to bring you adventures.....along the gringo trail.

Caught With My Clothes Off......

Sitting here naked yesterday when a truck pulled up to the front gate.  It was the window installers of course at 9 am.  They told us they'd be here around 1 pm and the man even specified after lunch, but here they are four hours early.  So we both scrambled to put on clothes but since Clyde had it easier he was the one to let them into the house. 

On Monday we waited all morning for the window guys since Clyde said they told him they'd be there first thing Monday morning.  In the afternoon Clyde suggested we run over there to see what time they'd be here.  I asked "did they say....temprano Lunes.....which means "early Monday?"  Clyde looked confused and said "no, they said "Martes."  Well since "Martes" is Tuesday we were just lost in translation again.  But the good thing is Clyde won't ever mix up Lunes and Martes again.

Since early can mean 6 am to a Panamanian, on Tuesday we got up early and put clothes on waiting in anticipation.  It was around 9 am that two young men were dropped off at our house, with their tools and the ten windows.  The truck left them here apparently to go to another job, which made perfectly good sense not tying up a truck on one job site.  Although the windows were numbered the installer had no idea which went where.  Fortunately Clyde was here when the owner measured the windows and he knew which was one, two and so on and told this to the young man.

They went to work installing the windows and caulking around them on the inside and out.  Clyde asked about the screens and was told that the screens and the locks would not be ready until mañana.  Before they installed the glass sliders they carefully cleaned each one using a glass cleaner and I was impressed.  But after they put them up I noticed large, black numbers written on the glass with marker.  We questioned why they left the numbers on and the young man commented that he'd remove those.....mañana.  Yes there's always.....mañana.

They finished up around noon and called the office for a ride while sitting outside on our front porch.  Clyde gave them a bag and told them to help themselves to mangoes which they munched on while waiting for their ride.  Before leaving they told us the materials to make the screens was coming from Panama City in the morning.  Once it arrived they'd make the screens and bring them over around 1 pm and he even said "despues almuerzo" which means "after lunch."  Which is exactly why they showed up at 9 am ready to install the screens and locks.

Yesterday once again they worked until noon and told us they had to leave to get one more screen and would be back in one hour.  So while they were gone we ran off to the eye doctor in Coronado so I could get my eye rechecked.  The doctor saw me immediately and said that my eye was healed and didn't even charge anything.  On the drive back home Clyde said "where could you go in the states to be seen by a doctor immediately and for no charge?" 

The window guy showed up on schedule only to discover that the screen didn't fit which meant he'd have to come back again.....mañana.  And as for those numbers on the glass written in marker, they did clean them off yesterday.  Now instead of numbers we have a big, round smudge on the glass that needs to be cleaned again....mañana.

My afternoon was spent sucking up dirt made by the installers and then washing the floors after vacuuming.  Clyde's been on the lookout for a hedge trimmer and after another expat emailed him about where he could buy one, he was off to the store.  He found a Black and Decker one at a local hardware store that works just fine making him a happy hedger. 

Headed over to Coronado toward evening for an expat mixer. We met a few new people there.  Some thinking of moving to Panama and others already living here.

All projects here in Panamá take longer than expected.  So whether you're visiting on vacation or moving your life here bring lots of patience.  And remember if it doesn't get done today, there's always mañana......along the gringo trail.