Panama anyone?

Bongmab69 · Post by **Bongmab69** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:46 pm

mannanman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:30 pm
Bongmab69 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:07 pm The Panamanian and the Spanish, spanish are as different as english and american, and they dont like spanish people, because what happened som centurys ago. I did learn also spanish in spain, and my ex wive is colombian, but if you tell tel you come from belgium (or ireland), a lot of doors open, as long as you are not spanish (or yank).
Why Ireland?

Because Freightdogs flag is Ireland, dont know its trhough ???

mannanman · Post by **mannanman** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:48 pm

Bongmab69 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:46 pm
mannanman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:30 pm
Bongmab69 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:07 pm The Panamanian and the Spanish, spanish are as different as english and american, and they dont like spanish people, because what happened som centurys ago. I did learn also spanish in spain, and my ex wive is colombian, but if you tell tel you come from belgium (or ireland), a lot of doors open, as long as you are not spanish (or yank).
Why Ireland?
Because Freightdogs flag is Ireland, dont know its trhough ???

Oh. Many Americans I meet say they’re “Irish”, or specifically from Boston.

Bongmab69 · Post by **Bongmab69** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 1:52 pm

It often surprises me here that people want to put an other flag then the real-one, i can understand if you re yank, you prefere to not say, but all the other countries ?? I dont give a fuck for belgium, but i am born there and my pasport is there from.
I hardly see belgian flags in my country, and now i am in Iran, it makes me laugh if you see how much giant flags you see everywhere, probably its to fuck the yanks, hahaha !!

Doc67 · Post by **Doc67** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:20 pm

Dario wrote: ↑Thu Sep 29, 2022 3:07 am I tried to reply twice, but my browser, vivaldi, failed me both times.

So here's the short, unspellchecked version:

Panama is really a good country to retire!

Pros:

Tax haven, yes
Residency no problem for 1. worlders, yes
Passport after 5 years, you don't even have to spend much time there, yes, in theory.

Cons:

Unforgivingly hot, like SEA in march/april
not talkin about el valle or the highlands near Costa Rica where even more of US asians accumulate.
The expat community is at least 70% USA wherever you go
Cultural wasteland. Unless you're into indegene folclore culture.
(I was in Panama City at the time of their x? Jazz festival & eager to go since i love Jazz. But when i realized what the venue was & that only the social/economical elite would attend, i decided to not participate).
Crime. That goes for all of latin america

I might, so far, have forgotten a lot to mention

As for living costs:

It is definitely not expensive
Starting with renting costs:
The safest district is el cangrejo, where all the foreigners cuddle. It's the safest,(lotsa police presence), most expensive.
You can also live in Calidonia, not really dangerous if you keep up your guard, get a clean apt for 300$ a month.
Or you can live in El Dorado, an upscale neighborhood, my favorite, since it's like the Hollywood hills of Panama. You can rent a house there from 800$ up.

In between my two stints in Panama i was in the
Dominican Republic, total shithole
and
Colombia, Medellin, Cartagena, back to Medellin
which was Paradise
why?
It's called the city of eternal spring. At 1300 mt above sea level, the climate is just perfect, around 25 degrees Celsius all year around.
Living costs are a joke. With 1500$ you can really live a comfortable life including maintenance of a gf

I plan on going back shortly, discover Cali, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay...

Who knows
SEA is the much safer choice, (as far as physical crime is concerned).
I spent many good years there, (was in jail too, but it's not as bad as they say)
I just feel that for me it was time to move on, the world is a big plot

I'll probably pick up where i left before Covid

I so nearly got to Medellin, I was one day away but they closed their borders in March 2020 and I would have been trapped there. I was in Mexico city at the time and fled back to the UK, and that was the end of my big South American tour.

Since then, I have been warned about the high level of crime, and particularly violent crime such as street robberies. Can you expand on that issue? I was planning to stay in El Poblado which is a big expat area.

Post by **Freightdog** » Fri Sep 30, 2022 4:03 pm

mannanman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:30 pm
Bongmab69 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:07 pm The Panamanian and the Spanish, spanish are as different as english and american, and they dont like spanish people, because what happened som centurys ago. I did learn also spanish in spain, and my ex wive is colombian, but if you tell tel you come from belgium (or ireland), a lot of doors open, as long as you are not spanish (or yank).
Why Ireland?

I took Mannanman’s query as why would Panama view Irish favourably. I was just as curious about Belgian ties to Panama. Your words, Bongmab69. “If you tell them you are from….”

In reality, what you really mean to imply is that yanks and Spanish may not be perceived so favourably as other nationalities.

Dario · Post by **Dario** » Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:39 pm

Bongmab69 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:07 pm The Panamanian and the Spanish, spanish are as different as english and american, and they dont like spanish people, because what happened som centurys ago. I did learn also spanish in spain, and my ex wive is colombian, but if you tell tel you come from belgium (or ireland), a lot of doors open, as long as you are not spanish (or yank).

I don't know about spanish, i've not met one single spaniard who would've told me about his experience.
I can say something about the relationship between Panamanians and US americans though.

I was there in december 89, the day 30 years after the Panama invasion by the USA.
It was of course all over TV the whole day, it's definitely not forgotten. The people of Panama definitely don't like the yanks, BUT:
As they're everywhere and bring a lot of money to an economy that really doesn't produce anything much of substance, they adapted. I did not witness open hate against US americans, but the resentment is always palpable.

As for the language:
I don't actually speak spanish. I speak portuguese and infer from there, which was easy in Panama.
Go to Cuba to be confronted with a kind of spanish that's really hard to get the hang of.

Dario · Post by **Dario** » Sat Oct 01, 2022 6:25 pm

I so nearly got to Medellin, I was one day away but they closed their borders in March 2020 and I would have been trapped there. I was in Mexico city at the time and fled back to the UK, and that was the end of my big South American tour.

Since then, I have been warned about the high level of crime, and particularly violent crime such as street robberies. Can you expand on that issue? I was planning to stay in El Poblado which is a big expat area.

Between Oct. 2019 and Jan. 2020 i spent about 6 weeks in Medellin. First at the Avenida Colombia in Suramericana in a 2 star Hotel for 12$ per night! It was noisy yeah, i didn't mind. After that i moved to Belén, then to Laureles which is a very quiet, safe neighborhood. You can walk the streets there at 3 AM with no worries at all.

As in basically every big City, in Europe as well, there are NO GO zones, as a gringo in latin american cities, you just stay away.
It still can happen, as it did to me, that you are aproached by a gang in broad daylight, their leader trying to create a conflict in order to justify the following robbery. That can happen in every major US city just as fast. You have to know how to behave:
Be friendly but firm, don't stop. Not giving them a chance to even start their routine of escalation is key.

I don't know much about El Poblado, never met an expat who lives there. I think, (am guessing here), that's mostly professionals who live there, cause it's an expensive neighborhood with basically just semi high rises. I was at the famous Lleras park at day time once, almost got mugged by a very aggressive hat vendor.

During my time i made a few expat friends, all of them had a story or two to tell of how they got mugged.
My only 2 experiences were a pick pocketer going for my phone near estadio and a cab driver who did the sleight of hand bill switch.

An excellent source of reliable, well reflected information is Medellin Guru. Used to be free, now it's some patreon subscription thing. He talks about his own mugging too.

You can get mugged everywhere. If you avoid places where you'll be a target upon being noticed, i think it's fair to say that you needn't worry in Medellin.

PS: I always travel with 2 phones. When i go out at night, it is with the unimportant phone, the one with the local SIM, no wallet and just enough cash for the night. Obvious advice, should not even be worth mentioning to any seasoned traveller, but i just throw it out for good measure.

Anchor Moy · Post by **Anchor Moy** » Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:41 pm

^^ Whatever country where you show up with the equivalent of one or two years wages around your neck whether as a camera or jewellery - and you don't pay due care and attention - of course this will get you robbed.

Dario · Post by **Dario** » Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:07 pm

Anchor Moy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:41 pm ^^ Whatever country where you show up with the equivalent of one or two years wages around your neck whether as a camera or jewellery - and you don't pay due care and attention - of course this will get you robbed.

I'm not following, was that really adressed to my post?
Ironic or alanis ironic?

Being caucasian looking will get you robbed, was my point.
What is yours? Sorry for being slow

Anchor Moy · Post by **Anchor Moy** » Sat Oct 01, 2022 9:33 pm

Dario wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 8:07 pm
Anchor Moy wrote: ↑Sat Oct 01, 2022 7:41 pm ^^ Whatever country where you show up with the equivalent of one or two years wages around your neck whether as a camera or jewellery - and you don't pay due care and attention - of course this will get you robbed.
I'm not following, was that really adressed to my post?
Ironic or alanis ironic?

Being caucasian looking will get you robbed, was my point.
What is yours? Sorry for being slow

OK, I think we basically agree, since I agreed with your statement below:

You can get mugged everywhere. If you avoid places where you'll be a target upon being noticed, i think it's fair to say that you needn't worry .

ie: Don't flaunt wads of cash or expensive toys in front of people who have nothing.

Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

Re: Panama anyone?

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