klikster

Hello. I'm new here. This seems like a nice forum.

I'm a 67 year old bachelor currently living in Thailand .. in my 12th year. Monthly income is US$ 1,000+ Things have been better here, so I'm looking at "fallbacks" .. and Panama is closer to home (US).

In another thread, someone suggested making a prioritized wish list. I *think* my starters would be.

1. Safety
2. Nearby services, especially food and domestic
3. Ambiance/surroundings, scenic, quiet, little traffic
4. Low cost housing .. prefer renting over buying
5. Hassle free
6. Happiness .. don't we all want that?

I have lived beside the sea and in the mountains in Thailand, so I can appreciate both. I think the best for me would be a place in the hills that overlooks the sea. I won't be doing much surfing.

I don't drink, and I'm not big on nightlife. I don't live "fancy".

I'm sure that I can learn enough Spanish to get by.

So I'm looking at Panama and Argentina. I can tolerate hot weather, but not cold. Temperate is nice .. as I prefer open windows and doors to air con.

I would need internet access .. preferably broadband as I have a couple of websites. English language cable TV would be another requirement .. couch potato.

I would probably buy a car and would really appreciate a driver.

What would probably help me most is someone who has lived in Thailand comparing the living conditions.

Making a trip to Panama from Thailand would be somewhat grueling .. 30+ hours and US$3,000.

soltero

There are many places in Panama that qualify for your entire (somewhat general) list, but #2 is the stickler: Just what do you mean by "nearby," and how important are services you didn't mention, like hospitals, shopping, etc.?

However, another unnumbered item on your list -- broadband -- also rules out much of Panama. Strictly speaking, the only place you'll find anything approaching broadband is in Panama City -- speeds up to 4mbps. (But it's expensive; my 2mbps cable connection is $70/month.)

Boquete will soon (a month or two) have the same, plus English TV programming, via Cable Onda, and that might be a good place for you. It also meets your requirement of tranquility, food, etc. The fairly large city of David is only 45 minutes away, and you can find most everything you need.

But, Boquete might be too chilly for you -- it's up in the mountains, elevation 3200 feet -- and it's a long haul to Panama City -- about 6 hours driving. If you plan to do a lot of international travelling, that's a drag, because you can only fly into PC, then drive or catch a local flight to David.

If you google Boquete, you'll find lots of info -- it's a very popular place with ex-pats.

klikster

Hello Soltero, thanks for the reply

The nearby (short walking distance .. or delivered to my house) services I'm speaking of would be day-to-day .. a couple of small cafes for taking my meals since I seldom cook. Laundry service, housecleaning, drinking water, coffee, etc.

I wouldn't mind driving a bit for medical or hard good shopping .. or "stocking up".

I'm accustomed to much slower "broadband" than 4m. Right now I'm getting 1m (if I'm lucky) and paying about $25/mo. I pay an additional $60/mo for english language cable TV.

Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I lived for a number of years in Northern Thailand which approaches that elevation. Actually, that temperature is pretty easy to live in. When I say "cold" I'm talking about 20 degrees F on the plains is SW USA with winds howling at 30 mph.

Ideal for me would be a small house and regular live-out housekeeper plus an occasional driver. Not sure if that would be in my budgetary range. It isn't here in the part of Thailand where I am living now.

About Boquete .. with so many expats living there, is the price level suffering?

Being an expat for 12+ years, I've long since gone past any phases of necessarily hanging out with or necessarily disliking other expats.

soltero

Yes, and so you might also look at nearby Volcan -- but I don't know what the options there are for internet. Given your clarification about weather, you'd be fine either place -- rarely gets below 65F. The remaining negative (for me) about those two places is distance to a good beach -- it's a couple hours. So, yet another alternative would be El Valle de Anton: close to Panama City (1.5 hours or less), 45 minutes to the beach, similar weather, internet available, and not quite so overrun with ex-pats -- however, your real estate competition there includes wealthy Panameños from the city who use El Valle as a weekend retreat.

In addition, there are many, many other places in Panama I can think of you might like, if you're willing to settle for 256kbps internent...

Panamax

__________________
"Few cities in Latin America can match the diversity, cosmopolitanism and sheer energy of Panama City..." - THE ROUGH GUIDE

GordonS

Before you decide on El Valle, you'd want to ask yourself if you'd like to become a permanent sports rally racer. Those twisty narrow winding roads are NOT to be driven at night unless you have a death wish. In daylight, you'd want to make sure that your vehicle has a very tight suspension and 4 wheel disc brakes because you'd be needing them all the time. Unless of course you intend to put down roots in El Valle and never leave................ . Nice place otherwise.

__________________
Gordon and Randy,
Canada

klikster

Yes. as I said in OP, I *prefer* broadband. But I can live with dialup, especially if it's 256k down/128k up. Would those areas have english language TV .. perhaps by satellite?

klikster

Exploratory trips are necessary, but that's a bit difficult from Thailand .. roughly US$3000 and 33 hours travel time each way.

I'm doing my preliminary work right now

I can *tolerate* Bangkok and have lived in the city 2 different times during my 12 years here. But I really don't like Bangkok except for the shopping. The traffic, noise, air quality are all very unpleasant.

IMHO, most expats who live in BKK proper do so for business or for the nightlife

I'm a country boy.

klikster

Sounds like a few places I have visited in Northern Thailand. Maybe the route (that I have never tried) all the bikers like that runs from Pai to Maehongson.

No, I really don't like that style of driving .. actually, I don't much like driving. That's why in another post I mentioned that one of the things on my wish list is being able to afford a driver.

soltero

Yes, mostly. But if you go really rural, you'll want to learn Spanish anyway -- and TV is a great learning device. I recommend the novelas. :-)

As far as the comment about the road to El Valle: He's right, but I think driving anywhere in Panama is an adventure, not for the faint-of heart. Even on the "superhighway" (the Transamerica or Panamerica), Panamanians' driving style is alternately aggressive and uncaring. My favorite: the busses. I'm convinced Panama eases prison crowding by putting all the homicidal maniacs behind the wheels of devil-may-care, hell-in-a-handbasket busses...

MRWOOHOO

Who else could they get to drive? LOL

klikster

Well, there is learning Spanish and ..

I suppose it's pretty much like my Thai. I can get by, but meaningful conversations that go beyond pleasantries.. nah!

Actually, I speak just a tiny bit of Spanish from my many years in S. California. So when the Thais get a bit too uppity about how poor my Thai is, I start speaking to them in Spanish. Even worse is when I speak English and purposely exaggerate by Southwestern US accent.

It sounds like they learned to drive from the "orange crush" bus drivers in Thailand..

I "do" avoid expat enclaves no matter where I live. I like living close enough to the locals to interact on a daily basis .. although not with packs of dogs.

Because I'm old and single and lazy, I prefer to walk to a small cafe and take my meals, linger over my coffee and watch life around the neighborhood.

I have traveled to all but 1 province in Thailand and will probably do the same in my next country.

One problem that I have always faced in Thailand is finding a place to rent *except" in the expat enclaves or heavily touristed areas.

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I'm also looking at Ecuador and Northern Chile. Chile seems a bit more expensive and Ecuador has been a bit harder to research. Good research may not tell me where I want to live, but if I do it right, it will give me a good starting point and plan of attack.

I have seen many come to Thailand and *buy* a house in the first spot that caught their fancy, then after traveling around a bit wished they had waited.

abhishek_513

ya it'll be enough for you as the need are a bit cheap...and it is worth the time spend

Panamax

Well, based on the above, Panama City is a virtual xerox copy of Bangkok in "personality." Like Bangkok, it has great shopping and nightlife, and lousy traffic and noise pollution...

Welcome to Panama City!

__________________
"Few cities in Latin America can match the diversity, cosmopolitanism and sheer energy of Panama City..." - THE ROUGH GUIDE