Dan Prescher reports from Cotacachi, Ecuador with your weekly wrap-up of International Living postcards for the week ending April 23.

Margaret Summerfield of Pathfinder Real Estate (IL’s preferred real estate advertiser) writes in from Panama, where she says the real estate market is offering fire sales for people who want to live in this stable, prosperous and beautiful country. Margaret found a condo on one of the city’s best waterfront locations in a building where similar units were selling for $280,000 just a few years ago…now going for just $195,000. There’s more, and Margaret gives you the whole story in her April 18 postcard.

Our Panama editor, Jessica Ramesch shares the story of Michael Ducharme, who says that the lovely valley of El Valle has more business potential than anyplace in Panama. Jessica says El Valle is lush, beautiful, and close to everything, and that Michael likes it because operating and living costs are a fraction of what they are in Panama City. There’s much more to like about El Valle, and Jessica tells you all about it in her postcard.

Latin America editor, Suzan Haskins begins her reporting from our recent Live & Invest in Panama conference in Panama City. She says that Panama is doing one thing better than any other country in the world… it gives expats what they want and need, including the country’s renowned pensionado (retirement) program, the most generous and appealing program of special benefits you’ll find anywhere in the world today. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg…Suzan spells it all out in her postcard.

Suzan Haskins is back to tell us more about the presentations during the second day of our Live & Invest in Panama conference. She reveals the nitty-gritty details that can make or break your experience in Panama, including thought from former Congressman Robert Bauman on Panama’s value as a financial and personal privacy haven…plus inside information from Pathfinder Real Estate’s Margaret Summerfield on what not to buy in Panama. Find out more in Suzan’s April 21 postcard.

On April 22, Suzan fills us in on the third and final day of the Live & Invest in Panama conference, and if you think that International Living paints only rosy pictures or only tells you about the opportunities and goody-goody side of expat life, think again. Suzan highlights presentations that could be described as Panama “exposed and uncensored”… you just have to read them for yourself to see why.

I take pen in hand to give you my thoughts as we closed out our most successful Live & Invest in Panama conference to date. I emceed many International Living events, and I came away from this one with a new appreciation of the many ways that Panama makes expats welcome in almost every way… and hearing about it straight from expats currently living there really showed why. I’ll give you the details in my April 23 postcard.

That’s it for this week. Sign up for all these postcards and more for free here and don’t forget to visit the International Living Facebook page.