IL Postcard

Healthful Living in the Land of Eternal Spring

Date: 10/02/2008

Oct. 2, 2008
Panama City, Panama

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Dear Panama Insider,

The Boqueteños, the people of Boquete, have a secret. Many of them live into their hundredth year, and in good health. Can you get healthy, too, by moving here? Maybe so—we've talked to some expats who say that somehow, they don't just feel healthier…they are healthier here.

So what's the reason? Perhaps it's because they eat better…fresh food, including fruit and vegetables every day. This area is known as the bread-basket of Panama, and is rich with farm-fresh produce…from big seedless Boquete oranges to petite blood-red tomatoes…most of it grown within 100 miles of Boquete. Proponents of the locavore movement believe this is key to healthful living. (Locavores believe in eating only locally produced food.)

Or maybe it's the coffee, much of it organically grown. Contributor Richard Detrich, who lives in Boquete and grows coffee there, tells us he’s learned that coffee provides more healthful antioxidants than anything else in the American diet, and may help ward off certain types of cancer and even diabetes.

Then there's the water…says Detrich: "the water in Boquete is better than Evian. It comes from springs that originate from deep within the long extinct Baru volcano…pure and delicious." And there's also the slow pace of life, which makes for a low-stress environment. For people like Detrich, leaving behind a hectic life and living in a place with no traffic, no noise pollution, and virtually no crime provides a sense of well-being…and you probably don't need a doctor to tell you that's a good thing.

But what's the price of life in Shangri-La? You'll be surprised to find that Boquete's high quality of life still comes with a small price tag. In fact, Detrich lives here on 40% what he spent on a monthly basis back in the States. Read all about Boquete…and why this is the time to take a second look at one of the world's top retirement destinations…in your October issue of Panama Insider, online now.

Thanks for reading, Panas.

Best regards,

Jessica Ramesch
Editor, Panama Insider