Top 3 Offbeat Questions About Panama

August 13, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

Too much information combined with alcohol can befuddle you.

The recent Live & Invest in Panama Seminar at the Playa Bonita InterContinental Hotel & Resort was a great opportunity to talk to readers one-on-one, hear some of your questions about Panama, and discuss the issues that concern you the most. But as often happens at these meetings-of-the-minds, the amount of information offered can be confusing. Add a few fun cocktail hours and, well, everything swirls together like a dry martini.

Here are some of the more entertaining questions I got once the liquor began to flow…

City Comforts Close to Beaches and Mountains

August 7, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

I'm chatting over coffee with a couple in their mid-50s. "We're going tomorrow," they say, excitement showing in their faces. It’s the last day of the Live & Invest in Panama seminar, and, though it's rainy season, the sun is shining unabashedly over the bright backdrop that is the Playa Bonita Intercontinental Hotel & Resort. The conversation is about a place a six-hour drive from here. In fact, several attendees have come to me today, maps in hand, to discuss the finer points of driving or flying to the little city.

As Things Go South in the U.S., Maybe You Should, too

July 30, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

The rising cost of fuel has caused the price of everything from gas to food to go up all around the world…including in Panama. Even so, the economy here continues to grow at light speed. In 2007 Panama had a banner year—real GDP growth was 11.2%, the highest rate among all Latin American and Caribbean countries. According to the United Nations’ Economist Intelligence Unit, Panama is currently the world’s second-fastest growing economy, after China.

The Locals Will Insult You...

July 23, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

"Hey shoe-face! Come here!"

How would you like to be called that—affectionately of course—by your new friends? No kidding, Car'e zapato is what the old-timers in a neighborhood called Monagrillo call one of their buddies. It’s "because he's so ugly," they say matter-of-factly, as they throw their arms around him and pound him on the back. (Handsome or not, his firstborn son is likely to be called a diminutive version of the word for shoe, like zapatito, from the moment he is born.) Around here, people are known for their sense of humor and odd propensity for giving hilariously off-the-cuff nicknames.

Super Travel Package Is the Perfect Excuse to Visit Now

July 16, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

I’ve found a steal of a deal to get you to Panama. Check out Escapes Ltd's super offer of six nights lodging plus airfare and more for $699 (just dial 1-800-243-7227). Wow. This high-value package enables you to visit both Panama and Costa Rica for an amazingly low price. (If this trip doesn’t fit with your plans, see Panama’s Copa Airlines website for some very reasonable airfares.)

And what will you do once you get here?

Panama Resources to Help You Make Money

July 9, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

Work and business opportunities in Panama is an increasingly popular topic. So much so that we'll cover it in depth at the July 31–Aug. 2 Live & Invest in Panama Seminar. In the meantime, here's some information to mull over: our "top five" list of Panama business resources:

Online Now: The Island of Flowers Is so Close and so Affordable

July 2, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

I'm always saying things to make my friends envious…I don’t mean to (or maybe I do it because I have issues, but let's leave that can-o-worms be)…it's just so easy. When they write and send me snapshots from a Bahamian cruise or European jaunt, I tell them how lucky they are. "Oh by the way, here are some photos from my weekend trip to this or that island," I add….and for good measure, I throw in a P.S.—something to hint that my trip was shorter, cheaper, and easier than theirs.

How Panama's Business Incubator Will Help You Succeed

June 25, 2008
Panama City, Panama

Dear Panama Enthusiast,

Forget about Panama as a retirement destination. Oh sure, we still have the best pensioner's program—that hasn’t changed—but more and more of the expats relocating here are planning to remain active. And long before the mainstream press caught wind of Panama's vast potential for retirees or tourists, this country was known as the region's prime business destination.