panama do's and dont's

[seekingwife]

here trying to find out as much as i can about latin culture specifically panamanian. i am looking into places to retire and so far through my experience i have found some fair cultural resentments between latin american countries and their neighbors. so far i have been to mexico and costa rica. they are very different cultures even though they are separated by a small boundary. is panama the same way. also in mexico there was what i began to call the zoo effect, it starts out with one relative and the next thing you know you have a small parade anytime you are out with a woman ( maybe this only happened to me? ) but nevertheless it bothered me. i did not have this same type of thing happen in costa rica, though i was in more of a touristy area this time. the girls seemed very aggressive about getting a husband it seemed. im not a fan about the " whole family living under one roof " thing or having mom and dad move in a week after we are wed. which i did not see evidence of in CR but did see some instances when in MEX. also the drama factor. this also seemed mixed to me and i was wondering if it is an overall latin factor or are there exceptions to the rules.

[Jeff S]

One of my engineering interns is a Panamanian. His family is fairly well off, as they travel to Europe and the US not infrequently, but he still spends a lot of time there. He raves about life there on islands in the Caribbean side, though they're really primitive. If I can get any specific info for you, just PM me and I'll run it by him.

[Deseo]

Other than a two hour layover in the Panama City airport, I have no experience to share.
 
I'd like to know more. So if you find any good info (or make a trip) please share it on the board.

[vikingo]

I lived in Panamá for tree or four years, near the Costa Rica border and the city of David, Panamá's second largest city, about an 8 hour bus ride from Panamá City. Panamá is great for retirement but only if you already have a woman and she doesn't mind living there. If you are looking for a woman in Panamá's interior which means other than Panamá City, forget it, almost all of them carry a spare tire and the few attractive ones are taken care off by well to do locals.
I don't have much info on the capital, other than there are thousands of good looking Colombian women, many of them without a visa, but I suspect many of them pros and gold diggers as well.
There is a very impressive mall just outside the city, called Albrook Mall, it is huge.
There is also an excellent  place to shop, in the city of Colón on the opposite side of the Canal, with INCREDIBLE BARGAINS. Currency in Panamá is the U.S.dollar. Daytime temperatures up to 30/32, at night 25, rainy season December to April. There is a cooler area near Vulcan Baru, a town called Boquete, but real estate is not cheap. New townhouses sell for $30'000 to 40'000. Property taxes are low. Groceries cost the same as in the States, so do cars, used or new. There is crime in the capital but very little in the interior. Any questions, feel free to ask.