Getting our appetite wet to finalizing the decision

Getting prepared by coincidents and experiences

I first contemplated retiring abroad when we visited Kerala - the southern most state in India. There, food and accommodations are very inexpensive (for somebody who had their job in the US or Europe), the mountains are absolutely gorgeous, the climate is very agreeable for me, and the food - well, "out of this world" is an understatement!

As so often, when your mind finally is opened for things to come, the things came!

First, my dear Friend Nancy told me about her neighbor retiring to Boquete, Panama. A few days later, another dear friend, Venus, sent me a link to International Living, coincidentally also for Panama. 

Now, that website is a mess!!! It makes everything look so easy, and desirable, and affordable, and plain out beautiful - how can one not get all excited? Of course, it is their business - so they make it sound beautiful, as it is their livelihood to keep people sign up for their "guided retirement tours" or use them for real estate transactions, and whatever other way thy figured out to make money off of interested folks...

Yet, despite the fact that their intentions are of a different nature than ours, it was a good start to wet our appetite and to get basic information about many places in the world.

Scouting out our options

We decided to start visiting those countries that are high on our list. Among them Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Panama. India doesn't have a visa that makes retiring there possible. Tobago - one of my favorite islands in the Caribbean - is beautiful, but way to expensive for us to afford it (similar to most other Caribbean Islands).

Of all the places we visited (on vacation at some time along the way, or during our scouting trips), Panama was special. After only a few days, Suzanne mentioned that she really, really liked the country, especially the rural areas outside of Panama City. And I felt the same way! So we decided to make it our goal to move there as soon as it makes sense for us to do so.

Another coincident preparing me more

Then Covid hit, and got us stranded at my parent's place in Austria!

What a great coincidence - another one in the string that prepared me for this! My mom cooks every day! We got used and hooked to delicious, home-cooked meals. My sister taught me how to bake my own bread. Not being able to leave the home much, we soon adopted my parents' daily rhythm. I experienced for 1/2 year how it would be if I were retired. Doing little projects, enjoying home-cooked meals, resting, walking the dogs, every now and then meeting some friends or other family... Life was awesome! By far one of the best times in my life - despite the Covid scare and restrictions!

Holding on to retirement-lifestyle (tooth and nail!)

Back in the states, I longed for the great way of life we just experienced. So I started to cook instead of eating out. I am baking my own bread (haven't bought a loaf in over a year by now!). And instead of going straight back to software engineering, I started working on our new old house. We had just bought it before our Panama trip and had completed most of the demolition. The rebuilding was left to do.

I thought, I could continue similar to how I lived in Austria. After breakfast work a little. After lunch have a siesta. And in the afternoon - well, either work some more, or write, or visit friends... 

Almost falling back into old ways

In April I thought enough home-fixing-upping, let me get a SW engineering project again. Make some dough! 

I applied for a couple of positions and got to where an offer was imminent. However, many things came in between that delayed the actual start. And, over time, it became clear to me, that I really could and should retire now! What sense does it make to work another year or two or ten, just to make more money, when I could get by and be happy with what I have saved up already - as long as I am not splurging?

I am free now!

So, I withdrew my name from the job, and put the wheels in motion to leave by autumn 2021.

I'll describe the visa options in my next post... For now, let me just ask you: do you prefer to work longer or to live on less money per month? What are your fears or concerns about retiring, and what are your hopes or plans?

Panama visa options - and how they apply to my situation

 Panama offers several visa options for US, Canadian, and European (and some other) citizens:

Friendly Nations Visa

Citizens of "friendly nations", who purchase real estate for 200,000$ can apply for a 2-year temporary residency, And after that, they can apply for the permanent residency. It used to be 100,000$, but the law was just amended (as of mid August 2021) to now require 200K.

Digital Nomad Visa

Folks who can work remotely can do so in Panama. With this visa, they are allowed to perform their work in Panama, and can stay up to 90 days.

Pensionado Visa

If you receive at minimum 1,000$ (plus 250$ per dependent, like wife)a month in retirement income you can apply for this visa. You're not allowed to work in Panama. But you can live there, you can import your household goods, and you can import a new car every 2 years tax free.

Reforestation Visa

Panama is making serious steps to aiding the reforestation within the nation. One such step is this visa. If you invest 80,000$ in a government approved reforestation project you get a 2 year temporary residency. After that you can apply for permanent residency, but must prove for 5 more years that you are still holding and maintaining the reforestation investment.

Visitor's Visa

There are several other visa types available, but they are not really useful for me (or any US, canadian, or european) - except, of course, the regular tourist visa. Coming from these nations, you need no visa to enter the country, and get approved for 6 months.

Once the visa expires, you have to leave the country. But can return soon thereafter for another full period. There are several expats living in Panama that way - usually, if they can't get any other visa, mostly due to having blemishes on a criminal record, or - well, my case (see below)... 

As with everything, the devil lies in the details!

How these visas apply to me:

Pensionado Visa - my first choice

According to Miranda and Contreras - one of the best known law offices in Boquete - the immigration authorities do not like to give this visa if you have a private pension, which is exactly what I have. In order for them to consider a private pension, they require a letter from the company whose private pension it is - so, some large corporation or something. I don't have that, since it is my own savings. EVen though it is an annuity, which is potentially paid until the end of my life, that is not accepted by the immigration authorities.

Thus, this visa is not an option for me until I am drawing social security - which I hope to be delaying until after I'm 67.

Friendly Nations Visa

Buying property in the US is no big deal, since you can easily sell it again, if you don't like it. In Panama this is different. There, it is easily possible for a property to be on the market for years! So, I have to be very careful when choosing what to get - and don't want to just get "something", just so I can apply for that visa! 

Aside of that, 200K is more that I had hoped to have to spend on my new home! I'm not interested in a condo in Panama City, or any of the expat tourist beaches. The properties I am interested are below 200K. So I would have to buy something additional. But, what can you buy for 50K? 

Well, for now, this visa is also not an option for me. Maybe, once I found my property it becomes applicable - but for now, this doesn't work for me.

Reforestation Visa

The total cost of the investment would be about 100K. 80K for the property, and 20K for the maintenance of the project for the 8 years it takes to get the permanent visa. 

Reforestation is one of my potential dream projects - however, doing it myself, rather than financing somebody else to do it. Also, I don't have enough savings to spend 100K for the visa and still have enough to get a home, and to live on for a few years.

So, this visa is also a no-go for me. At least for the moment...

Visitor's visa

So, the only visa left viable for me is the visitor's visa. The biggest disadvantage, of course, is that I can not have my household goods shipped until I get any of the other visas. But, I guess, I can import the most important stuff every time I come back.

I would like to visit my parents at least once a year - so there goes my first exit-reentry scenario already. Secondly, I might want to visit some friends in the US or in other places, or travel to some other countries that are still on my bucket-list - there goes my second exit-reentry instance for the year. So, the 6 month restriction isn't much of a big deal for me... Let's see, if there's another devil hiding somewhere in these details! 😝

 For now, I just trust in the Universe, that things will arrange the way it is best for me. And I am curious how everything will pan out - and WHAT will pan out...

Free as a bird - but what direction to choose?

During my June trip to Panama I firmed up my decision to not go back to work (at least for now), but to retire early. I have a little money left from the sale of the house last year, and a condo in Atlanta, which I am planning on selling next year. Together, the funds should suffice to buy a little property and sustain my life until I can start drawing my retirement annuity in two years. Together, it should allow me to postpone drawing SS until I am 67 (maybe longer, maybe not quite as long).

So, in essence, if I am very thrifty for a few years, I can retire now, and start working on my dream already!

Yeay!

But, wait! Which of my dreams? 

There are several options that sound absolutely awesome to me! I now have to make a very hard decision which of the possible lives I would want to lead.

1. Reforesting a piece of land

We hear about vast areas of land being deforested every day all around the globe. But there are also reports of reforestation projects. Panama, for example, has the declared goal of reforesting 1 million hectares ( 2.5 mill acres) by 2035. This is a report (in German) about a retiree in Turkey, who converted a landfill into a forest. And, of course, there's the awesome story of the photographer Sebastião Salgadoand his wife in Brazil.

I LOVE trees! The idea of buying a finca with a couple of hectares of former forest now (probably degraded) pasture, and spending my retirement years just planting trees, fills my heart with joy!

I've done some online searches and there appear to be properties of a reasonable size and price available. So, this is definitely a feasible option. 

2. English tutoring for locals

English is the de facto lingua franca. Any knowledge available in this world today is available in English. Some of the knowledge is available in German too, some in French, some in Chinese, and so on. But, for every other language it is only a part of the information that is available. Also, with most of international cooperations and projects, english is the common language that is being used.

I think, for any kid in this world today, who does not speak english, the world is not open. I was able to make something with my life by having been able to migrate from my home country to the US. Today, migrating is not necessary anymore - as long as there's internet and the ability to communicate in English, there are possibilities!

I've overheard some university level english classes, where the teachers had a terribly strong accent, and made many mistakes. I could imagine that on highschool level and even more so primary school level, the quality of english education is even less. Having access to another person to practice and experience is very important!

I do not like cities, but prefer rural areas. As everywhere, in rural areas it is even harder for locals to find good english tutoring options. Also, there seems to be a two class society, where indigenous folks get less opportunities than citizens of european, asian, or north-american descent. 

So, I think, I could make a real difference by offering english tutoring, especially to indigenous kids. 

Tutoring english has been on my mind for a while. I took an ESL Teacher certification program at University of North Georgia 2 years ago, already in preparation of this idea - offering english conversation and general language tutoring to locals.

This, too, is a very feasible option, that also warms my heart.

3. "my conversations"

I find myself very, very often in a situation, where the insights I have been given over my life-time are of great interest to people who just happen to show up in my life. Be it as seat neighbors in an airplane, at a coffee-house, on social media, in a park... anywhere, any time!

Going to Panama in June I anticipated not being able to have any conversations like this, due to the language issue. However, I soon realized that this concern was unwarranted! 

My first stay was at the Bhodi Hostel in El Valle de Anton. There I found a very diverse mix of nationalities and ages among the guests. And, plenty of instances where "my conversation" was happening.

It occurred to me, that if I were to organize a hostel then guests from all over the world could show up. I would be, essentially, "available" for the Universe to arrange for people to show up who need the information I'm able to provide.

Later, it dawned on me, that I don't even have to operate the hostel myself, but could just live close to a hostel, and every now and then, when I feel like it, go there for breakfast or dinner, and make myself available that way.

El Valle is a lovely town, and at a perfect elevation - temperature-wise. It has a great market and supermarket, it's very quiet and peaceful (off the main-street; but even on the main-street the traffic is nothing to worry about). 

There are several homes and properties for sale there. I found one online, which looks promising. So, this, too, is quite a feasible option.

As of now, I have no clue which of these options it will be. I keep flipping back and forth between them! 

I guess, it will clarify once I go back to Panama. As I always recommend to folks: let the Universe guide! Instead of me firming up plans based on my thoughts and knowledge (which is, of course, less than a fruit-fly poop spec!), be open minded and on the lookout for what is coming my way!

I love to ponder ideas, and to know what I am working towards, and then getting to work on it! Right now, I can't do that, as I have no clue what I'll end up doing. That makes it very difficult for me! On the other hand, there are so many loose ends I have to tie up where I am, that if I can focus on working on those, I'd soon be really free as a bird! 

So, I guess, I'll just do that: get my stuff here together and settled. Soon enough, I'll be in Panama again, and things will develop...

PS: For those of you, who do not know about my world-view (which is guiding all my life decisions and goals): it is explained here

Colón and Caribbean Coast Eastward

 I decided to make use of my time here and check out one of the two caribbean coast locations. Headed to Colón early this morning. That area is soooo depresing! So much blight, desolation, and garbage everywhere - it seems they don't have a decent garbage collection system.

Headed back on the Transistmico Careterra towards Sabanitas, and then turned eastwards along the coast.

There is only one road from Sabanitas to Puerto Pilón - and it is a mess. Heading towards Maria Chiquita I am looking at the traffic in the other direction being at an absolute standstill - and the line is all the way from Sabanitas to Puerto Pilón - about 3 km!

Sabanitas is just a continuation of Colón - same desolation and blight. And Puerto Pilón, appearing like one town with Sabanitas, fits right in!

There is not much going on on this coastal road. Mostly just poor shacks, several failed touristic investments (elcastillo being the most noticable one). Maria Chiquita has nothing that holds any attraction to a foreigner, I'd say. Basically a poor fishing town, grown to a size where there are many people, but not enough money in the area to allow for growth and beautifications. My experience was rather depressing, again lots of garbage everywhere - an indication that people are still on the food, shelter, clothing level, and do not yet care about their environment - homes are patched together, "stuff" everywhere, no yard maintenance noticable.

I head on towards the next town - past playa la Angosta to Mechi. Playa La Angosta seems a communal beach, with facilities, a restaurant, and such. They even take credit-cards there. Mechi is just a handfull of buildings, most of them right on the beach; half of them broken and abandoned shacks of locals, the other half obviously walled in and fenced off villas of foreigners - even of them half seem to be abandoned.

So, all in all not an area where one would want to relocate to. You get the disadvantage of a rural place (have to drive far to get to any store and no restaurants or anything else of interest outside of your house) with the disadvantage of it being right on the main-road along the coast (not much traffic, but enough to have to always keep your gate locked, and the fence-wall secured with barb- or better even razor wire...

After a short rest on the beach I turn around and head back towards Sabanitas. As I was afraid of, I now was one of these poor souls that are stuck in a stop and almost no go traffic. I checked google maps - there is no way to avoid this road! One time, I take a detour off that road into the village. It didn't look that bad there - just poor, and dirty, but at least not appalling! This traffic jam seems to be an every-day situation. These poor souls that life there have this pollution and noise going on every day! And even worse, any time they need anything from the store, they are stuck in that mess!

It took me a whole hour to get only 2 km down the road. about 600m before the intersection with the Transistmico highway, There's finally a side-road that also heads towards that highway. I take it. It leads through a residential area. By now I am used to the poverty and desolation, so it doesn't even look that bad anymore...

I take a left on the TransIstmico Hwy and head back towards Panama City - intending to stay on this highway instead of taking the Autopista again.

Every little town we hit, there's a traffic jam! And in between the towns, there are sections of the road that are so bad, that cars can only ease their way over the potholes at walking speed!

By now it is noon-time, and I am hungry. In Kerala, you can stop at any hole in the wall restaurant and get delicious meals - vegetarian, if you want! In Panama you have a choice between foreigner restaurants - where a meal that's nothing to write home about can be had for 15 - 20$; or an american fastfood joint (like McDonalds, KFC, and such); or a fonda with panamanian comida (fried chicken, fried fish, fried pork, soggy tasteless rice, beans that also don't taste of much); or a fonda with comida creola (fried chicken, fried fish, fried pork, soggy tasteless rice, beans that also don't taste of much). If you're lucky and ask for it, you might get two tiny slices of plantana madura, or patagones. These things are really quite nice, but it's a real struggle to get them, and always in small quantities. People here eat mostly meat... Another indication that most people here seem to still be on the food, shelter, clothing level. 

So, one thing is clear: when you live here you're going to be dependent on your own cooking! 

This is fine with me - just, when travelling to checkout places, it would really be nice to be abe to find something decent to eat... 

The first and basic set of questions

When I left for my trip to Panama in June 2021 I had three big questions that I wanted to get answered:

1. Will I be able to deal with the rain in the rainy season?

Panama has two seasons - dry season from December to April, and rainy season the rest of the year - that is 8 to 9 months of the year! I don't mind rain, but I need to see the sun every so often, otherwise I get depressed, sad, and lethargic. So, how does it feel to live in Panama during the rainy season?

The answer I found is: no problem at all!!!

The sky is often blue, with the sun bright and warm. Every so often, there might be a thunderstorm, or a shower - mostly in the afternoon. And after the shower it usually gets clear again. 

Conclusion: I can easily life with this! I love the sound of the rain on the roof. I appreciate the cooling off and air-cleansing that the rain brings with it.  

2. Will the language be a preventative problem?

The main language in Panama is Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. I am a numbers guy, I am not good with languages. Learning a new language is an overwhelming task. How is life going to be for me without a good command of that language? Will I be socially isolated? Will I have problems communicating what I need?

The answer I found: No big problem!

Anywhere I went, there was always somebody who would understand a little English. And, trying to learn Spanish, I made more progress than I thought would be possible. So, while it really is limiting to not be able to speak and understand Spanish, it is something that can be worked around - until my skills would have developed.

Conclusion: I can function quite well, even with my extremely limited Spanish skills. Especially meeting Iris (see next question) has helped me a lot in improving my skills. I can see, that eventually, I'll be able to function in Spanish (almost) as well as in English or German.

3. Will I be isolated and alone?

My long-time life-partner has left me about a year ago. Our plan was to retire to Panama together. Well, that went down the drain! If I go there by myself, as single, will I be bound to be by myself, and alone? Or would it be possible to connect with locals, even maybe find another mate?

The answer I found is called: Iris.

We happen to meet by chance - the most beautiful and magical way to come into each other's life. And we hit it off very well, right form the get-go. I realized, that my being in Panama is not necessarily going to be a repeat of the situation in Tobago (where I got 100s of marriage proposals from women who saw in me a rich foreigner who would finance their sitting on the couch all day watching TV for the rest of their lives; but where otherwise I was not able to connect in a romantic way at all). Iris helped me understand - emotionally, because intellectually I knew it already - that you can find love and appreciation anywhere!

Conclusion: Even if Iris were not to become a life-partnership, it is possible to meet women who are willing and interested in dealing with cultural differences, language barriers, and are willing to take a chance with a little, old, peculiar foreigner.

All in all, I take it as an encouraging sign by the Universe how quickly and thoroughly my big questions have been answered. It is now clear, that I will be moving to Panama - and VERY soon! Even though, while my first 3 questions were answered beautifully, there are now a hundred more!