Even though Bob is still an American citizen, the western city of Boquete in Panama is where he and his wife feel at home now. Planning fun adventures, playing rock & roll, sitting in a café -- these are only some of the activities that Bob indulges in as he relishes the more relaxed way of life in Panama.	Bob Applegate

August 02 2006

-Where were you born?
Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

-In which country and city are you living now?
Boquete, Panama

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my wife.

-How long have you been living in Panama?
20 months

-What is your age?
55

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Panama?
I had been thinking about both leaving the USA and living a more tropical lifestyle since Jimmy Buffet enlightened us all. A vacation with some old high school buds to Costa Rica fueled that feeling a bit, but I got sucked back into my life in the USA upon returning and was content to look at photos for several years. By 2004 I had several life changes -- partner, career, living situation -- and was growing increasingly more stressed by...everything. Daily life in the USA had become an incredible, expensive, dangerous, overly challenging, all-consuming, a waste of time and energy. The once idyllic town of Asheville, NC where I lived was crowded, polluted, overpriced, crime ridden, traffic choked, and loaded with bad politics and no parking. The hippies (the service industry) were pitted against the yuppies (the "professionals") and it wasn't pretty. It was way too long to retirement age and I was getting tired rapidly.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Yes. This country's current situation doesn't provide an opportunity for you to be here for more than three months at a time if you are not a wealthy investor, and/or retired or was born here.

-How do you make your living in Panama? Do you have any type of income generated?
Foreigners are not allowed to work here (with some exceptions). My wife and I return to the USA several times a year and make enough to live here comfortably at one fourth of what we made in the USA.

-Do you speak Spanish and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
We are still learning the language just as the locals are learning English; it is a very cool challenge for both cultures to embrace each other this way. Many foreigners come here with expectations of it being like where they came from and are often disappointed and leave, or become malcontents, pitting themselves against a very established Latin culture. For us it is like being in a National Geographic movie all the time. Example, the indigenous outnumber us (foreigners) by a good bit so everyday we see and interface with Indians in native dress, who live in shacks and pick coffee for their meager living.

Outside of the city (the capital, Panama City) the Panamanians are very cordial, proper, and old fashioned, making it very important to observe and respect those ways in order to blend in and not allow the opportunity to be the "ugly American" to occur. We often find ourselves at odds with foreigners who want to change the culture to suit their needs. We feel that by accepting the slower pace and more old-fashioned practices, we are more relaxed and less likely to have so many problems. It takes time to adapt but we REALLY wanted a different life, not a quaint, Disney version of the one we left.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
While we sometimes miss our close friends and family, we return a few times a year and visit. We don't get homesick because we love it here and are happier than when we lived in the USA. When we refer to home, it means Panama even though we are still US citizens. Everything about our lives is different. We were both very social and involved with the community on various time- and energy-sucking levels. Our time was so overcommitted; recreation was right in front of us and we had to plan in advance just to be in it (the Great Smoky Mountains were one hour away).

Now we read more than ever, write creatively, plan fun adventures into Costa Rica, and walk every day in fantastic tropical settings. We taxi into town (we don't own a car) to get fresh fruit and vegetables from the Mercado or just sit and enjoy some the world's best coffee or a local cerveza in a parque-side cafe. Whitewater rafting and kayaking, natural hot springs, canopy zip line, world-class hiking are all literally right out the back door.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We plan to see more of Central and South America as well as travel to Cuba (much to the chagrin of the U.S. State Department) and a trip to Europe is also in the future. Costa Rica and the Panama Pacific coast are an hour away, while the Caribbean coast is four hours away, so those adventures are always there. My wife is becoming trained and certified in massage (bonus for my aging self) and I hope to further market short stories and travel pieces. I have started the only American rock 'n roll band in the region (which is pure fun for a trio of old guys playing old music) and I'm STILL ten years away from what would be – retirement!!

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We are leaning more towards a place that is somewhere between simplistic and minimalism. We are NOT building or buying although that is the major industry and center of every conversation among foreigners. We rent a big (and by Panamanian standards, modern) house with two bedrooms, a large loft, a living/dining area, two bathrooms, small kitchen, covered carport, fenced/gated yard, on a rough dirt/rock road -- for $300 a month!! Rent ranges from $250-1200 a month depending on how much you need an automatic dishwasher, satellite TV, water heater, security system, or designer furniture.

-What is the cost of living in Panama?
Rent - $300
Electricity - $35-50
Phone - $13
Beer - (hey, it's important you get a feel for this) $0.33 each in the grocery store, $0.60-1.00 in a cafe or restaurante.
Water/trash - $26 a year(?)
Food is much cheaper unless you are addicted to American brands. Ironically many other imported items are available that you don't see in the USA. Fresh items are very inexpensive and plentiful; there is no off season for growing!!
Gas - same as it is everywhere -- ridiculous!!
Property - from under one dollar a hectare (2.5 acres) to over $200 per hectare depending on if you want a beachfront resort, endless views of paradise or a remote mountain. Costs are very different in the city where everything is available.

-What do you think about the Panamanian people?
The majority of Panamanians are very polite and cordial and view us as odd and interesting people who are different. Most are willing to help especially if you attempt to speak Spanish and are equally polite. "Ugly Americans" don't fare well here. The Indians are quietly curious and don't react much at all but will greet you without engaging in conversation.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Panama?
The positive aspects are all the reasons I moved here. A slower pace, more old-fashioned ideals, a better, less stressful atmosphere (less pollution, less traffic, lower costs, better food, better weather), a country NOT involved in wars, etc. There is no mail delivery out here so...NO JUNK MAIL!!! Public transportation is the best I have ever seen; hence, I don't own a car for the first time in my life.

The down side includes the fact that everything is slower, so some business takes forever and is often held up in pointless bureaucracy which is part of their proliferation of jobs. There is almost no unemployment, everyone works. There is little or no job training so some standards are low or nonexistent out here in the mountains; it's different once again in the city. Trash services and health standards are less then excellent but getting better. People drive crazier than in many other places I have been.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Panama?
Yes. Leave ALL your preconceived notions at home. Don't expect anything to be the way it was where you came from. Be open to a new, different, exciting adventure in a place that still has an awful lot of paradise as part of its makeup. Unload your life of stuff!! Try doing with less. Virtually anything is obtainable here but many American convenience items are tough to get. Do without; don't ship the microwave or toaster, they have them here, cheap, but you might find you can live without them. Many people ship containers full of stuff, trying to bring their old lifestyle with them then wind up trying to store it (there are NO mini-storages here).

You can't work here; figure out something else if you are not wealthy or retired. Starting a business is an amazing nightmare of responsibility, avoid it. Don't build if you don't have to. It's really painfully slow and difficult; you don't need that much stress in your life. If you can do it, this is a great place to do lots of nothing.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Panama?
Boquete Community Forums:
This is a local forum-based site where the foreign community posts all kinds of information about living in Boquete.

Noticias Bajareque Times:
The site of the local monthly newspaper