Happier Abroad Forum Community

I have been monitoring this site and reading past posts for a while so I decided to introduce myself. I am a single retired African American living in Panama City, Panama since 2005. I think that I might me experiencing the seven year itch but I am not ready to return to the States. As a result, I am considering a move to Thailand (have two friends living there, they like it but have some concerns), the Philippines or the Dominican Republic (Santiago). I am leaning toward an exploratory trip to Santiago in April or May.

In additional to Panama, I have lived and worked in Colombia, India, Germany, and Spain. Also, I have taken trips to most of the Western European countries, Costa Rica, Peru; and several African countries.

Of all the countries I have spent time in, the only two where I got little or no free play was India and Spain.

I am looking forward to reading about and learning from your travel experiences.

Harry

Welcome Harry. So what's it like in Panama? How are the girls there?

How is Panama? I will focus on Panama City (PTY) because if you are single you want to be in the city. PTY unlike San Jose Costa Rica is saturated with hotel/casinos. Thus, tourism is has increased big time over the last few years and lots of the tourists are guys coming for a weekend or a long holiday to enjoy the ladies. Because guys hang out in casinos, the casinos compete for clients by allowing the P4P ladies in.

On a typical night, there are Panamanian hookers, part-time Panamanian hookers, and those that show up on local pay days and around key holidays. With some exceptions, the Panamanian hookers are second tier. But, on any given night most of the casinos will be packed with the “hard coreâ€￾ first tier ladies. These are the Colombians. They all rank near the top on a 1 to 10 scale. Most have had some plastic enhancement. This group is strictly P4P. But for the weekend tourist it is no big deal.

Now, for my age group (near retirement, part-time retired and retired), lots of guys come here with very high expectations. After a year or even less in some cases they move on. Some move to Colombia (Medellin or its suburbs). Others go to Ecuador, the Philippine or Thailand, and some just go back to their country.

But, there are thousands of availability Panamanians ladies. Many of them hold professional positions within the government. The problem is that PTY is so expensive that these ladies live up to 2 plus hours outside the city and they may work 5.5 days a week. They do not hang out in the city. Thus, to meet them a guy needs transportation and a trusted Panama friend to make some introductions. These are the ladies that we all want to meet but find it difficult.

As for the cost of living, rent is a “show stopperâ€￾. With boots on the grounds, contacts, and lot of luck it may be possible to find a one bed room furnished in the $600 to $700 range. Otherwise, rent will fall into the $800 to $1000 range or higher. Note, I am not an expert on rent.

Welcome harry! Hmmm, we need to talk. I plan on visiting Panama and I was looking to retire there myself.


So why do you feel like you need to move? And what concerns do your friends have about Thailand?

NorthAmericanGuy send me a message with a list of specific questions about living here as a retiree. I am happy to provide some information.

Harry