LOL The one time I got out to see the "city" I had a special forces dude as my guide. I got to taste barbequed monkey meat at a roadside stand. Reminded me of that line from the first Crocidile Dundee movie: "You can live on 'em, but they taste like S***!" Dundee proceeds to break out a can of fruit. Actually, IIRC, the monkey didn't taste too bad. There were these other critters in the jungle though. They were called HOWLER monkeys 'cause that's what they did all night if you were in their area. They HOWLED and would poop in their hands and throw it at you. Talk about some seriously crappy moments!
Most of my Panama experiences are kinda hazy but I fer durn sure wouldn't go back. I got heat stroke and nearly died there. Had to be choppered out to a hospital.
Here in my home of Miami, FL there is a legend in yachting circles on Panama: The saying goes that if you want to pick up a sailboat dirt cheap go to Panama. This is usually the first stop for starry eyed dreamers intent on doing a romantic circumnavigation. Once they spend a few weeks at sea facing harsh realities, when they get to Panama they find a yacht broker and toss 'em the paperwork as they beat feet for the airport, yelling over their shoulders to sell it for whatever it brings! Hence it is possible to pick up a sailboat that might retail for around $300,000 for around $80,000 or less. Have you ever heard this?
I was born in Miami and my family has it's roots here back to the 1920s, but it's toooooo hot here as well. My wife and I can't wait to retire in a few years so we can move to North Carolina!
I first ran into Howler monkeys in Costa Rica. I was riding through the jungle when we came upon perhaps 25 of them in the trees. They started throwing poop at us and we were trying to dodge it while laughing hysterically.
Roger Clemens, they are not, but they threw some pretty good fastballs. It was a Kodak Moment.
I hadn’t heard about the yacht situation, although that makes perfect sense. My older brother lives on one and he’s been anchored in Mexico for a couple of years. He’s talking about heading south to Panama. If he sells it there, I’ll let you know.
The thing about Panama and Costa Rica is that everyone thinks they are hot. Well, they are, along the coast or at sea level. But you don’t have to climb very high into the hills and mountains to get very mild conditions year around. In Panama, you can live 20 miles from the coast in some locations and it will never get above 80 degrees during the day.
There are some locations that seem more like Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, which is a little too cool for me. Just pick your altitude and you’ve picked your temperature range.
Panama has fresh pineapple that are two for a dollar, and sometimes three for a dollar.
I ate at a Bennigan’s in Panama City, not monkey on a stick from a sidewalk vendor (although that’s a pretty nifty experience to have had ONCE.)
North Carolina is pretty nice, so I can’t fault your preference. I kinda like the fact that Panama exempts folks who move there from any property tax for 20 years.
In fact, if you move to or purchase $200,000 of assets in the country, you’re granted full citizenship. And no, you don’t have to relinquish your American citizenship. You get to vote in both elections and have two passports.
What I've heard from sailors is that it's easy to follow the coastal currents and winds south as far as Panama. But at that point, if you want to return north, you basically have to sail to Hawaii, and a lot of people aren't comfortable with that kind of prolonged open water sailing. So, yes, you can pick up a boat there cheap. But then what?