Tomorrow is February 1, the day we had planned to move to Panama.

Everyone knows you get what you pay for.   The problem is not knowing  you paid for what you got.  

Join us Jan 6-9 in La Amistad International Park for a visit to the indigenous Naso, home of the last kingdom in the hemisphere. Tour departs Boquete, Panama at 8am Thursday and ends with lunch at the Bocas del Toro ferry (Almirante) Saturday. Contact Changes In Latitude at 6966.2691

If anyone is going to be in the Toronto area and would like complimentary admission to the International Real Estate Expo at the Doubletree Hilton at 655 Dixon Road this weekend please contact me sue@suecolemanrealtor.com.

This week I'm officially an "expat", along with my family and 5-year old daughter.  I've combed Latin America for 20 years and have chosen a home near Volcán Barú, El Salto, Boquete, Chiriquí, República de Panamá.

The delightful village of Boquete is ten minutes away, in “the valley of eternal spring”.   The temperature hits 80 degrees (F) daily, but evenings and mornings often require a sweater.  In Boquete,   18,000 residents include many expats from the European Union, N. America & South America.  In the streets one hears French, German, Italian, English, and Spanish within a few blocks walk.  There is a bar furnished entirely with art and furniture from Africa.   Taxis are less than a dollar.  

Genuinely helpful locals abound …and their assistance is not contrived in pursuit of a tip.  People live close to the land.  Less is more.  What seems to matter most to Chiriqui natives is family, fun, and friends.  Work is the means to an end.People here grasp that nobody’s dying wish is “more time at the office”.  The culture here is very supportive for healing from the toxic consumer culture prevalent in the USA.   

Why not immigrate south and make room for another to immigrate north?  We're happy to share our corner of paradise.  For more details and photos, visit  http://changesinlatitude.org/wordpress/2009/09/changes-in-latitude-changes-its-latitude/

Panama is the ideal place for relaxation and pleasure, with pristine beaches and beautiful scenery. And there are many reasons why travelers choose Panama as a tourist and retirement destination.

Affordable Living
One thing that makes Panama attractive to foreigners is the low cost of living. For rental or purchase of property, Panama offers many attractive living quarters at very affordable rates. The Colon Free Trade Zone in Panama is the largest distribution center in South America and as a result, products sold there generally have very low costs and are subject to an average inflation of just 1% to 2% annually.

By Lisa Leuthesser,
Stephen Harris, a reporter from the Overseas Property Professionals magazine contacted us recently for our opinion on the election of President Martinelli and its impact on Panama's economy in general and the real estate market in particular. Below are some of his questions and our answers:

Q. How do you think the election of President Martinelli will effect Panama’s standing in the business world? Are investors likely to see the country differently?

There comes a time in life when many Baby Boomers get itchy feet – we get fed up with the 9 – 6, the commute or just the weather in our own home locations for example, and to alleviate our itchy feet we need a holiday some place far away and ideally exotic!

For others these itchy feet continue to be a problem no matter how many holidays they have and the only solution to the problem is relocation abroad and a brand new life experience abroad.

The Free Trade Treaty between the United States and Panama has gone to the US Senate for debate today.

President Obama is in Mexico today for a meeting with President Felipe Calderón, and later in the week he will travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas with Latin American leaders. Before his trip The President wrote the following and was published in the newspapers throughout Latin America. Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Argentina, etc..

Panama is considered one of the most attractive countries for retired persons, pensioners and seniors worldwide.