Getting Back To Basics In Panama

Packing up and buying a one-way ticket to another country can be nerve-racking, especially when you’ve decided to start a whole new life someplace where the language, the customs, and the day-to-day is so different from back home.

So allow me to take you back to the basics…

One of my editors—who now relocated across the Pond—spoke about her experience to a group of attendees at our Live And Invest in Panama Conference a few years ago.

“As a new arrival in Panama City, I had a lot to figure out… and I have to admit that, often, I felt overwhelmed…”

So began Sophia Titley when she took the stage to address all those convened in the meeting rooms of the Hotel Central in Casco Viejo. She walked attendees at

the event through all practical aspects of establishing yourself and launching a new life in this country.

“This talk is designed to arm you with everything you need to know to get settled in Panama and to make your transition to life here smoother than mine was!” Sophia explained.

She carried on to walk the group through all aspects of day-to-day living in Panama… including:

Getting Around

Up until this point in your life, you may not have considered sidewalks a luxury. Now that you’re in Panama, you’ll need to adjust that thinking.

If you’re trying to navigate Panama City on foot and are lucky enough to find an actual sidewalk, chances are it will be rocky, overgrown with tree roots, or pitted with potholes that drop down into no-man’s-land.

You need to take care with every step. Do not look up at the pretty high-rise buildings all around you. Keep your eyes focused down on the ground watching for impediments… lest you end up at the bottom of one of those giant potholes.

Taxis in Panama are cheap compared with North American prices. The average fare is about $3.

If you’re going to use a taxi, be sure you have cash and small notes. Cabbies rarely have change for your $10 bill.

That said, we’d recommend against using taxis in Panama City. Panama City taxi drivers are among the least cool people on the planet. These guys are disagreeable and often untrustworthy.

A better option today is Uber. “As a young single woman in Panama City, this is the service I feel most comfortable using,” pointed out Sophia.

In addition, today you have another option for getting around Panama City—ever improving public transportation.

Your first option for public transportation is the Metrobus. These have been operating on the streets of Panama City since 2012 and are familiar and safe.

You’ll need a Metrocard to ride these buses. They are sold at all metro stops, grocery stores, and the Albrook bus terminal. A bus ride is 25 cents.

Your second public transportation option is the metro. Panama is the first country in Central America to build one, and it opened in 2014. The cost of riding the metro is 35 cents… 24 cents for retirees.

Setting Up Utilities

To set up your utilities, first, you’ll need a permanent address here, meaning you can’t start the process until you’ve rented or bought a place to live.

When you’ve done that, take your passport and address to the utility company. You’ll be asked to fill out a form, and given an appointment for installation

within 10 days. Clear your schedule the day of the appointment, because you won’t know what time the guys will be coming… and, even if you did, they wouldn’t show up at that time anyway.

Paying bills can be far more complicated than you might ever imagine. The utility company might slip your bill into your front gate or leave it in a shrub outside your house. It might then fall on the ground or be carried off by a bird as fodder for his nest…

Regardless, it’s your responsibility to find your bill and to pay it. The one thing the utility companies here are really efficient at is shutting off your service if you’re late paying your bill.

Panama is a beautiful country but like everywhere else in the world, it isn’t perfect. Almost everyone functions with a mañana mentality—don’t expect to get things done in a timely manner.

Just remember you’re setting off on an adventure.

Until next time,

Kathleen Peddicord signature