Episode 10 - Crafting a Life Amidst Panama's Coastal Charm - A Rebuttal

Escape with us to the tropical allure of Playa Coronado as Panama enthusiast Diane Maxwell shares the hidden gems and candid realities of expat life in this sun-kissed paradise. Diane, with her wealth of knowledge and decade plus of Panamanian adventures, reveals why this country's charm is more than just its postcard-perfect beaches, offering a no-holds-barred look at the unexpected day-to-day life that awaits those seeking their own tropical haven.

This episode isn't just a narrative of sandy shores; it's a comprehensive guide for anyone tempted by the expat dream. We journey from the bustling streets of Panama City to the tranquil beaches of San Blas, discussing how Panama's diverse tapestry stands up against other Latin American jewels like Ecuador. Diane opens up about the practicalities of settling down in Playa Coronado, from navigating the property market to embracing the 'manana' culture. Plus, she shares the serenity of her mountainside home, providing inspiration and essential advice for future expats. Whether you're contemplating a move or simply love a great story, our conversation is an invitation to explore the nuanced symphony of living abroad in Panama.

Transcript

Jim Santos: 0:23

Welcome to Travels with Jim and Rita. I'm your host, jim Santos, and in this podcast series you can follow along as my wife Rita and I work out our crazy plan to outfox the real estate market in the US and actually increase our retirement nest egg by spending the next three years or so living abroad and exploring the world. Are we bold, forward thinking pioneers or just plain nuts? Let's find out together, shall we? Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Travels with Jim and Rita. I'm recording this our first day back in Knoxville, Tennessee, after spending the winter in Panama. In fact, we've been home less than nine hours. Rita's busy chasing dust bunnies and giving the house a general once over, but she's still with us in spirit.

Jim Santos: 1:14

A few weeks ago, we did an episode called Exploring the Slow Travel Life Panama Edition with Lesa,Stu Stu and Ziggy, where we talked about Panama City and the coastal destination of Playa Coronado. During that show, Rita and I expressed the opinion that, although we could see why some people were attracted to Coronado, it really was not for us. It just didn't fit in with our slow travel goals. Our guest, who lived in the Casco Viejo section of Panama City, expressed a rather stronger opinion. Now that's a little harsh, and I was not surprised that we got some feedback. I received an email from a Playa Coronado resident who wanted an opportunity for rebuttal and I'm happy to comply.

Jim Santos: 1:57

So with us today is Diane Maxwell, originally from California and now a Panama resident for over a decade. She's a retired nurse and author of An Expat Struggle Making a Home in Panama and several other books we'll talk about in just a bit. Diane, welcome to Travels with Jim and Rita and thanks for joining us.

Diane Maxwell: 2:44

Hi Jim, I'm happy to be here on this beautiful Panama day.

Jim Santos: 2:48

Okay, now don't rub it in, because here in Knoxville it's about 68 degrees and it's raining. Oh okay, before we get into talking about Coronado, I see in your bio on Amazon that, despite being a mother of three and a nurse working in places like acute care and emergency departments, you still somehow found time to travel rather extensively, even before you moved to Panama. Is that correct?

Diane Maxwell: 3:14

Yes, I did. That's what I did in my spare time. I love to see different cultures. I've been to China, Japan, Russia, throughout Europe, South America, the Caribbean Islands, every state in the United States except Alaska and Maine.

Jim Santos: 3:38

Well, I hope they don't feel too left out. So, with all that travel, what was it that finally attracted you to Panama?

Diane Maxwell: 3:45

When I retired I thought I was going to stay living in Texas. I was just north of Houston but it got more and more people, more crowded, property taxes were going up, traffic was becoming a nightmare and I said no, this isn't for me. So I created a spreadsheet and I had several countries that were in the running. I visited some of them and on paper, panama looked the best and I thought, well, okay, this is paper. So I went down to visit and I came down four times and I found the Coronado area in Panama would be very friendly. People were willing to help me with anything. I had gone to a craft fair and every table said was very welcoming and say, oh, if you need this, do this. And that's what makes a community is the people and sharing. So I was very happy and I came down here.

Jim Santos: 4:49

Well, you did a very important step there that a lot of people that I've met at the Gexpat conferences and you know talked to on the phone or over email failed to make some time. You did your due diligence, you looked at everything, but then you took the most important step you actually went there and saw what it felt like when you actually had boots on the ground there.

Diane Maxwell: 5:08

Yes, and I think that's very important, because things can look good on paper or on the internet, but, boy, once you get here, they can be very different.

Jim Santos: 5:19

And the other way around too. It can look kind of shaky on paper, but then you get there and just feel at home.

Diane Maxwell: 5:24

Correct, correct.

Jim Santos: 5:26

Something interesting to me, because we're looking at doing something like this ourselves while we're traveling around the world. So I understand. When you first moved to Panama, you were doing pet sitting.

Diane Maxwell: 5:36

Yes, I had never thought of it. And I was down here and a friend of mine I had met here he's called the critter sitter and he was double booked and he asked me if I would fill in for him and I thought, oh okay, I never thought of that. I love pets and animals. So the first pet sit job was a pair of parents and I used to have parents and I think that's why he asked me. I secretly think he was afraid of the parents, but the house was on the golf course in Coronado and it was very nice and very pleasant and I really enjoyed it. So I started pet sitting and word of mouth spread quickly and one year, I think, I was only home six weeks because I was pet sitting so much.

Jim Santos: 6:29

We lived in Ecuador for six years and we had a corgi and that was a big problem with us was finding somebody reliable to take care of the dog while we were traveling around exploring.

Diane Maxwell: 6:42

Yes, and I see a lot of people are getting into it now. Nobody heard of it 10 years ago when I was doing it, and now I see ads quite frequently for pet sitters.

Jim Santos: 6:54

Did you register with any of the companies like Trusted Pet Sitters, or was it just strictly by word of mouth?

Diane Maxwell: 7:00

It was strictly by word of mouth, but if I were to do it today, I would register with international pet centers. I think they provide an excellent service to the pet sitters.

Jim Santos: 7:11

And that was back in 2012 that you moved to Panama.

Diane Maxwell: 7:16

Yes, mm-hmm, 12 years ago.

Jim Santos: 7:19

Yes, so you were there during the COVID epidemic, Was that any? Do you have any difficulty out there?

Diane Maxwell: 7:27

That was very unique in that Panama was extremely strict. We were completely shut down. We were only allowed to leave our houses three times a week. We were only allowed to leave for two hours the last digit as to what hours we were assigned, and it was extremely strict. We did not have the severe death toll that many of the other countries had. So it was everybody said it's for the it's to go through in a foreign country.

Jim Santos: 8:09

So let's talk about your book for a second, an Expat Struggle, making a Home in Panama. At what point in your stay there in Panama did you write that book and what does it cover?

Diane Maxwell: 8:19

Actually, I started it during COVID, since I had so much time.

Jim Santos: 8:23

What a coincidence, that's when I started publishing books.

Diane Maxwell: 8:26

Yes, what a coincidence, I had journaled my whole life and I was a published poet. I'm in the who's who of American poets under my married name, but it's a republished poet as well.

Diane Maxwell: 8:43

Yes, and this is a memoir. It's a roller coaster of a ride because I had more than the usual problems in Panama. I had problems with real estate, which was quite common when I moved here, and I tried to do my due diligence, but I still had issues. So I'm entangled in the Panamanian legal system, which is unique my pet sitting. I talk about that extensively. I became quite sick during COVID. I was hospitalized on life support and I was in a public hospital and a private hospital and I talk about the differences of the different hospitals in my book.

Diane Maxwell: 9:32

And I traveled because I loved to travel. So I traveled all over Panama and I talk about really unique places, like an archeology site I visited just west of Pannonomay and I just read they found a tomb there just recently with gold and skeletons and all sorts of things in it. It's an interesting archeology site. And I went near the Darien to a rainforest reforestation project. Of course, I went to all the usual places of Bocas del Toro on a sailboat around the islands and San Blas Islands. When you think of the perfect paradise, san Blas is perfect, with white sand beaches and turquoise waters and of course, in Panama City, the old city, the canal, all sorts of things.

Jim Santos: 10:30

Yeah, that's great that you've been able to get around and see the entire country. That's what we did in Ecuador as well, because there's for such tiny countries, there's really a lot of diversity.

Diane Maxwell: 10:40

Yes, yes.

Jim Santos: 10:43

In addition to that book, you also have some works of fiction following the adventures of Kathy Vallory, who is an international pet sitter who runs into mysteries. That sounds a little autobiographical as well, doesn't it?

Diane Maxwell: 10:57

Well, they say right about what you know and, being a nurse for 30 years, you couldn't take the nurse out of me. So my character is also a former nurse and turned pet sitter. So I felt I could describe the pet sitting experience very accurately and all the places I go to are places I have been.

Diane Maxwell: 11:19

I start here in Panama, kathy Valerie in Panama, which takes place in Gorgona, and then I go to Kathy Vallory in Costa Rica and it's in Nuevo Arenal, on the volcano, and I had driven through there and I hadn't stayed there. I had stayed nearby but I wrote to their Chamber of Commerce and asked what would someone do in your town if they were staying for a couple months? And they wrote back and told me all sorts of things. So I put it all in the book and my last one is Kathy Vallory in that, and that is such a unique place I had to write about the different cultures and the location is as much part of the book as anything else and I'm currently working on Kathy Vallory in Texas where she she goes back to where she lives and is doing a local pet sitting job.

Jim Santos: 12:19

I'd like to let our listeners know that you can find these books on amazon. You can go to Diane's author page at wwwamazoncom. Author Diane Maxwell that's Maxwell, all one word and you can find links to all of her books there.

Diane Maxwell: 12:39

Yes, and they're available free if you're a member of Kindle Unlimited.

Jim Santos: 12:44

Right, it's a great program.

Diane Maxwell: 12:45

Yes, yes.

Jim Santos: 12:47

Especially for those living abroad, it's great to be able to hear about a book and start reading it right away.

Diane Maxwell: 12:53

Yeah, I think their great beach reads Right.

Jim Santos: 12:58

Well, speaking of beaches, let's get to Playa Coronado right now, in the kind of a mini controversy Now, when we were talking with some residents of Cascogliejo about the area, our take on it was because we were staying pretty much out in the middle of nowhere in Coronado Bay it's the name of the, the condo, and we didn't have a car. So for us there were only really two restaurants and two convenience stores that were a comfortable walk away. Everything else was a cab ride. So we mentioned that for us there wasn't a lot to do in the area. We don't golf or anything like that, and of course our guests had a rather stronger take on that. But I just wanted to make clear that Rita and I felt like we can understand why people would want to live there, especially why North American expats would want to live there, because there is a big expat community there and they seem to be very involved, very friendly with each other.

Jim Santos: 13:58

Yes so what is your take on it? How do you what's a typical day like for you in Playa?

Diane Maxwell: 14:05

Coronado. Well, and my comment about the other people, they were city people, they wanted city and we are not city. So you know, everybody has their own takes and what they like, and so Coronado is what we call in the interior of the country and it's has as much to do as you want or as little to do as you want. I'm a member of CASA, which is the Coronary, coronary Coronado Area Social Association, and they have coffees once a month where people get together and meet each other, and Louise sends out a newsletter once a week and it has every activity you can think of. It's pages and pages long of all the life, music that is, playing, all the activities you can do, the happy hours, and there's a hiking group that goes on a hike once a month up into the waterfalls and mountains. There's trivia on Thursday night, bingo on Friday. A lot of the men get together and play poker regularly. I do a lot of games with other people. We play once or twice a week different, usually cards or dominoes, stuff like that. And a lot of people come here and wonder about volunteer activities and there's a lot of animal volunteers, spay the strays, a lot of women who knit so blankets for the newborns at the Paninome Hospital. So or there's a whole thing.

Diane Maxwell: 15:49

Libra Deepis Sorter. They pick up trash on the beach. Lots and lots of activities you can do. Do you have a vehicle?

Jim Santos: 15:57

yourself. Yes, I do.

Diane Maxwell: 16:00

I didn't for a year and a half. My last car died and I thought, well, I'll try it without. And it was fine for a while as long as you live in a big resort. This was before I moved into my house. The key is you get a couple of cab drivers, phone numbers and when you need a cab that's who you call.

Diane Maxwell: 16:21

And I ended up getting a car because I moved out sort of in the country and getting a cab out in the country is a little bit harder. So financially it's much cheaper to use cabs where you want to go than to buy a vehicle, maintain that vehicle and drive everywhere, because it's only like five bucks for a cab ride into town and if you go into town once or twice a week, gee, you've spent $10. $10 a week is really cheap compared to your car payment and other such things. So it's a mindset to get used to, because I grew up in Southern California but he had a car. You wouldn't even think of living there without a car and but it was okay. After this car dies, I will not buy another one and I will just use taxis you know you mentioned all these activities and things that you can do around there and you know, to give you our take on it, because we're looking at it from a completely different perspective.

Jim Santos: 17:34

You know your home right now, so you know you're building your life. We're getting into slow travel, so for us it's about experiencing the cultures. You know, like the travel that you're doing prior to moving to Panama, we're looking at being more immersed in the cultures, and most of the activities that you mentioned there, that you're doing, we could do here in Knoxville, you know we have the Smoky Mountains to hide in and plenty of lakes and bingo and all of that.

Jim Santos: 18:06

So you know, when we Traveled to Greece, we ate Greek food. We were in Istanbul, we ate Turkish food, and you know where we're. In Vienna we had schnitzel, and there in Playa Coronado. Their target audience was the North American expats who are there. So there was a lot of bar food, pizzas and you know, especially around Coronado. Especially our Coronado, yeah, so, so that was our take on it, that it was more of a touristy thing than we had expected, and cater to the expats.

Diane Maxwell: 18:38

So the Food you get out of Playa is like a half hour away and it's got a big market with fresh fruits and vegetables and lots of authentic Panamanian food. Panamanian food has a lot of chicken and serve a chi Fish, rice beans and it is not spicy, it's a very bland and I think that's why most Visitors prefer other food, because Panamanian food is quite bland.

Jim Santos: 19:18

Yeah, see, that's. That's what we were looking for, though we love the local marquitos and fish markets and we kind of assumed that, being on the beach there, we'd just be able to walk over someplace and sit, watch the ocean and, you know, have a nice fresh fish dinner, and you know there's nothing wrong with being set up for a North American community. That's just wasn't really our target or what that we were looking for.

Diane Maxwell: 19:42

Ah, yes, and Coronado's unique in that Roberto Isaman developed it for his Panamanian friends in Panama City and Along the beaches you'll see those huge compounds, and those are family compounds that were first sold by Isaman. The first condo didn't go up until 1970 and it didn't become expat friendly until probably the 80s, mid 80s to 90s, and Then they started pouring it. So, and yeah, there used to only be one grocery store and the road into Coronado was a one-lane thing lined with pine trees. There are only about five pine trees left along the street, but years ago it was just lined with pine trees. They don't grow naturally here, so they died out, but it was a very unique place.

Jim Santos: 20:46

So you must have seen it change quite a bit then in the 12 years you've been there.

Diane Maxwell: 20:49

Oh yes, it really developed. It grew so much. When I was first moved here, there was only two grocery stores and now there's like what? Five of them. There's malls and there's this. We used to have to drive to Panama City most of the time to get anything we needed because there wasn't the the support of Products, and now we're just full of them. It's become very crowded with with. It's like California, but not quite.

Jim Santos: 21:21

Yeah, little cheaper.

Diane Maxwell: 21:25

Oh, yes, much cheaper. Yes, and it's the hidden cause that are more cheap, like the insurance. How? Property tax? I left tax Texas because the property tax was so high and here they give a moratorium. If you buy new, you don't even have to pay property tax for the first 10 years. Yeah, health insurance I've always had health insurance. It's I pay a hundred dollars a month for full coverage. Car insurance is cheaper. It's those types of things that are that are much cheaper.

Jim Santos: 22:01

So yeah, yeah, you brought up something I did want to Ask you about, since you are a retired nurse what's your take on the medical care there in Playa Coronado and that area, because, as you say, it is Fairly rural out there except for little clusters?

Diane Maxwell: 22:18

right.

Jim Santos: 22:18

What's the basic care and the emergency care like?

Diane Maxwell: 22:22

the emergency care. You would go to San Carlos and they have a huge emergency clinic and they are very efficient and very good. When I got sick I thought I had COVID and I went to San Carlos for a COVID test and they took me in and X-rayed me and, oh, you have pneumonia. They called an ambulance and they rushed me to la chorera and that whole bill was a hundred dollars for X-rays, medicine, complete exam and the hospital and the ambulance ride.

Jim Santos: 23:02

How far away is San Carlo?

Diane Maxwell: 23:04

San Carlos is like 10 minutes. There is a clinic here in Coronado, the San Fernando Clinic, and they used to be open 24 hours a day but they financially they couldn't maintain that. So they're only open like from 8 to 5 and If you want to go to a doctor there, that's fine. There's Dr Levy's clinic is here, doctor. There's two other doctors that have clinics here plus your specialties. Dr Levy has specialists come in once a month so you don't have to drive to the city for cardiology, so they get the specialists in to save you a trip to the city.

Jim Santos: 23:51

One of the things I think always surprises Americans and Canadians and we've run into this several countries is how easy it is to get someone to come to your home when you're sick. Have you experienced that yourself there?

Diane Maxwell: 24:05

Yes, in fact. Usually if you go to the doctor he will give you his cell phone number and say if you have any trouble, call me. When I had my eyes operated on, the doctor came to the house afterwards to do a check Instead of having me drive to see him. They're very good with house calls and Personal care. They will spend time with you. They will take the time, talk to you. See what's going on. It's very different to than the rush we have to see 30 patients an hour. Doctors in the states.

Jim Santos: 24:41

Yeah, that's been our experience as well, and Ecuador especially. You feel like you're being treated as a person and not as a chart.

Diane Maxwell: 24:48

Yes, yes, everything's more natural here. The food is more natural, the Everything's much more natural. People Complain. They go look at the cows. They're so skinny. And I go that's what a real cow looks like. It isn't pumped full of Hormones and antibiotics and stuff and that's what a real cow looks like, out in the field eating the grass.

Jim Santos: 25:17

Yeah, that was one thing that we did enjoy a lot in playa coronados. There were a lot of places to walk there. We could get in three miles a day Pretty easily walking around, and you would see horses and cows, even a lamb in one person's yard. Yeah, something I also noticed was a lot of of properties for sale, especially open land. Do you think there's still? Is there a construction boom, or are there more people looking at maybe putting in high-rise condos and I think we're in a slump now.

Diane Maxwell: 25:50

We've been in a slump for the last five years. There was a huge boom when I came 10 years ago. They they couldn't put buildings up fast enough. And they did put a lot of buildings up and now they're trying to sell them all Sell the unit that sell the homes. So we're in a slump right now and when I came, there was Probably double the empty lot you could still get an empty lot on the beach when I came. So and those are all taken. Now it's all built up. So it's a buyer's market because they Overbuilt and now they're trying to sell it all.

Jim Santos: 26:35

Well, the beach fronts are still going for pretty high prices. So we saw one property on our walk that was beach front and had a house and a little casita on it as well. When we looked it up, they were asking almost 2.2 million.

Diane Maxwell: 26:49

Oh, my gosh, oh, and.

Jim Santos: 26:52

You know it's, it's on a dirt road and you know, not sure about spending two million dollars to live on a dirt road.

Diane Maxwell: 26:58

Even, if the view was beautiful the Theory back, way back when, because Coronado has always had bad roads and the people who had the huge houses they're said that way it deterred Thiefs and they only came, well, probably three or four times a year here to enjoy this huge home and they didn't mind driving on a bad road for three or four times a year. But I know, I know several people who have beachfront condos and they can go for under two hundred thousand for a two-bedroom beachfront condo. So yeah, you can ask what you want, it's what you get.

Jim Santos: 27:43

I Would mention it is a very safe area. You know, like I say, we'd be out walking early in the morning passing people, you know walking out to work on some of the constructions in these homes there, and everybody was very friendly. It's not exactly a gated community but there is one main road in and there is a kind of a I don't want to say guard station, but there is a station there that Checks cars as they're coming in and checks cabs as they're going out.

Diane Maxwell: 28:13

Yeah, mostly they check the cabs. They look in their trunk to make sure they didn't take anything out. All you have to do is say, yeah, I'm going to a restaurant or this or that, and they'll let you in. So I Don't know. To me that's a very false sense of security, because they advertise Coronado as a gated community and I thought, well, anybody can get in.

Jim Santos: 28:38

Yeah, you kind of need a gate for it to be a gated community. It's yeah. There's a lot of roads there where you could walk in the course. There's the entire beach.

Diane Maxwell: 28:46

Yes, yes, it's easily accessible to just about anyone.

Jim Santos: 28:51

Speaking of the beach, a lot of places that are waterfront have been having problems with the erosion Notice the surf there is not particularly rough. I guess technically that's still part of the Bay of Panama. Have you seen much change in the the waterline while you've been there?

Diane Maxwell: 29:08

I have a bit, especially in El Palmar, which is a beach just west, because they do a lot of surf schools there and I used to live in a condo on the beach there and I would walk to a restaurant every morning and I talked to the owner and he said 20 years ago the waterline was probably 20 feet further out and now, during high tides, the waves are breaking against some of these sea walls on the houses and getting into the pool. I can see it here and All these people that have these beautiful homes that were safely built 20, 30 years ago is now the water is creeping up quite close and is your home in the Playa Coronado area.

Jim Santos: 29:56

Are you close?

Diane Maxwell: 29:56

to the new home. Oh I, I'm across the highway on the mountain side. I'm in the country. There's absolutely nothing behind me. I'm in a neighborhood, but I'm the last street in the neighborhood and there's nothing behind me. It's all wild Jungly at night. There's not one light behind me. So I love that. I love the peace and serenity and all the animals and birds that are here. To me, that's my paradise.

Jim Santos: 30:30

What kind of person do you think would be most comfortable and happy living in the Playa Coronado area there?

Diane Maxwell: 30:37

You have to be easygoing. The Panama way of life is manana. Don't expect people to be there right on time. Almost everybody takes buses or the Taxis or buses. So if you're trying to catch a bus to be at a 10 o'clock appointment, you might be there 10, 15, 10, 20, whatever. Don't get excited, don't get panicky because they aren't there on time. Yeah, so you have to be laid back and take things as they come and not get upset about the little things. I guess.

Jim Santos: 31:16

Yeah, that's good advice for life, anywhere, I think.

Diane Maxwell: 31:19

Yeah, yeah. I think that's why Panamanians are so happy. They don't worry about the little things and it's a very happy culture here.

Jim Santos: 31:29

We've been speaking with Diane Maxwell, who's definitely not bored in Playa Coronado, panama. You can find her book and expat struggle making a home in Panama, as well as catching up on the adventures of Kathy Vallory and that series, on Amazon, and her author page again is www. amazon. com/a uthor/d ianem axwell. D I, a, n, e, m, a, x, w, e, l, l and, don't worry, you can also find that link in the show notes. So, diane, thanks for taking the time to set the record straight here on Travels with Jim and Rita.

Diane Maxwell: 32:01

Thank you, jim. Thanks for having me.

Jim Santos: 32:05

I better get out of the studio now and help Rita get our house back in order so we can start tearing it up again as we continue preparing to move out and move on and to start our slow travel adventures. So thanks again for listening to travels with Jim and Rita. Please like and follow and promote on social media so we can keep growing. We're now being heard in 23 countries, which blows my mind a bit, I have to admit. Now, if you have questions or comments or want to tell us about your slow travel experiences, email me at Jim@ Jim santos books. com , and don't forget, you can find my books, audio books and short stories on Amazon at Jim santos. net . So until next time, this is Jim Santos for travels with Jim and Rita, reminding you we travel not to escape life but so that life does not escape us.