Coming to Panama feels surreal these days.
Between the nostalgia for our lives here pre-Paris and the evolution of the city, country, and our long-term home here, Los Islotes, plus bringing our daughters to this place we talk about all the time but they don’t know themselves…
It’s a dreamlike state I feel when I’m here now.
Or maybe that’s the jetlag and months of sleep deprivation talking.
But as I write from the pool at our house out here at Los Islotes after a fun-filled weekend with our staff, friends, and family, I feel a little corny and besotted.
We drove down here on Saturday, and the drive was the fastest ever. The roads are in the best condition we’ve ever experienced, which meant maybe an entire hour was cut off of the previous five-plus-hour trip.
And there are more amenities than ever along the way. It used to be that after the turnoff down the Veraguas Coast, you were basically removed from modern culture, taking a trip back in time to almost no cell service, one gas station per hour of road, and grocery stores only every couple hours.
This visit, I was shocked to see the level of commercial activity that has burgeoned on this previously overlooked coast.
Arriving at Los Islotes, the caravan of cars all met at the newly finished stables. Impressive doesn’t do it justice. We had some snacks and cocktails as one of Panama’s incredible thunderstorms set in.
Usually only lasting 20 minutes or so, this storm was here for the night. We crowded together to stay dry as the rain pelted and blew in through the arcades. Thunder shook the ground and lightning struck so close it felt like you could touch it.
What a fantastic welcome back to the rainforest… my family and I relished the untamed feeling of being back here.
The next day was a blur of beach, barbecue, paddleboarding, kayaking, horse riding, and shell collecting. The rain didn’t let up much, but luckily for us, it’s still hotter than Hades and no one minds the overcast or the wet. We still got in the water and enjoyed everything there is to take part in.
By the evening, though, worn out and ready to be dry, we played board games… then drinking games… and eventually passed out to the sound of the storm.
Last night, another storm knocked the power out continuously through the evening and night. But with a generator and a brand-new Starlink connection, we barely registered the blips. Even out here at the edge of civilization, you don’t have to forego modern convenience.
Yet the wild is ever at your doorstep. We hear troops of howler monkeys grunting as they move around our house… yesterday we heard a toucan, a somewhat rare occurrence. Throughout the year, you’ll see dolphins and humpback whales off the coast… and we used to have a caiman living in the lake.
As I write, this is our last day here at the beach, and I am already missing it all. My 4-year-old and I plan to pack the day with everything we can before leaving.
And the sun has finally decided to make an appearance!
Of course, this is only one side of Panama…
At the other end of the spectrum is the most bustling and modern city in this region. The banking capital of the continent, with a super well-connected airport, and Central America’s first metro system.
And yet, modern as it is, I saw the skies darken with hundreds of birds as I walked to the office one morning… We used to have vultures land on our balcony on occasion when we lived here. It drove my dog and cat crazy.
The plants that used to live on my balcony were donated to our office after moving, and they’ve taken on entirely new proportions in the years since we left. The jungle is forever trying to reclaim its territory in the city, as evidenced by the relentless growth even of houseplants.
And there are dozens of sides of this little country’s personality in between the city and Los Islotes—from mountain towns to fully appointed beach communities… 5-star resorts to indigenous beaches so remote you need a boat to reach them.
And while it’s fun to focus on the good (and easy to do on short trips), there’s plenty that might turn you off of this part of the world…
Mosquito and bug bites are the top of my list right now, as I am pocked with welts that I’ve scratched open after days of unrelenting itching. Fear of zika was what put a biological clock on our time here, I wasn’t going to risk getting pregnant in Panama if I had a choice.
I had to warn my toddler of the dangers of the jungle on our first evening out here. On her first trip here a couple of years ago, we found a scorpion nest in our Jenga set. Later that evening, a poisonous snake crawled out from behind a cooler. Lief, our in-house cowboy, was quick with the machete on that one.
The humidity and heat are so strong that you can sit outside for mere minutes before becoming drenched in sweat.
The rain, while fun to enjoy, also causes floods and creates mold in a matter of hours.
And in the city, I can’t tell you what a headache it is to try to push a stroller. If you’ve got any kind of mobility issues, this is not an accessibility-friendly place to come.
But if you’re in the market to do business overseas, there’s no better place to locate yourself. On the same time zone as the East Coast, with great flight connections and stable infrastructure that improves every year, there’s a reason Panama City is called the Hub of the Americas.
It’s also a great place to raise a family, with international schools, a million activities for kids of all ages, and a large expat community to network with.
If you’re a modern-day cowboy, looking to build your own homestead, ready to go off-grid and build your own version of paradise, à la Los Islotes, this country also delivers.
If you’re a beach bum that wants a golf course and umbrella cocktails on demand, Panama has you covered…
And even if you’re not looking to move here yourself, it’s still a top place to make money, with some of the most consistently appreciating real estate in the world.
I have to admit, I am biased… but this little isthmus is a hotbed of opportunity.
Come see for yourself.
Happy trails,
Kat Kalashian
Editor, LIOS Confidential
