Visiting Panama - Where to Go?

[cgbakken]

Hi all, My husband and I are attending a conference put on in Panama by an organization called "Live and Invest Overseas August 6-8, and have a couple extra days. We are debating whether to visit El Valle or Boquete in our free time, to get an idea of a place to live that has some other expats living there. Is the trip to Boquete worth the trouble and extra money for a flight to David? El Valle seems more doable to us as non-Spanish speakers with no experience in central or south America. If we go to El Valle, we heard there's a bus from Panama City, and we've found a bed and breakfast, Casa Di Pietra, that seems well-reviewed. We would really like to meet expats living wherever we go, and see what life is really like. How could we connect with people in El Valle? Or is it worth it to try for Boquete, which seems to have quite a large expat population? We have young children. We are not used to humidity, which is why we are not as interested in a beach location. Any insights, anyone? Thanks! Cathy Bakken

[bluewind22]

I visited El Valle last summer. It's a nice town but very small. The mountains or should I say volcano around it is really amazing since El Valle is located in the center of the very extinct volcano. I did manage to talk to a few expats while there. They told me there are other expats in the mountains, but they only come into town to get supplies. The main expat I talked to was Mark. He does a lot of posting on Expat Exchange "Panama", and has lived there for several years, so knows a lot about Panama. I didn't find any kind of expat community there, but I was only in the town for three days. Most of the gatherings seem to center aroung Ty's Bar and Restaurant where I met Mark and a few others. I did visit Boquete several years ago. It was a nice town, bigger than El Valle, with really friendly people except for one guy that I think was demanding money in Spanish, but pretty far from either coast. Both of these places are suppose to have some of the best weather in Panama. You might want to consider Volcan. It's also in the mountains so low on humidity and a decent sized town. I'll definitely visit that area on my next trip. Anyway, check out Mark 802 on Expat Exchange. He's a little gruff, but knows what he's talking about and he's not trying to sell something. Good Luck.