Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Live and Invest Overseas.
Gary and Elva Bittner have taken the world by storm. Or at least by plane, sailboat, and car.
Elva is originally from Cuba and Gary from Michigan, but they found love and the travel bug while living in Florida together … and were ultimately destined for places more exotic.
With just a few years left before retirement and a job in sales that allowed them to travel frequently, the Bittners took advantage of their circumstances, exploring Tahiti, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and beyond.
Former owners of a sailboat, the couple were originally seeking island life, or at least coastal living.
Discovering Panama
On an excursion to Costa Rica, Elva, with her fluent Spanish, started a conversation with a bus driver, which led the couple on an amazing journey that eventually ended in Chiriqui, Panama.
After Elva’s new friend shared a bit about this part of Panama with them, they thought it sounded like a place they’d love.
In 2004, they made their first journey to Panama, and, indeed, there was a lot to love here for them.
After their first visit, a friend in Florida advised the couple to check out the province of Chiriqui in the northwest portion of the country. This brief conversation was all they needed to hear Panama calling them back.
It took several years, a couple dozen beaches, and close to a hundred different locations in Panama, but, eventually, the small seed of a stranger’s suggestion grew into a dream come true.
When it came to narrowing down the locations, “It had to be a river or beach,” says Gary. After all their travels, all their dreams of owning an island, this couple found true paradise in a small town just off the Pan-American Highway.
In 2008, the couple made the move.
Refreshing breeze, lush landscape
“Panama reminded us of Florida, not too hot and not too cold — but it’s not nearly as expensive or crowded,” says Gary.
The couple first lived close to bustling downtown La Concepcion before ultimately moving to a more rural riverside property.
The Panama dream home the couple built sits at 1,350 feet above sea level. “We get the breeze down the mountain from the Caribbean and from across the Pacific, sometimes at the same time,” Gary explains as the fan on the veranda swirls above with no electricity.
The property borders the crystal-clear Rio Mula and the couple enjoys a secluded swimming hole next to their house.
Not only is the breeze impressive and refreshing out of downtown, so is the soil. Elva shared a phrase they live by: “If you drop a seed, it will grow.” Evident by the lush landscape of their garden.
“Everything grows here,” they explain, and you can see it for yourself. Their garden boasts vanilla, yucca, mango, pineapple, hot peppers, regular peppers, and medicinal plants and herbs.
Between the moderate climate of La Concepcion and the meticulous care the Bittners have given their property, you could just as easily be in Hawaii — without the cost.
Chiriqui: New friends and new experiences
“We have wonderful neighbors and great friends in the area, both locals and expats,” they tell me. This is a testament to both their outgoing personalities and the friendliness of the people in the area.
“When Elva is not in town, I make do … sometimes it takes a little longer to get what I want, but I can buy what I need, eat what I want, and go to the bank,” explains Gary, who is not fluent in Spanish.
Among the Bittners’ many friends are the local policeman, the butcher, the vegetable lady, and the fish vendor whom they catch up with regularly at the municipal market.
“The veggies are at least half price compared to the local stores, and everything is so fresh!” says Elva.
Health care in Panama
They’ve also found health care in the region — specifically at Chiriqui Hospital in David about 20 minutes away — to be impressive.
“I swear by it,” declares Gary as he goes on to explain that his amazing English-speaking doctor, Karen Zapata, has been nothing but the best. “Chiriqui Hospital is first-class. They treated me like a king.”
Elva, too, was impressed that when going in for a simple test, they ran all her blood work at once, unlike in the States. This gave her the opportunity to see if there were any other areas of concern that she should have a doctor look at.
“The price of an appointment has gone up over the years, but at $50 to $60 … I’m not complaining!” says Elva.
For something simple and commonplace like the flu, a local private doctor would only run to about $20.
Growing expat community
Although there are not currently a huge number of expats in the area, everyday things are changing. “I remember coming home at 8 p.m. and the only thing I saw was a man on a horse. Today, there are nights I see bumper-to-bumper traffic headed up the hill,” Gary observes.
With everything La Concepcion has to offer, it’s no wonder that in recent years it has begun to make its name on the expat map.
“We love it here; it is perfect for us,” the happy couple concludes.
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