Laura Navarrete and Adal Baires are a young Central American couple who have lived in Panama since 2014. Together they spoke to Panama Living about what they enjoy most about living in the country. Over the years, they continue to find Panama a diverse place that surprises them with internal tourism destinations.
Laura works as a regional visual merchandising executive in a company dedicated to commercialize American clothing brands in Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. Adal works as a digital marketing manager for a renowned automotive distributor.
Panama Living: Guys, you have lived in Panama for a few years. What do you like most about the country?
Laura: What I like most is living in a city that has the beach as its background, although it is not a beach that you use all the time. I love the feeling of living in a beach city. The Panamanian beach has a visual stimulus that energizes you. I also enjoy places such as the Cinta Costera or the Causeway, which reinforce the feeling of living at the beach, of living on vacation every day.
Adal: I like the diversity of experiences that the country offers. There are many experiences concentrated in a country and a city that are small. It’s a cliché, but it’s true; in Panama you can have breakfast on the Pacific and lunch on the Atlantic; it works. Another thing is the thousand and one stories that Panama can tell through its geography, not only because of the melting pot with a number of ethnic groups and nationalities. The geography and biodiversity that exists in Panama tell you many stories.
We visited Coiba last weekend, and on the same snorkeling tour, we met an Argentine girl who lived in Bocas del Toro. She originally emigrated to Costa Rica looking for a closer experience with nature. She visited Panama thinking it would be just the skyline seen in advertisments and reports. Of course, when she arrived in Bocas she realized that Panama is much more than that and fell in love with the biodiversity so much that she decided to move.
Laura: In fact, we heard the story of two girls from Barcelona who, on impulse, see a video of Panama and decide to come to visit. Similar to the girl from Argentina, they were impressed with the natural beauty that the country has.
Adal: Yes, on the one hand, you have city tourism, a developed city that is very similar to Miami, but there are also other places where ecotourism is growing focused on the connection with nature that we and many other foreigners who visit or move to Panama enjoy so much. The beautiful thing is that Panama can give you the comfort of a developing country with many places to discover, where you can enjoy rivers, waterfalls, and other places that were undiscovered a few years ago. All the excursions that Panamakare organizes and coordinates from Antón, show you many more destinations than just the India Dormida.
Laura: AHA! And the best thing is that they are comfortable trekking or walking circuits, which do not imply an exaggerated physical effort or time and cost. They are day trips that allow you to disconnect!
Panama Living: From all these experiences that you have lived, which place do you remember with particular affection?
Adal: I love Colón, especially Portobelo. The string of pristine beaches like Venas Azules, Isla Grande, and the Tunnel of Love have this uncharted Caribbean paradise feel.
Laura: I agree with Adal. However, without a doubt, my favorite place so far is San Blas! There is no destination in Panama that I have liked more, it has a special emotional value for me. The beauty, and all the culture around this territory managed by the local community, is an added perk that also teaches you its core values. Of course, the fauna and flora there are incredible.
Adal: Totally, the boom that San Blas has had in recent years has been enormous. Before 2014 I spoke with many Panamanians who had never visited San Blas. On the contrary, recently I have seen more Panamanians visiting the islands. The effort and logistics that the indigenous community of the area has put in place to mobilize groups of people are incredible.
Laura: I also want to say that not everything is a beach. We are very fond of making the most of the restaurants in the city, especially those with terraces. We have also gone for a scooter ride on the Causeway on Sundays before going to breakfast many times.
Panama Living: Guys, thank you very much for sharing with us and our readers a few of your favorite experiences in Panama. We have enjoyed it a lot and we hope you will too.
