Home
Expat News - Phones Phones Everywhere are Phones
Hello All,This week I am getting my car registered from Costa Rica to Panama. It will be an interesting thing to go through and I will report on any hang ups that I might encounter.
So far our move here has been pretty smooth. Well, Tracye came down with amebic dysentery, but that really is the only thing that has happened that was "bad."
Once May is over, we will be having 5 couples coming down in the [size=15]beginning of June and several others coming down in the middle of June. [/size]
So we are going to be busy down here showing folks around and hopefully we will have some new expat friends moving down long term.
I want to talk to you about something... CELL PHONES
I have been getting a LOT of emails on this topic and there seems to be some confusion.
If you want to have a phone that works, you MUST get a GMS FACTORY UNLOCKED INTERNATIONAL PHONE.
It can not be mearly "unlocked" those will not work.
Almost all US phone transmit using the CDMA frequency, not GMS. So if you have an "unlocked" phone, it will probably be a CDMA.
Another thing, CDMA and GMA are hardware issues NOT software issues. You cannot jail break a CDMA phone and have it work as a GMA. Just does not work that way.
You need to have a...
GMS FACTORY UNLOCKED INTERNATIONAL PHONE
Here is a link to Amazon on a good Motorola phone for under $150.00 ... GMS Unlocked International Phone - http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Unlocked-GMS-Phone
I personally like Samsung phones myself and you can get a Samsung S5 for around $380.00
http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Samsung-S5-GMS
NOW... those are android phones, which I prefer over the iPhones.
BUT, if you have an iPhone 5, they are automatically an international phone and all you need to do is come down, buy a Clario sim card, pop it in and you are good to go.
I like Android because there are more apps you can get for them and more apps are constantly being created. Plus my Samsung Galxey Note II has a huge screen vs Apple iPhone little dinky thing.
Once you are here you can purchase sim card. Unlimited Internet and data is $14 per month and phone service is $5 per month.
As I said, I have a Samsung Note II and it is large enough to work on, surf the net, get email, ect. I like the large screen because my eyes are not what they used to be.
Smart Phones and Apps
I [size=15]recommend getting smart phone because you can download the Google Translate app for free and pull the entire app down onto your phone. This way if you do not get internet access, you can still use it. I use Google Translate all the time. My social Spanish is good, but if I start needing more technical Spanish, I need the app's help to translate.[/size]
Another app that you can get that is used down here is "What's App." This is a texting app that you will not be charged for your texts AND you can text friends and family in the states as well with What's App.
If you are not on Facebook, get on it. There are some great groups on Facebook that can help you find rentals, cars, best pizza and new friends.
Here are some of the groups I belong too...
Boquete Community
https://www.facebook.com/groups/boquetecommunity/
Expats Panama
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2397416901/
Unpacking Panama
https://www.facebook.com/groups/322272601317347/
I say this because you can get the Facebook app for your phone and be in contact with other expats. Facebook is how all of us stay abreast of what is happening here in Panama.
Other social media you can download is Twitter, Pintrest, Redit and Imgur. I use all these on my phone.
One of my favorite apps is my Amazon app. I like this because I can price check what things cost on Amazon vs if I want to buy things here in Panama and have them shipped in.
YES... you can get Amazon down here and there are several places in town that will help you. The best that I like is called Eshop and they specialize in getting Amazon and eBay stuff down here to Panama.
Turn around is pretty fast and you can get your stuff down here in about 5-7 days. Holiday season of course is a little longer.
You really do live with your cell phone down here and the cost of 30 days unlimited 4G data is only $15.00 a month. So why not take advantage of that? It is way cheaper than the internet you pay for in the US.
While you are at it, remember to get a good cell phone case and belt clip. I don't know about you, but I drop my phone a lot, so I have a pretty good case that will protect it and will clip into a hard plastic belt case.
Here is an example...
http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Cell-phone-holster
Spend some money and protect your phone, it is your life line down here.
.Questions & Answers
I would like to be around other christians and have some good christian fellowship. Can I find it there in Boquete?
As for Christians, God is doing something here. I have never seen anything like it. He is really unifying the Christians here and although we may attend different churches, it is the friendships and relationships that are special. He is uniting the Christians here, and more and more Christians are being drawn to this area for some reason. Real Christians, not these fake Rick Warren / Joel Osteen types either.
For the first time in 14 years we feel like we truly have a church family that we really love and care for and they in turn have welcomed us with open arms and have been so open and caring. It is hard to believe but we never had this in the states at this sort of level.
What do I need to start a corporation and how much does Panama charge?
When you do your friendly nations visa you will have to set up a corporation. Now this can be real corp or just on paper. The choice is yours. As for cost, that varies between attorneys. I want to say that it is around $500 - $700, but not sure, so don't hold me to that price.
How long does it take to get work permit after making the application?
You get your work permit once you get your residency. You do those things together in Panama city.
Are there mold issues?
There can be, but we have a Living Fresh Air lionizer with O3. This has helped us stop the mold like you would not believe. We brought one back with us from the states and now we wish we had two, they are great.
Here is a link to it -- http://tinyurl.com/PZ-Fresh-Air-Ionizer
[size=16]IF you do not keep up with it and work to prevent it, you can get mold. But it isn't the black mold like we have in the states, it is a whitish grey mold. I am alergic to the black mold, but I have not had any issues with the mold down here, that is when I have found it.[/size]
When we lived in Costa Rica I made a spray that stopped the mold using essential oils. The oils I used were clove, tea tree, orange, citronella, lemon grass and cinnamon. I put about a table spooon of each, except for the tea tree and I only used 1/4 table spoon of that because it is pretty strong. Put all the oils in a spray bottle and topped it off with water.
I would then spray this on anything fabric or anywhere that could get mold. It stopped it and made the house smell good too.
Keep the questions coming and please let me know when you are coming down.
Cheers,
Ray & Tracye Gano
» utube MM&C 4/26/24 Iraqi Dinar - US Treasury Exchange Rates- Focus - Banking Partnerships - Rate C
» Parliamentary efforts to transform Iraq into a global market for transferring Internet capacities
» A parliamentary committee that enriches the political forces: Stop plundering Iraq’s wealth and work
» Politician: Salem Al-Issawi is the most likely to assume the presidency of Parliament
» The price of the dollar is close to 145 thousand dinars؛ how much is $100 worth of transactions؟
» Al-Sudani: The world today is witnessing crises whose impact has been reflected in the global econo
» The Federal Court responds to an inquiry by Al-Sudani regarding the powers of the provincial council
» Among them are the Iraqis... a list of the most sought-after immigrants to America
» An expert talks about the "biggest barrier" and the positives of merging Iraqi and Arab banks
» The House of Representatives adjourns its session
» Parliamentary demands to expedite the legislation of the Eid al-Ghadir holiday law (documents)
» Parliament adds the paragraph “Electing the Speaker of the House of Representatives” to its agenda
» Alsumaria publishes the text of the law against prostitution and homosexuality
» A parliamentarian reveals the reason for the failure of the Speaker of Parliament to pass during tod
» Al-Sudani: The government has launched many strategies and initiatives that will improve the reality
» International Business: Iraq has made progress in supporting businesses through investment and priva
» Association of Banks: Iraq is witnessing great development in the transition to electronic governmen
» The House of Representatives votes to add an item to its agenda (election of the Speaker of the Hous
» Parliamentary integrity: Combating corruption requires parliamentary legislation
» Al-Karaawi: America is trying to restrict Iraq
» The State of Law coalition moves to form the local government in Diyala
» The Sudanese and his battle against corruption.. Where is the fault with the government or with the
» Prime Minister's Advisor: We will see the dollar fall on the black market soon
» The Sunni blocs are resolute. The presidency of the Council is ours, away from Al-Halbousi
» Al-Sudani discusses with a workers’ organization his government’s steps in this field
» Parliament holds its session in the presence of 170 deputies
» In the presence of Nechirvan Barzani and Al-Sudani... the State Administration Coalition holds an “i
» The UAE company ADNOC resorts to Iraqi oil. Find out the reasons
» The Iraqi Parliament votes to add an item to elect a president to its agenda
» The Federal Court responds to an inquiry by Al-Sudani regarding the powers of the provincial council
» Al-Sudani: It is necessary to attract women to work as a productive energy that cannot be disrupted
» Zebari regarding targeting the Kormor field: a systematic attack on the economy of Kurdistan
» Saudi Arabia tops, and this is Iraq's rank... a list of major suppliers of crude oil to South Korea
» With a value of 125 million dollars.. Iraq is at the forefront of countries importing Iranian textil
» More than a billion dollars in sales from the Iraqi Central Bank within a week
» Al-Sudani stresses the need for the expertise of the International Labor Organization to legislate a
» Including the return of 21 wanted persons.. The Iraq Money Recovery Fund counts its achievements in
» The path to development is the criterion between true patriotism and political clowning.
» The file of the Presidency of Parliament is on the state administration table... this evening
» Director General of the International Labor Organization: Many challenges in the world of work and t
» Al-Sudani: The world is witnessing crises that reflect negatively on the Arab and international peop
» Prime Minister: Our government has provided great support for the success of the activities, program
» Al-Asadi: Iraq places the social protection file among its priorities
» Al-Sudani: Iraq is one of the first countries in the region to join the International Labor Organiza
» In the presence of Al-Sudani and Barzani, the State Administration Coalition holds an “important” me
» Appreciating the presence of Al-Sudani... Director General of the Arab Labor Organization: Here from
» Prime Minister: Our government has provided great support for the success of the activities, program
» Al-Sudani: The world is witnessing crises that reflect negatively on the Arab and international peop
» The Parliamentary Development Institute organizes a workshop on the political role of the representa
» With Arab and international participation. Tomorrow will be the start of the Fourth Baghdad Internat
» OPEC Secretary General: The end of oil is not on the horizon
» Closing a number of unlicensed offices and companies south of Baghdad
» Repercussions of the bombing...intensive government movements to resume work in the “Kormor” field
» In the presence of Al-Sudani...the opening of the Arab Labor Conference in its 50th session in Baghd
» Al-Sudani: We are working on drawing future visions regarding the “green and digital” economic secto
» Barzani after the Kormor attack: We are ready to coordinate with Baghdad to put an end to these atta
» Al-Sudani directs the formation of an investigative committee into the circumstances of the Kormo fi
» Bismayah is confused about the new electronic portal.. What about the landlord and the subcontracts?
» Kurdistan Government: Loss of 2,500 megawatts of electricity due to targeting the Kormor field
» Crisis in Kurdistan: 12-hour daily power outage and complaints of “confusion”
» The Supreme Anti-Corruption Commission demands Nineveh for the contracts concluded by “Najm Al-Jubou
» Al-Khanjar, Al-Samarrai, and Abu Mazen are hosted by Shaalan Al-Karim to discuss accelerating the se
» Iraq asks the countries of the world to respond to its requests to extradite wanted persons: We have
» “It is coming soon.” The Sudanese advisor sets the date for the referral of the Baghdad metro and th
» Al-Mubarqa: Iraq reserves its full right to respond to the Australian behavior
» Dollar exchange rates on Iraqi stock exchanges... recorded a decline, and this is the list
» Mr. Al-Sadr supports the position of American university students
» Iraqis are ranked 7th in the Arab world on the list of those most seeking immigration to America. He
» Soon.. 3 new hospitals will open in Baghdad
» Sponsored by Al-Sudani...the opening of the Arab Labor Conference in its fiftieth session in Baghdad
» Al-Shammari chairs a meeting at the controlling headquarters to review the results of the security o
» Arab Labor Organization: We commend Iraq's interest in the Arab Labor Conference
» Al-Sudani: The development road project will provide many job opportunities
» Sudanese advisor criticizes Kuwaiti analyzes regarding the development road project
» Al-Mandalawi stresses the need to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between Iraq and Poland
» Power maneuvers: America provides defensive weapons to Kurdistan in exchange for withholding from Ba
» Kuwait is drilling an oil well near Umm Qasr, towards Iraqi territory
» In the document... the first Iraqi ministry identifies the obstacles to changing the new official wo
» Italian Institute: Iraq is stuck in its own crises, including Baghdad’s efforts to undermine the “au
» The head of the Integrity Commission announces the holding of an international Interpol conference i
» Planning: Iraqi companies are not efficient in conducting the population census
» MM&C 4/25/24 National Bank of Iraq goes live with Temenos core banking and payments
» A banking official indicates a "danger" to Iraq by depriving more than half of its banks of dollars
» With the participation of the Association of Private Banks, investment opportunities are on the tabl
» Within a month... an Iranian border crossing recorded a noticeable increase in exports of goods to I
» The Association of Private Banks appreciates the efforts of the government and the Central Bank to c
» Al-Maliki's coalition presents a third candidate for the position of governor of Diyala
» Arab gathering: The Kirkuk problem is getting complicated and the Sudanese must intervene
» Next week.. a Kurdish delegation will visit Baghdad to meet with the Minister of Finance
» Under the pretext of salaries... Al-Party refrains from handing over port revenues to Baghdad
» Association of Banks: For the first time, we are witnessing a clear targeting of depriving half of t
» Parliament does not know the reason for the delay in sending the 2024 budget schedules: Voting takes
» Applicants for the 2024 Hajj are demanding that the Central Bank secure the dollar for them through
» Governmental and private banks will showcase their services tomorrow during Financial Inclusion Week
» Iraq's oil exports rise despite OPEC+ cuts
» A study explodes a "surprise"... Iraq is among the countries that export oil to "Israel": How is the
» Al-Araji emphasizes working to strengthen national identity
» Al-Sudani visits Saudi Arabia to participate in the World Economic Forum in Riyadh