Sorry to hijack the thread but..
Neil, looks like we share a similar story. I moved from cold Sweden down to Thailand 17 years ago. It has not exactly been a walk in the park but i dont regret a day of it.
You nailed it with what you wrote regarding change. Or, as a friend of mine has it: "in order to do something like this, you need to have a major screw loose..."
Good luck with whatever you are doing in Panama.
Too many people are reluctant to give up what they have to get what they want or need ...... change is hard but worth it