Blogs from Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 17

Comayagua to San Jose, Costa Rica Crossing the border into Costa Rica took the usual 3 hours (thereabouts) but at least there were no extortionist costs and the people seemed pretty civilised to deal with. Costa Rica is a beautiful very scenic country with stunning beaches (apparently the surf's great - home of the 'Long Left-hander'). On one coast is the Pacific Ocean where I can practically see home, and on the other coast is the Carribean sea. We stayed at a nice hotel in San Jose which was decorated with Halloween themed paraphernalia. Next day we wove along the coastline to Uvita which is on Ballena beach. Our hosts brought out complimentary platters while we enjoyed fivesies overlooking the ocean. All of the Central American countries we've visited have had their own uniqueness about them; ... read more

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We picked up a taxi from the main square in Panama City to take us to the Flamenco Marina at Armado Island. At the marina we enjoyed a light breakfast of coffee, condensed milk, and cheese empanadas from a roadside cart. We also spoke with the tourist police who were cruising the areas. Their uniforms displayed their blood-type, and they were well equipped for semi-military operations. To see the Canal from the inside, we had to take an organised tour. This involved a bus to the middle lake section of the Canal, about have way on the 37km canal. The road followed the Panama Canal railway line along the edge of the cutting. Some historical carry over infrastructures from the American time were left empty. Also ruins dating back to 1560. We got onto a tourist ... read more

Motorcycles shipped from Colon to Cartagena: 1 Hours spent at the port of Manzanillo in Colon today: 8 Times we almost didn’t pass the customs inspection: 1 Today we spent the entire day taking the bike to the Manzanillo port in Colon, at the Atlantic side of the canal, to load it onto the container that will take it to Cartagena in Colombia. Even though the day went well, it was indeed a very long one, and we set a new record in process steps and paperwork “management”. We started the morning by repacking the aluminum pannier bags on the bike, to include only things that we won’t need over the coming 4-5 days, until the container arrives in Colombia. We packed vital clothing, electronics and other items in the handbags we will be carrying with ... read more

Distance driven today: 144 miles / 232 km Cumulative distance driven: 8,273 miles / 13,314 km Today’s trip: Panama City to Lake Gatun and back, Panama Today is Sunday and that means that pretty much everything is closed here in Panama City. Over the past three days here, Zoe and I have completed most of the items in the long to-do list that we had when we arrived at the Panamanian capital. We have done all of our laundry, including Christer’s motorcycle riding jacket and pants whose surface must have contained about half a pound of dirt, sweat, dead bugs, tar from the road, and ingrained dust; all of which were accumulated during the 8,000 miles between Alaska and Panama. We have also repaired the bike and gotten hold of all spare parts needed to continue ... read more