Day 111 ? Deeper and Deeper Into Panama ? 85.96 km
I was sad to leave the ranch I was staying at in Boquete as I was so spoiled here, but alas the rest of Panama awaits! I bicycled down to the town of David, which proved to be a breeze as it was nearly all down hill. The struggle uphill took me much, much longer than the way down! The city of David is a transportation hub, but alas is not the most exciting city in the world. From the city of David I caught a bus to Santiago, deciding to skip out on the ride along the Interamericana. I would much rather bicycle off on side roads somewhere else as opposed to inhaling exhaust fumes on a busy highway. Unfortunately I had to wait over an hour for a bus as the first bus's cargo hold wasn't large enough for my bicycle.
The only bus that took this route was a nice coach bus, or so I thought! As I found out, looks can be very deceiving. I got shafted with a seat at the very back of the bus. My seat was broken, being in a constantly reclined position. Additionally, something smelled funny in the area I was sitting, forcing me to keep my window slightly open and thus foiling the luxuries of air conditioning. The road was very bumpy as well, which was amplified by being at the back of the bus. As if things weren't bad enough, when it started raining, it started leaking on me from overhead even though my window was closed!
After three hours I made it off that bus feeling terribly sick and with a terrible headache. I took some Tylenol and just had to sit down for about forty minutes because I couldn't move, it was terrible. My head felt like it was going to explode. Even though it was raining terribly I decided to bicycle on simply because I couldn't stomach the thought of taking another bus. Bicycling along freeways goes by quickly as the road is flat and in good condition, but it is terribly boring and not pleasant. You don't see anything, especially not the real Panama, which is why I am choosing to bus over these sections and explore more interesting parts of Panama.
I made it to a cross road for the road to Chitre, which is on a peninsula of Panama. Being as I wouldn't make it to Chitre before dark I ended up hitchhiking. I intended to bicylce all the way here, but the delay in finding a bus as well as the bus ride itself had eaten up more time than anticipated. It took me about 10 minutes to get a ride, at which point I threw my bicycle in the back of a pickup and hopped in. The driver was a young man who lived not far from here and as luck would have it was going to Chitre. I chatted with him in what I must say is by now my quite decent Spanish. He took me not only to the city, but all the way to the center and even helped me to find a hotel! When the first one was full, I told him I could bicycle to find another, but he insisted on taking me!
The people down here in Panama are so friendly, it's absolutely great! I managed to find a brilliant hotel, not the cheapest place at twenty dollars per night, but it is well worth it. My bed is actually comfortable, and my room shines with an aura of cleanliness. There is hot water, air conditioning, cable TV, and even free wireless internet! I feel as if I am resting in the lap of luxury tonight! Tomorrow I will explore the areas around here and then head off to Panama City, as I need to catch a flight soon!
Day 112 ? Finally Across the Canal ? 81.73 km
Today I made sure to wake up nice and early in order to be able to explore the surrounding towns around Chitre as supposedly this is the 'real Panama. As I was already in the city of Chitre I decided it would be most logical to explore it first. The main point of interest is the main square, which is overlooked on by a cathedral. Some older buildings in town have that pleasant old Spanish colonial style, similar to Granada back in Nicaragua, but for the most part the city is modern.
I proceeded to bicycle over to the nearby town of Los Santos, which is only three kilometers away. A smaller and more pleasant town, it has much more older buildings and more of that old Spanish colonial look and feel. There is of course present a town square which must be overlooked on by a church. I decided to have breakfast here, so I of course stopped into a local buffet style eatery. After grabbing a seat I told the man behind the counter that I wanted something typical from here, and it didn't matter at all what it was. I started chatting with the man sitting next to me at the counter, who seemed quite impressed at my courageousness of trying new things. We began to chat in a mix of English and Spanish, as I found out that he had worked in the United States for a year over twenty-five years ago. According to them, my Spanish is fairly good!
He persuaded me to try "chicha de pina", which is chicha made from pineapple. I have heard absolutely terrible things about chicha in Peru, but none the less I tried it. It simply tasted like lightly spiked pineapple juice. I just hope that it isn't made the same way that chica is made in Peru, which is absolutely revolting. I won't even expand on the topic to spare you the torment of this knowledge! The breakfast was what I would consider more of a lunch, but it was very good. To make matters ever better, the man with whom I was chatting with insisted on paying for my breakfast. I told him it wasn't necessary, but he said it would be his pleasure. He also told me that I am welcome back to Panama anytime!
Next I rode to the town of Las Tablas, which looked piratically identical to the two towns I had just been in previously. All these towns just seem to blend together! Deciding that I had seen enough I headed back to Chitre. Back in Chitree I headed to the bus station where I managed to catch bus to Panama City with surprisingly relative ease. I paid seven dollars for a three hour bus ride. For part of trip I sat next to nice old lady who really, really liked to talk. This wouldn't be so bad if I could actually understand her! She talked very quickly, and not very loud; this combined with all the rattling on the bus made it nearly impossible for me to comprehend what she was saying. Needless to say I keep nodding my head in affirmation and laughing at the appropriate times, occasionally throwing in a few words from what I did manage to understand. I'm surprised she didn't catch on after twenty minutes, but I just didn't have the heart to tell a nice old lady I couldn't understand her!
The rest of bus ride was otherwise smooth. Although this was one of those mini-buses, it was much more comfortable than the coach bus I had ridden on previously. I'm glad that I bussed it along this section of road, since the road was terribly dull. The 'Interamericana', or Panamerican highway, through all of Panama is basically a very busy four lane highway. To get an idea of what bicycling on this is, imagine bicycling down your local freeway at rush hour. Needless to say it's not a fun experience. This is not the 'true Panama' as far as I am concerned. At one point about 60 km before Panama City there were some nice views of nearby mountains, but other than that I didn't miss out on anything.
To make it to Panama City it is necessary to cross over 'The Gateway of the Americas', which is a monster of a bridge which goes over the Panama canal. The view was absolutely magnificent and breathtaking. Finally seeing the canal makes one aware of it's true size; it's enormous! And thus I am in Panama City. It took me quite awhile to get here, but I have made it alive and well! The bus station here is simply ridiculous. It is by far the largest and nicest looking bus station I have seen in my life. There must be space here for at least a hundred buses, and that's without exaggerating! The bus station is very modern and actually reminds me more of an airport terminal rather than a bus station!
Bicycling out of here was simply hell since the bus station is surrounded by freeways. A six lane freeway and a guy on a bicycle don't mix well. Additionally throw in the fact that people who work at the bus station don't know how to give directions and it makes things difficult. Very fortunately I managed to find a fellow bike rider whom I chased down and kindly explained that I was a little lost. He offered to escort me to the place I wanted to stay at! Granted, following him was not easy as he weaved in and out between cars, but we did get there in record time! The people here in Panama are truly great, most definitely some of the best people I have met on my trip.
I managed to find an economical yet comfortable hotel in a fairly decent neighborhood. It set me back 60 dollars for six nights, which is a very good price considering my room comes with TV and private bathroom. I won't be here for two of those nights since I am flying to the San Blas islands tomorrow, but I needed a place to stash my bicycle as well as all my belongings. I think it's worth paying for them to be stored away safely in a room rather than in some broom closet!
As it was afternoon I still had time to see the city a little and thus I headed over to Panama's banking district on foot. This is a monster of a city with crazy traffic. There is a multitude of large skyscrapers here and the city is very modern. There is supposedly also a very nice older area which I will explore in a few days. I don't think my bicycle will see the roads of Panama anymore as it is both dangerous and simply stupid to bicycle in this city, especially if you don't know it well.
In the evening I was set to met with some fellow cyclists at an English pub down in this safe part of the city. These are the same cyclists who warned me of the danger of robbery in Nicaragua, as they got robbed themselves! We chatted for several hours over an intense football match between Panama and Guatemala. They plan on bicycling all the way down to Argentina, and they fortunately have a lot of time to do it. I wish I could have taken more time to 'stop and smell the roses' on this trip. It took them seven months to get here from San Diego, whereas I did the same section in fifty two days!
This English pub had of course Guinness posters and signs all over the bar. However, when I tried to order a Guinness they told me they were out! What blasphemy! How does an English pub run out of Guinness? Being as I have to wake up at four in the morning tomorrow i called it a night at only 10 PM. I took a cab back to my hotel which cost me a very fair three dollars considering it is fairly fair and I'm not in the mood to get mugged. Tomorrow instead of biking, I fly!
Day 113 ? The Life of a Beach Bum
I had to wake up at four in the morning today in order to make it for my flight at the airport. I set two alarms to make sure I didn't sleep in, although waking up at that hour was very difficult. I thought that I would have a problem finding a taxi at this hour, but it proved not to be the case. No more than ten seconds after walking out the door of my hotel a taxi rolled by. A ride to the airport would cost me two dollars, which is a very fair price. At this hour of the day the city looks like a ghost town. Cars on the road are few and far in between, and seldom will you see someone walking the street. I would definitively not want to walk around at this hour!
I had booked a ticket for my flight by phone and was given a confirmation number. A twenty-five minute flight from Panama to the town of El Porvenir and back cost me 80 dollars, which I think is a good price. Picking up my ticket was a breeze, and all other procedures were likewise simple. I ended up flying on a small plane which held perhaps twenty passengers at most. The views from the plane alone were worth the money I paid for the ticket. As my flight departed at 6 AM, I could see the sun rising from behind the mountains and illuminating the cloud filled valleys. The mountains here are simply gorgeous and the views from the plane were breathtaking. Further on the landscape changed and I could see the number islands that make up the San Blas archipelago.
Landing was a little unnerving as it seemed as if we were going straight into the water as El Porvenir is a small island with a runway and only several buildings! I had intended to book a hotel ahead of time, but unfortunately the number I called was out of service, thus I decided to just find a hotel here. This proved to be very easy as there were many locals at the airport just waiting around for some new guests. The hotel I am staying it is located on a larger, heavily populated island nearby to which we took a boat. Although the island is small, it somehow is able to sustain four hundred people! My hotel cost me forty dollars per day, which is a fair price considering it includes three meals as well as day trips to nearby islands. All hotels here include meals in their prices as there aren't any restaurants here!
After breakfast I was grouped with a group of nine travelers from France and we set off for the island. I got along with the whole group well and must say that had to recall some of my French from what seems like ages ago! We traveled by motor boat to an island roughly half an hour away. Think of a deserted island filled with palm trees and white sand beaches, surrounded by crystal clear water, this is exactly what it looked like. Apart from the few huts of families living on the island, there was nothing. Several sailboats were stationed around the island. It was absolutely beautiful.
There are other smaller islands nearby as well as 'underwater islands' to which it is possible to swim to. The French group of course decided to check these out, and I was not one to say no. Although it took twenty minutes of tough swimming, we made it out to a tiny island containing only six palm trees. We later went further out onto an 'underwater island' seemingly in the middle of the sea! Unfortunately I forgot my sunscreen in Panama City, so I did get a little burned today even though I tried to stay out of the sun. As I write this in the evening, I'm feeling the pain. At least it overshadows the soreness of my thighs after four months of bicycling!
The very interesting thing about these islands is the people who live here. The Kuna people, although they have been in contact with Europeans nearly since the landing of Columbus, have managed to maintain their culture as well as language all these years. They have their own system of government which functions virtually without interference from the Panamanian government. Additionally, outsiders are prohibited from owning land here. The islands live off of selling coconuts, seafood, as well tourism. It is of course possible to take a picture of the Kuna in their traditional attire, as long as ask and pay a dollar. Several times people asked me if I wanted to take a picture of them! The Kuna specialize in making something called a 'mola', which is a type of tapestry made by overlaying several layers of different colored fabric, then cutting away at certain parts and stitching in a specific way to make a intricate design. To make such a work of art takes anywhere from one to three months, and it's all done by hand! I could of course not resist such intricate artwork and picked up a beautiful mola for myself as well as several more to give as fantastic gifts. This is the true Panama!
Back at our hotel we were treated to a show of the cultural dances of the Kuna people. The interesting thing about these dances is that they play on pan flutes at the exact same time they are dancing, which I am sure is no easy feat. After the dances we were treated to a lobster feast for dinner, which is actually a typical meal here and nothing special! Seafood is plentiful here and thus the principal meal in these areas. Tomorrow I have another day of being as lazy as lazy can be, then I will return to the hustle and bustle of the crazy city that is Panama City!
Day 114 ? Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Today it unfortunately rained from the very morning. We were supposed to head out at nine in the morning for a nearby island, but being as it was pouring there was no point in going. In order to pass the time I picked up a book by Margaret Atwood which was laying around in our hotel. I must say that she has quite an interesting literary style. After getting bored of reading I started to chat with a very nice fellow from Germany. We ended up talking for over two hours! We talked about everything from traveling in Costa Rica, to the history of Panama, to politics in the United States, to the presence of a select few bears in Europe.
We had lunch at about noon, after which time it stopped to rain. We set off to yet another island in order to be able to relax on the beach. On all these other islands it is necessary to pay a fee for using the island, usually one or two dollars. In exchange you are provided with bathroom facilities and showers, as well as use of the island. Today's island was likewise beautiful, a small slice of paradise. A smaller island than yesterday, it was more remote and contained only three small huts. It actually worked in my favor that today was a cloudy day as I was still recovering from yesterdays sunburn, which turned out to be slightly worse than initially anticipated. I found a nice spot under the welcoming shade of a palm tree and dived deep into the depths of the folds of my book.
Back on the populated island we were staying at we were treated to dinner, which wasn't as exquisite as yesterdays, but was by no means bad. I once again began to talk with the German man and his wife, who are both great people. It's always nice to be able to find some people who you can have a great conversation with. We talked about all the various locations we have traveled in the world, and I told them everything about my trip to Peru, which is a place they plan on visiting in the future. I was treated to some fine Panamanian brew, which naturally turned into two. And thus sitting on the end of a dock overlooking the dark waters night fell. It is so nice to not have to do anything for once!
Day 115 ? Shop Till You Drop, Or Go Broke
In the morning I had to wake up bright and early to catch a flight back to Panama City. As nice and easy going as the beach life was, it was getting kind of boring. I'm more used to the rush of the city life it seems. The airport at El Porvenir is probably one of the most primitive airports you can imagine. It contains a single air strip in simply terrible condition. There is one building on the island set aside for registration and baggage check, which is all of course done on paper by one man sitting behind a desk. There is no security checks of any kind. You could walk onto that plane with a backpack full of razor blades if you wanted to!
After several stops on some other small islands to pick up additional passengers we finally made it back to Panama City. I took a taxi back to my hotel, which ended up being very cheap. Buses here in Panama City cost twenty five cents, whereas a taxi for the same route will usually cost you a dollar or two. This is usually worth it simply for convenience sake. Back in my hotel I was fortunate to find all my things still present, and then set off to prepare for a day of exploring.
I first set off along Central Avenue to a part of the city called 'Casco Antiguo'. Along this avenue there are countless shops selling everything at sometimes ridiculously cheap prices. I saw one store selling three pairs of jeans for a dollar! Granted these are probably the worst quality factory defects from China, but still, that's crazy! Casco Antiguo is the old area of the city. Although some of the buildings here have been restored, much of the area lay in shambles. Not coincidentally, this is also one of the most dangerous parts of the city, even during the day. The area is absolutely beautiful with it's old Spanish feel and all of it's historic buildings.
After exploring this area of the city I hopped on a bus to 'Panama Viejo'. Panama Viejo is the site of the original Panama City. This city was completely destroyed by pirates, and thus the inhabitants relocated several kilometers over. I was expecting Panama Viejo to be quite simply a pile of rocks, and that's exactly what I got; but what a splendorous and multitudinous pile of rocks it was! I roamed around here for awhile, then once again grabbed a bus back to the center.
Heading in the opposite direction I sighted a bicycle shop, which I decided to stop into on the way back as I was in need of a bicycle box to place my bicycle in for the plane trip back home. This proved to be no problem at all. The people at the bicycle shop did not charge me anything for the boxes as they were simply glad to be rid of them. Finding a taxi proved to be a little bit tougher. I swear that about forty taxis passed by me before I found one that either wasn't full or actually wanted to take me. One guy stopped and asked where I wanted to go, when I told him the center, he drove off and picked up someone else! Miraculously the boxes managed to fit somehow in a sedan taxi and I dragged them back to my hotel room.
Panama City is a shoppers paradise. There are countless stores here often with very good prices, thus I took full advantage of this. Needless to say I bought so many things that I could hardly carry them. I think I must have bought enough clothes to last me a year!
Today I also set out on a quest to find the famous ?Panama Hat?. This proved to be more difficult than anticipated. Anyone who knows anything about these hats knows that they are actually not made in Panama, but rather in Ecuador. However, being as they are still called ?Panama? hats, I figured my chances of finding one here would be pretty good. Find many hats I did, but only the cheap kind aimed at gringos looking for a simple souvenir. I would not settle for such blasphemy. I had bicycle from Alaska to here, and this would be my 'trophy' of sorts.
These hats are not just hats, they are a work of art. They are completely hand made and take months upon months of work. Depending on their quality, which is measured by five factors which I won't bore you with, their price can range anywhere from ten dollars to even ten thousand or more! With great difficulty I finally found a small store owned by a man from Ecuador which had some decent hats, but nothing even close to this price range. According to him, any hat that costs more than five hundred dollars is one that is custom made, and thus custom ordered. You order your hat, pay in advance, and wait anywhere from three to six months while it is made for you. Unfortunately I didn't want to wait three months for a hat, nor spend that much money, but I still managed to get a very good hat. The price I will not disclose as you will probably think I'm crazy, but I tell you, this thing is pure class. Then again, I guess it is a little crazy to have bicycled 12,000 kilometers in order to get a hat...