Wandering with Tedder and Tamara

Wow. We are actually at the end of the road, so to speak. More on that later.

We got up early again, setting the alarm around 6:30. That was slightly more painful because we “lost” an hour due to a time zone difference between Costa Rica and Panama yesterday. Still, we got dressed and on the road fairly efficiently. Leaving town was a little complicated, but still easier than getting into town.

We intended to ride directly to Panama, both because we weren't interested in anything in between and also because of the constant threat of afternoon rain. We stopped for gas and breakfast in Santiago. The locals were friendly and curious, though our limited Spanish was a big barrier.

Prices are in US dollars, and measurements are gallons, so it's the easiest math of the whole trip: Gas is about $3.30 per gallon. Diesel is significantly less. Breakfast was at a little bakery. We probably had cupcakes and cookies, not muffins and pastries, but who cares? Prices are very cheap- each pastry was about 5 cents.

The scenery was quite beautiful, probably because we had to go over two small mountain passes (maybe 3000 feet, then 1500 feet). The views are beautiful, and the farmland and jungle looks quite peaceful.

We were about 40 miles outside of Panama City when the rain began. That was unfortunate because it was still before noon- some days it doesn't start raining until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. We stopped and discussed strategy a couple of times, and eventually decided to just keep riding. It was too warm anyhow, and our weather protection is less than perfect- so we might as well just be wet, considering the short distance.

Right before Panama City is Balboa (city). They sprawl into each other, but the demarcation of “nothing” to Balboa is quite amazing- the bridge over the Canal. It is large and very tall- sort of like the big bridge in Longview, but on a much larger scale. As we were crossing the apex I was overwhelmed with the moment- I have taken this bike from the far north end of North America to the far south end of North America, in less than a year.

Looking down on the canal provoked a surge of satisfaction that I hadn't expected. I slowed down and asked Tamara what she thought- she was thinking nearly the same thing. We set off on this trip without a solid goal or destination, but crossing the Canal was a very triumphant moment for us.

We knew navigating Panama City would be difficult, and it was. The rain was steady, though not horrible, and the maze of streets were one-way- which our map hadn't indicated. While I knew approximately where our hostel was, the one-way streets and non-orthogonal streets got the best of me.

Traffic in the City is crazy. It reminds me a little bit of Planet of the Apes where technology exists and locals aren't quite sure what to do with it. Intersections look like the video of intersections in places like India- clusters of motos, cars, and pedestrians going through, seemingly at random. The transit buses (school buses painted very creatively) are banged up and charge through the heavy traffic with little regard for motos or cars. There is no such thing as lanes.

We stopped, Tamara hailed a cab, and then rode in it while I followed. We've used that tactic before. It works very well when there are two people on one bike, because the statement of a rider hopping into the cab works better than broken Spanish where we attempt to say “we will follow”. The taxi driver took us in a figure-8, then stopped at a large hotel to ask for directions. Keep in mind we were headed somewhere that was less than a mile away, and we had a map! It made me feel much better about my inability to find it.

While the taxi driver was getting directions, the bellboy at the hotel motioned for me to move so traffic could go by. Keep in mind it was very wet out, but we were underneath the covered entrance of this hotel. The paving was some sort of stone that looked a bit like travertine. It was dry, my tires were wet.

I gave the bike a little too much gas and suddenly I was supermotoing the bike. The rear tire went left, while the bike was going straight and leaned to the right. Thankfully I have great tires and was able to save it. I know I would have dropped it if Tamara was on the back- still not quite sure how I saved it with the weight of the luggage.

The rest of the taxi trip was uneventful. The taxi didn't know exactly where the hostel was, but at least we were on the correct street. We went up to Mamallenas, but they didn't have any private rooms, and their bunked rooms had 12 bunks! It looked like a barracks- I've never seen more than 6-8 in a room, and 4-6 is much more common.

The fellow in charge was quite nice, friendly, and helpful. I wish their private rooms were available, because it would obviously be a nice place to be. Instead, we went next door (literally) to the Voyager.

They had a private for a decent price, though no air conditioning. We took it for a night, not willing to find an alternative. They also don't have wifi, but at least I have an Ethernet cable (thanks for sending it Mom!) so I could patch into their router. Compared to the friendliness of Mamallenas or Kabata, this is a disappointment. The other hostelers are quite friendly and varied- I love talking to people from other countries.

The room is the width of a full bed, with about 10 inches on one side. At least we have a fan- I'm surprised they aren't common in all hostels. We set out our gear to dry, though we have been wearing our last pair of semi-damp clothes for a few days now.

We then set out to eat and scout out a suitable hotel for a few more nights. We certainly found variation- $25-75 among places that should have been on the lower to middle range of things. The $75 option would have been nice, it was an “aparthotel”, basically mini-apartments for rent. A little steep for what we wanted to spend, and the rate varied by the day of week too.

We'll stay at the $25 place, which is well-priced for what it offers. The room is relatively large and clean, has AC, TV and phone, plus a private bathroom- we haven't had that in a while. There's a laundry around the corner, so we'll finally be able to clean up and perhaps smell and look more presentable.

There's no internet access in the room, though. We'll survive.

The plan from here is to take a couple of rest/slack days, then see some of the sights in the City area. We'll try to see the locks from the ground and perhaps by going through them, and we'll also start figuring out how we want to get to Colombia. There are boats on the Pacific and Atlantic sides, mainly we need to find one and find a decent price for the pair of us and the bike.

That means we will probably be in Panama for a week or more, then on the sea (!) for 3-6 days, then in Colombia. Perhaps this isn't the best time to be reading News of a Kidnapping. Too late.

(why do I say 'end of the road'? The highway ends past Panama City, due to the Darien Gap. The only way to Colombia is via boat or plane)