Coast to Coast in Panama 

Slipping into Panama was almost too easy. Ryan paid a nominal fee, got his passport stamped, and then had the smug pleasure of riding past all the suckers with backpacks waiting for the next bus to Bocas. Though, they had their revenge 10km down the road when they roared past and saw us at a near standstill on one of the many steep hills of the Caribbean coast. If they saw us, that is, those busses do have WIFI.

The undisputed gem of the Panamanian Caribbean is Bocas del Toro. Speckled with tropical islands in aqua blue water, the islands attract foreign tourists and Panamanian nationals by the bus load. Which explains why, when Ryan and I arrived at the port of Al Mirante, we were accosted by middlemen. “Hey friend, Bocas!” “Bocas, my man!” “Ferry to Bocas!” Note, that none of these were questions. The fair assumption is that if you’re white and in Al Mirante, you’re going to Bocas. But not this Gringo. We had bigger plans.

For Ryan, the allure of Panama was the Pacific. So we skipped the Bocas scene and peddled through, stopping briefly for some Chinese food. Little did we know, but not going to the islands is heresy in Panama. Incredulous Panamanians were in disbelief when they heard of our omission. One even suggested we ride across the mountains again to correct our mistake. Maybe there’s something to it? All I know is that a trip to Bocas would have been a solo journey for Ryan and a couple days chained to a fence for me. So, whatever his reasons, I’m happy with the decision.

The best part of riding the Caribbean was racing the kids. They’re always ready. It could be running versus us, riding versus us, or even wheelbarrow pushing versus us. All in all, there were 4 total races during our passage through, and our record was 2-2. Not bad, considering they had the home road advantage.

Then came the mountains. For two days they had been in plain sight, just daring us to cross. So early one morning we made our move. On the first incline we came across a man riding a horse about the same speed as us. Turns out, he was just commuting to work. But he gave us some useful advice about conserving our energy for the final climb and where to find fruit along the way. Sage advice, I’d say, as the final climb was unbearably steep. From the top we could see all the way to the Pacific! Down we went.

The Pacific Ocean turned out to be a little bigger than flat. Surfable, for sure, but hardly anything to blog about. The silver lining was meeting a lovely German couple driving their, you guessed it, VW camper van! They were such good company that we leapfrogged each other (they took bigger leaps) all the way to Panama City. From there, Niklas (the husband), and Ryan took a side excursion to the San Blas Islands. This island chain is operated exclusively by indigenous Kuna people who restrict resort development and keep the area pristine. From all accounts the place was absolute paradise. Apparently they even used a conch shell to call for mealtimes! Bocas what?

This is officially the end of our Central America tour. We’ll pick up the story again in the new year as our adventure continues into South America. Until then, enjoy the eggnog.