July 2006

PANAMA

The canal and what else?!
This great country has way more to offer…

I’m arrived in this mountain village Boquete.The cool and rainy days are just great after all this heat. Walks thru Café plantations and the village are really inspiring to explore. The very friendly locals like it too when a foreigners acts like ‘normal’.
It is totally normal to do your daily needs by walking an with this temperatures it’s also not a problem.

Back at the beach the story looks right different.

With my little girlfriend I prefer to paint and ‘work’ in the shade. Walking during the afternoon is not recommended, it’s just too hot.

Thru nice rides in the countryside I reach the city.
P A N A M A . C I T Y – wow, what a surprise!!

For me it is the only real world city in Central America. Skyscrapers, Road systems, Road signs, Downtown, Save & unsafe neighborhoods, history, recreation areas……

Here I meet Hubert.

He is a 58 year old French American and is traveling with his sidecar. That we ‘crazy’ people get along isn’t really a surprise – have a look at this web page; www.thetimelessride.com

He left 3 month earlier (feb.2005) NY for his ride to the arctic circle (in winter!!) and so on… here in Panama we meet and search for a boat to Columbia.

We are cruising from harbor to harbor, talk with the port’ chiefs, Agencies, at the morning boat radio….

All the possibilities we try, to put the motorcycles and us on the same floating thing.

All the time we get the same answer, motorcycle OR you…we keep on trying.

We are hunting up to Colon, ride thru the ‘backest’ back roads where ever there is a possibility!!

After a long day of searching and riding in this poluted areas I get home really tired. The busses seems to have the octopus - syndrom, every time they when they leave there is a big black cloud, and they are gone!

In the 2nd week we get a positive answer.

There is a boat which takes us with it.

Once more we are riding to Colon where we can talk to the captain (on the pic - guy right).

His boat is a bit scary and have a look at his safety boat behind him….anyway the whole story is dubious…to bring TV’s to islands, we should get dropped with a 2nd boat off on a beach in Columbia – no port no nothing and then the prize…no. no. no

We keep on trying.

From Sport to Shrimps boat everything. Evenings we are back in Panama where we meet members of the motorcycle association.

Even when it is poring rain – we are on the way.

Put the rain gear on and we are fine till the daily evening drink at the ‘Viva el Pan' (name of the bakery – café)

And if there are some days with no rain – we find other action…with all this freaks…culinary…sights ...!?

..
Even one day at the beach brings me action – a sunburn again!
The only thing which really helps is the aloe gel.
I walk to the veggie store around the corner and get a fresh peace – cut it and put the 100% fresh gel on the burn, it will help.

At the motorcycle association of panama (APM) we get treated like members. If there is a question, not a problem – someone will try to help us. We are part of the family!!!

On one of the last July Sundays I go with an Australian couple (which are traveling on their V-stream) for a ride.

We are off to the Darien.

It is known for ‘the end of the road’.

That’s the reason we look for a boat to get to south America.

The boats of the natives Kuna are to small for a sidecar so we keep on trying.

To put everything in a plane is not ‘romantic’ at all, and we want to travel in style.

It would be a possibility, but we prefer to keep on searching.

The last July week we get from a APM member good news – he has a tanker to Columbia!
If everything finally workers out I should be at the end of the month on a little tanker thru the canal on the way to Columbia.

How the canal thing works..?

Here a example from a big tanker passing thru.

And then we can say;
Columbia we are coming!!