Sweating our A**es Off In Some Big Cities

We do not do well with big cities. Even the beautiful city of Sydney, Australia chased us away after a year of trying to make a go of it. For us, cities mean traffic, crowds, noise, air pollution, and expense. I start to feel claustrophobic in big cities and it quite literally becomes hard to take a deep breath. Nevertheless, we had to spend time in both Panama City, Panama and Cartagena, Colombia (both with pop. 1.2 million) in order to get El Tigre over to South America. We tried to make the best of it.

We couldn't leave Panama City without checking out the nearby Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal. We hopped on one of the ubiquitous "diablos rojos" (red devil) buses that took us about 20 minutes outside the city.

An old American school bus taken to the next level - un diablo rojo

Giant container ship sailing through the Miraflores Locks

After 4 days in Panama City, we bought 2 (really expensive) one-way plane tickets to Cartagena, Columbia. We ended up staying 5 nights in a hotel in Cartagena while waiting for El Tigre to arrive (our  page about shipping your vehicle across the Darién). We tried very hard not to hide in our air-conditioned room all day. For each 1-2 hour errand in the city, we spent that amount of time cooling off in our room. The first night we arrived, we treated ourselves to pizza, and before we could pay the bill, Scott almost fainted. He got dizzy and sweaty and spent 10 minutes in the restaurant with his head between his legs before he was able to stand up and walk back to the hotel. See? We really don't do well in cities.

Nevertheless, we did get some good pictures during our short excursions in Cartagena.

Dog bathroom ("Bano Canino")
We walked by here later in the day and there were plastic bags of dog poo thrown in the grass.

The Darién Gap: Our Crossing From Central America to South America

The Darién Gap in green (image from Wikipedia)

Until recently, most of our family and friends who are following our adventure didn't realize that we wouldn't be driving all the way to South America. Although there is land that connects Central America with South America, it is un-driveable. There is no road, and most of the land is either mountainous rain forest or swampy marshland. This Panamanian and Columbian land is collectively called the "Darién Gap". In order for us to continue our journey to South America, we had to put our truck on a ship, and put ourselves on a plane.

Crossing the Darién by boat from Colon to Caragena

Crossing the Darién Gap was undoubtedly the most expensive and drawn-out process of anything we've experienced so far. We started requesting quotes for shipping our truck on August 26th, 2013. We quickly chose our shipper (SC Line), who sent us a quote that was less than half the cost of the other shippers. We picked up our truck in Cartagena, Columbia 1 month later. One month of emails, phone calls, piles of paperwork, 9 nights in a hotel, a plane trip, mis-communication, non-communication, Spanglish, and SWEAT! Whew, did we sweat. Panama City is hot, but I think Cartagena takes it to a whole 'notha leva. The typical heat index in Cartagena is between 100 - 130F. Unfortunately, the heat of both cities prevented us from truly appreciating them.

Welcome to our office, bedroom, living room, and kitchen during our week in Cartagena

We posted more information about this experience under "Helpful Information" on our website: Shipping Our Vehicle Across The Darien Gap

Reunited and it feels so good!

Overstaying Our Welcome in El Valle de Antón, Panama

El Valle de Antón, sometimes called El Valle, was our higher elevation escape over the past month while we kicked around Panama. We ended up driving up to El Valle 3 times. Luckily, it is only 16 miles off the highway, so the actual distance wasn't an issue. The drive is slow, twisty, and steep in parts, but the delicious climate was worth it - around 70F in the evening and maybe 65F at night.

A: Playa Venao and B: El Valle de Anton (we drove this 180-mile stretch 3 times).

El Valle is also an escape for the rich Panamanians who are lucky enough to have one of the mansions in the valley. We spent countless days exploring the valley roads that climb out of the valley. Some of the roads were unbikeably steep. We tried though...

The police station is right off the main, and only, road through town. They allowed us to camp/park on their property next to the soccer field. We thought it was a community/school soccer field, but later found out it was part of the police property. Santana, the night-cop, checked in on us a couple of mornings to ask if our sleep had been tranquilo. How nice!

Good morning El Valle

El Valle is only a couple of hours from Panama City, and therefore, it's a strategic place to camp before driving to the big hot city. We thought we would stay a few nights in El Valle and then head to Panama City to complete our shipping process. After our first stay in El Valle, we drove towards Panama City, only to learn that our ship was delayed (we will explain the shipping thing in an upcoming blog post). After a big shopping diversion in the mall near Coronado, we turned around and followed our tracks back to El Valle.

The silver lining of our false start to Panama City was that we discovered our favorite store EVER! For those of you from the northwest, think GI Joe's with groceries. It's called" El Machetazo" -- The Machete Man! It has good prices and pretty much ANYTHING you could need - home appliances, clothing, musical instruments, food, sporting goods, furniture, electronics, auto parts, the list goes on. We splurged on a couple of gifts for ourselves - a spear gun and a pressure cooker. Assuming we are now on the FBI watch list for these purchases...

Fantastic views with a storm on the way

Finding shelter from a torrential downpour

Surfing(?) in Panama

Chasing surf is a significant element of our travels. If it were up to Scott, it's all we would do. As any surfer knows, just because you want to surf, doesn't mean you can. Are there waves?  What about tide, wind, crowds, access, currents, and water quality? All of these variables lead to our love-hate relationship with surfing.

Surfing in Panama has been no different than anywhere else. The potential is there, but we just can't seem to hit it right. We were hoping to catch some waves at Pavones in southern Costa Rica, but the 10-day forecast showed nothing. We bailed across the border to Panama, and ended up waiting another couple weeks before the next swell event.

We tried Santa Catalina, a very popular surf destination. We caught the tail-end of a really big swell. We thought it would be perfect, but after our first day surfing, we realized things weren't going to work out. There were lots of surfers, some who were quite good... with unwelcoming attitudes. Other than not having waves, this is the biggest no-go for us at a surfing spot. Additionally, the wave was pretty heavy in the take-off zone, so I was intimidated, to say the least. Pictured below is the wave at Santa Catalina. It was a long paddle out - you can hardly see the surfers in the picture.

Santa Catalina

Next, we tried Playa Venao. The waves petered out before we could realize the potential of this place. We hung out at Playa Venao for almost a week and as the waves got smaller and smaller, we found other things to do. Luckily we had reasonable internet access, so much of the time was spent hanging out under the awning, researching and arranging the shipment of El Tigre to Columbia.

With no swell in the forecast, we packed up our boards and headed to the highlands of El Valle. We didn't expect to surf again until Ecuador. However, El Tigre's boat got delayed for 9 days, and a new swell was due to arrive, so we made a 180-mile detour back to Playa Venao to try again. Once more, there are no waves, as we write this from under our awning at Playa Venao.

We don't get it. In the past 60 days, there have only been ~7 days with surf-worthy waves. And honestly, we're not that picky. The rainy season is supposed to be the south swell season. We expected to see consistent waves originating from the winter storms coming from New Zealand.  Unfortunately, for us, New Zealand must be experiencing a mild winter.

Our office at Playa Venao (notice the calm waveless ocean)

Scott paddleboarding during a storm at Playa Venao

Panama (Pre-Panama City)

I have to admit, other than visiting the Hopp's, I didn't have any big expectations for Panama. I had always thought of Panama as "that piece of land between Costa Rica and South America". Oh, and also the country with the Panama Canal. Many people driving the Pan-American highway zip through Panama for various reason. One of the reasons is related to the anxiety of having to ship your vehicle around the infamous Darien Gap, an impassable swampy jungle occupied by FARC rebels and drug smugglers between Central and South America. The process takes at least 1-2 weeks, so for some, their time in Panama is centered around the dreaded logistics of vehicle shipping from Colon to Cartagena.

The Pan-Am highway runs East-West, the Panama Canal runs North-South, and we're going North to Columbia!?

Panama has been a lovely surprise. The landscape is lush and green, possibly more so than Costa Rica. We've seen waaaay more monkeys here. The cost of living is much lower than Costa Rica, with many grocery items half-price. The highway infrastructure here is amazing, almost a little odd. Four-lane highways seem to be sprouting up everywhere. Other than the customs lady at the border, the Panamanian people have been some of the friendliest people we've met.

Stopping for fruit on the roadside

Sniffing the Janson's coffee

Before arriving to the small mountain town of Boquete (via a 4 lane highway), I had no idea that Panama was famous for it's coffee. Who knew? Panamanian coffee was voted best in the world by the Specialty Coffee Association of America from 2005-2007 (coming in 2nd in 2008-2009). Boquete is home to one of the most famous Panamanian coffee growers, who reportedly fetch $130+ per pound for their premium "Geisha" coffee. Since we are in such a famous coffee growing area, we started buying better coffee (not Geisha). Instead of paying $2-3 for a small bag (250 grams), we bought the $6 bag of Janson Family coffee. OMG, it is so good. I can't imagine what the really fancy stuff tastes like.

The mountain highlands are refreshing and a great way to escape the gorgeous, albeit hot beaches. Unfortunately, much of the prime beach front is quickly being bought up by foreigners. The law may allow public access, but it won't be the same when the jungle backdrop is replaced by houses and hotels, so plan your visit soon.

This public parking lot (the only one at beautiful Playa Venao) will be closed to vehicles in a couple of months. 

Locals will be able to access the beach via a hole in the large gated concrete wall. 

Boquete, Panama

Following our stay at the La Jungla Rescue Center, we met up with the Hopp family in their beautiful rental home in Boquete. Scott and I met the Hopp's through my dad. We had learned that they would be visiting Panama, so we worked hard to make sure we could see them during their 1-week visit. We were also eager to meet their daughter, Nicole, their son, Chet, and his girlfriend, Erica. The latter two volunteer with the Peace Corps right here in Panama. Chet writes about his experiences here, and Erica writes about hers at the awesomely-titled, "This Erica Life". Aren't all Peace Corp people just really cool? We couldn't tear ourselves away from the comfortable climate, fantastic hilly road-biking, delicious coffee, and visiting with the Hopps, so another 5 days passed before we left Boquete.

Ron, Nicole, Yvonne, Chet, and Erica hanging out in the insane outdoor living space in Valle Escondido

Fireside in Valle Escondido

Our first night with the Hopp's, we went to George's Fireside Grill. It is a bit out of town and the setting was very rustic and casual. After we gorged ourselves, Scott, George, and Chet started in on a jam session with George's instruments. Chet was on a drum-set that was up in a loft. All of us had the impression that we might be in for a nightcap of a little jazz, blues, or maybe even some classic rock. Instead, George started in on his original pieces, which I can only describe as Egyptian/Canadian punk-rock protest songs.  Not really singing, just low-frequency yelling -- in French! It was a hilarious end to a great night.

A round of frozen mojitos at George's

The punk rock band with Chet overlooking from the loft

The day before we were going to leave, the owner of Boquete Outdoor Adventures stopped us on our bikes to ask where we had been riding. One thing led to another, and before we knew it, he had convinced us to join him on a whitewater kayaking trip the following day. The only reason we agreed was because he offered up his 2-person inflatable kayak, while the rest of the crew used rafts. It was hilarious and frustrating trying to work together to maneuver the kayak. Scott wanted to go through the biggest gnarliest rapids/holes/pour-overs and I wanted to find the calm line just outside of them - just like it used to be when we kayaked. Scott calls my style the window shopping approach.

Pictured below is what happened on the first rapid as we pulled off the shore. Luckily, we only swam one more time, as we started to get the hang of the orange beast. Also pictured is one of the moments where Scott was yelling WOOO HOOOO, while I was probably not yelling (or thinking) the same thing. The trip definitely made us (even me!) miss kayaking and renewed our desire to eventually get back into it.

Woohoo -- not window shopping

Costa Rica and Panama Cuteness - Lots of Pictures

What does a juvenile sloth and a spider monkey have in common?  Irresistible cuteness.

We had the great fortune, to happen upon a young sloth while poking around the beaches and coves near Quepos, Costa Rica. A local was feeding it small leaves from the almond tree, so we followed along. If it hadn't been for his unusually slow movements, those little pokey hooks on his feet would've been a little intimidating.  He didn't have any teeth, so he just gnawed at the leaves until they were pulverized enough to swallow. His hook nails work great for hanging from trees, but didn't work so well for grabbing the leaves from our hands. After we stopped feeding him, he curled up in a ball, and went to sleep on a branch. Can you just hear us saying, "awwwwwww"?

Soon after leaving this area of Costa Rica, we headed across the border to Panama, and made a beeline to the mountain town of Boquete.  The cooler air was refreshing.  It's about 70 +/- 5 degrees all the time (day or night). We set up camp at a place called La Jungla de Panama, an animal rescue and rehab place. While Scott worked on the never-ending list of truck and bike projects, I volunteered every morning with the animals. The star of the show was, without a doubt, Daisy, the spider monkey. She was abused in the past, and has subsequently been known to break into dangerous fits, so no one is allowed in her cage. It's sad because she is so sweet. She also thinks I'm sweet. Without fail, she hugs and grabs me when I walk up to her cage. With other people, it's hit or miss - even with Scott. Muchas fotos follow: