Part 10

We made a decision to head back to the Belen Trailer Park for the night so that we would be ready to pick up my new passport the next day. This turned out to be a big mistake as we ended up driving in the dark through narrow, busy roads winding through the mountains. By the time we got back we were exhausted as it had been a very full day! Another reminder to us that driving at night was just not worth the stress.

The next day we picked up my passport and did a few errands before heading south towards the border. Going out of town we passed rows and rows of tin shacks that showed us that even though Costa Rica had a higher standard living than most CA countries, there were still many who just subsisted. The road south began to climb sharply, heading up into the highest area in CA that was topped off by a cloud forest. This is where, on my last trip, I had the close call with hypothermia (the road goes to almost 10,000 feet and was in heavy rain). Along the way we stopped a glassed wall restaurant that was perched on a cliff and gave a stupendous view of the valleys below.

The roadside was covered in all kinds of flowers and giant ferns and things went well until we began the descent down the other side. Here the weather turned to heavy rain, dense fog and the road had deteriorated to a terrible state. They were trying to repair sections of it but because of the climate in that area it was very difficult. Traffic slowed to a crawl and it soon became dark (caught again!) but we managed to tuck in behind a tow truck that had flashing strobe lights and a cautious driver (a rarity in CA). It took us almost four hours to go just over 100 km.

We found a vacant lot in a residential suburb and spent a noisy (we happened to end up parked beside a party house) night that was extremely hot and the air was filled with tiny biting insects. The last leg of the highway heading to the border was an anomaly, as it was in excellent shape, had few towns to pass through, and had little traffic! We found ourselves cruising comfortably at 80 km/hr and enjoying the view! The countryside was filled with haciendas, fields of coffee, pineapple, sugarcane and bananas. The road also wound along the edge of a large river that had bright purple flowering trees gracing the forested hillsides. We stopped at a high viewpoint over the river for a gourmet lunch, eating up everything we had for fear of having it confiscated at the border.

We arrived at the border far sooner than expected (we had actually not planned to cross until the following morning) but unfortunately it was lunch time for the staff. The wait was shortened by the fact that there is a time change of an hour at the border so we only had to wait half an hour. The crossing was a a bribe-free one that we could manage ourselves! We met a fellow from Japan that was touring the world on a small 250 cc dirt bike. He was travelling alone and had been on the road for about 5 months.

So now we were in Panama! The highway changed to a wonderful concrete road that surely had some American engineering influence. The one drawback being that there was no shoulder, just drop-offs and very few places to pull off. We quickly motored down to David, the first major town along the way and searched out a camping spot in the residential area.

On this tour we were really impressed with the wealth that was evident everywhere. The suburbs had fancy haciendas and four wheel drive Landcruisers were everywhere! We had read that Panama had the highest standard of living in CA but here we were seeing the proof. Walking around the downtown we were greeted by blocks of discount stores (of Zellers quality) and stores of every description. They say you can buy anything in Panama and if this was any indication, it was definitely true. The general appearance of the country was that it was not as well maintained as CR.

Our general plan was to get within easy striking distance of Panama City on Saturday so that early Sunday we could head into the city and get oriented while the traffic was at its least my last experience in that city was not great as it is very chaotic with angular streets, many one ways and streets that each have several names. So, we headed south to find a beach to camp on. The drive was hot and fast, with mountainous jungle on our left which gradually got drier the farther south went.

We caught our first glimpses of the indigenous people in their colourful traditional dress and soon found ourselves on Playa Santa Clara at a spacious camping area which cost $2 US each. The beach was long and wonderful. We walked to one end and were treated to a small bay where thousands of orange, pink, purple and white shells had been washed up at the waters edge. Each time a wave broke over them there was a wonderful sound very similar to that made by a large rain stick. We had a wonderful time collecting shells and enjoying the infinite varieties created by nature. It was a magical time!

We got back to the campsite in time for the afternoon rainstorm, so we quickly jumped into the surf and bobbed up and down in the swells surrounded by the platinum coloured rain drops. Our serenity came to an end around supper time when the campground was invaded by several loud groups of people that had no doubt come up from the city for a Saturday night party! We should have know better........Saturday night is their party night. The groups proceeded to compete with each other as to who had the loudest music equipment and while we were trying to enjoy our fruit supper we were bombarded with four different types of music! This went on until 4:30 in the morning......thank god for earplugs and the Walkman!

We were up and on the road by 7:00 heading into the city on what soon turned into a new freeway system, parts still under construction, and we sure were going the right way as the other side of the freeway was plugged with traffic, hundreds of busses of all descriptions, most with banners and flags hanging off of them. We had heard that there was an upcoming election so that we assumed they were all headed up north to a rally, leaving the city empty for us! Soon we found ourselves crossing over the famous Bridge of the Americas which spans the Panama Canal and is the entranceway to Panama City. For us it was a milestone, signifying the half way point in our journey We had butterflies in our stomachs and it all felt a bit unreal........we had actually made it to Panama City!

We spent the next four hours driving around and finding areas of interest. I had obtained and studied several city maps earlier plus I had been here before so it was not bad at all. This turned out to be one of the smartest things we did, as the knowledge gained that day would help us tremendously over the next few weeks.

The city is extremely modern in places, being one of the banking capitals of the world. Skyscrapers dominate the city and the layout reminds me of Vancouver. It has a causeway which reaches out into the harbor to several islands that you can walk or drive to and the view of the city from there is magnificent. The causeway always seems to have a breeze coming off the ocean so we often found ourselves retreating there in the late afternoon to escape the heat and traffic.

Everywhere we went we were warmly greeted by people, some even rolling down their windows at traffic lights and saying hello! Because of the Canal and banking influence, English is spoken to some degree by many people so we found it easier to do just about everything. The city and country are in a dramatic time of change, with the Canal being turned over to Panama completely by the year 2000. Already substantial numbers of employees have been let go, properties turned over and more than 50% of the US military have left. All this will have a profound effect on the economy of the country as Americans contributed significantly to the economy through employment (services), recreational and business interests.

This became very evident when we went towards the Balboa Yacht Club (located almost under the Bridge of the Americas). This area had been in the Canal Zone and when I had visited it three years ago it was immaculately kept residences and offices for military and Canal employees that was under tight military security. Today, most of the buildings have been or are in the process of being demolished to make room for FantasyLand Hotels and other speculative tourist facilities. The Yacht Club looked decrepit and as if it was in a war zone as it too was scheduled for relocation. But here is where we were to set up camp for awhile and we soon called it home. It was quite quiet there, had good security and from there it was easy to drive just about anywhere. There were no services (on the last day we discovered a shower that we could use) except a waterfront bar (where we watched several sunsets and many ships passing into the canal) and the price was right......free!

Monday morning we began the task of securing all the paperwork necessary to ship the van. By now we knew what company we were using, when the ship was leaving (8 days from now) and how much it was going to cost on this end ($1025 US). We hired an agent ($75 US) to assist with the paperwork and in the afternoon found time to go up to Miraflores Locks to see a ship pass through then found an English speaking AA meeting that evening.

The meeting turned out to be a a group conscience meeting over how to deal with all the changes they faced. The group had been in existence since 1945 and had been in the same spot for 40 years. Now, there membership had fallen to 10% of just several years ago (due to the shift in the Canal) and the building they were using was being turned over to the new Canal Commission that was rife with politics, so they had to find a new home. It was a very interesting meeting that allowed me to understand the changes facing Panama. Whole networks that had functioned well for decades were gone overnight and no one knows what the future will bring.

On returning to the Yacht Club we were pleased to find that our little TV received three channels in English (Disney, ESPN Sports and the Armed Forces Network, which had some not bad programming). We also found that we had neighbours at the campsite (parking lot). A young couple from BC who were travelling in a Toyota 4x4 with a homemade custom camper. They were kayackers and skiers that were making their way down to South America the same as us but on a far more limited budget, planning to work on the way as river guides or at the ski resorts. In the days to come we spent many happy hours chatting as they were very gregarious people who loved to talk. We were the first people they had met who were travelling by vehicle like them so we had a common bond. The woman spoke 5 languages so their experiences were slightly different than ours.

That night was not as quiet as the previous one as most of the night one of the locals who hung out or lived at the place ranted and raved all night, preaching or talking to God, who knows......it takes all kinds of people to make up this world. We called him the 'Coconut Man' as he seemed to survive on eating only coconuts and before we left had become friends with him. One of his eyes was gone, we didn't know what he had been through and he seemed friendly enough.

The next day was spent following our agent around the city getting the papers in order. What a challenge trying to follow her through the traffic! Panamanians are aggressive drivers that have to cope with very heavy traffic in a street system that can only be described as chaotic. Very few cars here are left unscathed from fender benders. We all unanimously agreed that this was the most dangerous city to drive in. Every day we witnessed many accidents and the hordes of taxis and busses led the parade! Everyone uses their horns excessively so it is quite a noisy city at all times. The busses exhaust systems seem to be just straight pipes so they create a tremendous din as they accelerate and decelerate around the city.

The overall impression of the bureaucracy we had to go through was that they were quite efficient and easy to deal with but there still was quite a lot of different offices to visit and many papers to get authorized. I am preparing a trip report to post on the Internet for those following us to give them specific directions as to what is needed and where to go.

We began to gather all the chains and hardware we are going to need to secure all of the stuff in the van for shipping. We have read and been told that anything that can be stolen, will be. With us having to give them a key to load and unload the van they will have access to the inside so I have come up with a plan to make it more difficult for them to get at things. The bottom line is that if they have the time and the tools (such as bolt cutters) we may lose everything.

We have also found out that we will have to deliver the van to another port, Colon, 85 km. away , on the Atlantic side of the Canal instead of the port just beside the Yacht Club. Colon has a reputation of being an entirely unsafe and dangerous place. We were given very explicit instructions on how to get to dock and told not to deviate from that route and especially not to walk around on foot. The city had really gone downhill in the last few years and crime and unemployment was rampant. We decided to spend the next day doing a trial run of securing our belongings in the van to see if we needed anything else and then to take a dry run to Colon to find exactly where we were supposed to be going. We wanted to take this precaution because the ship left on Tuesday and we had to deliver the van by 8:00 on Monday morning.

We couldn't really do final backing till Sunday night and if we needed more materials, nothing would be open. The other alternative, which the shipping company favoured, was for us to deliver the van on Friday by noon. To say the least, we did not like this option as it left us without a van (and a home) for the weekend and also it gave the dock workers more time to rip stuff off. The drive to Colon reminded us of our days in Mexico... a narrow, winding , potholed highway filled with endless trucks and busses belching black diesel fumes.

The city was as expected, a slum covered with garbage, abandoned , stripped and rusting auto hulks everywhere and desperate people clogging the streets. The only part of the city worth visiting was the Free Zone, a walled city within the city where goods from all over the world can be purchased duty free. By the time we got there I was so exhausted from the drive (we had seen three accidents on the way, one at which hordes of people were busy looting the contents of an overturned semi-trailer) and after three unsuccessful attempts to gain entry to the Zone (it appeared that the public had only one entryway - under tight security) that we turned around and began the gruelling drive back home. We did manage to find a sideroad that took us through a large park with little traffic so that mellowed us out a bit.

The long lasting vision of the road to Colon is the thousands of gigantic billboards occupying the side of the road. God they are ugly! To clear our heads we drove out to the causeway and had supper there, watching the sunset and enjoying the breeze before going to an AA meeting.

Early the next morning we headed off to get our rear shocks replaced (they had been hammering for a while), get the laundry done, take a dry run to the airport, purchase tickets to Colombia, visit the Venezuelan embassy, send email messages and ended the day by relaxing back at the Yacht Club. As you can see, our days were very full!

We were ready for a break from the city so we decided to head north to some of the beaches for a couple of days and to stop off at En Valle, a small mountain village that was recommended we see. After saying goodbye to our new friends, they were shipping out to Ecuador, the guards (by now they were getting used to all the small gifts of food we had been giving them, and the numerous taxi drivers who hung out there, we started north looking for the ideal beach. We stopped at many along the way but none came close to Santa Clara so we carried on until we got back there. The place was almost empty and the guard assured us that only Saturday night was busy so we took to the beach, happy to be swimming again. We experienced another beautiful sunset and a full moon rising through the clouds. No music, no parties, just blissful quiet in a safe place where we could leave all the doors and windows open for the night breeze. In the morning we took a walk down to the 'shell bay' with the video camera, hoping to capture their beauty and sound but it was not to be... the ocean tides had moved them elsewhere, leaving only a few as memories.

By noon we were hot and were ready to move to the coolness that the mountain valley promised so we began the scenic drive up the side of mountain, very reminiscent of CR. We had a tour of a waterfall, saw a canopy tour (not for us) and visited a zoo/nursery. We saw all kinds of tropical birds, tapirs, ocelots, sloths, monkeys and all in a glorious setting of exotic plants and trees.

We found an out of the way spot by the zoo and before settling in for the night we took a driving tour of the valley. It is a playground for the wealthy and we passed by many impressive estates. The valley is actually the inside of a large volcanic crater but its altitude of 800m makes it a cool retreat from the humid lowlands. That night we actually had to use our blanket! What a treat! Unfortunately, with the coolness there were strong winds throughout the night that buffeted the camper. With the top up, and all that canvas, it is a great wind catcher.

Sunday morning we stopped for a look at the famous artesian market in the town before driving back to the Yacht Club to do our final packing, check into the hotel supper at MacDonalds and a night of color TV. Early Monday we retraced our steps to Colon, got to the port and started the check in procedure. I knew something wasn't quite right when the guard at the gate looked at our manifest papers and questioningly said the name of our ship, the Challenger. Before long we were given the bad news... the ship hadn't arrived yet and wasn't expected until Thursday. We were disappointed, but what can you do?

It created some problems because we would have to change our plane reservations but more importantly some of the papers we had earlier worked so hard to acquire in order to get the vehicle out of the country would expire so we would have to get new ones! We decided not to unpack the van but just extend our stay in the hotel, which by the way was very nice. It was centrally located, had a rooftop pool and terrace, air conditioning and color TV (it even had the Playboy channel!). The rate was only $20 US and it was a nice change from the van. So we got the paperwork redone, managed to get the radio fixed along the way and when we went back to the shipping company on Wednesday morning we were told we had to get the van to Colon that afternoon if we wanted to guarantee it got on the ship, so we found ourselves on the now familiar, billboard cluttered road to Colon once again!

The drop off went smoothly and we caught an air conditioned bus back to the city and settled into the hotel for a few more days. So that is where we find ourselves today (Thursday, Feb. 7) , sitting on the terrace overlooking Panama City, the noise of traffic wafting up from the street, the sun very hot (thank goodness for the pool) and us praying all goes well with the van. Tomorrow we pick up the original bill of lading that we need before we leave the city on Saturday.

A new phase of the journey soon to begin, we are flying into Cartegena, Colombia quite blind, not knowing where to go, where to stay, or how to get the van back in our possession (it should be there by the time we get there)

Part 11