Adiós & Goodbye Central America!

Panamá

Adiós & Goodbye Central America!

August 2023

Before driving back to Panama City we visited the Parque Nacional Altos de Campana. At the parking lot where a number of hikes began it turned out that an entrance ticket was necessary which, according to the parking attendant, had to be purchased four kilometers away. There indeed stood a house along the road that did not look much different from a normal residential home were it not for the fact that on the porch stood a rickety little wooden desk. A guy wrote the date by hand on a small piece of white paper and that it concerned two foreigners. The signature was added and so it could now officially pass as a valid entry ticket.

The hike up and down the Sendero La Cruz went over large strong roots all exposed by erosion. It made walking along the otherwise muddy path a lot easier as a result although the now worn roots were also slippery. It took some fluids that we tried to replenish as often as possible by emptying our water bottles, but the view of the mountains with the ocean in the background was fantastic. With luck, we tracked two more trogons and the occasional toucan flew past us through the dense forest.

We then spent the night at Camping Paraiso Escondido located in the village of Chica. Escondido is the Spanish word for “hidden,” and this place certainly was. The property could only be reached via a steep road. Arriving at the camping, we took a cold shower to wash off the sweat and enjoyed the brilliant view of the valley that was just shining with the last rays of the sun in the distance.

Not much was left of the view the next morning. We were awakened by the tapping of a rainstorm on the roof which was loudly assisted by thunder. The 15-meter wide strip of grass that separated us from the restroom building had turned into a brown running river and when we crossed over, we got a free shower.

We drove back in the direction of Panama City. Via the Centenario bridge we crossed the Panama Canal and then immediately turned toward the village of Gamboa where we wanted to do a jungle hike in the Parque Nacional Soberania. The village of Gamboa was established during the construction of the canal and had a somewhat surreal feel to it. A number of cranes are lined up right along the water to load and unload containers from ships. The jungle is immediately adjacent, which is where we were heading.

The “Pipeline Trail”, as the trail is named, is not necessarily a very pretty one. The trail was built for the construction of a pipe and, as the plan was conceived, was to be paved for 18 kilometers through the jungle, but it never got that far. After World War II broke out, the construction project was halted only to never be finished. Fortunately, the road now serves as a walking trail through the national park and with a width of two meters it is perfectly suited to search for the more than 500 animal species that live in this park of which we were able to see some. We spotted several trogons and Motmots, Toucans, Hummingbirds and two agouti. The loud screeching of the Southern Mealy Parrots (Mülleramazone) was answered by several Howler Monkeys which, although we did not get to see them, were hiding loud and clear high in the trees. It was a successful hike.

In “downtown” Gamboa right along the banks of the canal, we were met by the American pastor who has ruled the local church for more than 50 years. The moment we wanted to walk to the only restaurant in town to fill our empty stomachs, we were accosted by him in the parking lot. He was on his way to the church and if we wanted to take a shower or use the kitchen at the church, it would be totally no problem. We struck up a conversation with Bill and maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to wash up before going to the restaurant either. After a while the conversation got well underway. Coffee was made and the most diverse topics were discussed with us alternating the shower ritual. By now our stomachs were growling and Bill assured us that the restaurant would stay open until at least 8:00 pm. We said our goodbyes after Bill said a prayer for us. Encounters with people like Bill are what makes travelling so special and interesting.

Shipping our car, we have mentioned it a number of times, but now the moment was really there. A narrow strip of jungle separates the countries of Panama and Colombia, the Darien Gap. Until now, a road and official border crossing between these two countries has never been built. Technically this is not a problem at all, so the reason will be mainly political we assume. As a result, a cargo ship across the ocean is the only way to reach South America from Panama. To fit into the container we would have to do some work. The skylight of the camper would have to be disassembled during the crossing. To lower the car further we would have to drain the air from the tires. Also we need 10 large, full water canisters, which would make the car heavier to cover the last missing centimeters.

The last day that we had our car we were mainly looking for the large water canisters for the extra weight we needed to fit in the container. At the Overland Embassy campground, we then filled the 10 canisters with water and looked up before taking out our skylight. Fortunately, there was almost no cloud in the sky so we were able to take out the skylight without any problems. We put several layers of plastic over the resulting hole which we stuck on tightly with duck tape. Confident that this would go well, we packed up the car and slept one last night before driving tomorrow in column of five other cars toward the port city of Colon.

We did not sleep much. Although Alejandro guided us well, we still felt some tension because shipping your car in a shipping container is not something you do every day. Were our adjustments enough so that we would fit? After a short briefing we drove towards the port of Colon. Upon arrival, we parked in a small muddy parking lot right along the main road. Large trucks passed with such noise that it was almost impossible for Alejandro to rise above the noise to explain the next steps. Everywhere we looked there were containers including the one we had to try to get our car into.

In fact, the opening of the container was at a height of one and a half meters. Backwards, we were asked to ride on the movable lift bridge mounted on a small truck. The air was let out of our tires. Exactly as much as was needed and centimeter by centimeter the car slowly slid into the container. We were so relieved. The first step was successfully completed and after we received the official documents with the necessary stamps and signatures, we drove back to Panama by shuttle. How we will get the car out in Cartagena, Colombia we will then see in two weeks.

For the last four days in Panama, we had booked a hotel. We thought we would do well to pass these days quietly. Unfortunately, Romy was not feeling too well and was suffering from back pain and a bit of a fever. Fortunately, the hotel we had chosen had a large roof terrace with a pool and jacuzzi where we could pass the time well.

Unfortunately, the situation did not change much for Romy the remaining days and even a walk to the roof terrace or pool was too much. Eddy therefore visited the Casco Viejo and Parque Natural Metropolitano on his own. The Casco Viejo is the old part of the city and is located pretty much between the entrance to the canal on one side and the tall skyscrapers on the other. The many bars and restaurants make it immediately obvious that this is a tourist attraction. The narrow streets have the pattern of the perfect chessboard with Plaza de la Independencia in the middle where tourists occupied all the benches to take in the buildings. It is mainly the metal French balconies that define the cityscape and are partly responsible for its UNESCO World Heritage status. From the peninsula end at the Pacific Ocean a fantastic panorama opens up over the imposing skyline on the other side of the bay.

The Parque Natural Metropolitano is the last remaining piece of jungle directly adjacent to the city, making it literally the “lung of the city”. Hoping to see the Titi Monkey, Eddy hiked up the trail and couldn’t tell if his t-shirt was wet from the rain or from sweating. Probably a combination of both. It was extremely hot again today with humidity of unprecedented heights. Unfortunately, the Titi Monkey did not show themselves, but the view from the highest vantage point over the city with the ocean in the background made up for a lot.

After these four days, our time in Panama was over. We checked out of Hotel Casa Miller and drove to Aeropuerto Pacifico which was on the other side of the canal. There is almost no mention of an airport. The building was so small that it could also pass as a bus station. After checking in, we walked to the other side of the wall for the passport and necessary hand luggage check and after another 10 steps we spent the remaining time at the “gate. And then our time in Central America was up and we took to the air to continue our adventure on a new continent, in South America.

Panamá