Ciudad de Panama

We headed out of San Jose, Costa Rica southbound on the Pan American Highway. I had no appreciation for just how mountainous it is in Central America. The highway climbed up to about 3500 metres above sea level. Unfortunately we were up in the clouds and only had brief glimpses over the side of the road. It was a long way down. I think we were lucky to do the trip on a Sunday as the truck traffic was light and there were very few passing lanes. It was about 100 km distance up and down the other side. We spent Sunday night in Palmar Norte which is a small town but quite nice.

In the mountains south of San Jose

Our neighbourhood in Palmar Norte

Costa Rica is really nice

Up early on Monday morning, we headed for yet another border crossing. This time into Panama at Paso Canoa. Too bad we showed up just in time to get in line behind four busloads of travelers going into Panama. We went in on the defensive side after our Honduras experience with Helpers but there was no need for attitude. The people who tried to help us were really just helping. Nice people, some were a big help. One guy I was talking to, Roberto, helped us find an official to speed things up a bit as someone we needed for a stamp was on lunch. However, it was still a long wait as there was only one poor guy looking at everyone's passports. Also there were people who were pretending to stand in line who would sell their position to someone at the back of the line.The line was kind of disorganized as well adding some confusion as to just who was where in the lineup. After two hours of this, and just as we got to the immigration window, tempers started to flare and a few soldiers showed up to quiet things down a bit. That was a good thing. There was lots of yelling going on and you didn't need to know the language to get the gist of it. All in all, about four and a half hours of good times.
We also met two more bikers heading to South America on BMW's. These guys (Davis and Ken) were from Texas.

Good times!

Mr. Coco Frio plying his trade

Oh yeah, don't forget about the bikes. That's what it's all about.

Roberto, a real helper.

Ken and Davis from Texas

Some stink-eye for those who appreciate it. I thought I was smiling.

After the border there were a few police stops to check documents and lots of police presence on the highway for speed control. No problems though. We showed up in Santiago, Panama in the rain just before dark.
Okay, check this out. Beer in a bottle at the bar here was US$.85.
That's right. 85 cents for an ice cold beer. What a country.
Tuesday morning and just shy of 10,000 kilometers and 32 days since leaving Qualicum we rode over the Bridge of The Americas and the Panama Canal. Pretty cool. Do that two more times or so and we'll be done.
We only got lost for a little while before we found the BMW dealer downtown. We left the bikes there for oil changes and minor repairs. The manager (Fransisco) arranged a hotel room and also a free ride for us. We spent the afternoon wandering around Panama City.

Downtown Panama City

A bong cafe.

Yet another church.

It makes Vancouver rush hour look pretty tame. Remember, they all honk.

Cool Chicken Bus

Around dinner time Neil got the email canceling our catamaran ride to Columbia. Well, at least we had something to do while we were waiting for the bikes. We emailed everybody we could think of about sailing to Columbia and put the word out on the internet via two motorcycle websites (the HUBB and advrider.com for anyone who cares). Still no luck but we're going to head over to the Caribbean side tomorrow to see what we can find. It's too expensive here anyways. Wish us luck.