We read about the place in which we stayed outside Colon, Panama in the Lonely Planet. The infamous Building 400 of the School of the Americas. The School of the Americas was used by the US Government to train locals on how resist Communist insurgencies in Central and South America. Among those trained in Building 400 were some of the worst Dictators ever to come to power, including Leopoldi Galtiere who "disappeared" thousands during Argentina's "Dirty Wars", Robert D'Auboisson who led death squads in El Salvador. Building 400 is certainly delightful now. It is a huge building with an expansive interior. It has been made over into a hotel complex by the Spanish Melia chain. The rooms have ceilings that look to be about 14 feet high and the grounds have two gigantic pools and the whole thing sits on the shores of Lake Gatun, created from the Chagres River when the Panama Canal was built. Despite it's past, Buildng 400 served as the perfect spot from which to visit Fuerte San Lorenzo (last sacked in 1740 by British Admiral Vernon....after whom George Washington's Mt Vernon is named) as well as the massive Gatun Locks which raise and lower boats to the Caribbean. Panama has been run over, occupied and abused ever since the Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas landed here in 1501 . It seems to be flourishing now and that is exactly why it seems fitting to end our little Panamanian Adventure with a Panamanian Band playing "Viva Panama" in the now elegant lobby of the infamous Building 400. Viva Panama indeed!
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Feb 1 Panama
The flight into Panama City was pretty spectacular. There is a great skyline and there is always a line of ships waiting to get through the canal. 
After a nite in PNC, we rented a car and went over to Portobello. It's a Unesco World heritage site. I find it amazing how much I don't know about the places here. Portobello, San Lorenzo, both on the Caribbean side, and Panama City on the Pacific side formed the triangle of forts that Spain used to shuttle gold across the Isthmus. No lack of fighting here. All the forts were sacked multiple times by the English starting in 1670 with the pirate Henry Morgan.
After a nite in PNC, we rented a car and went over to Portobello. It's a Unesco World heritage site. I find it amazing how much I don't know about the places here. Portobello, San Lorenzo, both on the Caribbean side, and Panama City on the Pacific side formed the triangle of forts that Spain used to shuttle gold across the Isthmus. No lack of fighting here. All the forts were sacked multiple times by the English starting in 1670 with the pirate Henry Morgan. 
Jan 31 Panama
Today was a lazy day of nothing. Now in the airport waiting for the 1 hour flight to Panama City on a puddle jumper. I stopped by the local bike store since we forgot the hex wrench I needed to get Chantal's pedals off. They had the wrench and, it turns out, they had a bunch of empty bike boxes too. I bought a couple for $10 and packed our bikes. I think the airline would have taken the bikes without boxes, but they told us they should be boxed. If you need bikes or something related to bikes in Bocas, this is your place: 
It's been raining pretty much all afternoon so perhaps a good thing that we are making our way. We will go back to Panama City and then probably over to Colon and Portobello before heading back home. We have heard that we've misssed some snow and cold weather. :-) We have enjoyed Bocas del Toro. This will give you a sense of the kind of place it is....some of the rental bikes are equipped to allow you to take your rental toys to the beach: 
....and here is the toy it is designed to carry: 
It's been raining pretty much all afternoon so perhaps a good thing that we are making our way. We will go back to Panama City and then probably over to Colon and Portobello before heading back home. We have heard that we've misssed some snow and cold weather. :-) We have enjoyed Bocas del Toro. This will give you a sense of the kind of place it is....some of the rental bikes are equipped to allow you to take your rental toys to the beach: ....and here is the toy it is designed to carry: Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Jan 30 Panama
Today is beach day. We signed up for snorkeling and a visit to the Island of Bastimentos which is a National Park. The snorkeling was fine if a little cloudy. The beach was nice also. It wasn't big. Only a kilometer long and we managed to walk around it twice in the couple hours we were there. The only real downer were the 4 or 5 Panamanians in our group, who had a few too many beers and started to leave a trail of beer cans in their wake. The beers didn't bother me much, but the trail of beer cans did. It's awfully short sighted. Leaving trash all over will quickly turn the paradise into a dump. It's not just Panama, it's an unfortunate part of the culture in a lot of places. Isle of Bastiimentos: 
We walked around it twice. Some locals were on the far side with a couple dogs and a campfire...RIGHT in front of the sign that said no pets and no fires.....
We walked around it twice. Some locals were on the far side with a couple dogs and a campfire...RIGHT in front of the sign that said no pets and no fires..... Jan 29 Panama
We rode our bikes all over the Isle of Colon today. It's not the easiest thing to do as, even though our map shows the 2 roads on the island as paved, one turns into a beach road....sand; and the other road turns into gravel. Still we rode on them both. As it turned out there was a nice restaurant at the end of the longer road which takes you to the opposite side of the island.
On the way back we explored the grotto ($1 entry fee). We were dazzled by the 75 foot line of "leaf cutter" ants along the trail to the grotto more than we were with the grotto. The grotto you had to wade through waist deep water in the pitch black. Plus there are underwater rocks to trip on. It didn't do much for me . Chantal either. I did manage to get a little movie of the ants though. I will see if I can get the vid up on you tube. There is no lack of wildlife or vegetation here in Pamana.
On the way back we explored the grotto ($1 entry fee). We were dazzled by the 75 foot line of "leaf cutter" ants along the trail to the grotto more than we were with the grotto. The grotto you had to wade through waist deep water in the pitch black. Plus there are underwater rocks to trip on. It didn't do much for me . Chantal either. I did manage to get a little movie of the ants though. I will see if I can get the vid up on you tube. There is no lack of wildlife or vegetation here in Pamana.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Jan 28 Panama
We made our way all the way to Bocas del Toro from Boquete. We took the back roads as much as possible. However, I missed a turn and did an extra 20k or so (Chantal saw it and waited for me to double back). It didn't really make much difference as there was no way we were riding all the way to Bocas anyway. It's much too hard and much too far. We planned on just getting a bus in the town of Chiriquicito. However, we soon learned that there really wasn't anything in the town of Chiriquicito so we went right on past. The road was fine but parts were steep and the only way up was to push the loaded bikes. There were no services along the road. We shared a few power bars. There weren't many cars either. We did finally flag down "Jonny" and his friend who were pulling a small trailer. They agreed to give us a lift. We soon learned that they were going to Chirique Grande. That is right on the way to Bocas. They thought the police might stop us (they did, but they only asked questions and wanted to see our passports). They were very nice:
this is the view from the trailer I was riding in with the bikes: 
The view from the trailer was spectacular. No shocks on the darn thing. It would hit a hole and KABOOM! 
We rode our bikes into Chiriqui Grande looking either for a place to stay or the ferry that our map indicated went the additional 70k to Bocas. The hotels were all dumps and the ferry had stopped operating so we road our bikes back out to the crossroads and hired a guy in a pick up truck to give us a lift. At one point the driver turned off on a rough gravel road and went a couple miles into the bush. He apparently had a delivery to make...a couple bags of fish for the local indians. Anyway we made it to Almerantes, where you can catch the water taxi for Bocas del Toro. It was a long day of traveling. I think it was the first time I have ever traveled by bike, cattle trailer, pick up truck and boat in one day. For anyone considering biking across the mountains to Bocas with a loaded bike....forget it. There is zero along the road and you are highly likely not to make it...although there are buses and folks who will give you a llift.
this is the view from the trailer I was riding in with the bikes: The view from the trailer was spectacular. No shocks on the darn thing. It would hit a hole and KABOOM! We rode our bikes into Chiriqui Grande looking either for a place to stay or the ferry that our map indicated went the additional 70k to Bocas. The hotels were all dumps and the ferry had stopped operating so we road our bikes back out to the crossroads and hired a guy in a pick up truck to give us a lift. At one point the driver turned off on a rough gravel road and went a couple miles into the bush. He apparently had a delivery to make...a couple bags of fish for the local indians. Anyway we made it to Almerantes, where you can catch the water taxi for Bocas del Toro. It was a long day of traveling. I think it was the first time I have ever traveled by bike, cattle trailer, pick up truck and boat in one day. For anyone considering biking across the mountains to Bocas with a loaded bike....forget it. There is zero along the road and you are highly likely not to make it...although there are buses and folks who will give you a llift. Thursday, January 27, 2011
Panama Jan 27
Today we rode our bikes on a loop ride up above Boquete. It was great really. Very scenic. No traffic and spectacular. This place is a plant and animal paradise. We stopped at some gardens, rode past a waterfall and stopped at a coffee plantation for lunch. We got back to town mid afternoon and poked around, bought a bottle of wine and I got a badly needed haircut at the Barberia, It was $3 and not bad. The best haircuts and the best prices are definitely not in the US. We also stopped by Casa Solution and talked to the very helpful Humberto about getting to our nest destination on bikes....Bocas del Toro. There is no way we are riding the Inter American back. Our plan is to get us and our bikes on a plane from Bocas to Panama City.
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