Panama- our final destination in Central America. We did indeed cross over the Costa Rica/Panama border with no drama at all. Those fears of being detained once again because of a lack of entry stamp in Abigail’s new passport were, let’s face it, irrational! And the procedure itself was the quickest and smoothest we’ve had on this trip so far. Our 7th border crossing, and with an hour in total (this includes; exit of Costa Rica, cancellation of Costa Rican TIP, visa for Panama, health declaration forms to fill in and a new TIP for a new country), a very easy peasy one at that!
There was a huge sigh of relief and it certainly felt good to be leaving ‘Costa-Lot-a-Rica’ behind. The roads in this new country were nicely paved and the first sights to be captured were cattle ranch after cattle ranch. Chiriqui was known for its meat, and we were looking forward to sampling it. In fact, we drove straight to its capital, David, to grab some chicken for lunch. Not only was it tasty but boy was it cheap! And, of course, being in a big city, we made sure we stocked up on some of that fine meat of our own at a fancy Carniceria. Bone-in ribeyes were on the menu in Boquete tonight.
Boquete is another one of those ex-pat hubs. You know, the one that seems to be taken over by ‘Gringos’. It is situated at an elevation of 1800m above sea level making it a nice respite from the tropical Panamanian heat.
There is one Main Street that paves the way through countless waterfalls, vineyards and forests (and leading to famous Volcano Barù), hosting strip malls, posh boutiques, organic cafes and fine dining restaurants. Not too glamorous for the overlanding folk though with ‘Hourlesslife’ and Swiss travellers, Didi and Chanti, also parked up at the ‘Pension Topas’ hostel in town. We’d seen Didi and Chanti a few days prior at Playa Blanca in Costa Rica but hadn’t met up with Eric, Brittany and Caspian since our time with them in Honduras. Zoe sure was excited!
The rain during our four-day stay though got a little too much, and we were ready to get out of there. We were about to embark on a little Panama off-roading adventure, driving across country, through deep river crossings and up steep muddy banks- all in the hope of reaching Kiki waterfall; the tallest waterfall in Panama.
The cascades were impressive (as was the journey there) but nothing compared to the experience we had camped outside our guide Jose’s house, right in the middle of the ‘Ngöbi-Buglé’ community. Zoe got to try on multiple traditional dresses and watch them being tailor-made to life, whilst playing with all the girls in the neighbourhood. And we enjoyed Yuka accompanied with hard boiled eggs served in handmade ‘Calabash’ bowls. We relaxed in hammocks, chatted to abuela and abuelo, learning from generations of ‘Ngöbi Buglé’ culture. Two days of hanging out with this wonderful indigenous tribe taught us about the incredible simplicity of life. All you need is a little water, a roof over your head, a fireplace to cook on and your family. This was a cultural experience we will never forget.
It was time for some more beach and not too far away on the pacific side lies Playa Gavilla. We found a restaurant that happily cut down some low-hanging branches to accommodate us and let us camp directly beside their private slice of paradise. Being a bay, the sea was calm enough to swim in and the white sands were picture-perfect. We ordered fresh lobster and red snapper which were so good, we fancied a go at catching those creatures ourselves. The next morning we set sail with our 14-year-old captain, riding past rugged islets and returning to shore with some of those red snappers’ cousins.
Las Lajas was a beach situated a little further south and had a reputation for being a pretty Panamanian one- having just come from Playa Gavilla we couldn’t see what the fuss was all about but nevertheless enjoyed some chill time at the Bucanero beach club with young entrepreneur owner, Yussef.
Cambutal was next in line for our Panama pacific coast exploration. This wild and rural peninsula really gives footing for the 4-wheel enthusiast to go wild. Some stretches are so narrow, that only a stupid six-ton truck camper would dare attempt them in the torrential rain and past daylight hours. Yes, that’s us! The road inland was so treacherous and untouched that we found ourselves arriving at the peninsula’s tip in the dark. There were then a few dodgy river crossings to traverse and steep, narrow and muddy hills to climb- to go any further would have been a huge mistake, and so, our Silverskin took part in what was perhaps a 14-point dance. We eventually turned around- only to find ourselves reversing into one of the rocks located at the entrance of our chosen wild camp; completely totaling our brackets for the stable lift!
Do not despair, Richie’s toolbox was there, and he skillfully repaired our camper the next morning- that was after finding a bag of limes sweetly placed upon our steps. Was that gift pure pity from a passerby who was walking his dog at sunrise? Or was it those meat angels that stopped by later that afternoon? Yes, we had that random encounter again, just like we did on a campsite on the Baja, Mexico.
Stocked up on different pork varieties (smoked ham and sausages), we ventured out again to try our luck at some deep-sea fishing. We were in the car at 7am, would you believe it? This punctuality, however, was soon short-lived when our camper fell into a ditch. Yes, Cambutal’s narrow roads strike again. Luckily, the Camión we pulled over for, was still waiting and was ready and able to pull us out; the first time we have ever needed that recovery strap for ourselves.
Our captain didn’t leave without us, and we enjoyed five hours of Pacific Ocean fun. We saw whales and giant turtles, and our four trolling rods got us some fine ‘Bonito’ and yellow fin Tuna. A successful end to an eventful morning!
It wasn’t all dirt roads and pot holes though. We found ourselves camping at some rather lovely Cambutal accommodations, reuniting with Hourlesslife again and our Dutch friends from ‘Gatogoesglobal’. We dug into some very tasty Belgian treats at ‘Cou cou crazy’ in Penasi and some exceptional pizzas at ‘Hippie Pizza’ in Santiago de Veragua.
Do you believe in curses? It was on this peninsula though when our trusted Apple Macbook bit the dust. One evening on that beautiful Belgian campsite, on a hot and sticky night, it simply stopped working. It looked like it had overheated, much like we had too. Time for those mountains again! Off we trotted to Valle de Anton.
The climate in Valle de Anton was indeed more agreeable and we treated ourselves to a morning soak and volcanic mud face mask at some local natural hot pools. The Argentinian empanadas on the walk back to the campsite were not so bad either. Valle de Anton is another one of those pretty towns full of yummy cafes and restaurants. The impressive villas in addition to the stunning view that surrounds also made this detour here a worthwhile stop.
Panama City and the daunting task of shipping our vehicle to Colombia was finally upon us. Luckily for us, there was already a fantastic organisation in place which takes care of all the logistics and paperwork for getting your vehicle around the impassable Darien Gap. This, friends, is called ‘The Overland Embassy’ and is pioneered by the invincible Alejandro. We say invincible because his genius idea of helping fellow overlanders like us get ready for container or RoRo shipping has exploded! When we pulled up outside his garage that Thursday evening, three other camper vans were already parked up as well, as a number of vehicles needed wheels changed and repairs done. After just 18 months in the business, he is a roaring success.
But at the time of writing with pretty much a one-man show going on, we couldn’t spend the next 10 days squashed up like a can of sardines. It was hot and sticky and there was very limited safe space for Zoe to play. It was definitely time to book an Airbnb and an air-conditioned one at that!
For those that don’t know the ‘Darien Gap’ is 100 mile stretch of jungle- a no man’s land in between Panama and Colombia. We are not entirely sure of the reasons why they still haven’t built a highway to connect the two continents. Panama and even parts of Costa Rica once belonged to ‘Gran Colombia’ as did Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia. That makes it even more a mystery, but we suspect it has something to do with drug trafficking and immigrants wanting to move to the USA and since Panama was built by the Americans, they still have a lot of influence over it.
Well, it’s an expensive deal if you want to travel to South America, or vice versa, overland. As you know, Silverskin is tall and unfortunately doesn’t fit into a container. This means he has to join the big trucks and do ‘Roll on-Roll off’. This alone is a costly affair, setting us back a whopping $5000. Then there is the cost of flights and Airbnb accommodation on both sides, plus port fees and insurance to take into consideration. These travel companies have a good thing going on here for just a measly 100 miles, we on the other hand were $8000 poorer.
Our Airbnb was in a fairly central location, and came with parking. This meant we could detach our car from our camper and go and explore the capital… go and sit in the city traffic anyway. It’s a large metropolis and the most modern one in Central America. But gazing up at the skyscrapers could be a hobby in itself. There is some pretty impressive architecture to be found here, and we enjoyed the change in scenery.
…As well as the many dining options of course! Which for us included some bbq grub at a microbrewery, an Indian curry at ‘The Londoner’ (this was actually a date night for Richie and I- thank you Genesis at the Overland Embassy for your babysitting service), and a flamboyant and traditional night of Panamanian cooking and dancing at “En La Fonda” with Panama City born and bread Maité.
You can’t visit this city though, without checking out the Panama Canal. The Miraflores locks visitor center is an incredible way of seeing the mighty vessels navigate themselves through the waterways, keeping on track with the help of tugboats and locomotive trains. Arriving at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, we got to see three huge ships on their passage from East to West- the Caribbean to the pacific. Years of genius invention, planning, failed attempts and skilled engineering created by the French and completed by the Americans- all at play here, working like a song in front of our very eyes. A must-see for all!
And speaking of ships; it was time for our camper to set sail on a vessel of its own. From one continent to another. With the help of the team at the Overland Embassy, we got our bedroom window fixed, got some planks of wood cut and bordered up Silverskin to make him safe and secure for his voyage.
Police check was done, TIP and insurance renewed (we had just gone over our 30-day limit) and our briefing with Alejandro was completed.
The next day we drove to Colon and underwent similar procedures as with a border crossing. We handed over our keys and waved goodbye to our beloved home on wheels.
Our flight to Cartagena awaited early the next morning. The wake up to a new chapter. Three years ago today, we arrived on North American soil ready to embark on an adventure of a lifetime. 8 countries later, and we feel we’re only just getting warmed up. South America here we come!
Thanks for reading and we’ll ‘meat’ you guys around the world!
