Panama City
It is time to reach the capital to begin the process of passage into Colombia.
There is no road connecting Panama and Colombia.
The "Darien" region is still very preserved and of an undisputed authenticity, it is a paradise sheltering an immense biodiversity making the happiness of all nature lovers.
This forested area straddles Panama and Colombia and marks the boundary between Central and South America.
It’s a pretty dangerous area for drug traffickers and illegal immigrants.
The only solution we have left is to put the camping car on a boat carrying only vehicles ( RORO) and for us to take the plane to "Carthagene des Indes"
The majority of travellers go through "Anna" in Colombia and "Thea" in Panama, two freight forwarders specialized in the transport of motorhomes.
It is a whole organization and an obious theft, price of transport wise.
The bill is about 3,400 dollars for a day of crossing !!! It’s not a typo !!!
We will explain the different steps as we go along.
Originally our boat was scheduled for 24 May and we organised our program according to this date
.
But Thea contacts us to announce the cancellation of the boat and offers us a transport on May 15. She tells us that no other boat is planned for the moment in May, June and July.
We have no choice but to reorganize our program, that’s why we arrive early in Panama.
Punta Chame
We want to get away from the rain, which cools the atmosphere a little, but every day it gets annoying.
We choose a surf spot on a beach by the Pacific Ocean.
It’s the weekend and the surfers arrive early ..... 6 AM and leave at nightfall. The motorhome is surrounded by pick-up trucks that are tight against each other.
We watch the continuous show given by surfers of all levels.
We are on a beautiful beach but invaded by mosquitoes or other unidentified insects !!!
At night we are alone and our sleep is lulled by the movement of the waves
El Valle de Anton
We are awakened by the song of birds that we can’t see.
We try to follow the hiking trails but with the rain of the last few days it’s impossible.
Sarigua National Park was established in 1985 and lays over 8,000 hectares, consisting of mangroves, coastal areas and completely deforested areas.
It is the driest region in Panama and what makes this park beautiful is this desert landscape, without any vegetation, with the soil completely cracked ... That’s what we should have seen!!!
We are looking for spots by the sea. It is very difficult, the acces to the three sites we have found are not reachable with our camper.
Of course, once there, it’s a hassle to navigate and maneuver ... A few cold sweat.
Finally we took refuge at "El Valle de Anton" in the mountains , after a quick stop to see a cathedral built by the Spaniards (actually by the indigenous slaves) that is closed ... Bad luck
Here too,the spots are impossible and we find a hotel restaurant that accepts us in its garden.
In the late afternoon we meet "Delphine, Alex and their two daughters" who have to pick up their motorhome in Colon in three days for a 4 month 1/2 trip.
As in all meetings, we exchange informations...
The hotel and restaurant being empty we decide to stay several days with the blessing of the owner.
The days are lulled by rain in the late afternoon so we spend the mornings visiting the city and the poor museums !!!
We find a pretty sporty hike that we do under the sun ... And at the end a beautiful view of the valley awaits us.
In a natural setting unique in the world, El Valle de Anton is located 600 m above sea level, inside a crater of a volcano that has been extinct for 300,000 years.
ROAD BOOK 109
MAVROS ODYSSEE