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24 Jul 2010
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Taking it all in once the fog cleared.
Looking down the steep steps. It was safer to go down backwards using it as a ladder.
Temple V in all its glory. This was the most impressive looking temple as it was the most cleared of vegetation and the looked the grandest. Restoration began only in 1991.
The yet to be fully restored pyramid in the Lost World section of Tikal. There are four other older pyramids under this outer face as the Maya had a tendency to build new structures on top of old ones. The oldest pyramid dates back to 700 BC making it the oldest structure at Tikal.
A leaf-cutter ant hauling his prized leaf across the walkway in the site that many Mayans toiled over the centuries hauling rocks to build this magnificent city.
A stela detailing stories about the kings at Tikal.
Detail of the stela.
Another round stela, looking similar to the Mayan calendar...
The tops of Temple III, II and I from Temple IV.
Tourists soaking in the view from the top of Temple IV, which was still being excavated. Only the roofcomb was clear.
Temple III covered in heavy vegetation, yet to be excavated. You can see the roofcomb behind the tree trunk in the middle.
Temple I and the Gran Plaza from the top of Temple II.
The profile of Temple II.
Beautiful birds on the park grounds.
Info on the Ceiba tree.
The unique looking Ceiba tree, which is the national tree of Guatemala and is worshiped by the Mayans.
The trunks can get pretty large and the trees sport wide buttresses to support their heft.
Heading back south, passing the beautiful Lago de Peten Itza.
Tasty lunch of chicken in a gravy with rice and potatoes for Q10.
Heading south towards Rio Dulce on the eastern side of Guatemala.
Staying at Hacienda Tijax on the river.
There were a lot of waterways around and they used lots of suspension boardwalks to get above the water and reduce human impact on the protected area, where lots of bird-watching was happening.
Staying in a thatched jungle room for Q60.
Rio Dulce is popular among yachties as it's the safest place to spend the hurricane season in the western Caribbean.
Last meal in Guatemala of a thick tortilla with beef, green onions, sauce and some mayo sauce. It was quite tasty for Q15. At this comedor (road-side shack), just as I was finishing up my meal, a group of guys walked in all brandishing pistols in their belts. They seemed friendly and struck up a conversation about the bike and my trip. One of them spoke good English, probably the boss. They pulled in on 3 Toyota pickup trucks and had guards from their pose surrounding the whole comedor as lookouts. I figured they must either be some gang or political group or just rich, powerful people. The funniest thing was when I told them I rode through Mexico, they asked, "Isn't Mexico dangerous?" and they were all carrying guns, haha. I guess everyone is scared of what lies beyond their boundaries.
Taking the busy highway towards the Honduran border. This highway connects Guatemala City with the port on the Caribbean and was crowded with semi-truck traffic. Onwards to Honduras.
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24 Jul 2010
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Honduras
South of Guatemala are the countries El Salvador and Honduras. Due to time constraints, I decided to skip El Salvador to avoid the El Amatillo border crossing between the southern end of El Salvador and Honduras. It's notorious for its corruption and the officials making you run around in circles for hours, and likely paying hefty fines for something or the other. This usually leaves a sour feeling about Honduras and wanting to give it a proper chance to make an impression, I chose to go through the mountains of Honduras and visited a few colonial cities.
My route map from Guatemala thru Honduras into Nicaragua. Click on it to go to the interactive version in Google Maps.
Getting to the El Florido border crossing between Guatemala and Honduras.
Border towns are not places to hang out, but during the daytime, it's all good.
Welcome to Honduras.
Checking in the bike at Honduran customs. Cost $35.
The El Florido crossing is close to the Mayan ruins of Copan, but I didn't have time to stop and visit. I was heading further inland to the hill country town of Gracias.
Honduras' currency - The Lempira, $1 = L18.50.
Sunset riding as I got into the former capital of Gracias in the mountains.
Manuel Zelaya, the now-ousted president, who caused a ruckus and put Honduras in the international spotlight last year for wanting to amend the constitution and possibly end presidential term limits, a la Hugo Chavez.
Walking around the old colonial town of Gracias, I followed the old adage in seeking food that if there's a line of locals eating somewhere, it must be good. This guy was making simple chicken barbeque on skewers served with tortillas and a salad for L25 (~$1.50).
The streets of Gracias at night. This city was founded in 1526 and was for a brief time, the capital of all Spanish-conquered Central America in the 16th century. Some of these buildings are centuries old.
Telephone wire exchange.
Tienda means a small convenience store.
Riding out the next morning further south through the mountains.
Breakfast of fried chicken with scrambled eggs, refried beans, avocado and fresh cheese, served with tortillas for L40. This was more than I could handle in one sitting, so I packed the rest in my tupperware box and had it for lunch later on.
Heading towards La Esperanza.
The road turned gravel for about 20 kms.
There was very little traffic, this far away from the major towns, which made for an enjoyable ride.
Past La Esperanza, heading up to the main highway.
The main highway, Carretera del Norte, connecting the two big cities in Honduras, the capital Tegucigalpa and the industrial city of San Pedra Sula on the coast.
Enjoying a night out in the colonial town of Comayagua with my CouchSurfing host Rony and some of his Peace Corps friends from the States, Lucy and Heide. These girls were stationed in remote villages working on protecting natural environments and they were in town to celebrate Heide's birthday.
At Rony's house in Comayagua. His family runs a gym and he's currently working at the golf course in town, hoping to head to France soon to volunteer at an orphanage for a few months and travel around Europe.
The cathedral in the center of Comayagua, which was the original capital of Honduras, established in 1537. It's undergoing a renewal with help from Spain to preserve its heritage.
All throughout Central America, a lot of the public buses are old American school buses. To me, it seemed like once they weren't good enough for the US, probably not passing emissions, 'send them across the border, they need buses down there and no one cares about emissions' - except us poor bikers inhaling all that black carbon monoxide.
Down here, when you see a sign warning of falling rocks, you better take it seriously.
Washed-out road. A good reason not to be riding at night.
South of Tegucigalpa heading to the Nicaraguan border at Los Manos.
You know you're getting close to the border when you see a line of parked trucks. The paperwork must be a major headache for them.
Last edited by Jammin; 24 Jul 2010 at 02:00.
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24 Jul 2010
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Nicaragua
After two days in Honduras, I crossed into Nicaragua and couldn't escape their well-known police traps, but still managed to leave with a positive feeling about the country after visiting Granada. These countries have been torn by war and political strife in recent times, but things are calm these days and the friendly locals make for a safe passage.
Welcome to Nicaragua.
After paying a $3 road tax, this guy wanted to pose for a picture. Nice friendly first impression of the Nica police, but not for long. They snagged me a few miles down for passing on a solid line, which another $3 bribe sufficed.
Nicaragua's currency - The Cordoba. $1 = C21.
Nice roads, but generally more flat. Heading to the capital city of Managua.
Staying at ADVer Salcar's house in Managua. He was actually in Switzerland but told me I could still stay at his place.
Riding through some dense fog on my way to Granada. I went up and over some mountains, through the misty town of Jinotega, to avoid a known police shake-down spot on the main road from Managua to Granada at Masaya. This is known as one of the most scenic drives in the country as it climbs to 4,000 ft and comes back down to near sea level in Granada.
Dinner at my CouchSurfing's host Avi's place in Granada. He's also in the Peace Corps, working on teaching entrepreneurial skills to high school kids. His neighbor prepared this meal for us as they ran out of cooking gas and Avi let them cook at his place. It's a typical meal of rice fried with beans, some salad of cucumbers and fresh cheese.
After dinner, we did what most Nicaraguan's do at night, hang out on their porch, since it's hot inside and usually there's a cool breeze outside. Avi's been here over two years and he's winding down his project.
Checking out the main plaza in Granada, the oldest city in Nicaragua, founded in 1524. Being on Lake Nicaragua with access to the Caribbean, it was an important trading post and was wealthy leading it to be ransacked multiple times by British and French pirates from the Caribbean. Recently, it kick-started Nicaragua's tourism with its rich colonial heritage.
The cathedral in the Parque Central.
Statue in the central park with the inscription in English "devotion and love to all mothers".
Having breakfast of 'yuca con cerdo' - cassava or manioc with grilled pork. I like the taste of cassava; it's slightly sweet and the texture is interesting too. It's a staple food in many developing parts of the world, especially Africa as it's a hardy plant and is considered the third largest source of carbohydrates in human diets.
The yuca and pork at the food seller's stand.
Heading south out of Granada, towards the Costa Rican border.
Windmills on the shore of the huge Lago de Nicaragua.
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24 Jul 2010
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Costa Rica
Costa Rica, the rich coast as Columbus thought it contained a lot of gold when he landed here, has actually been made rich by bananas and its well developed ecotourism industry. It's also the most developed country in Central America and along with that comes higher prices for everything, similar to costs in the US. For this reason, most budget travelers buzz through Costa Rica, but I had to spend a few days in the capital of San Jose in order to get visas for the first few South America countries. Being the most developed country meant that it also had a good diplomatic representation from a lot of countries.
I know a couple trucks are expected at border crossings but the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, there's only one crossing, had a line of trucks at least 6 kms (3.5 miles) in length. This was an indication of how complex this border crossing must be.
Using a helper at the border, to help me navigate all the various booths I had to go to and get stamps from.
At the Nicaraguan customs office. I've been able to navigate all the previous border crossings with no problem, but that was also because I went across smaller, less trafficked borders where the various buildings were close together. Here, with only one border between these countries, it was a massive operation with tonnes of people getting on and off buses, truckers trying to get their papers approved and individual travelers. The procedure was not well-signed for the unaided traveler. You get a small slip of paper as you enter the border compound and you have to get it stamped at various booths to show you've done all that is necessary and then you have to give this paper to an officer in order to exit the border compound.
At the Costa Rican customs office, which was a similar hassle to the Nicaraguan side. One thing I've noticed in these few border crossings so far is that the bureaucratic culture seems more similar across a particular border on both sides as opposed to being similar among a country's various border posts. As in, the bureaucracy seemed similar between Honduras and Nicaragua and between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. They're probably just trying to match the other guy's bureaucratic loopholes.
My route map through Costa Rica. Click on it to go to the interactive version in Google Maps.
The skies opened up as the rainy season had officially started as I made my way to Playa del Coco, a beach town about an hour south of the border to stay with ADVer Chris.
The view from Chris' apartment, looking across the bay.
The well-furnished compound.
Chris' Land Rover Defender at his girlfriend Anna and her dad's motorcycle and car repair shop. I got a good deal on a new chain that was a left over from a Honda Africa Twin repair job.
Chris and his KTM 990s being greeted by Anna'a various pit bulls. They were all super friendly. Chris used to race professionally in the AMA Motocross Championship and traveled around the US and South Africa with the KTM factory team along with Red Bull sponsorship. He's currently taking it easy in Costa Rica and discovering all the good off-road riding that's to be had.
Leading me out of town on my way to San Jose.
It was nice and sunny in the morning and then the rains kicked in after lunch.
A typical set meal called a consado of rice, beans and chicken with some veggies for 2200 Colones ($1 = CL500).
As I was riding the steep, hilly road in heavy rains getting into San Jose, I came around a corner and found a tree had freshly taken down a telephone wire pole. We were the first few people on site.
One of the drivers lifted up the wires enough for me to get under. These were the first few rains of the season and anything that was loosely held together is going to get washed away. The new rains also made the roads slick as it was washing away all the oils from the road surface. A few corners further down, I had to down-shift to first gear to really slow down for this sharp hair-pin turn and with the roads so slick, the rear tire broke loose and the bike went down. We slid for a few feet before stopping and no injury to me as I immediately stood up and picked up the bike with the help of a passing rider. Only damage on the bike was a broken highway peg. No pictures as it was too steep to park the bike and traffic was coming.
I made it safely to La Moto, a motorcycle accessory shop in San Jose, where ADV rider Mischa works.
Mischa's adjusting my rear spring, raising it up a bit to reduce how much the bike sags with all the weight on the rear. The shop is run by John, who's an ex-AMA superbike racer.
Their Nicaraguan mechanic, Elvis, fabricating a new highway peg. The original one worked well to protect the rest of the bike from damage like the shift lever and engine casing. It worked as a frame slider.
Outside Mischa's house in San Jose. His family moved from Germany about 20 years ago due to his father's health requiring warmer climes. Mishca used to work in the tourism industry before switching into the motorcycle accessory business. He's riding KTMs. I was in San Jose mainly to procure visas from the South American embassies and addresses in San Jose are unique because they don't use street names but rather give distances from landmarks. Mischa showed me where all the embassies were on Google Earth and using GPS coordinates, I had no problem navigating my way around the city. Thanks Mischa!
Riding up to Volcan Irazu, about an hour southeast of San Jose. In the morning, the tilled fertile farm land on the flanks of the volcano were exhaling moisture as the sun warmed it up. It looked like the volcano was breathing through its sides.
The main crater of Volcan Irazu at a height of 3,300 m (11,000 ft). The crater itself was 300 m (1,000 ft) deep and 1 km (3,300 ft) in diameter.
Another view of the crater as the clouds quickly rolled in. To get good views, you have to come up here early in the morning as by 9:30 am, the clouds were rolling in.
A group of local bikers from San Jose gathering around my bike and asking questions about the trip.
Riding above the clouds. The road up and down the volcano was a blast to ride with nice turns and good long distance views.
Heading back down to the valley, dropping 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in about 35 kms (22 miles).
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24 Jul 2010
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Panama, Part 1: Boquete and Chitre
Panama, the last country in Central America before the big South. Known globally for the successful Panama Canal, it's also well-known among travelers as the Pan-American highway ends in the jungle province of Darien and there is no road connecting to the South American continent. This presents most travelers with the issue of flying across the Darien Gap or sailing around it. I made some arrangements a few months back with Ludwig, the captain of the Stahlratte, a 40 meter ship plying the waters between the San Blas islands of Panama to Cartagena, Colombia. My rush through Central America was to make sure I would make it on time for the boat. I got to Panama with enough time to spend a few days in some of the smaller cities and managed to head down to Yaviza, the last town on the Pan-American highway in the Darien.
There are two regular crossings on the southern side of the border between Costa Rica and Panama, but the one on the northern side here, at Sixaola/Guabito is the more interesting one as the border crossing is an old railroad track bridge.
It's one way of course and I went early in the morning to make sure I could take my time in getting across and not be rushed by traffic.
Slowly working my way across the bridge. The officers on the Costa Rican side said to take the left lane as the planks were better. This was better as well as I could slide my left leg along the raised pipe and keep the right foot on the rear brake.
At one section there is no railing to protect you if you fall over, so don't look down and just keep going.
Yup, semi-trucks cross here as well. This border crossing was quite relaxed but Panamanian immigration said I had to pay $30 for a tourist visa, after being told by the embassy in San Jose that I would need no visa. But it was no hassle, they just processed it there. $15 insurance for the bike was required.
My route map through Panama. Click on it to go to the interactive version in Google Maps.
Local transportation in Gaubito, Panama.
Nice twisty roads heading south towards Chiriqui Grande.
Lunch of rice and beans with chicken in a sauce and potato salad for $2. Panama uses the US dollar as its currency.
Heading up from the Caribbean coast over the Continental Divide to the Pacific coast.
At the divide with the Pacific Ocean in view far away down there. Elevation was around 1,200 m (4,000 ft).
You think I'm loaded down? 
A localized moving column of rain. I got rained on a bit here and there but managed to avoid the real heavy stuff. The intensity of the storms are just amazing. I reached Boquete by around 4 pm starting in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.
At CouchSurfer Ellen Ring's house in Potrerillos, near Boquete. Ellen moved down from Texas a few years ago and after working in finance in Panama City, she's moved out to the milder mountain life and is now promoting tourism in Panama with her site CheapPanamaVacation.com. Tourism in Panama is not as developed as Costa Rica or Mexico, but has a lot of potential.
I work up in the morning to a flat rear tire, the first one of the trip. I have a heavy duty rear tube, so it helps in supporting the form of the tire and not fully collapsing.
Wrestled to break the bead but finally got there with tube pulled out.
Something sharp poked through here...
...causing this corresponding hole. I thought the heavy duty rubber tube would withstand more abuse, but I guess if it's sharp enough, what can you do besides patch it and ride on.
Scrubbing the area around the puncture to prepare it for the patch.
New patch applied and good to go.
Having a tasty lunch, after slogging away all morning on the tire, of rice with chicken in a garlicy sauce with bean soup and desserted plantains for $2.
While Ellen and I were having a few drinks and waiting out the afternoon rainstorm, this pickup pulled up selling fish out the back.
We bought a 3 lb Amber Jack for $4.50.
Having the fish cleaned and filleted.
And cooking it up for Ellen in a thin batter of egg with flour, chili powder and garlic, along with lentils and rice.
The next morning, going past Boquete, looking for a waterfalls but not coming across it. However, the road was fun and it climbed up to about 1,800 m (6,000 ft).
Having a typical Panamanian breakfast in Boquete of beef or chicken in a sauce with a flour-based deep fried tortilla, resembling an Indian poori. The sauce and the tortilla were really tasty. Cost $1.50.
The valley with Boquete down on the left side and the Continental Divide rising behind it.
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24 Jul 2010
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Back on the Pan-Am heading south, I saw a DR in my mirrors and pulled over to talk with Dan here. He's from California and is taking a few months off to buzz down to Tierra del Fuego. Small world, as he emailed me a year or two ago asking about my Happy Trails panniers before he purchased a set.
sanDRina was happy to mingle with some family. And without knowing it we pulled over in front of Policia Nacional, inviting a document check by the officer. All was in order and we got going.
Dan was shooting for Panama City that night and I wasn't going as far, so he sped ahead.
In the small town of Chitré, on the Gulf of Panama, staying with CouchSurfer Arilys and her family. This is with her dad in front of a bakery. Crazy wall painting.
With CouchSurfer Arilys in her home. She's a psychology professor at the local university and is a huge rock fan, recently going to Metallica and Guns N' Roses concerts. They didn't speak much English, so it was Spanish immersion time again. I can manage to convey my ideas across and can hold decent conversations. I'm slowly picking up more vocabulary with time.
Having a simple and tasty dinner of sauteed shrimp with rice and tomatoes with fresh pineapple juice. Arilys doesn't eat much meat and really enjoys rice with tomatoes. She prepares the white rice quite nicely with oil and other spices and the fresh tomatoes go really well with it.
Doing laundry the next day. Eww, that's a murky brown. Lots of sweat.
Feels good to wash everything. I tried washing in Costa Rica but the air was so humid on the Caribbean coast that the clothes didn't dry overnight. Here, Arilys had a spinning machine that squeezed the water out (like in locker rooms at swimming pools) and then the clothes dried within an hour. I also washed my gloves, helmet liner and boot liners. My main riding jacket, pants and the bike have been washed with the heavy rains.
Heading out to the local beach, Playa El Rompió near Los Santos. Arilys' boyfriend is a big surfer and there's an active surf culture down here with much better beaches further south on the Peninsula de Azuero. The boats are waiting for high tide.
Playa El Rompió at sunset. The beach is very shallow and each wave was coming in quite far. Nice mirror effect with the retreating water.
Birds teasing the tide.
Getting down low to meet the incoming tide.
Being treated to a fish fry dinner at El Mirador, a lookout restaurant on a nearby hill. Arilys' dad works for the Ministry of Health and travels by road all over Panama and I was trying to get some information about the road to Yaviza.
Fish fry of Corvina with patacones (squashed, fried plantains), washed down with cheladas - lager  with lime and salt. Her dad and I added some hot sauce and made them micheladas.
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24 Jul 2010
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Panama, Part 2: Canal and Darien
Into Panama City to see the canal and onwards south to the end of the Pan-Am in Central America at Yaviza in the Darien.
After a nice two days in Chitré, I continued on south to Panama City.
Crossing the Bridge of the Americas (Puente de las Américas) as it goes over the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.
Riding alongside the Panama Canal Railway, which was built in 1855 in response to the Gold Rush in California and the numerous people traversing from the East Coast of the US to California, avoiding the wild interior. They took ships down to Panama, crossed the 50 mile isthmus and sailed onward to California. The railroad was also pivotal in Panama being chosen for the canal as it greatly helped during construction in hauling equipment in and debris out. Today, it helps transfer cargo from one side to the other in addition to ships traversing the canal.
The first of three locks in the Panama Canal, Miraflores.
sanDRina at the Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal with a Hapag-Llyod Panamax cargo ship traversing the lock.
Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal with a cargo ship in the far lock. The Panama Canal was constructed to reduce shipping times from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, saving around 13,000 kms (8,125 miles) of going around Cape Horn. It costs about $100,000 per transit of the canal for big cargo ships compared to around $1 million that would be spent in fuel and other costs to go around Cape Horn.
The Hapag-Lloyd Panamax cargo ship at the last lock before reaching the Pacific Ocean. Instead of cutting straight through the continental divide, which the French tried initially when they started building the canal in 1880, the American design uses locks and dams to raise ships to an altitude of 26 m (86 ft) before dropping them back to sea level.
Slowly being lowered as the water level drops in the lock. Panama was originally a state in Colombia and the US helped bring about independence to Panama in 1903 so that they could construct and operate the canal, which they did till 1999 when they turned over the operation to Panama.
Two more Panamax cargo ships coming through. Panamax is a designation for the maximum allowed dimensions of a ship that is allowed to pass through the locks of the Panama Canal. Ships are designed specifically to fit through the locks. Supertankers that are much wider and longer than the locks are referred to as Post Panamax.
The water is pumped from the top lock to the bottom lock (note the first ship is almost level with the ocean surface now).
Being released into the Pacific Ocean. Look at that thing, it's 13 semi-trucks wide! Each time a lock is opened, 101,000 cubic meters (26.7 million gallons) of fresh water is released into the ocean. Seeing the wastefulness of this, the canal authority in cooperation with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development has designed into their future expansion water-saving basins at each lock that will reuse 60% of the water in each transit.
The next ship being lowered as the water level equalizes.
Once the water level is equal, the gates in the lock open...
...and the ship is tugged through to the next lock. The electric tug trains cost $2 million each and about 6-8 of them are used on each ship to help stabilize it thru the lock. There's only 2 ft of clearance on each side of Panamax ships.
Heading down to the last lock. It takes about 10 hours for a ship to transit the whole canal.
The containers securely tied down.
The Panamax CCNI Punta Arenas, heading to Chile. Biggest users of the canal are the US, China and Chile. Most impressive to see this engineering marvel in person, paying respect to the thousands of workers who lost their lives in its construction.
The Puente de las Américas, one of two permanent bridges connecting the north and south American land masses as it passes over the Panama Canal. I'm geo-technically on the southern American land mass 
Heading down the Calzada de Amador (Causeway), which juts out into the ocean for about 3 kms. It was constructed by the debris from the canal.
It's a pleasant drive with space for jogging and bicycling; popular with residents and tourists. Note the ship on the right side, it was the first one I saw through the canal.
Panama City skyline from the islands in Panama Bay.
Panama City skyline with boats. It's probably the most modern looking Central American city I've come across, some say resembling Miami, with more English spoken here
Heading back into the city with a view of the Puente de las Américas.
Casco Viejo, the old town in Panama City. It's a bit run down, but it's being slowly restored. Before construction on the Panama Canal began, all of Panama City was in Casco Viejo. It was abandoned for the new city as economic expansion dictated more real estate.
Staying at Hospedaje Casco Viejo for $10. My first backpacker hostel of the trip. The area was considered dodgy a few years ago, but it's quite safe nowadays.
Casco Viejo was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 and its restoration continues.
Iglesia de La Merced, an old church still active with service. It looks like new construction was built to support the old facade.
Parque Herrera at sunset. Lots of locals were milling about and the place was very active.
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24 Jul 2010
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Coming across a restaurant, run by Chinese with good looking food in the display window and approval from exiting locals.
Rice and beans with chicken in a sauce and fried plantain and special sides of fried chicken gizzards and liver. Mmm, mmm, good. I've been craving me some gizzards. Cost $2.70.
Walking back to the hostel I came across this small plaza where the chic outdoor restaurant in the corner was piping beautiful jazz music and I just had to sit down and soak it in with the fresh evening breeze and clear night skies up above.
With one day left to catch my boat to Colombia, I decided to head out early to get to Yaviza, the town at the end of the Pan-American highway in Central America.
Catching a nice sunrise over the eastern part of Panama City. The southern corridor road cuts across the bay and is tolled.
Heading towards Tocumen with the sun breaking through.
After Chepo, the road gets smaller and there were numerous one-lane bridges with sheet metal coverings; slippery when wet.
This ride was quite a challenge a few years ago when it was unpaved, but now it's a leisurely paved ride. But the scenery is still nice and there's some twisties here and there.
Welcome to Darien, the famous remote province of Panama with less than three people per square kilometer.
It's a UNESCO World Heritage site for its primeval landscape, which hasn't changed much in a million years due to lack of development. Surprisingly all these trees haven't been felled by loggers and it feels good to ride under the shadow of such lush forests.
The scenery changes a bit (less trees around) as you get near Yaviza and the road gets twistier.
Welcome to Yaviza, the last town on the Pan-American highway until Colombia. The reason they haven't connected the road to the Pan-Am in Colombia is mainly because of the tough jungle terrain with lots of rivers and swamps to cross. I'm sure they could if they really wanted to and might at some point in the future, but for now, there is no intention to connect the road as it would destroy a lot of virgin forest and might spill over the fighting from Colombia into Panama and could ease drug smuggling.
The Pan-Am just ends into this single lane concrete road as it circles around the township.
There are military guards all through the Darien and they take down your passport details in case something goes wrong. Once you enter Yaviza, you're directed to go check in at the local police station and have to tell them what your intentions are (staying the night, just having lunch, etc).
This could be considered the symbolic end of the road as the Darien continues on the other side of this bridge. People have crossed the Darien Gap overland into Colombia, but it's a serious expedition.
Locals pulling ashore with plantains to sell.
You can get a taste of what lies ahead in the jungle. Colombia is just about 150 kms away. I'm happy that there's a gap here as it adds a bit of excitement in getting to Colombia.
Having lunch at a decent looking restaurant in Yaviza. There were lots of locals about, but not unsafe in anyway. Having left Panama City at 6 am, I got to Yaviza by 10:30.
Having sancocho, a typical food around the whole of Panama, basically a soup with some meat and cassava. This one was with goat meat. Cost $1.50.
The colorful public transportation of Central America. All through these countries, the buses, usually old American school buses are decorated and painted in wild colors. This isn't the best example, but this was the last one I would be seeing so had to snag a pic of it. Made it back from Yaviza to the town of Chepo. Last night in Central America, boarding the boat tomorrow.
My ride back from Yaviza was exciting as I incurred another flat. I was slowly losing air in the rear tire after lunch and decided to just keep adding air and riding it to my destination for the night where I could work on it leisurely. This small nail was the culprit. I found it as it poked me; good thing for that tetanus shot.
Having a nice place to work on it at the back of Posado Caledron in Chepo. Room cost $12 plus $3 for the bike.
Using the Tyrepliers Beadbreaker successfully. It works well on one side and the other side usually requires a bit of wrangling with a tire iron to get the bead to break. (The bead on a tire is the contact area that secures the rubber tire to the metal rim).
Three huge 15" tire irons, making an easy job of getting the tire on and off the rim. Not really easy, but much better than using standard smaller tire irons.
What a coincidence that this new puncture was just about an inch away from my first puncture. I thought at first that the patch on the first puncture had failed, but I found the angled gouge from the new nail.
I had to remove the first patch and tried a larger patch to cover both punctures but the patch wasn't sticking since I didn't have the right tools to overcome the curvature of the heavy duty tube, so I walked over to the local tire mechanic and had him patch the tube. He's grinding the area here.
He applied hot vulcanizing rubber to cover both punctures and set it in this press to cure.
While waiting, another customer came by for an inner tube for a truck. He's running it through the water tub to check for leaks.
$1 for a nice, thick, huge patch. He liked the heavy duty tube and complained of the cheap, thin Chinese tubes that are widely available here. I'm going to keep patching this tube.
Two hours later, tire is back on and ready to ride to Carti tomorrow to load onto the boat. Enjoying a nice chowmein at the local Chinese restaurant for $2.50.
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24 Jul 2010
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Sailing On The Stahlratte, Part 1: Getting on
Journeying overland from North to South America presents all travelers with the question of how to cross the Darien Gap, a 150 kms (95 mile) stretch of dense jungle that has seen no development due to its harsh environment of swamps and rivers. It's for the better to preserve some raw nature in today's high-paced world. The Pan-American highway ends in Yaviza, Panama and picks up past the jungle in Colombia. The quick option is to fly over from Panama to Bogota or Quito, but it's also the expensive option. The more fun option is to put the bike on a sailboat and cross over to Cartagena, Colombia, across the Caribbean Sea.
There have been quite a few riders who've taken the sailboat option and had a bad experience as the captain was either inexperienced or didn't deliver as promised. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure to sail with the most reliable captain and boat in these waters: Ludwig on the Stahlratte, a 40 meter (130 ft) steel-hulled sail ship, built in 1903 and still going strong. I contacted Ludwig before I began my trip and planned the Central America portion of the ride in order to get to the boat on time. May 10 was the last sailing date before the Stahlratte was going into maintenance for about two months in Cartagena, and as I got delayed leaving the US, this was the earliest I could make it down here. When Ludwig informed me that the trip was booked completely by a group, I asked if there was someway I could still come aboard as part of the crew and work my way across, not requiring much comforts, as I was mainly looking to just get across to Colombia. He happily agreed and said he could use the extra help and I would only need to pay $360 to transport the motorcycle over. I was feeling good about this and excited to be part of the crew of a sailing ship, that too on my first voyage across open waters.
Ludwig, along with all the other captains, offers a four day sailing trip where the first two days are spent exploring the beautiful San Blas Archipelago and then sailing across open waters to Cartagena in about 30 hours. I came on board a day early to meet the crew and get familiar with my duties.
The Stahlratte was anchored near Carti on the Caribbean side of Panama (upper-right on map) and from Chepo (blue marker), I had to take the Llano-Carti road across the divide (black line along the white makers). The road is to the right of the right-most white marker.
The route of the voyage from Carti, Panama to Cartagena, Colombia. Click on it to go to the interactive version in Google Maps.
It was a beautiful ride as the road crossed the continental divide.
The road was mostly paved, but had gravel spots in the troughs. The route also steeply descended and ascended rapidly.
Entrance fee of $9 required by the Kuna Indians as this is a protected area.
Riding through dense jungle with a bit of rain.
The fast-flowing Rio Carti Grande, which was about a meter deep. In the dry season it's easy to cross the river, but with the start of the rainy season, there was no way.
The road picking up on the other side. They're building a new bridge, which should be done in a year or so.
Ludwig arranged with the Kunas to have a canoe ready for me to take me to the Stahlratte.
I felt like I've done my part in getting to the end of the road here on time and now things were happening to get me to Colombia.
Heaving the front wheel into the canoe.
Balancing on the frame and turning her forward.
And lifting the rear of the bike into the canoe. The guy at the back was holding onto my rear tool tube and snapped a zip-tie, but besides that, it went quite smoothly.
Aboard my first canoe with sanDRina.
They used planks on either side to stabilize the bike but I remained sitting on her, just in case.
Heading out.
Kunas paddling upstream in a slim canoe.
The lead boatsman checked the silt build along the way, from perhaps known sand bars.
Cruising down the Rio Carti Grande.
Heading out to the open sea.
Huge pieces of driftwood at the mouth of the river.
The brown, murky, sediment-filled color of the river slowly getting diluted by the blueness of the sea. The Stahlratte off in the distance.
Coming up to the Stahlratte.
The Stahlratte, meaning "steel rat". A Bremen, Germany registered vessel. It was built in 1903 in The Netherlands and started life out as a fishing vessel. It was bought in 1984 by the Association of Advancement for Sailing Navigation in Germany and converted to the current twin mast schooner layout and is heading on a long term voyage around the world. Besides a hefty diesel engine, two generators, a seawater-desalination unit, she's also equipped with all the necessary safety equipment, including satellite communications.
Pulling up alongside.
The Captain, Ludwig getting the ropes ready to lift sanDRina on board.
Yeah, just as we got close to the ship, the bike started leaning over with me still sitting on it and I feared we were going to fall in the water. Quick save by the Kunas.
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24 Jul 2010
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Ludwig's First Officer, Roland or Roli, stabilizing the bike as she was winched up.
Easy does it.
Getting some air.
The pulleys used for lifting the bike on board. She was tied around the handle bars and the luggage frame.
Safely on board the Stahlratte.
Passing my panniers onto the ship.
Roli securing the bike to the side of the ship. He's also a rider and has been traveling for many years, setting off from Austria. He custom-built a motorcycle and rode around South America for five years. After Ludwig helped him in getting across, he decided to stay on board and help restore the ship before finding passage onwards to Asia, hoping the Stahlratte heads that way. He's skilled in electronics, among other things and re-did lots of the wiring on the ship.
The canoe that we came in. Cost $20.
Woohoo, finally on board the Stahlratte! I was impressed at the size of the ship and being greater than 30 meters (100 ft), she can be called a ship instead of a boat.
On the upper deck looking back at the captain's bridge.
Looking ahead at the ship's wheel, used for manual control. The two levers beside it control the rudder and engine speed. She also had auto-pilot, which was used once we were on open waters.
Ludwig preparing dinner in the ship's galley of steak and potatoes. They liked to eat well and both were good cooks.
Having dinner at the main dining table on the upper level. The girl on the right is Peggy, a friend of a friend of Ludwig's who spent about two weeks on board, who was leaving the next day for Costa Rica when the main passengers were due to arrive.
The interior of the Stahlratte - looking towards the front from the library/office into the kitchen. The hatch door behind the bench was the entrance to my cabin.
Heading down into my cabin for the trip.
It was a good-sized room at the back of the ship and that fan made it a pleasant journey.
The cabin was right behind the engine room and there were some diesel fumes but at least I had one small window to the outside world.
Ladder leading out of my dungeon.
The back of the ship where Roli slept. Watermelons in the net.
The exhaust pipe from the engine exiting the side of the ship with a workbench above it.
Food stores in the back of lots of fresh vegetables and fruits.
The kitchen preparation area and indoor dining.
Cooler stacked with sodas and (part of my duties were to keep it restocked).
Filling up on fresh water for the trip. There was an on board desalinization unit that could pump out 120 liters of fresh water in an hour.
Pantry with lots of food for the trip.
Heading down to the main passenger cabin from the kitchen.
The main passenger cabin, which slept about 20 people.
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24 Jul 2010
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Sailing On The Stahlratte, Part 2: Cruising The Caribbean
Setting sail on Day 1 of the voyage.
The jungled mountains of the Darien staying close as we hugged the coast heading down the San Blas Archipelago.
Ship detail on an island.
Arriving at Isla Moron (in Kuna language: Narrasgandup Dummat), our destination for the first night. Bike was covered to protect against the salt spray.
As soon as we dropped anchor, Steven here jumped in.
Getting ashore and exploring the island.
The steel rat, rusting a bit and requiring regular care, but a handsome sight nonetheless.
Heading ashore in the dinghy to prepare dinner.
Roli in the dinghy. I basically stuck to Roli and helped in whatever he asked.
The girls collecting shells on Isla Moron with our home for the next few days anchored offshore.
Pristine beach all to ourselves.
Eliza and the Stahlratte.
Roli getting a chicken barbeque going.
Mmm, barbequed Jamaican jerk chicken. Besides Cartagena, Ludwig also makes trips to Jamaica and gets some good spices while he's there.
Having dinner on the island as dusk grew into night.
Sailing about two hours the next morning to our destination for the day, Coco Bandero (in Kuna: Ordup).
An island for the day.
Too small, ok, here's another one nearby. Amazing to see so many small islands across the landscape. This is all protected area and the Kunas harvest the coconuts from all the islands.
If you're really bad, you might get castaway on this two-tree island.
Shipwreck.
One of the cyclists, Parker having a swing on the boom line.
Letting go...
...and plunging into the Caribbean.
View down from the crow's nest up on the main mast with people relaxing in the net up front.
Looking back at the ship. Black netting was put up to provide shade.
While anchored for the day, Ludwig had some Kunas scrub the side of the ship.
View of our island for the day from the crow's nest. I tried snorkeling here for the first time and really liked it - nice window into the world under the ocean surface. It was also my first time swimming across deep open waters and I'm not a strong swimmer but managed to make it to the island from the ship.
Preparing orange juice in the kitchen with the passengers whose turn of kitchen duty it was. Along with Roli and I, about four people took turns each day helping with the food duties. The guy in the middle is Seth, the organizing cyclist and the three girls are sisters: (L-R) Maddie, Hannah and Eliza (Seth's girlfriend). Everyone on board was super friendly and cordial. Giant Roli getting in on the picture.
Last edited by Jammin; 24 Jul 2010 at 15:20.
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24 Jul 2010
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Seth is actually sponsored by fishing companies for his cycling trip and they're all about fishing in interesting places. He and Steven caught these two fish on the island and Roli is cleaning them up for dinner.
One of the girls, Danielle, wanted to learn how to clean a fish and Roli is showing her how to make fillets.
Fried fish for dinner. Along with the fish Seth caught, we had barracuda.
Dinner on top, the night before setting sail for Colombia.
Cleaning the ship, getting ready to sail.
Breakfast with a view.
After breakfast on the third day, we got the ship ready for the open water voyage. Ludwig got a weather report from his agent in Cartagena that there were 3-4 meter (10-13 ft) swells on the voyage ahead. If it had been greater than 7 meter (23 ft) swells, Ludwig said we would wait it out.
Roli cranking the bow motor to reel in the anchor.
The anchor raising up and we're underway. Note the rich blue color of the water.
Hoisting up the sails to add stability to the ship. To move forward only with the sails would take longer and since the ship was on a schedule, it was an engine-powered voyage.
Dolphins surfing the bow of the Stahlratte!
A huge pod of them kept us company for a while before breaking off. The ship was moving wildly up and down and we were wondering how they know not to get hit by the ship.
Ludwig at the captain's wheel with the sails fully deployed.
The swells on the first day were quite impressive. The ship pitched up and down as she rode the swells. We would see a big swell coming our way and everyone would brace and yee-haw as we went up and over it. It was wilder than any roller coaster ride I've been on.
Everyone got a little sick and some people were not feeling good the whole voyage. The mood became quite somber as everyone found their place of comfort on the ship and tried to sleep it off. It was better to be up here in the back than in their beds down low in the front. I started taking sea-sickness pills before getting on the ship, but it was still too much for me and I had to hurl twice. But I felt much better after that and keeping busy also helped.
Preparing breakfast on Day 4, last day of the voyage. My usual duties were to cut tomatoes, pineapple, prepare the cheese and meat plate and anything else that was required. I actually enjoy cutting vegetables, so it wasn't so bad. And I liked how Roli placed importance on presentation as you eat with your eyes as much as you do with your mouth.
The stove with supports to prevent the pots from moving while we were underway. The three little pots on top were used to make espresso - good strong coffee.
The view from the kitchen. I had to keep an eye on the horizon to quell my queasiness.
Getting sprayed with salt water as we crashed down from a swell. Good thing for that bike cover, but my rotors still got rusty. I was told to spray the bike down with WD-40 before getting on board to protect against the salt, but forgot about it as I was repairing my flat tire.
Dolphins again as we neared Cartagena.
Looking back from the bow (front).
Ludwig keeping a watchful eye on the waters ahead. He and Roli took turns through the night to man the ship. I asked if I could help, but they said they still needed to be on watch because I wasn't experienced in this, of course.
Reading up top by the captain's wheel. After I got over my queasiness, I spent lots of time up here with a great view all around.
Looking ahead on the starboard (right) side and first land sighting ahead on the right.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
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