30 August 2011

Panama: Bridging the Americas

Location: Panama City, Panamá
Biggest riding day: 101 miles
Months on the road: 8
Countries so far: 7
Liquid cocaine confiscated off the Panamanian coast last week: 900 gallons
Most surprising sight:  an Oldsmobile moving down the road under its own power

In Panamá, the riding options have been limited, but I turned on the gas and headed for the big city.  The kilometers ticked down on the Panamerican Highway until I crossed the bridge of the Americas yesterday.  It was good to arrive and reach a major waypoint on my journey.

I have not done a good job quantifying my journey, but here is a chart showing how much time I have spent in each country, then correlating that to the size of the country.  In other words, the land are of mexico and central america, divided by my days on the bike...  A different way to examine travel pace.  If I knew my miles ridden in each country, that would be interesting to compare how much I wander...




welcome to Panamá

the roads are inviting

crunchy leaves brightened my day.

the road winds up into the mountains

and into the wake of hurricane Irene

daily routine

leaving a wake...

The high lands

I watched the bike channel for a while, but it was boring.

better live...

carmel.  and chocolate frosting.  delicious.  if i was in america, it would be on a pop tart

didn't expect to find you here...

Suzuki LJ-80


bag o baked treats a soda and a gift of fruit.  $1.20.  i had an allergic reaction to the wacky fruit, which leads me to believe that i am also allergic to lychee nuts (similar), which i have only ever eaten the same time as mango, which means, that maybe i am only allergic to mango PEEL.  more investigation needed before i go wolfing down some mangos.

camping by the river is scenic, but i try to be in the water or in the tent, as the skeeters and midges are a bit voracious

every girder all the way down was bashed upwards.  how fast was this guy going?

don crispi just sounds like a latin version of colonel sanders...

panamerican road marker tells me my daily mileage

shower, and a foto sexi for my friends in Club de Ciclismo IxmiBike

dawn patrol on the panamerican highway

breakfast of champions, chocolate frosting, peanut butter, and banana sandwiches.

i suppose a real champion would eat the snake, and use the skin for some new grip tape...

cookie cutter subdivisions line the road leading to the city.

they repair tires...

When gifted kids succeed.  A Far Side reference

you can buy grade B milk here.  i splurged the extra 10 cents for the grade A.  the drip is a nice touch.

cool panamericana sign

heading into the weeds for some camping.

an enthusiast backpacker heads out of panama city for his first day of cycle touring.

the bridge of the americas...

not super cycling friendly heading towards the city...

riding over the Panama canal, with the skyline in the background.

a snarl of traffic leaves a nice path for the cyclist.

this is a toast to los abuelos peregrinos.  and to panama.  thank you, for a good ride thus far!  flor de caña....yum

the skyline really is a sight at all hours.

at nighttime, the empty money-laundering hulks sit dark and vacant.

my view from bed is nice.

a vortex in the sky.  perhaps a sign?

smog visible in glow of dawn

aaaaand the hostel is surrounded by crumbling buildings, that will be worth a fortune when rebuilt.
Now getting prepared for Colombia with some excursions here and there to round out the continent... 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool graphs...you sped through Mexico and yet managed to spend most of your time there! Cheers to mi pais gigante!

Matt K said...

Saw a link to your blog via the Darien Gapster facebook page. I enjoyed seeing that someone beside myself found it noteworthy that yes, indeed, there is such a thing as Grade B milk and that you have to bike all the way to Panama to find it (http://www.flickr.com/photos/numerosiete/4785870488/in/set-72157624474863816).
Have you made it to Colombia yet?
Safe travels,
-Matt.

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