Ends of the Earth Expedition: Central America

[Scott Brady]

We just completed two fantastic overland routes in Nicaragua, and are currently camped near Lake Nicaragua. I am hoping the internet works for a few hours so that I can make a detailed post.

All is well here, and we cross into Costa Rica tomorrow.

 

[DiploStrat]

Enjoy Ticolandia! We are all awaiting the next installment.

 

[Scott Brady]

Playa Tamarindo

A BGAN hello from the beach in Costa Rica. Life is good and we just played tourist today, playing in the waves.

All the best to my friends on ExPo!

 

[Scott Brady]

We are at Lake Arenal in Costa Rica. This is one of the most beautiful places we have seen on our journey. There is a public campground in a lush, green park right on the lake.

Getting remote has been at the cost of internet connections, so I apologize for the slow postings.

On to the Rafiki lodge today.

 

[Nullifier]

We are at Lake Arenal in Costa Rica. This is one of the most beautiful places we have seen on our journey. There is a public campground in a lush, green park right on the lake.

Getting remote has been at the cost of internet connections, so I apologize for the slow postings.

On to the Rafiki lodge today.

Truely an awesome place Scott. The beaches just south of Playa Conchal are really fantastic with some great trails to drive.

 

[Trail Monkey]

Hiking, Horseback Riding, Whitewater Rafting, Hammocking, Cocktails and sun. This Rifiki Lodge really stinks..:wings:

Can't recomend this place enough. Great location, great help, great food, great activities..

 

[WhereTheHellIsJames?]

Hiking, Horseback Riding, Whitewater Rafting, Hammocking, Cocktails and sun. This Rifiki Lodge really stinks..

Sorry to hear you're having such a crummy time... sounds truly awesome!!

 

[Scott Brady]

We are in Panama. Just a few hours from Panama City. Then preparations for driving to the Darien Gap.

I am also working on renting a KTM 640 Adventure and riding to the furthest point south in Central America too.

The vehicles ship on the 4th, and arrive in Galveston on the 9th, so I think I will just stay in Panama for the days they are floating along, and fly directly to Houston, then drive it home.

Panama is quite a contrast to many of the other CA countries. Wide, nicely paved roads, lots of infrastructure and a greater sense of security. Of course that is all at the expense of a little bit of the adventure too.

Looking forward to seeing Panama City tomorrow

 

[flyingwil]

Cool! Glad to hear things are working out for ya. The KTM would be nice to touch to such an awesome trip.

Have fun and be safe!

 

[haven]

With an extra couple of days in Panama City, I'd recommend a visit to Panama Viejo, the site of the original city. In the late 1500s and 1600s, this was a major port and trans-shipment point for gold and silver on its way to Spain from Peru. The city was sacked by Henry Morgan in 1671.

Following the destruction of Panama Viejo, the residents moved west a few miles to a peninsula that could be better fortified against attack. This area is the location of the Presidential House, home of (you guessed it) Panama's elected leader, and the old fort, or Casco Viejo. This area of Panama City is enjoying a renaissance these days, with lots of cafes and night spots to go with the colonial archetecture. Be sure to see the gold altar in the Cathedral San Jose.

For a pleasant alternative to staying in Panama City, consider the Canopy Tower Lodge, an ecotourist lodge on top of Semaphore Hill in Soberania National Park. The lodge is about 45 minutes' drive from Panama City. the lodge is based on an old radar station, and offers panoramic views of the surrounding forest as well as a convenient base for exploring the Panama Canal and the famous (to birdwatchers, at least) Pipeline Road. Here's their web site http://www.canopytower.com

March is prime time for birdwatching, so rooms at Canopy Tower Lodge may not be available. I think they might be willing to let you camp in the Earthroamers, however.

The company that runs Canopy Tower Lodge has a second lodge called Canopy Lodge. It's located high above the town of El Valle de Anton, about 60 miles (maybe 2.5 hours' drive) west of Panama City. El Valle is a vacation destination for Panamanians, and it has a productive artists' colony. The Tower Lodge was constructed a few years ago with ecotourism in mind. I have not stayed there myself, but reports from friends have been enthusiastic. The web site is http://www.canopylodge.com/

While in El Valle, take a ride on the zip line adventure operated by Canopy Adventures. These folks probably could point you in the direction of some off-road driving routes if the Earthroamers are not packed into cargo containers yet.

Panama is a great place to visit for vacation, particularly as an introduction to Central America. It has excellent infrastructure, interesting natural resources, friendly people, great food, and plenty of historic sites. The local currency is the US Dollar. Non-stop flights are available from Miami, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Chip Haven

 

[DiploStrat]

And for the History Nuts

Chip is correct about Panama Vieja (Trivia: Used to be the site of the Republic of Panama quarantine station - the hound spend forty days and nights in Panama Viejo.) Historical note: Panama la vieja became "la vieja" after Morgan the pirate conducted serious urban renewal.

Before you get to Panama City:

-- Boquete used to be a quiet little hill station with great coffee. Now a booming retirement community. Used to be able to drive up Volacan Baru. (4x4 - very low range!)

Also on the Pacific side:

-- The Miraflores locks (Duh!) (Note: One of the long buildings that you see to your left before you reach the viewing stand used to be home to the Canal Zone Mud Chuggers.)

-- Bit harder to find, Contractor's Hill overlook. Where the canal crosses the continental divide, most dramatic point of the Culebra Cut. (Cross back over the Bridge of the Americas and take a road to the right.) Used to be the primo "date" spot for CZ teens. There is a plaque, below the lookout, but it can only be seen from the canal.

-- Hardest to find, the third lane locks. Started during WWII to accommodate larger aircraft carriers. Quite impressive once you "see" what you are looking at.

On the Atlantic side:

-- Fort San Lorenzo, beautiful Spanish fort overlooking the ocean. (Taken, I believe, by Lord Vernon.)

-- Towns of Portobello (easy access) and Nombre de Dios. (Used to be very hard 4x4.) These were the shipping points for South American gold, brought across the isthmus on mules, via the las cruces trail from Panama. Impressive ruins. Sir Francis Drake did a bloody job on Portobello. (Now you know why there is a Portobello Road in London.)

N.B. Been a long time, details, directions, and road conditions will have changed.

Have a great trip!

 

[haven]

Boquete is a very nice town to visit. It's located about 300 miles west of Panama City, north of David. Boquete is the home of several of Panama's recent leaders, so the roads around Boquete are in good shape! A nice hotel in Boquete is the Panamonte Inn, http://www.panamonte.com

The town is up near the continental divide, and just about every afternoon clouds from the Caribbean side spill over the mountains into town. The setting sun produces a "cloud-bow" effect with big smears of rainbow colors. Boquete is one of the few locations on Earth where this is a regularly-occurring phenomenon.

The 4WD trail to the top of Volcan Baru was still open a couple of years ago. It's possible to drive this jeep trail up and over the mountain to the small town of Volcan. A nice hotel here is El Bambito, http://www.hotelbambito.com/

The Chiriqui highlands in western Panama is a reliable place to see the Respendent Quetzal, a bird that many people regard as the most attractive species on Earth. A good spot to stay for birdwatching is Los Quetzales Lodge, http://www.losquetzales.com

Chip Haven

 

[Scott Brady]

Wonderful feedback gentleman, thank you.

We did visit Boquete, which was a very nice city and booming area. Overall, Panama is exceptional, with clearly a great deal more wealth than all of its Central American siblings. Peter, a portal member has been helping us around the city and with the shipping logistics. Without him, the process would have taken three times as long.

Our hotel is right at the Miraflores locks, in the old US military base, which Peter's family is involved with managing. Quite a blessing for us. Panama City has so far been very interesting, mostly clean and very much developing. You can see the effects of the building foreign investment here. I really like Panama, and can see the advantages of buying property here, or at least coming here and renting a KTM for a few weeks. I found a company http://www.admo-tours.com/ that rents KTM 640 Adventures. I am not sure how many days I will stay in Panama City after the rest of the group leaves, but it might make sense to just stay here until the trucks are ready on the 9th or 10th.

The process of shipping the vehicles from Panama to Texas has been a great learning process, though incredibly convoluted and complex. We are through the broker process with Wilhelmsen, who is doing the RORO, and for the most part, they were good. Their US office and the Panama office do not quite get everything communicated properly, but we worked through the details. We are currently trying to clear the police inspection, which is the bulk of the process of exporting the vehicles from Panama (which will allow us to then fly out). We went there today, and they told us "manana". We will see how manana goes... :costumed-smiley-007

 

[Scott Brady]

Tomorrow morning, we leave for the Darien Gap. Very exciting! :wings:

 

[Trail Monkey]

Oh yeah baby....:smiley_drive: