PANAMA

Friends that feel like family, shipping chaos and the canal.

View of Panama City from James and Colleens condo

Panama Canal

Panama
June 19,2008

We love PANAMA!! The border crossing at Paso Canoas was so far the most official looking and the easiest to navigate. Again we had to cancel our permit and get exit stamps in Costa Rica. Then to enter Panama we were issued tourist cards, $5each and a vehicle permit. There were fewer tramitadores and they were nicer. Once we crossed into Panama from Costa Rica we were amazed at the terrain. So raw, and primal. Lush forests covered the hillside and jagged mountains poked out through the ground in a very sporadic fashion. The Pan-American was in excellent condition in the left lane, the right was littered with potholes. We spent 3 nights at the XS Memories RV park near Santa Clara. Sheila and Dennis drove their RV down 14 years ago and stayed to open this great RV park. They have a full restaurant, bar, pool, exotic birds and a wonderfully landscaped area, as well as cabins for rent. Many overlanders stop at XS and it’s a great place for information. Sheila dug up some email addresses of other overlanders for us to contact regarding shipping.
Our second morning there, we heard English spoken by the couple sitting behind us. Then we heard the names of some Canadian cities, I had heard enough. We got to talking and it turns out they are from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and now live in Panama City. They are missionaries and have live in exotic places like the Seychelles. We asked if they knew of a cheap place to stay with parking in Panama City. They said they’d put their heads together and think of a place while they had their lunch. They paid their bill, came to our table and invited us to stay with them from Monday to Wednesday. They were both leaving Panama, James for a day and Colleen for a week. They had a condo and it offered gated parking. We were floored by their offer to the point we felt we should decline the offer. Well we didn’t and James and Colleen would be waiting for us at the Puente de las Americas (Bridge of the Americas) early Monday morning. Monday morning we made the 2 hour drive to the meeting place and there they were. We were glad we didn't have to navigate our way through the chaos that is Panama City on our own.
First, we stopped at a great local fish market to pick up something fresh for dinner. James and Colleen served up a hearty breakfast and the best coffee we had ever had. Later James and Colleen took us to the old colonial part of Panama City, Casco Viejo. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We loved it! As you probably know, Moreno and I love old architecture. When we got back they continued to be amazing hosts and searved up a fabulous dinner of Corvina, the local fish and many tasty sides. By the time we were heading to bed, they told us we could stay there as long as we needed to arrange all our shipping details. These people are too amazing.
We spent hours calling and emailing potential shippers. We wanted to ship our van in a 20ft container to Ecuador. Many shipper quoted us upwards of $2000USD plus port fees on both sides. We were worried we were going to be way over budget. We decided on Barwil Agencies and dealt directly with super friendly and helpful Evelyn Batista. She speaks excellent English and knows her business. She arranged for us to share a 40ft container with a couple doing a similar trip. There were two big differences: one, we had to ship to Colombia. Two, we would save thousands of dollars. The shipping would be $900USD and flights to Cartagena, Colombia were $115each, not $500each to go to Ecuador. Another bonus was we would get to meet some interesting travelers, exchange stories and tackle the shipping challenge together. Evelyn worked a minor miracle in our opinion. More on shipping on the SHIPPING PAGE
During the week we spent alone in their condo, we began work on our website. Before all we had was facebook, and it wasn’t cutting it. Ash spent tons of time on it, and it shows. We did get to spend one more day with James as he flew back to Panama only to fly out to Peru the next day. A few days later Colleen arrived from Florida. We were so happy she was back, we missed her dearly. Its amazing what a connection we have formed with them, they truly feel like close family. With the van shipped, we had more time to work on the site and talk with Colleen. The day before we left for Colombia she took us to the Miraflores Canal Locks. It was incredible to see the feat of engineering in full function. We watched a large chemical tanker pass through the locks. The Panamanian government is amidst massive upgrades to the canal to accommodate the world’s largest super-tankers. That night we had our last meal with Colleen, we laughed and talked into the late hours o the night. Early the next morning she drove us to the airport, gave hugs and said our goodbyes. All of us a little sad, but knowing we’d meet again on the return trip. James knows a missionary who makes trips into the notorious Darien Gap, we hope to be back in Panama in time to go into the Gap with them. Off to Colombia. The 70 minute flight was our first together.

Find out more information about shipping our vehicle.