Panama

The border was well organized, and all requirements, within a few meters of each other. The bikes stayed right where they were parked before we rode into Panama.

While we were finishing up another 08 KLR parked beside us. I checked out all the similarities and differences of our bikes and noticed that this blue KLR had a few hundred more kilometers than mine and was from Chile. Later I met Rodney, the owner, and we talked about this and that …. he was on his way home from an attempted round the world but I didn’t get all the details. He was traveling with other bikes, some had quit and some had rode on. They were also sponsored by Sony, Kawasaki and who ever else. Again, I didn’t get all the details. I gave Rodney my email to hook up in Panama City to have a drink and share research for transporting the bikes to Columbia but I haven’t heard from him yet.

So Jan and I hit the road. After a while Jan turned off into some town and kept stopping to ask directions. I didn’t know what was going on, and figured I would just go along for the ride until I could figure out what we were doing.

And then I finally asked …. What are we looking for? Pachanga! Oh yeah …. Johann had suggested Jan stop in to say hello as he is an avid Harley guy and had also owned a ’45 like Jan’s ’43, and maybe just maybe some parts may be available. All we had to do was to go to El Centro and ask for Pachanga and sure enough people gave us directions until we arrived at his home. In the end one guy led us with his bicycle. A short while after talking to this woman who lived next door, Pachanga arrived.

And just then he pulled up on his bicycle and kindly invited us into his Harley Shrine room.

This room was covered from top to bottom in Harley memorabilia, parts, pictures and anything else you can imagine. I remember sitting there and saying outloud to myself, I wish I had something to donate … and then I got the idea ….

Here is Pachana, ‘The Hunter’, a nickname coined by the ‘Easy Rider’ magazine that came to do a photo shoot in his Harley Boutique some years ago. They called him ‘The Hunter’ because of his hat.

So I decided that the T-shirt Johann had kindly given me in San Jose was better suited for ‘The Hunter’, as I didn’t own a Harley myself, and this man dedicated his life to Harley’s, so I gave it to him. And truthfully, it was a perfect fit on Pachanga. It seemed to Jan and I that the shirt came to life when he put it on. I did however keep the Harley sticker that is now on my helmet, thanks Johann.

And after quite a long time of chatting with Pachanga and other people who stopped to see what was going on and to chat and look at Jan’s bike, including the Policia who stopped to pick up a used fridge from across the street, a couple ladies and a few more friends of The Hunter’s, well we reluctantly rode away and into David, Panama. Here is our room right off El Centro with secure parking for $33.

Jan and I went out on the town during this rain storm and met some locals who told us about, yet again, Columbian women. Everyone (every guy), we meet says wait until you see the Columbian women. I really have a hard time believing they can be any more beautiful than what I have seen so far in Central America …. natural beauties, not like I’m a judge or anything, just an observer.

After this ride, we stopped in Santa Clara, on the beach in this nice place for $50 a night.

And it’s here that we met three other BMW Riders, Andy and Tony from England, and Manfred from Germany. We talked about transporting the bikes from Panama City to Columbia and three alterrnatives have been mentioned; 1-fly by air cargo 2-sail by catamarn 3-fly with an empty Columbian Air Force Carrier (what happens is they fly a load into Panama and go empty back so apparantly they will take bikes and jeeps and the people for a small fee, (pocket money for the crew which isn’t public knowledge and I suppose can be arranged, ‘Anything is possible, but nothing is for sure’). We shall see ….

This bush looked to me just like a dude raising it’s right arm and saying,’Here you go, it’s all there for the taking’.

Some bee or something came flying at me while I was racing down the highway, opening the throttle wide to clean out the carbs and to have a little fun. I saw it at the last second, like a little rock and then wham it hit me near the collar bone, and then the pain of the sting that seemed to last for a minute. This picture below is after taking Benadryl, and the swelling had already gone down some over night. It spread right down to my abdomen and was painful to sleep on at night.

The next day on to Panama city, where we will again hook up with the fellas also going to Columbia.

So we looked for a hotel recommended by Claus in San Jose, CR and finally found it but decided it was too much $ and the parking wasn’t gated. So we went to another we thought might be alright and while waiting with the bikes outside, while Jan was inside the hotel, two Policia were checking out the bikes as usual, and when Jan came back outside they asked, What are you looking for? For a hotel with secure parking and a price for less than $40. Follow us. And so off we went following their car, with the police lights on they drove us to a hotel. Very nice service. There they are in front of Jan, the lights came on just after the picture.

After meeting with the fellow riders for dinner, beers and to discuss our plans for research tomorrow, Jan, and another guy who showed up named Wallace from Saskatchewan riding a side car Ural, well we went for a drink at a nearby Casino and then to a gin joint across the street before returning to the hotel. Actually and how it turns out, Wallace was checking out my bike and then he noticed the license plate and he said he had the same letters and numbers for his Alberta plates. He got his just before I got mine, in Edmonton, and probably the same motor vehicles branch. Crazy indeed! Out by one number; his DG 889, mine DG 890.

This is our room with a view this morning …. September 2nd, 2009.

Jan, Andy and I researching and making Skype calls to various shippers. Tonight we have a meeting with Fritz The Cat captain to talk about shipping our bikes via his catamaran to Cartenga, Columbia.

I have to say that one of the most encouraging aspects of traveling in CA is that there is always someone that can fix something. From Mexico down, nothing is thrown away, everything is kept, fixed and resold. Today I watched two guys take down a huge AC unit, take it apart on the sidewalk, clean it, put it back together and again hang it on the wall of the restaurant.

The meeting went well and we shall board Saturday afternoon to set sail on Sunday. Apparantly there is a river crossing of about a half of a meter when the water level is low that has to be crossed to get to the Cat. Apparantly there are small boats to load the bikes onto for the crossing if the bike or person cannot cross. We shall see ….. could be fun, could be sort of fun, could be a riot, could be, well as could could be. Time for many many errands today …. chow.

The next day I had two things I wanted to do; 1 get a carton of ciggies for the boat trip and 2 see a little of Panama City. So while I was standing outside the hotel thinking of how to get around without going into the really rough area a taxi pulled up to drop someone off, so I jumped in and said in my poor spanish, Two things, one I want a carton of ciggies and two I want to see old Panama City. No intiendo said the cabbie with this serious expression. No intiendo? I showed him the smokes I had with me, mass cigarellos por favor. No intiendo. Then I went into my full english/spanish/pantomine and he stopped me and said, Why don’t you just speak in English? He got me. We had a laugh and we drove into the hood, and without getting out of the car a carton of cigarettes were passed through the window. And off we went, Ludrek West and I. So after doing Old Panama City, Ludrek said, have you seen the ghetto. No. Let’s go. Ludrek was in the military fighting in the Darian, then training in Louisiana, then a cop in Panama City until he decided the pay wasn’t worth his life, especially for his four boys and wife. He quit his police job and drives taxi and works for an American company called www.4life.com. He swears by these supplements and has seen many ill people become better, even his own mother. Anyway, driving into the Ghetto was no bid deal for Ludrek so off we went. Rather than explain every picture, most of which are not from the Ghetto, well I just want to show them …. incidentally we spent the day together and had dinner and then said our goodbye’s. The picture below is not his taxi ….

This is a very dangerous block. Someone dies everyday here. Even the cops.

Ludrek then asked, Have you seen this place …. No, let’s go!

Then he asked, Have you been on the mountain? No. You can see all of Panama City from there. Let’s go!

This is Ludrek.

Have you seen the canal? Nope. What man, you haven’t been to the canal? Nope. Let’s go!

I found this amazing. The excitement that people have for a machine is incredible. They even clap. It reminded me of the time I was working on The Love Guru and we had the Stanley Cup with us and the excitement that the crew had was more than anything I had seen before. Think of the biggest star and still the Cup caused more commotion than anyone I’ve ever worked with before. So I turned to JJ the 1st AD and asked him if he had ever seen such energy like this on set before and he said matter of factly, yes, Kermit The Frog. So the point is that at the canal the same thing happens to happen for something that doesn’t have a beating heart. It’s kinda weird really, but pretty cool too.

Leaving Panama for the boat ….

The Posse waiting for Wallace and his side car Ural.

We had heard we might have to cross a river but didn’t know how deep it would be or how fast the current would be.

So since mine was the lighter of the three bikes we tried mine first. I didn’t get any pictures as we were all busy. Jan, Andy and Wallace had not arrived so we decided to get busy until they got here.

This bridge would be built some day, just not this day ….

Wallace arrived on his Ural, it was a difficult road for his bike and Jan couldn’t make it up a couple of the steep gravel roads cause he couldn’t get a good run up because the corners just before were at 90 degree angles. Jan met some new friends that had some cold beers and the time and energy to help. They drove him across the river and to the boat, another truck pulled Wallace’s Ural threw and after a a couple of laughs we mounted up and rode on.