Panama

An hour and a half flight and we landed in Panama to more heat and sweaty bodies. Hotel found near the airport and it was in the pool to cool. Very much an every day standards now. It was at the hotel that we met a few American couples who were contemplating or in the process of shifting to Panama to live. It seems that the incentives to retire here are very good. No tax, pension transfer from the USA no trouble, discounts on accommodation, restaurants, travel, duty off new cars every two years and the local currencies in US dollars. They were saying that a couple could live on 75% of their pension that they could not live on in the US without having to supplement it. A months electric and gas bill was $30 US in Panama.


Next morning it was off to the cargo depot at the airport to see if the bike had arrived, and yes it had. All in one piece and nothing missing. The police had been through everything in the panniers but all was still there. An hour and a half later with all the paperwork done we hit the road. We were through Panama City and over the Bridge of the Americas before we realised it. That must have been the Panama Canal. We turn around and recross the bridge, turn left and head to the lock to watch the passing ships. A trip highlight to see these huge cargo ships being steered through these narrow channels. Panama is in the process of widening and deepening the canal so they can get the super tankers of the future through. We rode to the end of the road and returned to spend a night beside the lock to watch the ships, and more swimming in the pool.

Next day it was over the bridge for a third time and up the Pan American highway. The riding through the jungle highway was amazing, lush and green. A stop in a roadside town saw the local police tackle a problem bus passenger. No half measures or questions asked here. It was in with the pepper spray and whoever was in the way received a face full. To take out one guy, six went down. Backup arrived and off he went. The others were attended to, hands shaken and life carried on.

That night we checked into a hostel come hotel on the coast. It was so nice and relaxed we stayed for two. Cold beers, pelicans, drug patrolling police, amazing butterflies, and good company all made for a great stay. Trying to take photo of butterflies is near impossible. They don’t stay in one place long enough to get the picture. I guess that is why they get pinned to a board !!!!!!!!

It was sad to leave the beach but Panama is not a cheap place to stay so it was onto the Pan Am and head north.. A couple of side trips up into the mountains, one to the coffee area of Panama, confirmed what we had been told about the retiring pensioners. In the cooler mountain areas many housing developments were on the go with many finished. Lovely homes, in gated communities, all in a western style. Those we spoke to all loved the climate and had no intension of returning north. Politically they say the US has too much of an interest here to let the place go backwards and for this reason many are moving south. Many of the US rich and famous are buying up coastal land for the future. Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt and Donald Trump to name a few.

We carried on through Panama in constant wonder. It was different to what we had expected. Very western, with quite a bit of English spoken. Billboards in numbers we have not seen, making staying focused on the road difficult at times. All the big US fast food chains are present and supermarkets full with everything you would ever need. Friendly people everywhere we went made Panama a great place to visit.

Next it is to Costa Rica and the start of the infamous border crossings