On April 16th, it was time to cross the border into Panama. The Costa Rica part took some time because we only suspended the permit for the vehicle. There was a lot of traffic and we missed the entrance to the duty free area where everything should be very cheap, they say …. In Panama it was easy, just getting the insurance for the rig took a little time. We continued the drive to Caldera, some hot springs in the mountains, where we found a nice place next to a river which was free and we met a nice couple from Quebec. The funny thing was that we could not reach the coordinates from ioverlander, http://ioverlander.com/places/6953-on-the-bacnks-of-rio-chiriqui, as the bridge crossing the river did not look like it is going to be strong enough for us. At least we did not risk it. In the evening we hiked to the hot springs, but they were closed so we returned and had a nice conversation with our new friends.
On April 17th, We decided to soak in the hot springs
so we walked back. The place was nice but the entrance fee seemed pretty stiff
for that. Anyway, it was nice to heat up and cool off again. We returned had
another long conversation and went to bed.
On April 18th, Next stop was Boquete, a small mountain town, who attracted investors
and expats in the late 90s. The road was very nice, nearly like a highway in
the US, and it took only an hour to get there. We found a place run by a German
who was pretty cool http://ioverlander.com/places/147-pension-topas. We had
electricity, water, internet and a pool. There were mainly backpackers staying
at his place. We met Alena, a German woman, who traveled the world for 9 months
on her own, so we had a lot of stories to exchange. We explored the town which
did not have a lot to show for, but had a nice flair.
On April 19th, We wanted to hike to the top of
the volcano but decided a smaller hike would also do since the volcano hike
would leave at 10pm to see the sun rise at 5am. Alena joined us and we took a
taxi to the entrance of the trail to see some Quezales (which we didn’t….
second park without any luck). Afterwards we wanted to see some waterfalls, but
it started to rain and we decided to go back into town. On the way back we
stopped at a place called “Mi jardin es su Jardin” which is the garden of a private
family, sharing it with everybody. It was huge, but somehow ran down. The café
shop was closed and we found out, that the place was officially closed. That’s
a phenomena we have seen quite some times on our trip. Some places seem that
the golden age for them was over…. A pity, especially when you see how much
effort was put in a place like this…. In
the afternoon we returned to town had an early dinner and relaxed at the camp
site.
On April 20th, the beach was calling us so we
went to Las Lajas http://ioverlander.com/places/1269-las-lajas-beach-cabins. We arrived in the early afternoon and it seemed people
would only come here on the weekend. We were pretty much the only visitors at
this place. The beach and water was beautiful but we decided to stay only for
one night, because it was very hot. Something we would experience for the whole
time in we stayed in Panama.
On April 21st, Next stop was a river with a view,
on the way to Panama City, close to Santiago. Well, not quiet, we had the wrong
GPS information and ended up in the middle of nowhere. We tried 2 different approaches
to get there which ended with more scratches on the camper and no river spot.
Oh well…… We continued on the Pan American Highway to Santiago where we found a
nice hotel. They would let us camp in their parking lot and use the pool for 10
USD which was fine. http://ioverlander.com/places/14143-hotel-vista-lago. We enjoyed the
pool to cool off and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.
On April 22nd, We replenished groceries in Santiago
and went to El Valle de Anton, another mountain village. It did not seem far
away but the road was extremely hilly so it took some time to get there. We
stayed for the night on the side of the road, with a great view, not far from
town. It was very windy but the view was really nice. We met a Spanish woman
who was a marine biologist working for the Smithsonian, who have huge
investigation facilities in Panama. At night we had to feed a hungry dog and the
locals came to party, offered a beer but left us alone so we had a relaxed
night.
On April 23rd, We drove down to the village. Like
I said very hilly and not good for the brakes J
We checked into our campground, the windmill hostel which, http://ioverlander.com/places/8066-windmill-hostel was expensive (20
USD/ night) but had power, internet and a pool and some rather interesting Americans
running the place. We walked through town, had some typical Panamanian lunch and
bought some veggies at the local market … This was supposed to be an important
market in Panama, but since we saw the markets in Guatemala, all other places
where so tiny and do not have the same flair. We spend a quiet evening at the
pool and a nice hot shower (which in these countries are not very common… so we
really enjoy it).
On April 24th, Next stop was Panama City. We
reached it after about 3 hours driving. We went over the famous bridge that
connects the Americas and stopped at the marine/ yacht club, which is famous
because overlanders can stay there for free. In the past they even had
electricity for free and you could do the laundry (1USD). We saw another van
and talked to a couple from Argentina, who said they were staying here since a
month (they were still working and preparing their trip north). The place was next to a hotel (Country Inn) with
free internet. But it was hot like hell. We went for a walk and returned soaked
in sweat. More overlanders arrived.. .Another couple from Argentina, travelling
and sleeping for nearly 2 years in a regular car/ SUV, and a couple from
Canada. After exchanging some travel experiences we went to bed hoping to cool
off a bit during the night….At least we were able to sleep.
http://ioverlander.com/places/880-informal-campsite-balboa
On April 25th, We went to explore the city. First
we took a taxi to the famous fish marked (Mercado de Marisco), had some yummy
seafood cocktail and ceviche. Then we went to see Casco Viejo. It’s the old
town which is now nicely renovated and very enjoyable to walk through. The only
thing which bothered us was the heat. After 2 hours we returned to the fish
market got some more to eat and bought some tuna and shrimp to take with us
back to the camper. We continued to the Isla flamenco which has a lot of
restaurants a huge marina and a duty free shop where we had to stop and get
some rum. We walked back to the camper which was about 3km and called it a day.
I know we could have seen a lot more of the city but for us it was good enough.
After long thoughts and discussions, we decided Panama will
be the most southern point of our trip (this trip at least), because we decided
that after 15 month of travel it is time for a break to digest everything we
experienced. You start to take the things you see for granted and you don’t
appreciate them as much anymore and we don’t want that. South America would
take at least another 2 years if you want to see and enjoy it. So in the next 3
to 4 months we will drive back to the US on a different route take a break for
a year or two and ship the rig directly to Argentina or Uruguay and go north
from there (at least that is the plan).
On April 26th, Now it’s time to see the famous
panama canal. From our camping spot we had already seen some ships passing by,
but we wanted to see the operation. So we drove early in the morning (they open
at 9am) to the Mirafores locks 20km east of Panama city (it’s actually not easy
to find, because it looks that you cross a harbor backyard) to see the ships
going to the east to the Caribbean, but they were already through before the
visitor center opened. Normally during night and in the morning until 10.30h or
so the ships go from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and after 3 pm they start
coming from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Operation is 24h a day 365 days a
year, up to 40 ships a day. This day traffic going west was heavier than going
east, so all ships going east had already past Miraflores, being the first lock
on the way east. The crossing takes a ship 8 hours and costs on average 120.000
USD… Now we where there and no ships…. we had to wait until 1pm before we could see
the ships going west. So we decided to go back to the camper, have breakfast/lunch
and a nap before we returned to watch the ships. It was worth the wait. We
stayed until 4pm and saw all kinds of vessels… Container ships, cruise line,
sailing boats, and the auxiliary rocket of a space shuttle. All very
interesting but we had to leave to get to our next destination back on the
pacific coast. It was a nice fishing town called Farralon, which was
recommended to us by one of the Argentinian couples. The village was a mix of
traditional fishers and new resorts and apartment complexes for foreigners and
reach Panamanian. At the very far end we found the restaurant, Las Pipas, http://pipasbeach.com/localidad.html, where we could stay for the night for free. We ate at the
restaurant and met our friends from Argentina again.
On April 27th,
We packed up and went to Santiago where we bought some supplies and
drove to a campamento evangelico, la Buena esperanza, http://ioverlander.com/places/12402-campamento-evangelico-la-buena-esperanza
. As we arrived the weather deteriated and it rained very heavily. Rain season
was starting…. We hope that this would not happen to often while driving… this
is no fun! Finally we arrived and were welcomed by Heinz and Erika a Swiss
couple that were running this place for over 20 years. We stayed for 2 days
enjoyed nice conversations and did some repairs on the rig. We also met a
French family, with 3 kids, who traveled in a big RV.
On April 29th, We continued to David where we
bought more supplies and went towards the Caribbean site of Panama. The night
we spent with a family (Yira and Epifanio with their kids) in a small town
which was recommended by Erika. They let us stay for the night and invited us
for dinner. Stefanie and Yira cooked dinner while Robert showed Epifanio and
the kids our camper. Epifanio is mechanical Engineer and has a 60 year old
milling machine, which he is very proud of.
On April 30th, We had breakfast with the family
and they showed us their town. We packed up and continued to Almriante on the
Caribbean site of Panama. The recommended parking place in town was full so we
found a place at the Bomberos ( Fire department ). They were very friendly and
let us stay for free. We went to a restaurant next door on the water and did
some sightseeing. Well the town was not very nice but it serves the purpose to
take the ferry to Bocas del Toro. There was a big operation for Chiquita,
bananas, and they explained us, that they have 1 container ship per week just
with bananas going to Europe. The vessel just had arrived and we could see
unloading the containers….
On May 1st, We got up early and took the water
taxi to Bocas. Next we booked a trip to go snorkel and to see a beautiful
islands. Our favorite was the Bocabante national park beach and the corral bay
to snorkel…. It was a wonderful trip!! Later
on we explored the island for a bit before taking the last water taxi to main
land. We had dinner and returned to the rig. The bomberos were having a party
for the “dia del trabajador”. We got invited and had a good time with them. All
of them seem to be really happy people, and the say they don’t want to live
somewhere else…
On May 2nd, It was time to move on. We said good
bye and gave a little donation before we continued to the border to Costa Rica.
We stopped for Diesel because it’s a lot cheaper than in Costa Rica and went to
the Border. The formalities were easy and there were only a few people. We had
the pleasure to cross the famous bridge and after about 45min we were in. We
continued to Punta Uva were we spent the next 4 days. We parked next to a
restaurant/ cabanos and enjoyed the beach http://ioverlander.com/places/1520-el-arrecife
. There was a nice opportunity to snorkel right offshore. This could be
paradise. Robert, celebrated his birthday, Steffi prepared some delicious
crepes and we had some delicious lobster, prepared by our own cook, sitting on
the beach. We had nice weather and enjoyed 4 days in this little paradise, went
swimming, snorkeling, reading, siesta in the hammock, etc. We met other
overlanders from Switzerland, Jan and Marita, traveling south in their Mercedes
Sprinter, and an American woman, Trisha, looking for her new home in Central
America.
On May 6th, We could have stayed here forever but
it was time to move on. We headed towards Lago Arenal, as we love the area, and
wanted to soak in the hot springs again. Traffic was horrible… From Limon
towards San Jose, the highway was packed with trucks (brining in containers
from the port) and taking Bananas (Chiquita, del Monte, etc) to Limon. Limon seems
to be a pretty big harbor, at least by the number of container storage we saw
along the road. We wanted to spend the night at a place where they offer
rafting trips along the Saroqui River, but ended up at the front yard of an
elder costa rican couple, close by the river where you could hear the howler
monkeys and listen to lots of birds. We camped and got electricity for 10 USD,
which was ok for us… It was just for 1 night anyway… Rafting wasn’t possible or
recommendable at this time of the year as rainy season had not started in this
area… Everybody was waiting for rain.
On May 7th,
we continued to La Fortuna where we had lunch and strolled around through town.
In the afternoon we went back to the hot water river, to the free place close
to the Tabacon Springs, and relaxed in the warm river surrounded by nature.
Afterwards we drove to our campground, other hotsprings who offer camping as
well http://ioverlander.com/places/1513-therme-los-laureles . We met Heinz from Kempten in his Unimog (really nice
rig) and exchanged travel stories with him. Later in the evening another truck
camper (pop up) arrived, which happened to be another german couple, traveling
to Argentina. Some days you meet a lot of overlanders, other days you think you
are the only overlander traveling….
On May 8th, we woke up by Costa Ricans, lining up
until the hot springs open at 9 am. They were waiting, playing soccer, taking
pictures with our rig…. Waiting for over an hour… only to go to the hotsprings?
We decided to go to the hotsprings later and first to go for a hike to climb up
Cerro Chato, a smaller inactive volcano with a volcano lagoon and nice views to
Arenal volcano. We were told about a lodge from where you can access the
volcano. We had to drive back to Fortuna and up the mountain for quite some
time… road got worse and worse until we finally reach the lodge. They charged
12 USD/ person just to use their trail/ entrance which we found pretty
expensive… but again we are in Costa Rica…. The hike, only a bit more than 3km
round trip was supposed to take 3 hours. We thought this cannot be right… but
after 1km we knew why. The trail got worse and worse, muddy, slippery and
pretty steep, where you sometime had to crowl up using hands etc. It reminded
us climbing up a little pyramid in Guatemala… Combined with the humidity and
heat we arrived the top after about 2h. Steffi decided not to continue down to
the lagoon and waited for Robert enjoying the views. There was a big tarantula
crossing the trail and lots of other hikers… Robert climbed down the steep
trail, and jumped into the cold water. He was dirty and soaked in sweat when he
got back up. Once we got back to our campsite we were ready to soak in the nice
hot springs of our place. It was still crowded when we came back, and got into
the hot springs. It is a real big areal with over 15 pools with different
temperatures, a nice water slide, soccer field, restaurant, etc. and over 100
ranchos (little pavilions, where people cook out and spend the day in the
shade). Now we knew why the people were waiting in line in the morning. After 2
hours in the hot water we were exhausted… from the hike and the heat of the
water… after dinner we went to bed and fell asleep instantly.
On May 9th, we decided to stay another day at
this beautiful spot. The day was nice and sunny, not too hot and humid, and
Roberts leg was hurt the day before so a perfect day just to relax, talk to
friends and family, etc. In the afternoon we went back to the hotsprings …..
what a relaxing day!
On May 10th it was time to move on. We wanted to
drive to a National Park, Rio Celeste, about 2 hours north where chemical
reaction of 2 joining rivers turned the water turquoise! The road up the
mountains was steep and we stopped at a hotel offering camping on the way up http://ioverlander.com/places/862-catarata-parking-at-the-hotel
. It was too late to enter the park (they said it closes at 2) so we just hang
out there and walked to the river to cool off there. We met other German
travelers and enjoyed the nature and cooling off after the sun went down….
On May 11th Robert woke up with an ear infection.
The ear had bothered him since the snorkeling in Punta Uva, but got worse and
worse. So what to do? Once we drove all the way up there we wanted to see the
Rio Celeste, but with the infection we wanted to go to town as well and get
some medicine. Instead of a sunny day it was pretty cloudy… not perfect
conditions to enjoy the color reflection of the water…. After we packed up we decided
to take the risk and go to the park and then drive down to the next town. After
another 2 miles of steep dirt road we arrived at the entrance of the National
Park. The hike was really nice and the waterfall and the turquoise water
amazing! Even the sun came out at times and colors were even brighter. We were
happy that we had done the trail and by 1pm we were back at the camper and
drove down for an hour to the next village. We got antibiotics and ear drops
and stopped at a “Soda” local restaurant, to have another casada (typical plate
with meat, rice, beans, salad, etc). It was still kind of early and very hot in
the village so we decided to drive towards the border…. All roads looked like
dirt roads but in Fortuna they told us about a good road to cross over to the
next highway east towards Los Chiles, the new border crossing close to the Lago
Nicaragua. In the village they told us there is no paved road and recommended
driving back towards Fortuna and then take the highway. In the next city,
Monterrey, we asked again, as our GPS told us to take a turn there. The guy
said it is a dirt road but just redone, so in good conditions, and in 30-40
minutes we would arrive to the highway. So 20km of dirt road or 60-80km of
paved road to get to the intersection…. We decided to give it a try and take
the dirt road. After 5km down the dirt road we knew it was a mistake. The road
got worse and worse…. Still we decided to continue… probably the next mistake.
So we continued up and down hills, crossing bridges which looked very fragile,
some even stating, not for heavy equipment…. After 2 hours and 20 km we arrived
at the highway. Still 60 km to go to Los Chiles… Robert with the ear
infection….. both crumpy as we arrived in Los Chiles around 6pm, just before
the sun went down….. the spot was nice. A little park along the river.
http://ioverlander.com/places/15315-los-chiles-near-the-boat-departure . We asked at the restaurant if it was ok to park and they said
no problem. There was even a police guy there who was patrolling the area.
Robert felt awful, mosquitos where biting, so we went to bed early.
The next day, the situation for Robert had not changed. He still felt miserable and we decided to stay for another day. Steffi talked to the Restaurant owner, Lourdes, who gave her tips which plants to use for the mosquitos, diarrhea and even Roberts infection. Robert hang around the camper and slept for most of the day. We relaxed and watched some movies…
On May 13th, Friday, …. Robert felt better and we
decided to cross the border (we are not superstitious). This border only opened
about 1 year ago, once the Japanese had built a big bridge over the San Juan
River in Nicaragua. This river connects the Lago Nicaragua to the Atlantic, and
is part of the project for a second “Panama” Canal. All kind of information was
given to us about this new canal. Seems to be highly political, lots of money
(probably millions in bribes) involved… the fact is that it would be a lot of
damage to nature in Nicaragua, but from an economic perspective big opportunity
to develop the country and have bigger income. So we packed up and drove to the
border which was supposed to be easy. The Costa Rican side was fairly quick,
only about 20 min. but in Nicaragua they gave us a hard time. First it is
confusing where to go next, and no signs anywhere about who is who… 2 persons
looked inside the camper (first time since Belize anybody entered in the
camper) then we had to declare our bicycles. This turned out a nightmare. The
first time in Nicaragua they just stated 2 bikes, and that’s it. Here they
wanted to have an invoice, what brand, Serial number, etc… 3 times we had to
walk back to see the bikes, take pictures, brand, etc until the boss was
satisfied…. So it took us over an hour for what we could have done in 30 min.
Luckily it was a small place so the walking distance was not far. We drove to a
small village at the Nicaraguan Lake, San Miguelito, hoping to find a gas
station. We found a very small village, no gas station. We went for a walk to
the harbor… in the past the only transportation possibilities they had was the
lake, no roads. We had lunch there and continued north… Driving was easy, wide
highway, surrounded by nice trees, cows along the road. We saw more people
riding a horse on the highway then cars.. Even though Nicaragua is one of the poorest
countries in Central America, the road conditions (highways) is one of the
best!! We arrived at a nice restaurant along the highway where we could camp
for free. We went to town to get gas and groceries and then had a good dinner
with the best fries on our trip and enjoyed the evening there with fast
internet.
On May 14th, We continued to one of our favorite cities in Nicaragua, Granada. It took us about 3 hours and the traffic was heavy. We went to our camp spot, the red cross and saw a German overlander truck….. Well it wasn’t just another truck, it was Ilka and Guenther we saw last in Yucatan where we spent Christmas together. What a coincidence ! We parked got power but no internet ( didn’t work ) and walked into town were we ran into them. Of course we had a lot to talk about. We spent the evening together and had several Mojitos while exchanging heroic tales J.
On May 15th, Ilka and Guenther decided to cross into Costa Rica while we decided to stay for another day or two. We said our goodbyes and went for breakfast. It was a popular place and very good. We went back to the rig and relaxed the afternoon with air conditioning and some movies ( Nice ). Did I mention it was very hot here …. At night we went back into town for a snack and some more Mojitos and called it a day.
On May 16th, First we wanted to continue to the Volcano Masaya but decided to stay for another day to update our blog.
