Report From Panama City

Just another great beach. This one is Playa Santa Clara, about an hour west of Panama City


Sunrise, camping under the "ranchos" at Playa Santa Clara, Panama



Dave & Jen with the restuarant owner' s daughters at the beach near Chitre

February 17, 18/06

We are now camped at a beach near Santa Clara, Panama, only abut 100K from Panama City.

Yesterday we checked out some other beaches close to Chitre. Panama is windy country and the area around Chitre was one of the windiest areas we had encountered. We could not find suitable cabana accommodation so we ended up camping beside a beach restaurant and bar. The restaurant owners were very nice. Camping was free and the meal they prepared us was some of the best fish and shrimps that we have had. We even played pool with some of the locals and did our best to make conversation. However, there was little shelter from the wind and by morning there was a film of sand of everything… tent sleeping bags, luggage and our bodies. It makes you have a better appreciation for clean sheets.

Also I managed to stub my toe on a short, broken post. I cut my big, left toe quite badly. Getting it cleaned up and bandaged was a challenge, but it looks better today. I had to develop a heel-toe shifting technique while riding to day. I could not pull up on the shift leaver with my foot, but I could hook my heel on the shifter to up-shift.

Since our encounter with the Nicaragan police we have been careful to not-knowing break any driving regulations. However, once again we were stopped by a Panama motorcycle cop. There is a distinct lack of speed signs here, although Panama is better signed than many other countries. Sometimes you just don’t know what the speed limit is. In these cases we simply “go with the flow” and maintain the same speed as the majority of the traffic. Well apparently this doesn’t work for us either. We were told that we had passed through a built-up area at 80kph when the speed limit was 50kph. This offence occurred sometime prior to being stopped. We don’t know exactly when. I assume that the infraction was relayed by radio to this highway officer. Anyway, from my observations of Panama, I was of the opinion that the law enforcement here might be more honest then we had previously encountered. I tried to keep my cool, cooperate and explain the situation as best I could. I don’t know if it worked or not but we were only given a warning to slow down in built-up areas and sent on our way.

By noon we arrived here at the beach near Santa Clara. It is a much nicer area than we had encountered last evening. Playa Santa Clara appears to be a popular family beach with “ranchos” to rent (shade), hammocks, chaise lounges, restaurant, etc. Camping is also available for $2. per person. Except for the ants, it was great spot.

We didn’t notice the ants until we were preparing for bed. Suddenly Dave was dancing around his tent, naked and swearing loudly while slapping his legs. If he hadn’t appeared to be a significant degree of discomfort, I would have laughed at the scene. Once we had a chance to get the flashlights and investigate, we discovered that we had pitched the tents over a fairly extensive ant hill. The ants are smart enough to stay in the shade and only ventured out at night. Small tents are easy to move and the repositioning of the tents solved the ant problem.

February 19/06

We awoke at sunrise and prepared for the final southbound (actually eastbound) day to Panama City. There was no rush since we were only 100K from Panama City, but we found out that on Sunday in Panama, the beach crowd arrives early. Before 8am four guys drove up and park beside our bikes. They climbed out of their car, each with a beer in hand. You have to arrive early to rent the best rancho, I guess? After a short chat with us, “Los loco Canadienses”, they selected the preferred rancho, hung four hammocks and had a nap. By 10 am nearly all the ranchos were occupied.

After packing up, we walked to the nearest beach restaurant for breakfast and then headed for the city by late morning. Panama City is large and we wanted to get a hotel near the airport, which is located 35K on the far side of the city. This of course meant that we would have to navigate all the way across town… not one of our favourite pastimes. Our maps (hard copy and GPS) did not provide all detail that we would like.

I’ll skip all the details about getting lost, but finally we stopped at a gas station to try to get some directions. It is always interesting how fate steps in when it is most appreciated. We noticed a fellow filling up who was speaking English so we approached him for advise. It turned out he was a motorcycle rider and offered to lead us through the city centre and get us onto the “autopista” to the airport. A big thanks to “Hans”! I think it would have taken hours of frustration getting through the city.

We found a nice hotel near the airport (The Continental) and plan to stay here for 3 days. Hopefully we will be able to make arrangements with the customs officials tomorrow that will allow Dave and I to leave the country without the motorcycles. Then there is some maintenance needed on the bikes, new tire and oil change. Hopefully we get a chance to visit the canal and downtown Panama City.