WEEK 18 : 1st Mar - 7th Mar 2002
Trip Distance (km) Quote of the Week Country
17,307

 "Can you just give me $2 for an ice-cream " - God fearing, bible carrying begger in Colon, he got nothing.
Panama - Ecuador
Panama City - Colon - Panama City - Quito, Ecuador

Map

Memorable Moment


For weeks before arriving in Panama City we spent countless hours on the Internet in a bid to gain knowledge of the easiest and cheapest option of transporting our bikes from Panama City, Panama, to Quito in Ecuador. After hearing of horror stories from other bikers concerning the need for carnets (which we didn't have) the painful delays and costly fees. We were put at ease when with our remedial Spanish we gained 2 quotes, one of which was reasonable, it then took us a maximum of 2 hrs to prepare the bikes for shipping as well as finalize and pay for all the accompanying paper work. We were told that the bikes well be delivered on Saturday in Quito ready for pick up.....

 

Pictures of the Week

Competition



To see how many staff members at the Quito airport we could get our photo's with.

Winner - see photos

Highlight

Our highlight this week was to witness the Panama Canal locks in operation. An 80Km ride from Panama City to Colon exposed some beautiful natural phenomena coinciding with as much man made construction in order to allow the canal system to work. An added bonus was not being shot at as we passed through Colon, which would have been the dodgiest place we've ever been.

Risk Activity

The airline deemed it necessary to prevent passengers from carrying any sharp objects onboard the plane; hence we had no bottle opener for our duty free wine, in the departure lounge. Fortunately they overlooked our tent pegs in our tent bags (that we haven't used since week 3), which provided to be a winning solution. Ingenuity factor: 7/10

Lowlight

After visiting a local bar with other patrons, Boxy found himself locked inside. It seams that whilst he was in the bathroom, the establishment was shut and padlocked from outside. Not been able to find the light switch, he sat in the dark, unable to enjoy his newfound bounty, until 5:40 pm the next day when the owner returned to clean up and re-open.

Road Tally

For once on our trip were we receiving utmost respect from the Panamanian public on the roads. It wasn't until we met two police officers dressed in black, riding black motorcycles that we realised if maybe we had and Ouzi each we could have helped withhold the law.