Day 106 - Heading for Panama

(Ursula) We had fallen asleep last night when three peasants on horseback with flashlights and machetes knocked on our camper window. They let out a barrage of sentences we didn't understand, but they seemed very concerned and mentioned the word "Banditos." That made us quickly understand that this place probably wasn't safe.

We didn't hesitate for a second and packed up and left. We drove the whole night looking for a safer spot but couldn't find one until we got to the Panamanian border, where we stayed the rest of the night by a lit gas station.

(Heinz) The restaurant next door played music that sounded like a slumber song. We were exhausted and finally fell asleep. Wally had to repair something on the engine this morning, and then we endured another border crossing. Panamanian officials were friendly and polite. Büsi stayed in her hiding place under the passenger seat and didn't make a beep, as if he knew!

We received a free Panama brochure and travel guide. The national currency here is Balboa.

We followed the Panamerican Highway south until we found a beautiful beach on the Pacific coast. The place was so wonderful that we stayed there for the night. We purchased fruits and vegetables from a farm stand and took on a hitchhiker on the way here.

He turned out to be a smelly hippie only interested in finding hallucinating mushrooms. We felt uncomfortable having him and asked him to leave.

Dinner was once again delicious. Congratulations to Chef Ursula, who constantly amazes us with her creativity.

Stats: Miles 324, Expenses $17.30Read more