Dolega District

Our day started with a nice ride through the region South of the Panamerican Highway to avoid traffic. The flat and slightly downhill route combined with very few cars made it easy for us to look at the scenery while cycling. The road wasn't the smoothest, but so much better than cars on the highway!
First, we went to Puerto Pedegral to see the mangroves and wetlands there. We were a bit disappointed as most of the area was locked, so there wasn't much to see.
Next, we headed to the city of David. What a nightmare! So much traffic and really crazy drivers! No fun to cycle here - how should we survive Panama City??
We also looked for a place to exchange money as we had missed this at the border. But after checking several banks and shops with no luck, we gave up. Hopefully, we can find something in Panama City.
As we didn't like David, we decided to go straight North towards Dolega where we could stay with Max and Ken. The highway was busy again, no fun cycling. We were a little frustrated because of the experience in David and a busy highway with more crazy drivers and headwinds, so pulled over at a supermarket. In this moment, a car stopped, a lady jumped out and gave us a coke each. They had seen us struggling on the road - how nice! 2 minutes later, another family came and gave us some pastries. We were thinking of just staying at the supermarket, seemed to be a great place for hungry and thirsty cyclists 😂
However, we continued and passed a bridge over a river. Quite some locals bathing, so we joined them, before continuing to Dolega. Here, we were welcome by Becky and Jonny, a cycling couple from the UK who are also staying here and are heading North towards Canada. Perfect, so we can exchange recommendations! We jumped into the pool and shared a beer before Max and Ken arrived. They had been on a music festival during the day. The night, we spent playing "Mexican train", a version of dominos, with everyone. What a nice day in the end!Read more