So far, Panama is my least favorite country on this adventure. Its system gives me the willies and takes me to a negative mental state where I don’t want to go. The 50 miles of the Darien Gap without a road has cost me one week of vacation time on somebody elses unproductive run around and several thousand dollars so far. For those driving to South America, I would recommend shipping their vehicles from Costa Rica and skipping Panama. It is not the people, but the system and its counterproductive, historical, international politics. The main reason is to keep a barrier between Colombia and its former province of Panama so that Colombia would not raise claim to Panama. The current excuses given are ludicrous: It would only encourage more drug running; people would exploit the jungle—that is non-white logging & mining interests— thereby harm the environment.
I hope that my car arrives in Cartagena somewhat on time without being looted. I won't stop worrying about it until we are reunited. Unfortunately, I keep flashing back on the time my older brother & I put our motorcycles on a train in Mexico in Guadalajara on the promise that they would arrive at the US border in 3 days and we bought insurance for any damages. 3 days later we were at the station and were assured that they would arrive in a couple of hours. The Latinos just don’t want to give bad news. After an overnight, we flew home. The bikes did not actually arrive for 3 weeks and they were damaged. As to the insurance from the Mexicans – foolish notion!
Luckily, things are bright in Cartagena. Our small hotel is right in the middle of the old city walls. The old city is one giant party central. There is even a tamale festival with music! Our Colombian seafood dinner was superb. The snapper was swimming in the ocean that morning. The red ceviche and arroz con mariscos were delicious. With street dancers and music filling the air, I am a happy camper again. I will take lots of pictures tomorrow.
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