We spent our first days in Panama (country no. 25) on the water and on an island to bypass the Darien Gap and reached Panama City. We have moved from the Caribbean Sea side to the Pacific Ocean side.
Ahead of us are Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, the USA, a ship from Miami to Barcelona and then a leisurely trip back to Berlin. The plan is to be back in July 2025. Another 6,000 km until we have traveled around the world. Then we’ll have been on the road for 3 years and 3 months. That sounds feasible, doesn’t it?
And so it’s time to reflect a little again
Ever since we were in Australia, country no. 19, we have often been asked: “Which country did you like best?”. It’s impossible to answer 878 days (as of September 24, 2024) of constant movement, sweat and discovery with a quick “Romania!” or “India!” or “Vietnam!” or one of the other 22 countries we cycled so far. So much has happened along the way – more than can be put into words in a casual conversation, so there is no one answer to this question of which country we liked best.
Our journey took us through landscapes steeped in history, from UNESCO World Heritage to the modern hustle and bustle of big cities, along desolate deserts and vast seas, through jungles and over steep mountain passes. We traveled through economically and/or politically difficult countries and had to make decisions about our safety. A heart attack later and days of nausea and worse we survived. Temperatures up to 50°C put us to the test. But it was in these challenges that we found moments of calm.
Imagine you were asked: “How was your summer?”, it’s also difficult to summarize it in a short answer. How are we supposed to name a country that we liked best?
We were pushed to our limits physically and emotionally in each country, for different reasons, but if we had to sum it up, we would say: “It was incredible – beautiful, hard, challenging and incredibly rewarding.”
A big thank you to all of you who are traveling with us!
I keep this blog to preserve my emotions, experiences and adventures for myself. How could my little brain remember all this later? But of course I also write for you. And it really touches me how our travels inspire so many of you. For us, there’s no better feeling than knowing that our adventures inspire others to get on their bicycles and ride. Well, of course I understand if it’s not the bicycle and a trip like that. But I’m sure that we can help to give a different perspective on countries that are portrayed very differently in our media or are completely absent.
Without your support, I don’t know if I could have done it. You inspire us to keep pushing boundaries, discovering new places and creating unforgettable memories. It’s just more fun to know that others are sharing in it too
And why am I writing this right now? Well, the step from South America to Central America is a big one. We will still have to overcome some challenges, but I think we have the biggest ones behind us. And it was important for me to just say thank you.
Thank you for being such an incredible part of our journey!
We are now in Panama City and are taking stock of our equipment
Our water bottles have bulging bottoms and are barely standing upright. The bicycles have more than one rust spot and the best maintained part is the bike chain. We’ve torn up a tent in that time, some pants, and my bike shorts are disintegrating. We’ve replaced chains, tires and sprockets, and a pair of cycling shoes has come apart. Even our handlebar bags had to be replaced, they didn’t stand up to the continuous exposure of the sun. Socks, I don’t know how many there were, eventually consisted of nothing but darning thread, underpants had more holes than they needed and so on and so forth. The list is long.
Panama
We can’t say much about the Panamanians yet. So far, everyone has been very friendly. English is being spoken more often again. At least here in the city. Paying by credit card is common (at least here in the CITY) and payment is made in dollars.
Panama introduced the US dollar as its official currency in 1904 following its independence from Colombia and the agreement to build the canal in the country. It had its own currency, the balboa, for exactly 9 weeks in 1941. Over the years, Panama has maintained its dual currency system, in which both the balboa (only the coins) and the US dollar circulate side by side. The fixed exchange rate is 1:1, so one coin is equal to 1 US dollar.
Kind of simple. Only in the USA the Balboa coins are then worth nothing.
I am amazed at the number of skyscrapers in this city.
A total of 23 skyscrapers here are over 200 meters high. This concrete jungle with hundreds of tall buildings ranks 16th in the world in terms of the number of skyscrapers. It follows only New York and Chicago on the American continent and is ahead of Miami. Not necessarily beautiful, but impressive.
Finding accommodation here was a bit of a challenge. It’s pretty expensive here. Even hostels charge hefty prices. Airbnb was strange. Most of the apartments are fancy, but are managed by larger companies based either in America or Colombia. When I asked about a “safe place” for the bikes, I only got standard answers such as “camera surveillance”. Camera surveillance: sure, then we can watch the recording later to see how they were stolen. That would be something great.
Our apartment in Panama City
All right, I kept looking and found this apartment. 2 young men from Panama live here and rent out a room to guests. This is what airbnb was supposed to be. All the other rooms are shared. That’s really brilliant. That’s why we stayed longer again.
But tomorrow we’re moving on and I’m looking forward to the new experiences we’ll have in Central America.
How does Panama City compare to Berlin?
17 °C higher average maximum temperature
30% lower population density
73% cheaper monthly ticket for public transportation
Has a beach by the sea 🙂
Closes a main road to cars every Sunday for use by cyclists and pedestrians.
However, the contrast between rich and poor is extreme, much more extreme than in Berlin and that’s something I wouldn’t get on well with.
We have made ourselves at home in Panama City. In a neighborhood where you don’t see or feel any of the problems of the people in this city. But, we are cyclists and of course we explore the city and other districts. They are just around the corner.
Panama: anything but a paradise?!
“Oh, how beautiful Panama is” is the title of a well-known children’s book by Janosch. But it is no dreamlike paradise. 25% of the people live below the poverty line and look directly at all the others. This particularly affects the country’s indigenous natives, over 90% of whom are considered destitute. Corruption, teenage pregnancies and drug-related crime are just some of the problems. The many refugees from Venezuela and Nicaragua also exacerbate the situation. However, there is no state support for socially disadvantaged people in Panama – despite the billions in income from the Panama Canal and the numerous banks based in the country. Panama has many problems: after Brazil and Colombia, it is the country in Latin America with the widest social gap between rich and poor.
And then they are also crazy about sorting waste. This also means that you have to rinse everything thoroughly before it is sorted away. And as I can’t cope with the sorting and the numbers, I just do the washing up and leave all the recycling for our landlords.
Oh, I think we’re coming back to Berlin after all 🙂