Ever Onwards

Greetings again, this time from Guadalupe, underneath Volcan Baru, the highest mtn in Panama.

Two days ago, a guy from the UK arrived here took a walk up the road and saw this ocelot, people have been here a month and not seen one. Grr! Grr! Not only that it hung around and posed for photos!

Nr here is the Amistad Park, and co-operative area between Panama and Costa Rica - basically a huge area of rain forest. Had a couple of hikes - wondeful - and have seen some quetzals, though my piccies need cropping b4 I can stick em up here.

The quetzal is a beautiful bird, green and red with the male having very long tail feathers. It is a symbol of freedom here in Central America, and was one of the goals of my trip.

Again the pictures are in the wrong order, so apologies for that.

Over christmas I stayed at Santa Catalina, I surfer spot - I managed to catch a few waves one day, and on xmas day itself I went diving and saw a large shoal of juvenile rays and a load of barracuda.

A lot of the children got kites for presents and were having great fun running up and down the road.

In the afternnons it generally started raining, and raining tropically - in minutes paths would become small rivers. All my clothes, which isn't a lot were dampo and smelling. My books which got wet during a ride through three hours of rain were going mouldy... Still a bad day at the beach ... :-)

Spent new year on small island named Boca Brava, really great place with a relaxed atmosphere - plus one or two cuba libres on New Years Eve with dancing and Panamanian music. Howler monkeys on this island, but difficult to get good photos of them.

Had some problems with the bicycle - the chain broke twice, so the folks help have some new bits DHLed out here and hopefully we'll be all right now.

While waiting for the parcel, I took some Spanish lessons in Boquete, the other side of this mtn, but I've got a bit more to do b4 I can speak like a native! As I stayed a there a while got to meet a few people - nice English couple heading for Equador on a 6 month sabatical started in Mexico I think.

Back in David I went out on a day trip to some hot springs with a Dutch girl on her gap year before medical school - she'd spent some time in Guatamala and Honduras doing volunteer work and was heading for Equador and the Galapagos. Made me laugh - she knew the Dutch expression "You know how the cow caught the rabbit", but didn't know the answer which is "It stood behind a hedge and made a sound like a lettuce".

I'm a bit fitter now, think I've done around 750km, but still finding it hard going. Up in the mtns it is cool, but getting up is tough. Down it is flatter, but much, much hotter!

Next hop is over to Costa Rica and to a park on the pacific coast, hopefully to see Scarlet Macaws and more :-)

Hope all is Ok in Ingleterra - it is raining here at the mo, so reminds me of home!

All the best Chris

Weeks 2 and 3

OK, so far so good. A few probs with the bike, had to tighten the cranks, bit worrying as I´d partly damaged the octalink stuff, but seems OK.

It´s been very hot, but also in the afternoon, a lot of torrential rain, unusual so the locals say, as the dry seasn should already have started.

Already I´ve had some marvellous expeiences, on the first night out of PC I was a bit stuck for somewhere to stay, but a lovely couple put me up in their home, and fed me. Woke up in the night to see a firefly flashing (literally) around the room. Joyous moment for me - never seen one before. Since I´ve seen a lot more and a marvellous sight thay make, blinking away in the treetops of the rainforest.

Seen my first snake, sadly squashed on the road, as was the anteater type thing in the photo. Very sad for me when I see this - spoils me being in my own David Atenborough program.

Done about 250km, pretty tough in the heat but the inter americana highway is pretty flat for the moment. Only I´ve been taking trips off into the mountains - so needless to say pretty shattering getting the bike and me up to 1000m or so.

Spent 4 days up in a place called El Cope, on the edage of a pristine rainforest park, and spent 2 of the 4 in the middle of it, no elec etc. Tough 5 hour hike through hard trails, a lot of mud due to the rain in the err, rainforest, so up to my knees sometimes, trying to get my feet back again complete with shoes!

Saw my first ever Keel Billed Toucan (like the Guiness one) plus quite a few other new birds to me.

Also spent a night on the beach in the tent or Americano Chalet! - quite small but with beach and swimming pool!, lovely to wake up to a swim in the Pacific at 7am - gets dark pretty pronto at 6.30pm, so waking up early, going to sleep pretty early to max the day.

Hope you can make sense of the photos, taking quite a while to sort stuff out on the computer here, so not much time for advanced editing! I think they are in the wrong order.

Met a nice guy named Claudio from Switzerland. He set out from PC a day after me - and is taking 6 months to ride to North Mexico. Had a couple of beers and exchanged stories. Maybe we´ll meet up later on the way.

Also met a great Irishman taking a quick break from a business trip in the US, as he worked in IT we got caught up for a few moments talking shop, but a shooting star interupted, he treated me to a meal, thanks again. You get a lot of encouragement from people on the way, which is always great, sometimes it seems a bit daunting when you look at the map!

Anyways, hope everyone has a great xmas, I´m hoping to get to Playa Catalina where you can dive and surf. Makes a bit of a change from the usual fare!

Feel free to email, or post comments, a bit of encouragement never goes amiss.

Arriva Bien

Week One

I´m here, the bicycle´s here, so we´re ready for the off tomorrow. To start with just easy hops - I´m slightly off peak fitness at the moment, so gently does it for the first day or two!

Had a couple of days settling in at Panama City. Fairly hot and humid - it´s rained every day so far, despite the dry season having started according to the calenday anyway. The Panamanians are very warm and friendly. despite my appalling Spanish, they try to understand what I am saying! - I speak only un poquito but am trying to pick up a few new words when I can!

Christmas is coming, so the decorations are up and real trees are on sale at the supermarket - though I´m not sure where they have come from - Norway is a bit of a hike from here. It´s kind of strange seeing Santa and reindeer standing next to palm trees. Best of all - I haven´t heard Slade anywhere! It was alright the first few time I heard it, but ...

Now where did it all go wrong at C&W - I might have got the company to fund some trips, I mean to pursue business opportunities!

Went to the canal Wednesday - very impressive! - them´s workers at the bottom of the gate.

The bus journey home was a nightmare as the traffic was diabolical. It took ages, finally the guy next to me recommended walking as quicker, but I got lost and it was getting late and dark so I took a taxi - who also got lost so we had to ask a few people before getting in some more traffic jams. He also got quite irate with a guy who pulled out in front - "Frena, frena!" - i.e. his brakes didn´t work very well. Mostly cars are quite new and good condition though, I think I got the bottom end of the transport network!

Saw some humming birds and some others to look up in the book yesterday in the Metropolitan Park - 400 acres of Rainforset just outside the city.

Also there were some raccon type animals in the trees but the pictures just show leaves!

Hostel has been nice - lots of people from all over the world to talk to, and one or two beers have disappeared down the hatch.

Pip pip,

Chris