June 13: Panama City to Sardinilla

June 13, 2022

Aguascondiendo

Brian arrived to the AirBnB around 10pm on Sunday and together we reassembled his bike under the patio of our AirBnB. We also spoke with our hostess about our intended route to Sabanitas and Portobelo, and she offered us several valuable suggestions. We then settled in for the night and tried to make up sleep that was lost on the plane.

Monday morning came and we departed the AirBnB around 9:30. We chose to first roll into Panama City proper before heading towards Sabanitas, a decision that would later change the trajectory of our day.

The roads into the city were hectic, but the drivers were respectful, with many offering little toots of their horn to tell us of their approach. The heat and humidity were oppressive, but the passing clouds helped to minimize the suffering. Those same clouds, though, would also play a major roll in the remainder of our day.

We spent a brief time in downtown, stopping at a supermarket before heading to the Carretera Transísmica. The initial portion of the road was horrible, with cars and chicken buses buzzing along at a relentless rate. The traffic diminished as we continued out of town, but it never quite let up.

Views of the countryside on the outskirts of Panama City

As we made our way past San Miguelito and further into the Panamanian countryside, the clouds continued to darken and we soon saw flashes of lightning in the distance. We chose to stop at a Terpel gas station as the rain began to fall, where a passing local informed us of the word "aguasconder," literally "hiding from the water." It turns out we would be doing a lot of aguascondiendo for the remainder of our day.

After about 20 minutes the rain let up and we continued on...briefly. It soon returned with vengeance and we decided to take a longer break at a roadside eatery. The owners were awesome, offering us coffee and tea on the house. They served a mean sopa de gallina that warmed our damp souls.

The first of several stops to escape the rain.

We spent about an hour at this restaurant as it poured down relentlessly.

The rain let up again and we decided to play a game of hopscotch, riding between dry spots as-needed to escape the rainfall. This worked until Buena Vista, where the rain began to fall so hard we may as well have been swimming. We waited as long as we could under a taxi stand before heading to the police station to ask about places to stay. While there was nothing in town, they offered to take us in their truck to a hotel several kilometers off the main road up in the mountains. They spoke with the owner of the hotel who agreed to meet us when we arrived. We accepted their offer and waited under their awning until a truck arrived. The rain was thunderous, and lightning strikes nearby made us glad we chose to stop where we did.

We've seen two variations of chicken buses so far. One is a fully decked-out Jesusmobile proclaiming Him as our one true savior. The other? Scantilly-clad women with big boobs. I think they could each take suggestions from one another.

Todays didn't go exactly as planned, but that doesn't make it a bad day. Far from it, in fact. People have been beyond friendly, cheering us and giving thumbs up the whole way. We had no fewer than 6 people come up to us without asking to give us directions and offer words of support. It's amazing the goodwill that people offer.

Today's ride: 75 km (47 miles)
Total: 79 km (49 miles)

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