June 14, 2022
June 14: Sabanitas to Portobelo
Brian and I awoke at 7am to a gloriously cold room, as we had been running the air conditioning on full-blast all night to help dry our sopping clothes. The A/C did its job, as our clothes were (mostly) dry and we had slept like absolute kings. We might have packed our camping gear for this trip, but when there is air conditioning and a shower available in this kind of heat, it can be tough to pass up. Plus any attempt at tenting during the night's downpour likely would have resulted in drowning.
We packed up our bikes and headed out at 8, destined to make it to Portobelo before the next deluge trapped us under another taxi stand. The ride from the hotel back to the main road was stunning, offering us a glimpse of the rural Panamanian countryside and jungle.
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Once on the main road, we passed once more through Buena Vista where we had been caught the previous night. We stopped briefly at a panaderia and supermarket to supply ourselves with the calories needed for the rest of the day.
The road from Buena Vista to Sabanitas was busy, with combis and chicken buses frequently passing us by, belching out diesel fumes from their pimped-out exhaust pipes. Still though, the scenery was beautiful, particularly as we finished the final climb before entering Sabanitas.
After a brief stop for ice cream at a tienda on the outskirts of Sabanitas, we continued on to Portobelo. The road narrowed and traffic dissipated, and we again were offered another glimpse into rural Panama. The heat was still stifling, particularly on the punchy climbs, but we were happy it was not raining...yet.
We soon reached the coast and paralleled it for the remainder of the way to Portobelo. The rain finally kicked in during the final few miles to town, but it offered somewhat of a welcome respite to the heat. We arrived to Portobelo and searched around for lodging before settling on a hotel along the water, complete with a covered patio, A/C, and excellent wifi.
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At 4pm, Brian and I headed to a nearby restaurant for our pre-departure meeting with the passengers and captain of the Ave Maria (the sailboat that would be taking us to Cartagena). The eight passengers were an eclectic international array of Danish, British, and Swiss tourists, along with a lone Argentinian motorcyclist and our Australian captain and Colombian cook. After introductions, we finalized our payments and handed over our passports so that Paul, the captain, could facilitate our exit from Panama and entry into Colombia. After our meeting, we went out for pizza and then called in for the night. We would have most of the day tomorrow in Portobelo, as we aren't scheduled to board the Ave Maria until 6pm.
Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 146 km (91 miles)
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