Dinghy adventures: the Darien Gap crossing on board the Wayward Sun

After all the shit I went throuhg in LEGO city I wanted to leave Panama City immediately. I can say that I was really lucky because Lana found a boat and she asked the captain if I could tag along. 
Had some difficulties at the end of my stay but everything went down smoothly and I was on my way to Portobelo to meet with the captain. We met. His name is Greg, Canadian rig builder that is sailing solo all over. The name of the sail boat is "The Wayward Sun". He wants to sail all the way down to Cape Horn and the Northwest Passage.


There was another hitchhiker he told us he was going to meet. Also Canadian. In the end, we weren't just three on board the boat but 6, 3 Canadians, 1 Dutch, 1 Chilean and yours truly + 1 motorbike (also from Canada)


We got acquainted in Portobelo for the next couple of days until it was time to sail away! Destination: San Blas Islands. On the way there Tim, one of the Canadian caught a fish. First time in my life that I ate something so fresh! yummy.


I've seen photos of this place. The islands are something else. They look like they are not real. The water is turquoise and crystal. It's impressively beautiful. The weather was nice. Everything that could have gone good, went good. Except that I should had used sunblock... We spent two days on the islands. We stopped in a group of islands called "Holandes Cayes". Not really sure if some of the particular group of islands and inhabited, but we anchored where there were a couple of uninhabited islands. 


But since we needed to get to Cartagena, even though we were not in a hurry, we all decided to sail to a different island. We reached Diablo Island. This island is big and is actually a pair of islands joined by a bridge that from the distance seems like a building. Apparently, this island is very important, has it's own airport on the mainland (the mainland is only a couple of hundred of meters away) and I saw that it had at least a flight daily, coming most likely from Panama City. Maybe carrying passengers and/or supplies. Later I found out that this is one the places that you have to stop if you want to hitch a ride in one of the cargo boats delivering supplies to all the islands. I asked a local that was giving us a little tour how long was to Puerto Obaldia and he said "a week". 
We took the dinghy and venture into the Diablo river. I think we needed some sort of fresh water source (and a bath). We starting going upriver until the river was blocked with several branches so we couldn't keep going. We stopped and rest and, why not, have a bath in the river!


From Diablo it was an all night sailing voyage to Puerto Obaldia, the last town in Panama where we would get the exit stamps. It was a nice sail. Finally, in the morning we reached what we thought it was Puerto Obaldia but it was really Playa Blanca. I thought that after Obaldia was only Colombia. A boat wanted to charge us 20$ return (each) for taking us to Obaldia which was only "around the corner". Fuck the stamp, let's go to Sapzurro, which was around the other corner. It turned out that you can't get the entry stamp to Colombia there, you have to go to Caparguná, which was around the corner. Why go to Caparguná when you can start sailing to Cartagena? This was the worst night. Very rough seas. Very strong winds. The wind reached speeds up to 30 knots (55kph). The waves were about 4-5 meters tall. The boat was bouncing from side to side. The sails had to be taken down and Greg decided to keep the motor running. But I was fine. I only took sea sickness pills a day before sailing and once again when we were sailing. I didn't feel bad or anything during this.


Morning came. Greg received a call from US Warship 55 (from now on know as US Wanker 55). They asked questions. Greg answered them. Suddenly the said that they were going to board us. "What's the ETA?" Greg asked. "2 minutes" and then we say a dinghy coming our way the the ship about 200 meters away. They started telling us what to do. Finally they boarded the sail boat and stayed for 3 hours! They were either bored or doing some kind of training. Or most likely just trying to be annoying. The boarded the ship (even though the captain is Canadian) because the ship belongs to the US (we were in international waters) because it is registered in the US. Some of the "tough" coastguard men were throwing up once they boarded The Wayward Sun. Some of their teammates were making fun of them and taking photos or videos! They were looking for drugs. Eerr, isn't the drug traffic the othe way around, from Colombia to Panama, we thought? Finally the US Wanker 55 people left and we could keep going to the scorching heat of Cartagena.


By the way, I was unfortunate enough to run into these people again in a restaurant in Cartagena. Although I have to say that one of them (he always stayed aboard the dinghy and looked 14) was really nice and even got up his seat to greet us.


That was our last night together. Greg bought us supper and we had a great time. Greg is one of the nicest people I had the pleasure to meet. I wish him good winds! Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

LEGO city (too lazy to write in two languages)

My stay in Panama City has not been what I expected. First of all, I felt like I was in Miami and not in  Central America.  When I was in David some people told me that (proud of it by the way): "Panama City is like Miami". This is my first (and hopefully only) time here but I saw photos before and indeed it really does look like Miami. There are lots of tall buildings. Some are very creative like the one looks like it's turning. And some are not so creative, like the one that looks that the Burj Al Arab.

Even when you are not in the financial or hotel district but some (even sketchy) other area, the city still looks like Miami. I've seen on TV that in some parts of the States when there are lonely and long roads people with fast cars like to test their cars, for this reason the local police has really fast and sporty police cars, i.e. Shelby Mustangs... I've seen those here. Why? I have no idea, there are no motorways and most of the time there are massive traffic jams. So, why use those fast cars. One question that will go into the "unsolved misteries" box.

The main reason why I wouldn't want to come back to Panama City once I leave is because of what happened not long ago. I had to work the night shift but my colleague asked me if I could start earlier. I had no problem with that. About a couple of hours into the shift, the hostel I'm working was robbed. The motherfuckers didn't take anything from guests. Not even my laptop that was on the reception desk (like it is now while I'm writing this) was stolen. 

Anyway, I'm about to leave this country. I had given up with hitchhiking a boat. I didn't have the time to look for a boat. I have to be in Bogota no later than march 22nd at 19:35 when Paula arrives and we start traveling South America. Destination, unknown, it's a big continent. Lana, whom I met last month in Liberia, might have found a sailboat to take us to Cartagena. Work for passage? fine with me! Now, there's even a big possibiliy for me to arrive before "planned". Now I'm looking to the possibilty to go to Venezuela for a stamp as I only get 30 days to stay in Colombia.

Finally I'm going to South America. After postponing the continent for more than a year for this or that, finally I'm going. I'm so close I feel like I'm never getting there. Can't wait to leave. I'm excited. So far I've met a few people in Panama City that I would like to run into again in South America. At the same time, as much I want to discover SA, I also would really like to be back in Europe. That's where my life is. I will be going back to Guatemala to visit my mum and brothers as much as I can, there's no doubt about that. But to live there, that is not happening. 

It's carnival time. Panama has a few cities that have big celebrations. I've heard that in Panama City is not very big, the celebration I mean. It was for me! There's a road that goes along side the ocean, Cinta Costera that is closed to vehicular traffic. There are several stages along the way and two main stages. Full of people, full of drunks (I was one of them but I behaved). 


While I was taking a walk earlier someone saw taking photos and told me that it was a bad idea to walk around (during carnival) with a backpack and a camera. Then someone else told me that alone in a 4-5 street radius, there were around 160 rape victims!! 
Overall my experience in Panama City has been far from what I expected. I can't wait to leave the country and never come back. I would rather go back to Bulgaria than come back here! Oh well, my mum always said that things happens for a reason. 


I'm very happy I will be leaving soon. Get ready South America, I'm going to rock your socks off!!!

(How did I get to Boquete and mostly) LEGO city

Hitchhiking through Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua was a breeze. People were really nice. One ride took us from well inside Guatemala to well inside in El Salvador. Waiting for a friend of mine outside of  San Salvador, we ended up having to wait until midnight (and how to get to San Salvador itself!) or no place to sleep at all. A nice family that lived not far from where we were not only gave us a ride, they took us for the night. 

While waiting in the Honduras side of the border I saw a truck with Nicaraguan license plates... we spent the night in the León (Nicaragua) fire department. 

There's a hostel in Los Brasiles, Poneloya (near León). The Surfing Turtle Lodge. Good that I don't surf and I'm not into turtles because you couldn't fine either!

Costa Rica was slower than the rest of the countries when it comes to hitchhiking. Half of the rides there were given by expats. Costa Rica it's too expensive for me. Just after the border I went to a store and a small beer was 2$!!! 

Two nights were enough for me. One in Liberia and one night were spent in Jacó. I thought about looking for a job there but, 5 seconds after getting out of the pickup that drove us there, I immediately changed my mind. 
We left Jacó the next morning. After several short rides we reached the border when it was already dark. Spend the night there under some stairs. 

Next day, ride with a truck driver all the way to David. There is where Yasmin and I went different ways: she stayed in David and I went to Boquete. 
Boquete is a cute little town in the "mountains" of Panama. Didn't see much of it as was volunteering at the owner's house which was in the middle of nowhere. No shops, no nothing nearby. At first I thought I would be volunteering in the hostel but it wasn't like that. Oh well, it was just for a week.

I would had loved to hitchhike from Boquete/David to Panama but if someone offers me a bus ticket, I don't mind. But I also wouldn't had minded to see the Bridge of the Americas. I can still see it from a distance if I go to a certain part of Panama City.


People told me before coming that Panama City was like a small Miami. They weren't joking. I'm not just talking about the financial or hotel district. There are some other parts that they actually look like you were in Miami. Panama City, or as I like to call it after my friend Corinna wrote it, LEGO City. Skyscrappers are lined one beside the other. It's a vertical city. Building competing for the sunlight.  


LEGO city is a city of contrasts. Nice neighborhoods are sorrounded by sketchy areas. The Casco Viejo (Old Town) which is a lovely part of town is sorrounded by definitely not lovely part. There's even an Older Town (Panamá Viejo), but I haven't been there. I actually haven't been sight seeing a lot. And starting this weekend I will have less time as I will be working even more. Starting this weekend I will work 16 hours every weekend. 


One of the good things about working in a hostel is the contacts you can make. When you're working in a place like Panama City you make some really important contacts. This is the place for lots of travelers to look for a boat. Some people have the resources and they want it the easy way so they just book a flight to Bogotá or a boat to Cartagena. Some are more adventurous and want to do it on their own and they can give all the contacts you might need in order to do the same. There is always CSing, you can always ask. I've gotten into some debate not long ago in the CS facebook page. I asked how to cross the cheapest and some wankers turned into a debate to whether or not I should travel almost without money. Wankers. Somewhere a few days ago I read something like "I really started travelling when I left my confort zone". Absolutely true in my case.


At the moment I'm still looking for a cheap way to cross to Colombia. Using the contacts I'm making while working. I'm also scounting the hostel market in a few Colombian towns: Cartagena, Medellín and Bogotá. Personally I would go for Medellín and even more for Bogotá because March 22nd I have to pick up someone very special at the Bogotá airport.


Stay tuned because there will be a complete and thorough entry about how I crossed the damn Darien Gap.

Guatemala City to Boquete, Panama in 35 rides

Christmas with mum

1. Guate City –  Junction  to Santa Elana Barrillas, Guatemala
2. Junction to Santa Elena Barillas – El Molino, Guatemala
3. El Molino, Guatemala – Ahuachapán, El Salvador
4. Ahuachapán – Lourdes, El Salvador
5. Lourdes – San Salvador, El Salvador
6. San Salvador – outskirts of San Salvador, El Salvador
7. Outskirts of San Salvador – San Miguel, El Salvador
8. San Miguel – El Salvador / Honduras border
9. El Salvador / Honduras border – León, Nicaragua
10. León – Poneloya, Nicaragua
11. Poneloya – El Tamarindo, Nicaragua
12. El Tamarindo – middle of nowhere, Nicaragua
13. Middle of nowhere – La Mojarra, Nicaragua
14. La Mojarra – San Francisco Libre, Nicaragua
15. Km. 41 Panamerican Highway – Tipitapa, Nicaragua
16. Tipitapa – Masaya, Nicaragua
17. Masaya – Granada, Nicaragua
18. Granada – Nandaime, Nicaragua
19. Nandaime – Rivas, Nicaragua
20. Rivas – San Jorge, Nicaragua
21. San Jorge – San Jorge dock, Nicaragua
22. San Jorge dock – Rivas, Nicaragua
23. Rivas – Nicaragua / Costa Rica border
24. Nicaragua / Costa Rica border – Liberia, Costa Rica
25. Liberia – Jacó, Costa Rica
26. Jacó – El Esterillo, Costa Rica
27. El Esterillo –  middle of nowhere , Costa Rica
28. Middle of nowhere – Parrita, Costa Rica
29. Parrita – Dominical, Costa Rica
30. Dominical – Uvita, Costa Rica
31. Uvita – Ciudad Neily, Costa Rica
32. Ciudad Neily – Costa Rica / Panama border
33. Costa Rica / Panama border – David, Panama
34. David – Dolega, Panama
35. Dolega – Boquete, Panama

My favorite girl in the whole world

It was a long flight back to Latin America. I think it was 10 hours from Brussel to Cancun non-stop. Sometimes it makes a stop in Varadero, not this time though. As the other time I went back, I had my shorts and jandals on top of everything inside my backpack so as soon as I cleared immigration and customs I went to the bathroom and changed. I almost forgot Jim inside the toilet and I also thought I lost my Buff there. I found it inside the backpack some days later.

I walked towards the road leading to the main road. A guy picked me up and drove the same petrol station I was 10 months prior. Only this time it took me longer for someone to drove south. I found him and he drove me to the end of Playa del Carmen. My intention this time was to get to Guatemala as fast as I could. So I started asking people in the nearby petrol station. After a while I was on my way to Tulum. I wanted to go to Tulum but I always had another goal set in my mind when I was in Mexico. This time it was to be with my lovely mum and spend as much time as I could.

Fue un vuelo muy largo el vuelo de regreso a Latinoamérica. Creo que fueron 10 horas desde que salí de Bruselas hasta que llegue a Cancún. A veces el vuelo hace una escala en Varadero, pero no esta vez. Como la otra vez que regresé, empaque mis shorts y jandals hasta arriba en la mochila para que así, tan pronto como pasar migración y aduanas, me fui a cambiar al baño. Por poco olvido a Jim en el baño y pensé que también había perdido mi Buff, pero lo encontré unos días después

Caminé hacia la calle que conduce a la carretera principal. Un tío me llevó hasta la gasolinera en donde también estuve haciendo dedo 10 meses antes. Sólo que esta vez me tomó un poco más de tiempo conseguir que alguien me llevera hacia el Sur. Lo encontré y me llevó hasta el final de Playa del Carmen. Mi intención era llegar a Guatemala lo más rápido como me fuera posible. Empezé a preguntar a gente en la gasolinera. Después de un rato iba camino a Tulúm. Quería ir a Tulúm pero siempre he tenido otras metas cuando he estado en México, esta vez era estar con mi mamá lo más pronto posible.

I was walking long the road, thumbing at the same time when a fancy looking big pickup stopped beside me and asked me where I was going. I was going as far as South as I could so I just said South. They told they were going to Chetumal... While drinking some beers we stopped in lakeshore town named “Laguna Bacalar” that the first time doing this same trip (Mexico – Guatemala) someone recommended to visit. We spend some time there. After taking a couple of photos we starting heading down to Chetumal. I had to choose between being dropped in the main bus station, sleep there or the border. I chose the latter and crossed into Belize at around 18:00. I thought I was going to spend the night there so I asked the border official if I could sleep somewhere (the border is open 24 hours, unlike the Belize – Guatemala border) and he said that it was fine, I just had to wait until it was later so I could ask the people working the night shift. I went outside and sat when someone approached me and asked me where I was going. “I'm going to Guatemala but apparently I'm stuck here for the night”. “We're going to Orange Walk”, after telling them that I had no place to sleep and no money to pay for the ride they agreed to take and let me sleep inside their 80s Mercedes S-Class. They fed me dinner and breakfast the following morning and drove me the main road. I just had to walk a few hundred meters to where I started thumbing.

Caminaba en la carretera al mismo tiempo que mostraba mi pulgar cuando un pick up muy grande y lujoso para a mi lado y me pregunta hacia donde me dirigía. Les dije que iba lo más al Sur que me fuera posible. Ellos iban a Chetumal... Mientras tomábamos un par de cervezas paramos en un pueblo a orillas de una laguna, “Laguna Bacalar” que la vez anterior que estuve en México haciendo la misma ruta (México – Guatemala) me la habían recomendado. Paramos un rato y después de tomar unas cuantas fotos emprendimos camino a Chetumal. Me dieron a escoger entre dejarme en la estación de buses y dormir ahí o la frontera. Escogí la frontera y estaba en Belice más o menos alrededor de las 18:00. Pensé que iba a pasar la noche ahí por lo que le pregunté a un trabajador si había algun lugar en donde pudiese pasar la noche (la frontera esta abierta las 24 horas a diferencia de la frontera Belice – Guatemala) . Me respondió que no miraba ninguna razón por lo que no lo pudiese hacer, solamente tenía que regresar más tarde porque en ese momento la frontera estaba muy congestionada y debía preguntar al personal del siguiente turno. Estaba sentado afuera del edificio cuando alguien se me acerca y me pregunta hacia donde iba, “voy a Guatemala pero creo que pasaré la noche aquí”. “Nosotros vamos a Orange Walk”. Después de decirles que no tenía en donde dormir ni dinero para pagarles por el ride accedieron a llevarme y me dejaron dormir en su Mercedes clase S de los años 80s. Me compartieron cena y desayuno y la me llevaron hacia donde podía empezar a hacer dedo. Sólo tuve que caminar unas cuantas centenas de metros.

It didn't take me long to find a ride to the junction where the road leading to Belize City splits towards the border. Being there for about an hour this guy working for a resort took me 15 kilometers from the border. He was going to pick some people up in San Ignacio and drive them to the airport. Belize is a breeze for hitchhiking, a retired old Dutch woman drove me to the border. She lived just outside San Ignacio but was nice enough to drive right to the border. We even picked up a Dutch couple also hitchhiking.

The Dutch couple were nice. The girlfriend's father was from some Latin American country I can't remember, I think Colombia. We hitchhiked together to Santa Elena. We tried to go in the back of a pick up, but the they didn't let us. Anyway, I was finally in Guatemala. By this time it was Saturday, the last time I took a shower was in when I was staying with Vanessa in Gent, Thursday, so I decided to go to the bus terminal and buy the cheapest ticket to Guatemala City. I've never hitchhiked from Santa Elena to Guatemala City and it was going to be Sunday, so I didn't take my chances and just got into the bus. I called my brother Anibal and asked him if he could pick me up at 6 in the morning at the bus station. He said yes. It was an OK bus ride until the bus' head lights just tuned off. The bus people fixed them but after a while the bus just broke down. All the people just got into another bus and finally we got to Guatemala City at around 6:30. An hour and a half later than scheduled.

We got home and I was finally able to hug my favorite girl in the whole world. After 7 long months. We had breakfast: fried eggs and frijoles. Tasty! She didn't go to church that sunday, only to her business. We hung out, I was telling her all the things that happened in the 7 months I was away. She was, we both were really happy. I'm so glad that I had the chance to go back home and spent Christmas with her. During my time home I did nothing. When I say nothing I literally mean that: nothing. Only went out once, to my brother Douglas' house to see the Clasico and then with my nephew Douglas Jr. to a house party. That was it. Never went out again.

Christmas 2010 for me was in Poland. It was the best Christmas away from home. But this time, I was with my mum. Nothing, nothing in the whole wide world can beat that. I miss Europe, yes. I miss my friends in Europe, yes. But I was with my mum. I was happy. My dad wanted me to be happy. I am.

No me tomó mucho tiempo encontrar quien me llevara hasta donde la carretera que conduce Belize City se divide y conduce a la frontera. Después de esperar más o menos una hora, un chico que trabaja para un resort me llevó hasta más o menos 15 kilómetros de la frontera. Iba a a recoger a unos turistas a San Ignacio para llevarlos al aeropuerto. En Belice es muy fácil el autostop, un mujer holandesa retirada me llevó hasta la frontera aunque vivía en las afueras de San Ignacio. Incluso llevamos a una pareja de holandeses que también estaban haciendo dedo.

La pareja de holandeses era buena onda. El papa de la chica era de un país latinoamericano pero no recuerdo cual, creo que Colombia. Hicimos dedo hasta Santa Elena. Tratamos de ir en la parte de atrás del pickup pero no nos dejaron. Igual, al fin estaba en Guatemala. Para entonces ya era sábado, la última vez que tomé una ducha fue en casa de Vanessa cuando aun estaba en Gent, jueves, por lo que dicidí ir a la terminal de buses y comprar el boleto más barato hacia la Ciudad de Guatemala. Nunca he hecho dedo desde Santa Elena a Guate Ciudad y no sabía cómo era el tránsito un domingo por lo que no me arriesgue y tomé el bus. Llamé a mi hermano Anibal para preguntarle si me podía llegar a traer al bus a las 6 de la mañana. Dijo que si y fue un tramo sin novedad hasta que las luces del bus dejaron de funcionar. La gente del bus las compuso y todo iba bien de nuevo hasta que el bus ya no funcionó. Nos cambiamos de bus y finalmente llegue a la Ciudad de Guatemala más o menos a las 6, una hora y media más tarde de lo programado.

Llegamos a casa y finalmente pude abrazar a mi chica favorita en todo el mundo. Después de 7 largos meses. Desayunamos huevos estrellados y frijoles. Yummy. No fue a la iglesia ese domingo, sólo a la librería. Pasamos tiempo juntos, le conté todas las aventuras por las que pase esos 7 meses que estuve en Europa. Estaba muy feliz, ambos estábamos felices. Estoy muy contento de haber pasado las Navidades con ella. Mientras estuve en casa hice nada. Cuando digo nada, significa literalmente nada. Solo salí una vez, a casa de mi hermano Douglas a ver el Clásico y luego a una fiesta con mi sobrino Douglas hijo. Solamente eso. No volví a salir.

Las Navidades del 2010 las pase en Polonia. Fueron las mejores Navidades lejos de casa. Esta vez, estaba con mi mamá. Nada, absolutamente nada le puede ganar a eso. Extraño a Europa, si. Extraño a mis amigos en Europa, si. Pero estaba con mi mamá. Estaba feliz. Mi papá quería que lo fuera. Lo estoy.