sixaola border crossing to panama
Monday, December 24th, 2007I’m pretty glad I ended up on that second bus cuz I met some nice folks. A british couple, alka and rodri, are also in bocas now and we’ll meet up for drinks and a book swap ☺ and maybe christmas dinner. The rest of my crew (first shift) get in tomorrow: deb, dus and rita. I’m really looking forward to that!
The border crossing from sixaola, CR to guabito, panama is a trip. Very simple as far as paperwork is concerned but one must walk on a railroad bridge over a big river to get from one country to the other. It would be entirely possible to lose one’s footing and go over and I had to wonder if it has ever happened. video below!!
When we got to guabito we were told that our preferred boat launch out to bocas (archipelago off the coast of panama) from changuinola was inadvisable due to the rain (it uses canals that are prone to flood) and that instead we should take the 1.5 hr trip to almirante and catch a boat from there. The drive was lovely but almirante is pretty much a sh*t-hole. None-the-less we went in search of some beer (adios imperial brand, hello panama brand) and made the best of our time waiting for the ferry.
That was yesterday and it’s pretty much rained ever since. Druing a short breack in the rain this morn I walked all the way around isla caranero (observations to come) and made it back just in time for the rain to start again! I hope it stops again so I can catch a water taxi over to bocas town (on isla colon) and do some grocery shopping. I have a couple of craving I’d like to satisfy. So – hopefully the internet in the casita here starts to work then I can upload pics, video, etc. and also all these posts that have accumulated. Yay!
Peggy Rehm