Monday, 12 March 2012 odometer start:7938, Day#: 14
Passage : Playa Las Lajas to Santiago
Dist: 134, Time: 8.16hrs, Av. Speed: 16.11, Total kms: 8892
Weather: clear 30+ degreesWind: SE, occassional strongTerrain: Colinas almost all the way
Having had a restless night due to the lack of breeze resulting in mossies being able to land, Sleeping in in saw the road ahead about 0730.
This was a place to remember, at least another week could have been spent here.
Reaching the Pan Am saw good progress made for a couple of hours. It was then the hills started and never really stopped till some 5k out of Santiago.
Some beautiful rivers were crossed at the bottom of most descents, always followed by another climb.
The vegetation was pasture and light tree cover, mostly very dry, part reminded me of Marlborough in NZ, the thick clumpy tropical pastures grasses subtley reminded me it was Panama.
Cars here are for the most part fairly new, with Hyundai and Toyota well represented. Though the US has had much past presence here ,their cars are not seen often.
Almost all bridges have plaques stating their construction ocurred with the help of the US. They certainly built great roads for the Panamanians.
Some stalls selling traditional dresses were seen. While on that, the road into Las Lajas has been blocked recently due to the local people protesting over the Canadians requests for a nickel mine in the area, they are evidently filthy little affairs, wreaking havoc on the immediate environment if not managed properly, my Canadian friends embarrasingly told us this.
Every pulperia was visited for drinks, coke is now back around 60c a bottle, and milk is well priced.
Coming across a substantial bridge crossing a river of a similar description, a horde of people were seen swimming, that number was about to increase by one. My map does not show it, Rio Grande maybe, it is before Rincón Lago.
Taking the bike riverside, great refreshing lounge in the clear water was enjoyed. The locals were referring to me as a gringo, I put them right, soy Australiano, they laughed.
They were a happy lot.
I had to get a guy to help getting the bike up the track, it really is like a Honda 125 without an engine, though just as heavy and the skinny tyres make it hard to track in loose dirt, that of the track.
The hills finally behind me saw about 12k needed to get to Santiago.
The rear tyre was getting low which makes the rear of the bike slop sideways. A flat rear tyre was all that was needed. Making the decision to pump it up and keep going, saw me stop 5 or so times just to get in before dark.
Pulling in at the first older looking motel, the chinese girl said forty dollars, thanking her and walking out the door. The old chinese owner spotted me, we had a quick yarn. He gave me the room for $12, thinking he took one look at me and having been my age maybe 10 years ago knew what those hills would have been like on a loaded pushbike. Thanking him so much for his kindness.
In the room pottering for a bit and regrouping, the trye was patched ,it was a tiny hole, a patch with glue was used. A thorough inspection of the inside of the trye was performed to check for any sharps was carried out by tracking my fingers right around it.
This is so important when patching a trye.
An obscenely huge chinese meal was had, having not really eaten all day.
Passage : Playa Las Lajas to Santiago
Dist: 134, Time: 8.16hrs, Av. Speed: 16.11, Total kms: 8892
Weather: clear 30+ degreesWind: SE, occassional strongTerrain: Colinas almost all the way
Having had a restless night due to the lack of breeze resulting in mossies being able to land, Sleeping in in saw the road ahead about 0730.
This was a place to remember, at least another week could have been spent here.
Reaching the Pan Am saw good progress made for a couple of hours. It was then the hills started and never really stopped till some 5k out of Santiago.
Some beautiful rivers were crossed at the bottom of most descents, always followed by another climb.
The vegetation was pasture and light tree cover, mostly very dry, part reminded me of Marlborough in NZ, the thick clumpy tropical pastures grasses subtley reminded me it was Panama.
Cars here are for the most part fairly new, with Hyundai and Toyota well represented. Though the US has had much past presence here ,their cars are not seen often.
Almost all bridges have plaques stating their construction ocurred with the help of the US. They certainly built great roads for the Panamanians.
Some stalls selling traditional dresses were seen. While on that, the road into Las Lajas has been blocked recently due to the local people protesting over the Canadians requests for a nickel mine in the area, they are evidently filthy little affairs, wreaking havoc on the immediate environment if not managed properly, my Canadian friends embarrasingly told us this.
Every pulperia was visited for drinks, coke is now back around 60c a bottle, and milk is well priced.
Coming across a substantial bridge crossing a river of a similar description, a horde of people were seen swimming, that number was about to increase by one. My map does not show it, Rio Grande maybe, it is before Rincón Lago.
Taking the bike riverside, great refreshing lounge in the clear water was enjoyed. The locals were referring to me as a gringo, I put them right, soy Australiano, they laughed.
They were a happy lot.
I had to get a guy to help getting the bike up the track, it really is like a Honda 125 without an engine, though just as heavy and the skinny tyres make it hard to track in loose dirt, that of the track.
The hills finally behind me saw about 12k needed to get to Santiago.
The rear tyre was getting low which makes the rear of the bike slop sideways. A flat rear tyre was all that was needed. Making the decision to pump it up and keep going, saw me stop 5 or so times just to get in before dark.
Pulling in at the first older looking motel, the chinese girl said forty dollars, thanking her and walking out the door. The old chinese owner spotted me, we had a quick yarn. He gave me the room for $12, thinking he took one look at me and having been my age maybe 10 years ago knew what those hills would have been like on a loaded pushbike. Thanking him so much for his kindness.
In the room pottering for a bit and regrouping, the trye was patched ,it was a tiny hole, a patch with glue was used. A thorough inspection of the inside of the trye was performed to check for any sharps was carried out by tracking my fingers right around it.
This is so important when patching a trye.
An obscenely huge chinese meal was had, having not really eaten all day.
one more for the road, a sign at hte resort reported that Fiji is 1009 miles from here
Traditional clothing, many woman now seen especially in rural areas in the gear
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Typical roadside scenry, the tree in flower an inspiration
The river crew
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