The End - Crossing the Panama Canal

Posted by Fin on 12 March 2010

I felt empty and void of any feelings or emotion in the last three days cycling towards the Panama Canal. I couldn't work out why and it was frustrating. Alex beamed with smiles all the way but I was struggling with it and was subconsciously stalling at every opportunity to delay the end. Part of me could not wait for it all to be over but another part of me was worried about what I would do afterwards.

16 comments. Tags: Fin, Alex, Panama. Location: Panama City, Panama

The Final Week through Panama

Posted by Fin on 10 March 2010

After many border crossings we had become quite relaxed about getting the camera out to film. Unfortuantely when the Panama Customs officials got sight of the $8000 camera they decided we needed a good searching. Asides an extra hour at the border and having to repack all my gear the inspection proved fairly uneventful and we rode off into our final country of the journey.

2 comments. Tags: Fin, Alex, Panama. Location: Panama City, Panama

The Final Leg

Posted by Alex on 3 March 2010

Crossing into Panama with less than 500km to go, we could not help but feel like we were nearly there. Even though the thought of 500km on a bike would have been inconceivable to me just 8 months ago, it truly felt like we were on the finishing stretch; one road, one country and less than a week of riding. Just as fate would have it however, Panama had a few surprises in store for us.

The Lungs of Costa Rica

Posted by Alex on 2 March 2010

With only 700km to go and plenty of time, we decided to take a detour and head to the Osa peninsula in southern Costa Rica. It is reputed to be one of the most pristine areas in the country.

1 comments. Tags: Alex, fin, costa rica, Osa. Location: Penenome, Panama, Panama

Pristine Tropical Rainforests in Costa Rica

Posted by Fin on 1 March 2010

Instead of pedalling directly southeast towards Panama on the Pan American Highway, we took the 'Long Way Round' Southern Costa Rica, through the stunning Osa Penninsula. Unlike Ewen and Charlie however it took us 4 days to do, not 4 hours. There is only one road in and out and then if you are on foot, or bicycle, you can catch a small passenger ferry back to the mainland at Puerto Jimenez. The road was one of our top 3 best cycling experiences of the entire trip. Hardly any cars, just the incredible deafening wildlife of the rainforest for company - Wow those Toucans and Scarlett Macaws were so so amazing. We hit our first tropical down pour of the trip in the rainforest, infact our first rain since the Oregon coast in the States. It was so refreshing as the humidity and strong sun has taken its toll on us. There is a little video here of one of several bridges we had to cross....ignore my dreadful Arnie impression at the start....

7 comments. Tags: Fin, Alex, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica!

Posted by Fin on 26 February 2010

We stupidly ignored the sound advice and arrived at the Nica / Costa Rica border at 5pm on Sunday Evening...right behind 3 coach loads of tourists and hundreds of locals returning to Costa Rica to work for the week...We queued into the night for our passports to be stamped and pedalled off into pitch darkness a few hours later. The first sign of light was at a gas station, where we promply set up our tents behind petrol pump number 4..an ideal first nights accomodation in beautiful Costa Rica.

5 comments. Tags: Fin, Alex. Location: Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Crossing into Rica

Posted by Alex on 20 February 2010

What a contrast... Looking back at our first few blogs up in Alaska and now, 2 weeks and 850 odd km from the end of our trip, I can hardly start to process all that we have seen and experienced.

The Central Four

Posted by Alex on 13 February 2010

Since leaving the Film Crew in Antigua, things have accelerated dramatically, hopping from one country to another in a matter of days instead of weeks.

Guatemala's Volcanoes

Posted by Alex on 9 February 2010

True to my usual fashion, I am always one step behind Fin on the blogging front, except that this time, I am actually three counties behind. Yesterday we crossed into Nicaragua, a good 700km south of where these photos were taken. I was too busy getting pummeled by the waves in El Salvador, and our fleeting stint through Honduras was internet free... so here it is. Our trip up the Volcan de Pecaya...

2 comments. Tags: Alex, . Location: Leon, Nicaragua, Nicaragua

The Guatemalan Mountains

Posted by Alex on 3 February 2010

From the start of the trip, we had associated Guatemala with mountain riding and some steep climbing, and it did not let us down. The moment we crossed the border, which, against all expectations was actually easier than getting through immigration at a French airport, we started climbing... steeply. having ridden along the coast for the last part of Mexico, we found ourselves in tropical heat at the base of 3500m volcanoes, up onto which the road climbed to nearly 3000m. Now, one would naturally assume that a bicycle is faster method of transport than walking. We have found this to be true throughout the majority of the trip, however, the gradient of the roads in Guatemala we so steep that riding was barely faster than walking, the latter often being the preferred option when the road reared up in front of us like a unsurmountable wall. In summary, getting up the hill was a bit of a struggle.