BRIDGE OF THE AMERICAS, COSTA RICA/PANAMA

A Spanish biker, Alejandro Menendez-Chacon, has posted on Facebook a pic of the Bridge Of The Americas. It is a railway bridge built by United Fruit to connect their banana plantations on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica with the banana port of Almirante in Panama. Loose planks either side of the rails enable the bridge to be used by road traffic. Alejandro's pic shows the safety netting is new. This is my pic. I crossed in the rain on my ride south from Mexico to Tierra del Fuego - see pic in OLD MAN ON A BIKE. The wet planks were slippery and lengths of safety net were missing or had big holes. I lost my nerve and tipped the bike inward over the rails. A transport driver picked me up and loaded the bike into the back of his truck. See this Blog, July 8/9, 2006...

BEST SPORT FISHING IN THE WORLD

hookedonpanama boat shed: puerto armuelles

PUERTO ARMUELLES: JANUARY 25
I have never pushed anythng in which I didn't believe. I believe in Hookedonpanama. The new lodge has ten cabins and a club house. The site is superb.
Rex has five boats in the water. Young captains from the US are fanatic fishermen. Marlin fishing is the best in the world. Opening date? March 1st.
Maria will continue to run the Puerto Armuelles guest house for drop-ins.

HOOKED ON PANAMA

new lodge


PUERTO ARMUELLES: JANUARY 24
Rex is a Texas boat builder. He, his wife and daughter run a Pacific Coast sports fishing operation at Puerto Armuelles. Puerto Armuelles is a creation of United Fruit/Chiquita Banana. The Company pulled out a couple of years back. A worker's Co-op runs the plantations. The Panamanian Government subsidises the Co-op.
HOOKEDONPANAMA run the Fruit Company's old guest house as a hotel. This is a great building, full of history, romantic, spacious rooms with a/c, splendid bathrooms, excellent chef. I sleep in luxury - recompense for fear,

COPPER ROBBERY

PORTO BELO: JANUARY 19
I am at Marco's house on the hill above Porto Belo (Marcos on whose yacht I sailed from Cartagena).
Marcos returned yesterday from visiting his family in Canada over the holidays. He sails with passengers for Cartagena on Wednesday. He has much to do. A thief has stolen all the copper wiring from his boat. This is the village Marcos professes to love. Good luck to him – and good luck to his monkey and Rotweiler; they must remain a further three weeks at the animal posada.
Two of Marcos' passengers are French, young women on vacation from a year at University in Cali, Columbia – part of a five year degree course at Lille. A third is Sicilian, perhaps in his late thirties, a tailor of men's and women's suits. He was a master diver with the Italian marines and has a disability pension – small reward for an embolism in the brain.

JUNIOR IS MY HERO

Miss Junior discussing toy catalogue

COLON: JANUARY 19
One night to recuperate, then on to Colon by bus. My bike gleams in Junior's yard. Junior's bother-in-law opens the gates. Junior lies under the surgeon's knife in Panama City (hasn't Junior has suffered enough?). I dawdle sorting clothes and loading the bike. Junior's wife calls. The operation is successful. Junior is in recovery. I can talk with him on Monday.