Day half Panama City. Villa vento hostal

It was a horribly long day...probably one of the worst days of my entire journey, if not the worst!  No details on the internet, just business stuff.

But after 4 days here I will be leaving Hostal Villa Vento Surf in downtown Panama City at 8am tomorrow morning on my way to Carti to board the Stahlratte  at 11am. I really had a good time here although most of it was to prepare for my Darien crossing.

     I got to know Daniel, and Anna who run the hostel, and are amazingly friendly, and helpful. Two Jewish kids who just got out of the Israeli army special forces after serving four years in Gaza and will return to Tel Aviv to study.  I also met Billy from Ireland who is traveling from Alaska to Patagonia on his mountain bike alone (visit his site www.billysbigcycle.com), and Andrew from Alabama who is studying anthropology and native hunting patterns in Panama, Fritz the captain from Austria of the 46 ft catamaran Jacquelin who sails backpackers between panama and Cartagena...a living legend www.sailjacqueline.com who came to the hostal to meet me, and offer his services.
The Japanese girl who made us all homemade sushi.  And all of the other fifty or so people who visited the hostal and met in the past four days. 

 In the morning at 8am I will be traveling through the Darien jungle very dense and partially unpaved roads from Chepo to Carti, but also some of the most beautiful of the entire trip, very steep steep hills, kinda worried my bike won't make it up them fully loaded.  I will then load my bike with a huge winch onto the boat, then spend one night in a Guna hut on an island, then the next morning have breakfast onboard, then sail to the San Blas islands and swing from a rope swing, snorkel, spearfish then have a BBQ on the island and then do it all over again the next day before heading to Cartagena on a thirty hour non-stop sail.  I will be incommunicado for several days, possibly be back blogging by the 22ndish.

Ciao

Photos are of
Me being released from a Panamanian prison

The 46ft catamaran Jacqueline who I decided not to sail with..fritz is the one looking up with glasses on.

My map to Carti for in the morning

My itinerary and details of the journey.