Tuesday 11th to Monday 17th July 2006: PANAMA: Panama City

After three glorious weeks at Eric's house in San Juan Del Sur, it was finally time to leave Nicaragua and start on our travels through South America. After a thirty hour bus ride (and a few changes) we arrived in Panama City where we would catch a short flight to Colombia.

Having booked our flights to Bogota, Colombia, leaving on the 17th July we looked forward to spending the next six days in the most developed city of Central America.

Quite funnily, whilst enjoying a post breakfast cigarette outside our hotel (most of Panama City has a no smoking indoors policy) on our first morning, we happened to bump into another Londoner we had met three months prior when surfing at Playa Madera in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Maciej was not in San Juan long but long enough for Oli and him to build a friendship - they're both avid Arsenal fans! When we last saw Maciej he was heading for Costa Rica to meet up with his girlfriend Josey, also from London, who was flying out to meet him. Josey and Maciej were also now in Panama City arranging flights to Colombia. It was such a nice surprise and completely random to see someone we knew!

Our next six days were great fun and were spent hanging out with Josey and Maciej, enjoying the hotels rooftop pool, playing pool, eating good old Dominos Pizza, talking football (the girls were glad to have each other to not talk football!) and visiting the amazing Panama Canal.

Monday 17th July arrived and it was time for both couples to leave for Colombia (Josey & Maciej were heading for the caribbean costal town of Barranquilla). We said our goodbyes promising to meet up in London and we looked forward to Colombia.

A huge boat passing through the Panama Canal (Pacific to Atlantic side)

The view of the financial district of Panama City as seen from the roof of our hotel