The first night bus experience

Panamá – January 2019

I’ve reported before about celebrating New Year’s Eve on Bocas del Toro. That story ends with us guests returning to the Dreamcatcher Hostel on Isla Bastimentos after a long night out. Naturally, that means we only get a few hours of sleep until Charlotte, Dario and I have to check out. However, all of us don’t leave for the south of Panamá until late that night. So we store our backpacks at the reception and join hostel-owner Fabi for a Caribbean breakfast at a waterfront restaurant a few minutes down the single paved street on the island.

Over breakfast, we discuss our plans for the day and following Fabi’s recommendation, Charlotte, Dario and I decide to spend the hours before our night busses leave on the main island. Back at the hostel, I book my bus ticket to Panama City online (I do not recall the website I used. However, I’d anyway recommend to buythe tickets directly at the bus station). Then we pick up our bags and head to the jetty, where another of Fabi’s friends is already waiting with his boat to bring us to Bocas Town. A short boat ride later, we arrive at the pier of Isla Colon, where we first sort out our ferry tickets for the evening ride to Almirante and luckily are able to store our luggage for the next hours.

The next stop is a bike rental shop. We get 3 beach cruisers and confidently pedal off towards the nature reserve beyond the town. Our goal is to cross the jungle and find a remote beach for a dip in the sea. We follow the directions on Dario’s phone and at the next “big” crossing turn left. So far, so good. After a few turns, the road starts to climb up a small hill and shortly after leads back down into a valley. With the descent comes a nice breeze, which only temporarily helps to dry off the sweat building up on my face. A few of these hills later, we reach the Plastic Bottle Village. It is here that we finally give up the dream of reaching the other end of the island. It’s too hot, we’re too tired and our 1-gear beach cruisers are simply not made for an excursion like that.

We return to the waterfront street and this time turn left. The terrain is pleasantly flat and we make good progress. Until we reach the end of the asphalt street and enter a sandy patch, which turns into a full-on beach soon after. Fortunately, there is now a breeze from the sea and it’s not long before we reach the Paunch Beach Club. We decide to take a break here. We park our bikes, grab 3 sun beds and dive into the refreshing waves of the Caribbean Sea. Once we’re dried off, we get some smoothies and delicious pizza before a quick nap in the sun. And then it’s already time to make our way back to town to return the bikes. Now that we know the way, this was supposed to be an easy ride. However, suddenly, Dario’s bike’s chain strikes. After fixing it for the third time, it doesn’t move at all, and he resorts to pushing the bike.

Charlotte and I meanwhile drive back to the rental shop to let them know about the incident and to pick up our bags at the boat pier. Dario, fortunately, turns up shortly after (someone helped him to fix the chain). At the pier, I once again spot the Swiss family and a few other familiar faces from the previous night. The ride in the water taxi is quite uneventful and seems to be a lot faster than the previous day. Arriving in Almirante, we walk the short distance to the main bus terminal alongside the other backpackers. As we all still have a couple of hours to pass, we first head to the Chinese mini market across the street to buy some snacks.

Then, Charlotte and Dario have to buy their tickets for the bus. Charlotte is headed to the city of David, from where she plans to hitchhike down to Panama City over the course of a few days. Meanwhile, Dario has to reach the city of Colón the next day in the afternoon to catch his flight back to Quito. Both of them end up taking the more local mini busses, which fill up quickly and require a few changes on the way to the final destination. At 8pm, I am the last one left in our small group, patiently waiting for my air-conditioned long-distance bus. A few busses arrive at the small terminal situated just off the main street, but most of the time the drivers quickly leave the driver’s seat and lock the vehicles.

I again spot the Swiss family and we notice that we’re going to be on the same bus. Shortly after, a hustle and bustle begins, as a few drivers return to their vehicles. They begin to shout destinations and usher passengers to luggage compartments. Only to note, after checking their ticket, that they were supposed to be on the other bus. So back to the compartment it is for those unlucky people, carrying their backpacks to the other bus and finally taking their reserved seats. With about a half-hour delay, we finally pull out of the terminal and begin our 10-hour journey to Panama City. Fortunately, I brought my down jacket with me on the bus. They cool down the cabin to what feels like -5°C.

I catch a few minutes of sleep here and there, but am desperate for an actual bed to lay down in. Somehow, we arrive at Albrook Terminal more than an hour ahead of the schedule. Incredibly sleep-deprived, I hail myself a taxi to the hostel I am going to stay at. Fortunately, the night porter at Mamallena Hostel is kind enough (or feels bad enough) to let me sleep on the cosy sofa on the terrace until check-in time later in the day.