Motorcycle touring is a spectacular way to get to know a place. Being exposed to the outdoors -and with a greater perception of physical risk than in a car-, the motorcycle forces you to be attentive to the places you pass through, and you feel the temperature, the bumps, the noise of the engine, the heat of the engine in your legs, the vibrations, the rain, the speed and, best of all, the inertia of your body moving when you link curves. In a car the ride is more comfortable, but generally one can isolate oneself from the outside very easily. The air conditioning, the soundproofing, the music, the windshield… everything creates a bubble. A marvel too, but each way of traveling has its own charm. The middle ground would be traveling in a convertible, and I had a fantastic trip from Miami to Asheville in South Carolina that I can only rave about, with the sun beating down on my body, and the wind whipping overhead. But it’s just not the feeling a motorcycle gives you.
At the same distance to be covered on a motorcycle, you end up physically -and mentally- exhausted. You get off the bike and your legs will be throbbing for a long time, even if you’re in a chair. You have to like it to keep riding.
In Panama, it is feasible to visit both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean in the same day. It is, of course, a reasonably long trip, and more so when we decided that we were going to visit the famous La Barqueta beach. A “physical beating” that one gladly receives.
Vicenta
The bike was a BMW R1150RT (Reise-Tourer), an absolute marvel of a bike for long routes. We christened it “Vicenta”, because to put your bottom quarters on top of a motorcycle for hours without having been properly introduced beforehand is bad manners.
The bike itself is a parallel twin-cylinder with 1130 cubic centimeters, 95 horsepower and 280 kg weight. A beast.
Once on the road it is very docile to ride, but Vicenta’s cold start was no joke: that metal protrusion you see on the side houses a cylinder whose axis is parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the running order. So, when the bike is started, the cylinder goes from being still at rest to moving very fast with the help of the starter motor. That half second the bike vibrates sideways and, as you are distracted and with the bike heavily loaded with weight, the instability can cause the bike to fall over. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can lift 290 kg a meter and a half up to put it upright again. So be careful with the joke.
En route to the Pacific
The route to La Barqueta beach would take us through 6 provinces: Panama, West Panama, Cocle, Veraguas, Ngäbe-Bugle and Chiriqui.
We use the famous Pan-American Highway, which is the longest road network in the world, approximately 30,000 kilometers from Alaska in the far north of North America to Ushuaia in the far south of Argentina.
Driving on the Pan-American Highway guarantees access to a minimum of services, such as fuel, water and food.
Another thing is the level of services or whether they are simply open. Do not expect North American or European standards.
The route alternates sections with a well-kept asphalt and a comfortable route to follow, with other segments of regional roads of questionable asphalt and risky design.
The route is surrounded by lush and dense vegetation, so some curves are blind as if you were to turn the corner of a building and see nothing on the other side, but of course, you’re on a road rolling at a good speed. Interesting.
It is not uncommon to find holes in the road or some kind of obstacle -such as stones or branches and trunks- as a result of a landslide, the wind, or some transport that did not have its load well secured.
Service areas
The service areas are staffed by very friendly personnel. The services offered are according to local custom, which are the customers they usually serve. For example, self-service of an infusion I did not want to ask what:
There are still unconscious people who complain about the Uranga Burgers at the Cordoba Fair. Traveling helps to relativize:
La Barqueta Beach
Playa La Barqueta is located approximately 25 kilometers from the city of David, the capital of the province of Chiriqui. It extends for several kilometers, offering wide spaces of dark sand and waves that vary in intensity.
It is popular among surfers because of its big waves. Its length is impressive. The water is quite cold – as every time I have bathed in the Pacific, whether in North or South America, I can feel how cold that ocean is compared to the Atlantic.
Towards Bocas del Toro
To fulfill the plan of swimming in both oceans on the same day, we had to go north to reach the Atlantic shore. We were already tired, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
For this we headed to the province of Bocas del Toro, north of the province of Chiriqui.
We followed the main road and as we approached the coast, we took the first road we saw that headed towards the ocean.
We arrived almost at dusk and bathed in the Atlantic briefly to meet our goal. I have no photos as we concentrated on enjoying the moment.
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