SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER 2001

Panama City - I am sitting here - arrived Thursday morning extremely excited  as I had cycled across the very impressive, beautiful bridge of the Americas. I felt proud, happy and a sense of accomplishment. 1,3481 km from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

I also knew from the beginning that obstacles would come my way and I'd be prepared to deal with it. We went to the Canadian Embassy, met with Patty Goodfellow, she and her counterpart in Columbia informed us that no Canadian ever went through the Darien Gap and that not even the police dare to go in there. They advised me to not even think about it - I have not made a final decision yet.

Dreams and goals are never destroyed by circumstances. I decided "don't get stuck, move on and take care of myself and the situation."

The Embassy also informed us of the situation in Columbia - dangerous.  The crew do not want to go as they are more of a target in a car. They will go to Ecuador and wait for me there.

Let me give you a summary of the trip:

Mexico was extremely difficult. Traffic very heavy, bad driving, hundreds of
buses, narrow roads and lots of animals walking on the roads. The temperature was up to 45ºC and very tiring to cycle in.  I had 5 falls, two major ones in Mexico. 

One day I told the crew to look for a camping spot, late in the day.  They came back with the news that it was too dangerous to camp so we decided
to push for the next town.  Roads are narrow with lots of vegetation, right up to the white line. I was doing about 35 kmph when a dog jumped out of the bushes right in front of my front wheel. I was literally flying .

My crew knew something was wrong because the children looked astonished and amazed at the white man (gringo as they call us) falling. I had landed on my lower back and right arm. The dog was howling and had gone.  I was lying in agony. 

Lee had to put me on the bike the next morning; it was one of the worst days.  I should have been in bed but the show had to go on.  The border crossings were terrible:  2-3 hours, corruption and anybody that has not been through one will not believe how frustrating it can be. 

Entering Guatemala, late in the afternoon, was a steep, steep hill from the border with buses and traffic all over the place. the crew went to look for maps and we got separated. I got lost, it became dark very quickly and I was lost.  I lined up an hotel, nobody could speak English and my total vocabulary in Spanish is "gracias". I can tell you that was not fun, no money, trying to make a call to my secretary to inform her of my location if my crew rang. I managed and at the end everything worked out okay.

The mountain passes in Central America were very difficult. Out of San Jose
(capital of Costa Rica) there is a 60-70 km incline up to 10,000 ft (330m). You do not have time to acclimatize. I felt very tired and dizzy. It was very
foggy and dangerous going down with the rain and the trucks and my brakes
that did not work properly.

I must admit Central America is not what I envisioned.  Panama is great. Panama City and the Canal are something to see.

I am flying this week (29 or 30 October) to Cartagena to continue my trip alone through Columbia.  I am determined and adamant to finish this trip.