| Jeff Poulter & Graham Tillotson: 30th August 2004 |
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Panama City (Day 1)
Overcast until mid afternoon when it brightened up, but still hot and muggy
Ride the bikes to the international airport to see what problems we're going to have shipping them to Ecuador. We have some information from the Horizons Unlimited website that there are two freight companies worth talking to, Panavia and Girag- Panama. All we had to do was find them.
The cargo area was not signposted as we approached the airport so we went directly to the passenger terminal and asked a couple of guards for directions. They were only too delighted to help and both started talking and waving arms at the same time. This is normal. Just choose a guard and stick with him. We never, under these circs, repeat back the instructions as affirmations because they simply agree and then say something completely different. The gist of these instructions appeared to be "keep turning right".
Right we turned and turned until, after about 10 km I was starting to doubt
the instructions but, eventually, a customs post hove to. The customs man
wanted to see our passports and, batch search the bikes. While he was so
doing I asked him where we ought to get our temporary bike imports permits
cancelled. He didn't know. So we rode a half mile or so to another customs
post but, as they didn't leap out in front of us, we rode past, following
a freshly-painted sign directing us towards Panavia offices. As ever in
this part of the world, the signs petered out so we ended up in the loading
yard of an entirely different company and asked a lift truck driver where
Panavia was. He indicated a blank, grey door. Once inside we wandered corridors
until the magic words appeared above an office door. Yes, this is Panavia;
no, you cannot ship bikes from here, you have to go to our other office
first then come back here later. Having scrabbled around to find one Panavia
office, the thought of having to find another... Luckily, the other office
is not in the centre of town but "next to the customs". Which
customs office, there are two? The big one. Thanks, that helps.
Long Lost Customs Office
It didn't actually because it wasn't, so we set off towards another group of buildings and, eventually we arrived at the perimeter fence facing piles of scrap. On our way back to re-check we happened upon the other freight company, Girag. They weighed the bikes and quoted us $500 each, all in.
After riding around the site a couple of more times, a process of elimination took us to the only building we hadn't been in. This looked like a derelict Gaumont cinema, was completely dark and without a single sign of any description. It is the customs head office, the third customs office on the site. Panavia quoted us $450, bikes leaving on Wednesday for the once a week flight, bring them back tomorrow at five. To the other office, of course, but at least now we know where it is.
Back at our hotel we booked Sunday morning flights to Quito with the in-house travel agency. The poor woman who booked it earned her commission with three power cuts crashing her computer while we sat there. She suggested that we had a cup of coffee, presumably so that she could swear more freely at her stone of Sisyphus.
Jeff 30.08.04 |
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