Leaving Bocas Del Toro, we got the bus south (eg: towards the Pacific) to David, Panama´s second largest city. The bus ride was fantastic – across mountains covered in cloud forest, past a large reservoir lake and near the watershed, scrub forest with stunted, wind-blasted trees. The only down-sides were the freezer-like air conditioning (a seemingly common occurance on buses it seems) and the driver´s single cd of nasty music, on repeat. A fly-on-the-wall documentary snipet would have gone something like:-
“wow, look at those fantastic trees with lichens hanging off them”
“el corazonnnnnn……el corazonnnnnn!”
“I think I´m getting hyperthermia”
“mi amorrrrrr……mi amorrrrrr!”
“right, I´m putting some duck tape over the air conditioning vents before my neck locks”
“Yodellei, yodelelei!”
We got off the bus in David looking like we´d just holidayed in the alps, with yodeling and endlessly repetitive cumbia (the guitar/accordion ballad stuff) ringing in our heads. We stayed the night in a good cheap hotel (a kindly gent escorted us to it, after we turned the wrong way out of the bus station and ended up wandering around the city streets, obviously looking like helpless lost gringos). Next day was the long journey (eight hours) down to Panama City.
Most of the centre of the country is flat plainland which has been cleared for pasture – some of it seemingly quite productive, whilst other areas have obviously suffered from soil leeching/erosion, and are now abandoned marginal land. The only thing to note from the journey was a talent programme on the bus TV – not unlike the X-factor or somesuch, but for accordion music. Yes, accordions are big in Panama. The programme consisted of various hopefuls playing ballads, smiling sweetly at the camera whilst ladies in traditional dress floated around them. Then you could phone in and vote for your favourite. We´ve since seen a similar programme for yodel music. Yes, yodeling is also big in Panama. Myself, I prefer the accordions.
