The bridge of the Americas over the entrance of the Panama Canal.

August 19, 2018, Panama City, Panama, Final Kilometer 7316

The photos he knew of the city of Panama were a succession of skyscrapers in front of the sea, emulating the classic views of Manhattan, and since Panama has its dolarized economy, I was hoping to find a country that was a mere extension of the United States. That's why I was surprised to see a lot of indigenous people who used their own language different from Spanish. Panama rather looks like an extension of Costa Rica, perhaps not so lush and sure not so expensive: the landscape is green, and the climate in these very humid months. Further south of Panama City the forest is closed and the road is over. There is no ground connection to South America, you should take a boat or a plane to follow south. A good point to end the journey and return to my home land where other responsibilities await me.

It's been just over four months to get to where I didn't think I was capable at first. The most difficult day was certainly the day of departure, the first steps away from home made me feel vertigo. From there, the journey was teaching and giving me strength, and every day was easier than the previous one. I have passed from the far Mexican deserts to the Central American forests, leaving behind the Anglo-Saxon culture in which I lived to meet my Latin roots. Four months of personal experiences and relationships that would not have been possible without the vehicle I was carrying. This trip would have been completely different by car, by bus, or by plane. I will not deny that there have been difficult and difficult times, but they have been overcompensated by the positive experiences I have experienced. Now is the time to start another journey, a new stage.

It has been 131 days of travel, 93 pedaling and 38 resting or visiting the places where it passed, 7316 kilometres pedaled, enough to get by road from Barcelona to Kabul. Some falls, none with serious consequences, although the helmet saved me at least once. Only five punctures if I remember correctly, although I had to change three tyres. No robbery or violent incident, not even a traffic discussion, despite passing through countries so vilified by the press. I have slept more than 50 nights in a tent, many of them in informal campsites, almost 40 nights in hotels, hostels and airbnbs, and so many others in private houses, that their owners have opened me without knowing me at all and many times without notice. To all of them my deep thanks for their help and trust. Looking back, what surprises me most about this trip is how I have accepted uncertainty. Most of the days I've been pedaling I've been up in the morning without knowing where I was going to spend the next night. That tolerance for adventure, and that confidence that when the afternoon came, everything would be resolved, as it was, is for me the most relevant of the journey. I wish in life everything was as simple as cycling.

The city of Panama is the one that I like most than I have visited on this trip. It has a very nice old helmet, despite what you can think when you see this picture.