Panama just hosted the Summit of the Americas April 10-12, 2015 and although there were presumably many subjects on the agenda, the headline grabber was indisputably the opening of relations between Cuba and the USA for the first time since Castro’s communists ousted the American-backed dictator, Bautista in 1959. … [Read more...]
Drugs, Prostitution & the American Dream
I expect I will continue thinking about Darien for some time to come and indeed the region shocked me. It is quite easy to understand why a road has not been punched through to Colombia. The harsh jungle does create a rather natural barrier against smuggling in all forms. What I find difficult to understand is what sort of misery one must feel they are living in. It must be … [Read more...]
The Darien Gap – Contraband and Smuggling
It has turned out to be an adventure, but not perhaps the jungle trek or island hopping adventure I had hope for. After exploring the region as best I could, I went early to the peer to take a boat through rough waters around the point of land that separates Colombia from Panama (on the Caribbean side), to the tiny jungle community of Puerto Obaldia. … [Read more...]
Next voyage: Colombia via Bogota
On March 22 I fly through the USA to Bogota, Colombia's capital city. This is primarily an adventure and product development trip. I have only been to Colombia once before, in 2010, when I was invited by the government of Antioquia (Medellin) to discuss tourism development near the Panamanian border (Re: Darien Gap). … [Read more...]
