The next day, having still not checked our email we decided to move closer to Panama city. The usual tours to the Embera village went from the outskirts of the city so we decided to get close enough so we could get there in a day if we needed to for the wedding. We found a little town on the map with some hikes, thermal pools and a local market that was up in the mountains again and set off to find a spot to camp. We are more and more trying to find places higer in the mountains rather than along the coast as it is so so very hot. Most days the temperature is in the hundreds and with barely a breeze and it is impossible to sleep. El Valle was perfect, high enough for the wind to blow through but not blow us away. We found a spot to camp and were just settling in to our pivate (empty) campsite when another car pulled up…with Alaska plates. This was yet another amazing hand dealt to us by fate. The couple in the car, Hiske and Gaby from Holland, Amsterdam had driven from Alaska in their car with a tent. They were asking us about other campsites and we were chatting about our journeys when they asked if we were thinking of going to Colombia. We told them we had been having a complete nightmare with the shipping and they had been going through the same! They were looking for someone to share a container with…just like us!  (LUCK) I could have kissed them there and then but refrained as I didn’t want them to change their minds! We talked them into staying at the same site and we cooked and drank wine and by the evening we were great friends. We have so much in common, food, cooking, eating…travelling, driving, camping (though they are a little more hardcore than us!), it was a perfect accidental situation. Excitedly the next day we went to the internet cafe and contacted our respective contacts in the shipping industry and got back to work at shipping Peggy and Ravy (Gaby and Hiske’s car) to Colombia. At the same time we heard back from Anne and started to plan the wedding. It was all so exciting, and so nice to share the excitement with new friends. We told them our story and about the upcoming wedding and asked if they would like to come along, they loved the idea and said they would like to come if they could. We swam in the river and watched the local boys jump in from great heights, wandered the villages and shopped for fresh fruit and vegetables, cooked and ate and drank wine by the fire for 4 days while we arranged the shipping and the wedding. By the time we left El Valle we felt so lazy but so much better for having arranged everything. We moved closer to Panama city so that we could visit the city and the canal before the wedding on the saturday. We hadn’t really planned where to stay and by the time we got there and checked with the national park if we could stay there it was getting late.

We decided to have a little look around and found a resort and asked at the gate if it was possible to camp. The gate keeper shrugged and said I dont see why not and let us through. The resort was on the canal and as we drove through the abandoned village of wooden houses it reminded me of the film Cocoon. We drove up through the empty streets and finally arrived at a huge, fancy, glass fronted hotel. We walked in doubtful of being allowed to stay but the gate man said it was ok so we asked. The look of horror on the check in lady’s face was priceless but Hiske wouldn’t let it go, “the gate man said it was ok!” we were passed onto someone else and then someone else and then finally the owner of the hotel. Gaby and I left Alex and Hiske to it and they were successful. He said we could stay on the grounds aslong as we hid in the trees away from the hotel…FOR FREE! Done deal! (LUCK) We set up camp and snuck back through the hotel to use the HUGE pool overlooking the canal and the showers at the pool area. We felt so cheeky but all of that was forgotten as we enjoyed the view. Once night fell and the guard shift changed we got a knock on the door and we explained that the boss had said we could stay, they called through in their radio and promptly apologised and left us alone.

The next day we went to visit the canal and to watch a maiden voyage of a HUGE cargo ship through the Miraflores locks. LUCKILY someone gave us their unstamped tickets so we all got in for half the price! It was totally boring but worth watching (for $2.50 each instead of $5!) I suppose, you cant go to Panama and not go to see the canal can you?! After that we went back and spent the afternoon in the pool, making the most of our last nights stay. The wedding was early the next morning and we got an early night in preparation.

Find out what happens next on our travelling wedding adventure!