We decided we wanted to see a little of Panamas countryside but Brett wasn’t brave enough to drive, which was not surprising when you see the locals run traffic lights and stop signs around Panama City. We had heard good things about the bus system so went to Allbrook Terminal Station and got bus tickets to David, where you get assigned seating on an air-conditioned bus. Surprisingly the buses to David are pretty much brand new. After you buy your bus ticket you then work out you need to get a $1 ticket, after showing your passport, to get through the turn stalls to get on the bus; the bus terminal fee. Was quite the experience working this all out but my limited Spanish did suffice.

The 7 hour bus ride to David was actually enjoyable and safe thanks to the air-conditioning, comfy reclining seats, movies to watch, bathroom/ food stops and lots to see outside. We were stopped 3 times at different check-stops and ID cards and our passports checked to make sure we had valid visas. No problems so the bus continued on. Your luggage also receives a ticket, which is great as its only handed over to the person with the ticket at the end of the trip. Perfect!

The road system was a double lane concrete highway most of the way crossing a lot of rivers while the secondary roads appeared to be mainly dirt trails. The countryside was really green with large skyscraper condo buildings scattered along the Coronado beach coast and homes dotted in the trees all the way through to David. Vendors occasionally had stalls on the side of the road.

We arrived in David at about 3:45pm to busy crowded streets, rush hour perhaps or maybe it’s like this all the time? Heading to Boquete tomorrow, which is meant to be really nice with great hikes and lots to do.