Started this trip on the 22nd; it's now the 28th. Couldn't get my computer to hook up to the internet. So now I have a lot of catching up to do.  

I've been lax (or forgetful) about taking pics, so there may be gaps.  

Caught the bus to David at 7:10am. Got to the bus stop just as the bus was pulling up (I think he was early). Most of the buses going from Boquete to David are old U.S. yellow schoolbuses. Got to the David bus terminal at 8am.  

Got my ticket for Tracopa bus to San Jose, bought a bottle of water, boarded the bus at 8:15am, left at 8:30am. Got to the border an hour later, spent about an hour going through customs.  

 

Stopped for lunch around 12:30: chicken rice, veg, drink - $7.  


 



 
Arrived in San Jose around 4:30 Central time (Panama is on Eastern time; the rest of Central America is on Central time). Grabbed a cab to the Ticabus Line. Booked my bus ride to Guatemala. Ticabus has it's own mini-hotels at their bus terminals, so I got a room there ($28).  
Tried to get internet so I could blog: I got wifi but couldn't hook up to this website.  

Wanted to get a sandwhich; they have a litlle deli there, but it wouldn't open 'til 8:30pm! So I went to the first place the desk person sent me: didn't see anything I wanted. Then the desk girl said there was a Subway about 200 meters up the street. Wrong! It was two streets over and about six blocks up. Came back with the sandwhich and coke ($7), ate and kept trying the internet. Had intended to be in bed at 6:30pm (3am bus), but after all the runaround it was 8pm by the time I got to sleep. Didn't sleep well 'cause of all the noises. Got up at 2am, dressed, and went down to the terminal lobby.  
  
The bus was executive class (supposedly their top of the line), but the driver's area did not have a divider to separate it from the passengers (been on some that did, and had two restrooms - this bus only had one, and no pooping). As soon as we get going, the driver and his helper start talking - loudly. Hard to sleep! The bus did have leather seats, more legroom, reclined slightly more than the regular buses, tv tray, and electric outlet. At this point I'd say that the $20 extra (over the regular bus) isn't worth it. The main reason I chose it was speed: it leaves at 3am and gets into San Salvador at 11pm, saving a stopover in Nicaragua. Just before crossing out of Costa Rica, they served us breakfast: quesadilla (cheese and egg), mini sausage, slice of french bread, jelly, coffee. Somebody roadside prepares the meals, the bus picks them up, then serves them as soon as we get back underway. Everything was hot! And the coffee was pretty good.  

We were also served lunch, a snack (choice of chips, cookies, nuts, pastry, etc in snack bags, plus a cup of orange soda), and dinner. All the food we got was definitely worth the extra $20, and it was just as good as anything we could get at one of their regular stops.  

But what a long day! Due to construction and customs delays, we got in at 1:30am! The next bus left at 6am. By the time I got my room, and wakeup at 4:50am, I only got about 2 1/2 hours sleep. Woke up feeling hungover, even though I hadn't had a drink in two days.  

Got into Guatemala City about 11am. Took a cab to another bus service, but had to wait 1 1/2 hours for the next bus. Switched buses twice to get to Panajachel, on Lake Atitlan. Needed to get a boat to cross the lake to San Pedro, got sent to the wrong boat dock, had to go all the way to the other end of lakeshore, saw 4 boats leave, 3 more left as I was walking down the boat ramp (long) - the last one as I walked onto the dock, had to wait about 25 min for the next boat to fill up. Thirty min ride across the lake, six min tuktuk ride to hotel. I badly needed dinner and a couple glasses of wine. So I just dropped my stuff in my room, walked about 5 min to what seemed like a likely restaurant. It was 7:45, happy hour closed at 8pm, ordered 2 white russians, $6, (happy hour consists of about 7 choices). Ordered dinner: they were out of my first choice - meat sampler, so I tried an Angus beef steak, pretty good for the price ($10.50). Two glasses of wine and I was happy.  

Turns out this place, Sublime Restaurant and Bar, is the most hoppin place in town. Started to fill up around 9pm. A couple girls walked in, looked around for a place to sit; i told them they could share my table: two Australians, 28 and 22. We chatted for a while. They left and I went to my room for a long anticipated decent night's sleep - and got it! Woke up refreshed, tried to get on this blog, but I still don't know why it wouldn't pick up wifi. No problems with my phone; this is the first time in 1 1/2yrs that my Macbook has done this.