BORDER BRIDGE FROM COSTA RICA TO PANAMA

What's left of the pedestrian bridge all travelers must walk across between Panama and Costa Rica.

When it comes to border crossings in foreign lands, you never know what you're going to find. There is always anticipation, as border towns can be a bit sketchy, and usually we arrive to the border exhausted, after double digit hours on a bus.

Such was the case as we crossed the border from Costa Rica to Panama. But thanks to our numerous sloth stops in Cahuita, we only had six hours of bus under our belts when we arrived to Sixaola, a dusty border town separated from Panama only by a wide, rolling river.

While we were well-prepared for the cranky border officials, what we were not ready for was the dilapidated state of the bridge we had to walk across. 

Liz and her backpack head toward Panama as a man on his cell phone treks carefully toward Costa Rica.

Lucky for us, there were no trains coming during our crossing...  OK, full disclosure, we doubt trains actually use this bridge, as their weight alone would probably send it crashing into the river below.

So, as Kip would say, we dodged three trains and saved two drowning children as we crossed the ramshackle bridge, with its exposed rusty nails, loose boards, and gaping holes where loose boards used to be.

But it was a lovely view.

Even better was the looks on the faces of the military and bridge merchant as Kip tried on some of the wares they had for sale. Who says you can't sell guns and bras at the same store? 

Welcome to Panama. We already love it here.

Kip checks the sizing on a new bra while Liz eyes the nice array of firearms.
Imagine what the TSA agents would say about this back home?!

Liz takes reluctant first steps over the rickety bridge.

Want to read more border fun? Though we there were no bras involved, and we weren't actually allowed to cross into the Congo, there was plenty of danger in this border town in Rwanda.