After checking all the options, flying the bikes to Colombia was the way to roll. We wanted to take a boat because it was cheaper and included some island hopping, but there were many stories of crazy captains, mid-sea bike transfers, and shady import practices.
We spent the next couple days hanging out in Panama City trying to figure out how to get the bikes across the Darien water gap and into Colombia. Besides the fact that it is about 80 miles of almost impassable swap, the government has made it illegal to cross this area because its also drug cartel controlled lands.
The Panama city skyline is almost skeleton like with a third of the sky scrapers either under construction or just left unfinished as failed ventures.
The daily afternoon tropical showers were like clock work, but with temperatures up to 108 degrees while riding with full body armor, the rain becomes something to look forward to.
We left the coast and a short ride had us to the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose. This sculpture was on the top of a mountain just outside the city. It also marked one of the windiest roads I ever ridden on. You had to lean sideways just to keep going straight.
We left our hotel early knowing we had 2 border crossings for the day. These generally take about 3 hours per border with immigration and exporting the bikes out of each country and then immigration and importing the bikes into each country. This also involves paying off local expediters, paying off multiple officials, and a great deal of patience. 
