‘Long Way Up’ Recap: ‘Colombia, Panama & Costa Rica’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Nine of ‘Long Way Up’.
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When one thinks of the road trip, certain images come to mind. Specifically, the open highway in front of us, with beautiful scenery to boot as we ride along in our car or on our bikes. Because using some kind of car or motorcycle to travel the roads has become synonymous with the road trip. But the fact of the matter is, sometimes a good old-fashioned journey on the road… doesn’t involve those particular modes of transportation. Because now and again you’re stuck with what the locals have to use, or traveling by wheel simply isn’t possible and this particular quirk to the road trip is relevant to today’s discussion, simply because this is precisely the kind of twist that Ewan and Charley run into in the next episode of Long Way Up.

For ‘Colombia, Panama & Costa Rica’ made it clear early on, that traveling by road and on the bikes just wasn’t feasible for the next leg of their journey. In fact, to get where they needed to go, they had to travel by boat and that led to one fascinating and peaceful segment. Where we were able to get to know a crew that loves working on the sea and visit villages that are only accessible via water, and it was quite fascinating to enter a part of the world that is thriving and humming, despite being disconnected from traditional travel means. Plus, it was equally as lovely to enjoy a peaceful leg of the journey. For everyone aboard the boat was able to just kick back and enjoy the calm and tranquil waters surrounding them, and some delightful food and good company aboard the boat, before more unique travel took place.

Because once they arrived in Panama, there was going to be a split up. Because Harley Davidson set up shop in Costa Rica to repair Ewan’s bike and that meant he was going to let Charley explore Panama on his own while he flew and rode to Costa Rica for the repair. And while he made his way north as a crew member on a flight and as an outright passenger, we got to learn a lot about Ewan, and how much this journey has meant to him over the years. For not only has it allowed for him to see the world with his absolute best friend, it’s also helped to expand his family. For Jamyan, the young girl that he met in Long Way Round, eventually became his daughter and really hearing Ewan speak about the journey and how it has changed his life and even the lives of his family members, really was quite beautiful and heartwarming for certain.

But while Ewan took the time to reminisce before getting down to work on his bike, Charley was enjoying all the wonder that Panama had to offer. For he was able to see first-hand, just how much of an impact people can make when they work together. Since District-13 in Medellín has been transformed from a dangerous place to a warm and welcome environment for all, because that’s what the people wanted when a second chance arrived for this part of the city. Plus, he got to visit with a hard-core Harley fan and even visit the majesty of the Panama Canal. Wherein he was able to pay tribute to his father by re-creating a scene from one of dear old dad’s films from back in the day and it was nice that the show still found a way to explore the places that Ewan and Charley were visiting, despite the odd circumstances surrounding this leg of the journey.

In the end however, this really was quite the engrossing episode. Mainly because it really did offer up quite the unique journey. Since we really weren’t expecting any part of this documentary to feature some plane and boat rides and long car rides. But hey, sometimes you gotta do, what you gotta do and thankfully there were plenty of unique moments to keep this part of the trip as interesting as possible. Plus, it was also quite amazing to see Ewan and Charley open up in the manner that they each did. Since that really isn’t something, we’ve seen a lot of on this series and it looks like we are about to enjoy a little more of that openness. Because it would appear as though, we are going to be treated to a little family time with Ewan and his daughter, Jamyan, in the next episode and it will be quite lovely to share in that moment and more; now that our dynamic duo are reunited and ready to hit the road north, once again. Until next time.

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