From Bogota, Colombia to Panama City, Panama - April, 2006

The information already on HU was great, I just followed!
Carolina Deazza is fantastic, (she only speaks only a little english tho') my email first contact was answered instantly!
Girag is one of many freight companies in a long building on the main airport road, avenida el dorado. Just before the airport is a huge roundabout, (you go straight on for the passenger terminals, next day, in your taxi) for carga, swing around like you're returning to the city, you'll see Girag and the big freight place, veer across to your right, turn off and work your way back to the gate, Girag is almost straight ahead, check with the security chica ((drivers licence or passport required) then up to the 2nd floor and ask for Carolina. She will bounce out, all smiles, and walk you thru' the process.
She will help get some planks so you can ride up the stairs and thru into the freight bay, then ride up onto the scales, my 1150GS was 309 kgs, then out on the tarmac and into the next freight bay.
I figured I had less than a litre of gas and made a token effort to siphon the last bit with plastic tube I'd bought the day before, it's still in the freight bay if you need it, also a plastic coke bottle to collect the gas. As it was I couldn't get anything and they accepted it was empty! Then take the mirrors off and pack them away with the boots, armour, helmet etc in the panniers.
With Carolina's paperwork, walk right across to the other side of the avenida where you'll see DIAN, the customs office, up the stairs, another chica does about 30 mins of paper shuffling, walks back with me to the bike and checks the numbers.
Then walk right down the end of the freight buildings and get the cops OK, then back to the bike where the security guy and a cop have a look at the bike. ( I had to wait about 30 mins while the cop guy opened 20 boxes of cards, broke open packs and sniffed at them!) Then a very cursory look in the panniers, more curiosity and chit chat about the bike, the trip etc...handy if you speak espanol.
Back to Carolina to pay, ONLY CASH, no plastic, but either dollars or pesos, if pesos, she'll make the conversion on the day.
(price seemed to be a standard $350 regardless of weight) I thought at first it was price by Kilos as Carolina first quoted me $350 when I said it weighed 350 kgs, but at the weigh-in it was 309 kgs and the price was still $350, go figure!
Whole exercise, about 3 and a half hours, the earlier you start, the quicker it will be!

Guaranteed over-nighter to Panama. I flew 10.30am next day, arrive Panama 12 noon. Get a cab to the freight terminal or "aeropuerto viejo" about 20 mins away, show papers at the checkpoint to get in, find the Girag office, its around to your right. Friendly again, and you can leave your bags and get into your shorts, it's sweaty!, pay $25 for something, take papers to quarantine, customs and then the long hike right back to the front gate! for the cops stamp. Then back to girag and get the bike. Put the mirrors back on and hopefully you have enough gas to get to the servo close to the front gate, not far at all. Nobody looked at the bike at all!!

I was in Panama city in my hotel (the Marbella on Calle D) by 3pm.

In summary, I had no problems and the service was excellent, some waiting and walking but that's expected. Highly recommended. Thanks to previous rider for the guidelines, I hope this helps the next ones.