The cheapest flight from Panama to Colombia was at night. By the time they arrived in Cartagena at 10:30 p.m. they had already planned to sleep at the airport, if possible, to save money. The fact that the luggage was 2 hours late helped to gain the security guards sympathy.
By morning they took the bus to downtown Cartagena where they would have to stay a few days till they could rescue the car from the maritime terminal. Luckly they found a private room at Casa Tatis Hotel for only US$ 20.00. Lucky indeed because it was the last room and because hostels were charging more to share a dorm with other people.
After dropping the luggage in the room they went to the beaches on foot. One of the many ladies there with African origins gave them a free massage sample, and because she was very friendly they promised to come back for a massage the following day.
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| Colorful Cartagena Corner |
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| Old Town Cartagena |
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| More OTC |
Because they always keep their word, they went back for the massage and found the woman. The deal made the previous day was that they would get a 30 minute back massage for US$ 6.00. When the massage started they were virtually forced to get the full body one for double the price, and it lasted less than the 30 guaranteed minutes. The couple paid and went back to the hotel a little depressed.
On Monday Pat and Luiz* (see previous blog) went to the shipping terminal and the aduana offices to get the car. They stayed there from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and couldn't get the car because the "workers", and especially the aduana inspector, were very slow and inefficient, and they have their sacred 2 hour lunch break.
At 9 a.m. the next day, Luiz, Pat and Debora tried to get the rest of the bureaucracy done. The inspector still hadn't finished the work he started the previous morning: filling in the blanks of ONE page specifying the make and model, year, vin number and owner of the vehicle.
They were able to get the document by 10 a.m. and from there they went to a different office to finish the paperwork. Amazingly, the freaking inspector forgot to put an X in a box that said the car was good to go. Another half hour was spent walking from one building to the other due to other people's incompetency. Time passed and it was time for the staff's 2 hour lunch, so the travelers also went to eat and take care of the obligatory car insurance. At 2 o'clock sharp, when lunch ended, they were already at the terminal office to get the car. They had to wait there another hour before an employee took them to the car unloading area. Luiz and Pat went and Debora waited. She waited and waited till Pat returned with a happy face at about 6:30 p.m. It took all day, but it had happened! They got the car out!
They returned to the hotel to rest their last night in Cartagena, and in the morning they took off towards Tairona National Park. The north of the country was suffering from heavy rains, and there was a wide area with houses and land immersed in deep water. Despite that, the roads weren't flooded because it hadn't rained the last couple of days. Many local people throughout the area were trying to stop the cars to collect financial help.
The couple reached the town of Rodadero at dusk and rented a whole 1 bedroom apartment for only US$ 25.00 a day. Rodadero is a beautiful town, but they only stayed there until the morning when they went to the beach before leaving the place.
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| Real apartment |
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| Rodadero and beach view from the apartment's deck |
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| Pat at Rodadero beach |
They still planned on visiting Tairona that day, but when they arrived and found out the price (almost US$ 50.00) they quickly changed their mind. Supposedly the park's scenery and beaches are gorgeous, but because of the price and also the rainy weather they thought it would be wiser just to continue driving.
Almost at night, they arrived in Riohacha where they slept in the car before crossing the Maicao border into Venezuela.
P.S.: for more info about our shipping experience go to http://lostworldexpedition.com/Updates/
TRICKS
- Be patient, the pace in the majority of the countries yet visited is very slow.
TROUBLES
- Colombia has had the most expensive gas so far.
In retrospect of my own voyages, I find your troubles humorous. I can totally relate to the exhaustion you must be feeling and the frustration when things don't go as planned. Remember this: it makes the story much more interesting. Like when I was robbed while I slept on a beach in Cancun, running out of money in Cancun and feelings of deep depression, having to ask for money to pay a cab to take me to the airport to catch my return flight, etc. I hope you will take the time to write a book and/or make a video of your voyage. Great job!
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