Cartagena to the Venezuelan border, 314 miles

Since it is so far, we had decided that our first stop would be in Barranquilla, which is 73 miles but about 3 hours from Cartagena. The roads are still flooded due to the exessive rains and it is slow going. Barranquilla is another port on the Caribbean coast and we intend to get our air conditioner in the car fixed. We entered the town and found a cab to help guide us to a repair shop. He took us to Aire Express, owned by a wonderful gentleman called Jairo. He arranged for the A. C. repair and chatted with Tom about our trip. It was getting late, so we asked him about a place to park. We were hoping he would offer his parking lot but he said he knew a better, safer place for us. At that moment, his 16 year old daughter arrived. She spoke fluent English and told us her father was arranging for us to stay in a enclosed, secure parking area. Fantastic. We parted company, with Jairo providing us with his home and cell numbers and if there were anything we needed to call him. That night, our generator started to splutter a little so we decided to stop by and see if Jairo could help again on Tuesday. Before that though, we had seen a hospital across the street from the parking lot and thought we would try to get the final vaccine shot in a series of three for Hep A & B. The hospital directed us to a clinic and we decided to take a cab there. After a couple of minutes in the clinic, I looked at Tom in horror. We had both taken our Sony Ereader´s in case there was a wait and I realized I no longer had mine. I had either left it at the hospital or in the cab. Please God, let it be at the hospital. Not 5 minutes later, Tom saw the cab driver climbing the stairs to the clinic, holding my ereader. Thank you so much, we told him. No problem, he said and did not want any more money. Tom insisted he take the $10.00 we offered him. I was relieved. After getting the shots, we headed back to the RV, to once again visit Jairo. He called a friend of his, who came over to his shop and worked on the generator. All fixed up, we were on our way, next stop 55 miles to Santa Marta, which we had heard was pretty. The only problem was the darned flooded roads which made driving very slow. We got lost leaving Barranquilla and finally pulled into a police station close to the airport. It was shift change so we gave two of the policia a ride to the road to Santa Marta. It was quite novel for them and us. When we parted company, Nola gave me her contact information and let me know if we had any problems to call her and she would officially take care of it. That night we had to stop about 20 mile from Santa Marta but it was beside a restaurant on a beautiful riverbank. On arrival into Santa Marta on Wednesday, the pretty part was right but there were no good places to park. We could have parked in a city parking lot or at the Port Authority but neither was on the beach, nor looked good to us. We decided to keep going towards Riohacha which is the last beach resort prior to crossng the border. Again, we found a great spot right on the beach but close to a hotel which had 24 hour guards. Thursday, we were up bright and early as we wanted to cross both borders before lunch, so we would have plenty of time before dark to get to Maracaibo in Venezuela. It was not meant to be. Just before the border we were stopped by the miltary guard. The road just past the border in Venezuela was closed due to flooding. They said the water was chest high and would take about 3 days to subside. All the trucks that pass through the border were lined up for about a mile. Oh well, back to Riohacha and another holdup. Also, three days put us to Sunday and crossing the borders on Sundays can be a problem because not all branches work the weekend and we need three, immigration for us, customs to get an import permit for the RV and Animal Control for Winston. It turned out we were right. In Venezuela, customs for the RV is only open Monday through Friday and they close for 2 hours at lunch. So, Monday it would be.

Cartagena. December 3rd - 6th, 2010

We are relaxed and enjoying our trip once again. After the torrential rains of the past few days, even the weather has improved and the days are warm and sunny. We walk around old town and get some great photographs. We sit at sidewalk cafes and people watch. We walk Winston on the beach across the street from the parking and get some fabulous sunsets. The parking lot is at the west entrance to the walled city and across from the beach. On Saturday, the manager comes over and asks us how long we are staying. "Until Monday", we tell him. He took our entrance card, which he said was costing us too much money and gave us a better 24 hour rate. $18.00 per day with electricity. Perfect. The lot is gated, fenced and guarded. Also, on the other side of the fence from where we are parked is a monument guarded by the military. They also keep an eye on the RV when we leave it. We try a different restaurant each night and even found one that had sushi, which was the best we had eaten since leaving the States. The people are delightful and the town is really pretty. After the stress of the past couple of weeks, we are now ready to drive and complete our circle around South America. From Cartagena, we will head east following the Caribbean into Venezuela then onto Brazil, Argentina, around Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia to Chile, Peru and Ecuador before returning to Colombia in the west where we will visit Cali, Bogata and Medellin. We are excited at the adventures to come. But first, we must stop in the port city of Barranquilla. We need to fix our air conditioner in the vehicle which has mysteriously stopped working and get the generator serviced. It "hiccups" now and again. Monday we will drive to Barranquilla.

Collecting the RV in Cartagena. Part 3. December 1st & 2nd, 2010

What a process! We went to Naves shipping at about 9am. Arleme was there but they were still waiting for some central accounting office to credit our account for the shipping paid in Panama. Some 2 hours later, we had the original bill of lading and had to go to Customs to arrange a vehicle inspection. Only it is absolutely pouring with rain and the streets are flooded. After some conferring, a gentleman from the office offered us a ride to Customs. We meet there with a lady who doesn´t speak much English but utilizes Google´s translator, whereby she types in Spanish and it gets translated on her computer screen to English. Very cool and very useful. She schedules an inspection for 7am on Thursday. Tom & I look at each other. Another night without the RV. Also we now have to go to the port to have them arrange the vehicle for inspection and mobilization. It is still pouring with rain and lunch time. All shops, banks, offices in Cartagena close between 12 and 2 every day and we have forgotten to bring an umbrella. By the time we had walked and found a taxi, we were drenched. The cab driver is grumbling about taking us. It is quite a way to our apartment building in the Bocagrande District and as I said the streets are flooded so badly that water is starting to seep into the car. Cartagena is at sea level and after heavy rains a boat would be a better option than a car. People here refer to the city as the Venice of Colombia. As we approach the historic walled city, the roads are getting worse and our cab driver pulls over. He sits and sits, chatting with us in Spanish as Tom and I struggle to understand. Now we get it. He wants us out. He is taking us no further. We look at each other. Tom refuses to pay him. He doesn´t care. He will not go any further. We get out and are immediatelly up to our calves in rushing water. It´s OK, I tell Tom, we are already drenched. We walk a little way up the road and find another taxi willing to take us to our apartment. 2 hours after leaving the Customs building we arrive back. A trip that should have taken 20 minutes! And we still have to get to the port to schedule the vehicle for mobilization. We eat and walk Winston and set off again. This time we decide to have the cab wait for us, regardless of cost. Our arrival at the port signalled another round with officials. It is slow. They are very nice. We are offered tea, coffee cookies. Do we need anything? Only our RV. Finally at 5pm, we are scheduled. "See you tomorrow", they say, "oh and you need to wear long pants and closed shoes". We only have sandals with us, allour other footware is in the RV. We ask the cab driver to stop at a shoe store on our way back to the apartment, so Tom can buy a cheap pair of shoes. And tomorrow we get to do this again. We were back at the port by 7am and we wait. At 8, the lady who helped us Wednesday, arrived for work. "No-one showed", we tell her. She calls and another gentleman shows up who speaks English. "We don´t know what the problem is" he says "we are trying to call the inspector now". We wait and wait. At 9, another man comes to sit with us. He brings Tom a hard hat and reflector jacket. "Let´s go" he says. I sit. Again everyone is charming and helpful. "Do I need anything?". I smile. They realize their process is slow and go out of their way to make us more comfortable. Tom comes back, covered in mud. It was a long walk to the RV and because of the rains, the roads were a mud pit. The inspector hasn´t shown up but it doesn´t matter, they say, you go back to customs and they will issue the release. We are puzzled. If it wasn´t important to them to inspect the RV, why the process in the first place. Like a lot of things, it makes no sense. Fortunately, there are 2 other officials from Customs at the port and they offer us a ride. We get to Customs and meet with the inspector. After lloking at her and her heels and attire, Tom and I surmise that the reason she ditched the inspection was because of the mud and yes, they have our temporary import permit ready. Now we need to go to another office to pay the port fees. We are frustrated. This is now the fourth office we have had to go to and none are really close to one another. We manage to snag another cab. Another lady official, we pay our fees. It is noon. "Come back at 2", she says and I will have your paperwork ready". "Will we get our vehicle today", I ask. "Yes, this afternoon". At 2pm, we get the last lot of paperwork and go back to the port. Tom goes off with another official and 30 minutes later, I saw our RV, my home. I could have cried with relief. What an ordeal and process. We stop off at the apartment and collect our luggage and Winston. We are going to park the RV at one of the city parking lots, close to the walled city, that we had seen on our travels. Imagine our surprise when we pulled in and were directed to the back fence. There, set up were power outlets for motorhomes and trucks. We are the only one´s using them at this time. A safe, 24 hour guarded facility and with power. We decide we have earned a splurge dinner at the Charleston Hotel. A beautiful hotel in the walled city. We order wine and after a great meal, decide to stay in Cartagena over the weekend and enjoy our remaining time here by sightseeing and organizing the RV. If you would like a detailed account of our shipping process in Panama and Colombia, with relevant addresses, contact names, telephone numbers etc., please email me as I have the complete shipping instructions available in a word document format.

Cartagena Chaos

Well, things did not go as planned on Thanksgiving Thursday. After having made sure that the motorhome was here and docked and unloaded, we set off for the shipping office to pick up the bill of lading. After much discussion, Arlene, our contact told us that we had been given incorrect information. We had been told to have a cashiers cheque, made payable to Wallenius Wilhelmsen (the cargo carrier) for our shipping fees. We are now informed that they do not have that name in Colombia and the cheque should have been made to Naves Shipping. Naves! Tom and I looked at each other. This was the first time we had heard of the name. They were unrelenting. We can give cash or we need to take care of the cheque another way (no options were offered) but until the money issue is resolved we will not be given the release on the vehicle. We are stunned. We now have a cashiers cheque, that we handed over cash for to the tune of $2,600.00 and it is no good, at least not in Colombia. We called Joel, our contact in Manzanillo. He apologized, Arlene apologized, but the end result was we would not get our RV today. We must now, send the cheque back to Manzanillo to Joel and when he recieves the money, then the RV will be released. We leave and assess our options, the first being getting more time at the hotel. We have another problem. It is now after 12pm and the Hilton due to hosting a convention, does not have any rooms available for tonight. They suggest we try across the street from the hotel where there are many condo/apartment buildings but they do not know which accepts pets. Fortunately, most do and we got a 1 bedroom apartment in the El Conquistador. Our next stop was to the Federal Express office to mail the cheque to Wallenius Wilhelmsen in Panama and since we are here to mail the Christmas presents back to the US. We find out there is no overnight service to Panama, only a 2 day service and so the cheque will not arrive until Monday. We get back to the Conquistador and contact Joel in Panama to let him know the cashiers cheque will be there on Monday. Monday is a holiday here, he tells us. Cripes! What more can go wrong. We will now be at the Conquistador until Tuesday at least. After getting back to the condo, we took time to regroup. The whole shipping process has thrown us off and we are reconciling ourselves to being without our RV for another 5 days minimum. We spend Friday grocery shopping. The condo has a small kitchen area so we will be able to cook some of our own meals and be more self sufficient than at an hotel. We are just across the street from the beach so can still walk Winston and enjoy the town. Tuesday finds us checking the Fedex website every couple of hours to track the cheque. Finally at 4pm, Joel signs for it in Panama. I email him and he assures us that all is well and we can get the bill of lading tomorrow (Wednesday) from Naves in Cartagena. I am so relieved I am almost in tears. Thank You God! Tom is as thankful as I am. We really are missing our rolling home and looking forward to picking it up in the morning. It is truly a good Tuesday and hopefully a better Wednesday.

Waiting in Cartagena

Our flight to Cartagena was quick and uneventful. We had once again given Winston a sedative so he would not stress in cargo. The plane took off on time and one hour and one glass of wine later we had a smooth landing. By the time we had cleared immigration, Winston's crate and our baggage were waiting along with an official from animal cuarentina, known in Colombia as ICA (eeka). He took us into an office, checked Winston's paperwork, filled out and stamped another form for a total cost of $26.00 and we were clear to enter Colombia. We had elected to splurge a little and stay at the Hilton Hotel, which are a pet friendly chain. Once we arrived, the entire staff became smitten with Winston. One of the desk clerks is also called Winston and this caused great hilarity for all concerned. We were shown to our room, beautiful, fantastic and awesome come to mind. After spending most of the past 8 months in the RV, having a king sized bed and huge bathroom with plenty of hot water is indeed a luxury. Oh, and let's not forget a television! Being late, we fed Winston and gave him a walk on the beach but he was still too groggy to enjoy it much. We ate at the hotel restaurant and before going to sleep, I took a luxurious bubblebath - heaven. Monday, our RV was supposed to arrive but there was a delay leaving the port in Panama so we will be staying at the Hilton for another night. We decided to spend the day in the old town. Cartagena was one of the original walled cities and as such is filled with historic landmarks and forts. We also wanted to get some Christmas shopping accomplished, so we are not rushed at the last minute sending the gifts back to the States. Colombia is famous for it's emerald mines and I wanted to check out emeralds and prices. After a day of shopping we found most of the presents we needed to purchase and a beautiful emerald ring for me. I was ecstatic. We had decided to try one of the restaurants in the walled city and after asking around went to one called Casa de Sorocco. They serve typical Colombian food so it should be interesting. Hmm. Turtle, which is protected all over Central America was listed on the menu. Tom decided to try it, I declined. He didn't like it. I also found the beef dish I ordered quite greasy and had most of it wrapped to go - Winston will be grateful. All in all, it wasn't very satisfying. Tuesday, we ran into another problem proving once again that having some flexibility is essential. The boat is here in Cartegena but the port is congested and the shipping office has not been given any information on when a dock will be available. "Call tomorrow morning (Wednesday) I was told". Another night at the hotel. We spent Tuesday hanging out at the hotel, on the private beach with Winston and lazing by one of the three pools - I could get used to this. Everyone knows Winston and staff calling out his name, greet us whereever we go. This night we eat in the hotel restaurant again. The food is excellent and the service attentive, especially because we are Winston's parents! We called the shipper early Wednesday morning. Ship is still anchored out at sea and please call back in the afternoon, they are hopeful there will be a dock available today. Not an hour later, our ship with the huge Wallenius Wilhelmsen markings appeared in the bay. "There's our boat" I said excitedly to Tom. It remained in the bay so tantalizingly close all day. I called the shipper again at 4pm and we were told that they should be able to get into port at 6pm. and for us to be at their office early Thursday. Another night in the hotel. The expenses for the part of our travels is rising exponentially. To boot, there is a huge convention happening at the hotel and it is now at capacity, which raised the room price by $100.00 to $300.00 per night, ouch! But we are reconciled with the wait and again spend our time between the playa with Winston and the pools. We also hope that we can get our motorhome back on Thursday. It is Thanksgiving at home but in Colombia just another day.