Days 96 to 98: Cartagena, COL to Medellin, CO

We took 3 days to cover the distance from Cartagena to Medellin. We didn't take the shortest way to get there, as we were not in a rush and wanted to explore more of the north-western part of Colombia.

Day 96:

Cartagena - Tolu (200 km)

We left Cartagena at 9 am on day 96. Getting out of town was another crazy ride: three bikes swerving through traffic and trying to stay together. This used to be nerve wrecking, but by now I got used to it and don't stress it anymore. There is a lot of motorcycles in Colombia (most are 125cc or 250cc), and fortunately lane splitting is allowed. However, it is a little harder for us than the locals, as our bikes are much wider with the side cases on.

We rode 200 km to a small town on the coast called Tolu. Josh was sick, and we were not in a rush neither, so we called it an early day at 2:30 pm. 

Day 97:

Tolu - Apartado (320 km)

We stayed to the coast as long as we could and then took the most western road of Colombia. Pretty flat dull riding once again, and in very hot weather. Knowing we would be in the mountains tomorrow was what kept us going. We did get a lot of dirt riding in due to road construction and some of the roads just being dirt. No photos from these two days, as there was really nothing that stood out.

Day 98:

Apartado - Medellin (300 km)

We reached the mountains and the riding finally got interesting. There was a heavy military presence along the road. I'm guessing that it had to something to do with the proximity of the Darien Gap (drug trafficking) and the fact that there is still some FARC rebel activity in the region. We got stopped once at a checkpoint, but the soldiers were friendly and just curious about the motorcycles. At some point, we rode all the way up to 2000 m altitude. At about 80 km from Medellin, we descended into a valley, and the temperature rose drastically to something that felt like 35+ deg. C. We noticed several upscale hotels and gated communities. Looks like this is the get away spot for the wealthier residents of Medellin.

We finally rode into Medellin around 6 pm, and navigated once again in chaotic traffic to the El Poblado neighborhood, where we intended on finding a hotel.

On of the side cases on Josh's bike got beat up when he crashed a week ago. He's had to use ratchet straps since then to hold things together. Since the roads were rough, some readjustment was required every once in a while. 

One of the several mud slides we came across on the road to Medellin. Fortunately they were already cleaned up and we were able to make it through.

Not much left of pavement here.. Pot hole fest.

Days 93 to 95: Cartagena, COL (cont'd)

Spanish commander Pedro de Heredia founded Cartagena on June 1, 1533. It was named after Cartagena, Spain where most of Heredia's sailors had come from. Cartagena was a major trading port, especially for precious metals. Gold and silver from the mines in the New Granada and Peru loaded in Cartagena on the galleons headed for Spain. It was also a slave port and together with Veracruz, (Mexico), were the only cities authorized to trade African slaves.

Cartagena is the most visited town in the country by tourists. The city has basically two main parts where tourists go: the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is beautiful and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande.  We chose to stay in the Getsemani neighborhood, 5 minutes walking distance from the old city. It is where most of budget hostels are, and therefore the area is very popular with backpackers.

Getsemani itself is an interesting place. A little run down, it is quite touristic, but at the same time still inhabited by working class Colombians, so there is a genuine ''flavor'' to it. It also has a few good spots to go out at night, even though some streets a little seedy after dark.

Getsemani - Cool plaza where tourists and locals alike gather every evening to hang out. Great atmosphere.

Getsemani - Still inhabited by working class Colombians, this neighborhood has something genuine about it.

Getsemani - Main street

Our room in Hostel Familiar. Musty smelling and no windows... Not my favorite.

With all the electronics (notebooks, ipods, helmet communicators), we're always on the lookout for electric outlets. In this room, we only had one. Good thing we got a splitter in Mexico. It has been very useful so far.

The 3 days spent in Cartagena were lazy ones. I think the heat and the fatigue from the 36 hours of sailing on the Stahratte caught up to us. Time wise, it also the mid-point of the trip for me: we left Montreal exactly 3 months ago. It just felt right to take it easy for a few days, before continuing with the south american leg of this journey.

Day 93: 

We wandered around the old part of town in the morning, but it was very hot and we decided to return to our hotel for an early afternoon nap. Later, we hooked up for dinner with Josh, who drove into town on the previous day. It took him 3 days to ride from Bogota to Cartagena. He got into an accident on his way up, but fortunately got away with no injuries and  only minor damage to his BMW. Some moped ran into him as he was passing through a small town.

Day 94:

We spent most of the day walking along the beaches of the city. Since it was Sunday, it was very crowded. Unfortunately no pics from that day, as I was a little worried about getting my camera stolen, and left it in the hotel room. 

Day 95:

We finally got our insurance policies around lunch time, so we agreed to leave town towards Medellin the morning after. We spent the afternoon exploring more of the old city.

Main entrance to the fortified old city

Police parade. No idea what was the occasion.

Police in Colombia mostly moves around on motorcycles. They even have Suzuki DR 650's, just like ours.

Days 87 to 92: Panama City to Cartagena, COL

The Darien Gap, between Panama and Colombia, is a vast swamp land, with a reputation of being very dangerous, due to drug trafficking and banditism. There is no road through there neither, so the vast majority of motorcycle travelers choose to either take a boat or fly over it with their bike.

I've researched on this about a year ago, and found out that our best option would be to book a 4 day trip on a german sail boat named Stahlratte (steel rat). There are a few other boats doing the Panama-Colombia connection, but the Stahlratte seemed to get the best feedback on the motorcycle traveler forums. Since I was warned that usually the demand exceeds supply, I booked the boat 6 months ahead of time. I'm glad I've done this, since we've met a few people already who got turned down and had to look for other shipping options (by air; significantly more expensive), and that includes our friend Josh.

The program was to cruise and hang out in the San Blas islands for two days, and then head out in high sea for a 30-something hour ride to Cartagena, in Colombia, where we were scheduled to arrive on January 17th.

Day 87:

We left Panama City in the morning of January 13th, for a 2 hour ride to a tiny town called Carti, on the carribean coast, where the boat was waiting for us. There, we met the 13 other motorcyclists that were going to sail with us for the next few days. Several of them we have already met at some point, while riding through Central America. It was a fun bunch of people from all over the word: Germany, Spain, Holland, Canada, Spain and USA. Including the  german crew of four, and a few backpackers, we were 23 people on board.

Loading the bikes was a bit tricky: we had to ride into a canoe on the beach, and then hoist them on board of the ship. It was a bit sketchy, but fortunately none of the 13 motorcycles ended up at the bottom of the ocean. The bikes were then strapped and covered with tarps, to protect them from the sea water.

The Stahlratte, waiting for us in Carti, Panama.

Loading the bikes on the canoe.

Two bikes at a time.

Living quarters on the boat.

All bikes on board. They were then strapped and covered with tarps.

That night, we stayed at a nearby island, densely populated by the Kunas, the local indigenous people. Most of us (including myself) were not too happy about it , as it felt a bit of a scam: we were charged 25$ each for a night in a bamboo shack. I don't mind paying a bit extra to make a contribution to the community, but not when I feel like I'm getting screwed. The island itself was overly populated and rather filthy, so I didn't care much about it. Later in the evening, the group purchased a few bottles of rhum, and ended up having quite a fun night, despite the shitty premises.

Day 88:

We sailed for about 2 hours to a small island, where we were going to spend the day. We all had a great time there: beautiful beach, volleyball, swimming and snorkeling, followed by a BBQ in the evening.

Getting ready to jump...

Go!!!!!

The Stahlratte

BBQ on one of the San Blas islands (there are hundreds of them!!)

Day 89:

Another island, this one even more deserted. We had beautiful weather once again and all was good. Mihai caught a large fish that day, which we later had for dinner. It was some of the best fish I've ever had.

Kuna fishermen. They sold us lobsters and fish.

Lobsters...

Posing with Mihai's fish.

Mihai and Floyd (one of the crewmen)  working on the fish.

Dinner time. Food was very good all along.

Day 90:

We headed out in high sea in the early morning. As much as the whole group was in good spirits for the first two days, our moods sank in less than an hour into the 30-something hour trip to Cartagena. The boat was rocking quite hard in the 5+ meter waves. Several people got pretty sea sick, and things got really quiet. I don't think anyone enjoyed themselves that day. Fortunately, I had brought some nausea pills with me (Gravol), so that helped to get through the day. Things got even worse during the night: the waves were even taller, and a few times I almost got thrown off my bunk bed. Zero fun factor. I'm not buying a sailboat anytime soon...

Day 91:

We finally sailed in into Cartagena in the early afternoon. Most were quite exhausted, and anxious to get back on firm land...lol. Since it was getting late, it was agreed that customs paperwork and the bike unloading would be done only on the following day. We found a hotel in the touristic neighbourheed called Gestemani, and passed out early.

Day 92:

It took us from 6 am until almost 4 pm to unload the bikes and get the paper work sorted out at the customs. Not a stressful day, but just a lot of waiting. It was Friday, and we found out that we wouldn't be able to get liability insurance for the motos until Monday. Not a problem, since we wanted to spend 2-3 days in Cartagena anyway.

For more photos from our Stahlratte adventure, you can also check out this link. Willem, one of the moto guys we have met back in San Juan del Sur (Nicaragua) and who we have been hanging out a few times since then, is also writing a blog. His photography and narration are excellent.

Cartagena skyline at 6 am.

Cartagena - view of the container docks.

Unloading the bikes one at a time, into a small Zodiac.

Looooong day of waiting at the customs to get the paperwork sorted out.

Finally... First passport stamp in South America.