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.