The Americas 2013

We arrived in Porvenir by 7am in order for the immigration officer to come aboard to stamp our passports and then had to sail to Carti where we got off the boat onto the Panamanian mainland. The unloading of the bike was again a clumsy affair onto a pier however it at least didn’t get dropped into the water! From there it was a short ride of 125km into Panama city where I am spending two nights in the old part of the city known as Casco Viejo in order to get laundry and admin done.

The short ride to Panama City

Great bunch of people onboard which made a crappy boat into a good trip!

The unloading point for the bike..

Modern Panama city which is also known as the other Miami!!

We left our anchor early this morning to move to another island for a change of scenery. The day was much like the previous day made up of eating, sleeping, swimming and snorkelling. Although the boat is not an ideal 4 day vacation spot, the locations around the island are beautiful.

The trip from Cartagena to Panama…

A very very lazy day spent swimming, snorkelling and walking around the little San Blas islands. Food continues to be a pivotal moment on board (and not because its gourmet but because there is often not enough) and although my mattress has finally dried, sleeping conditions on the boat continue to resemble a massive slumber party with bodies sleeping everywhere.

The day was one long affair of seasickness management until we arrived into the protection of the reef at the San Blas islands. The days are broken into three distinct segments..breakfast, lunch and supper which are highlight moments of surprise because we’re not ever sure of what we are going to get. On some days the food has been pretty good and on others its either been awful or not nearly enough to feed 17! Our arrival at the islands was accompanied by a school of dolphins that followed the boat for a few kilometres until it entered the reef which was mesmerising to watch.

Picture courtesy of David Jensen…

The little known San Blas islands are a chain of islands off the coast of Panama although the islands belong to the politically autonomous Kuna people . Although not very well known they are incredibly beautiful and look like little islands with a handful of trees that come straight out of comic books. The waters surrounding the islands are the typical paradise turquoise colour with the most beautiful reefs surrounding them which makes for incredible snorkelling. After our arrival most people hopped into the water in order to escape the unbearable heat which is a constant companion!

San Blas Islands…

Pictures courtesy of David Jensen…

I arrived at the dock in front of the church of Bocagrande at 11h30 for my 12h00 pick up. It was hotter than 30C and not a spot of shade anywhere nearby so I took the luggage off the bike and waited….and waited! its unlike a German to be late but Armin was nearly an hour late for the pick up. When he arrived the boat had a total of 17 passengers for a boat that shouldn’t be carrying more than 13 guests and apparently there were 2 “no shows” which would make the VERY limited space on board unbearably tight which it just about is right now!

The arrival of Jacqueline!! 

Loading the bike was a clumsy affair of four guys hoisting the big girl up a plank onto the deck of the catamaran where she was then tied onto the side. We left the dock by about 13h30 and immediately got into open seas. It was common knowledge that there would be a 30 hour crossing until we were in the shelter of the reef around the san blas islands and that the crossing would probably be rough and that many people suffer from seasickness as a result. This trip was no different!

Loaded and tied down!

The good catamaran Jacqueline has no air-conditioning inside and airflow is provided by a series of hatches that lift upward from the bunks onto the deck of the boat. The temperature (not to mention the funky odour) inside the boat as a result was bearable until a big wave covered the upper deck and came pouring into the open hatches which the captain had failed to advise we should close when in open rough seas! The result was a mattress and bags that were soaked with salt water and closed hatches with no airflow to assist with drying…so THATS how the funky odour has permeated this boat!!

Armin, the captain of Jacqueline.

Lunch was a stainless steel pot of burnt mash potato and some fried sausages around a table not capable of seating 17, however, I am obviously yet to learn the backpacker rules of being at the table on time in order to ensure that the food doesn’t get finished before my arrival…which it was barring some burnt mash!!

The afternoon was spent trying to sleep off the seasickness on a dry corner of a very wet and smelly mattress and getting to know the group of people on board which are actually a great bunch of folk.

Fillipo and Nelly managing seasickness in their “bedroom” in the kitchen!

As if the seasickness management of the day wasn’t enough for the paying “guests”, everybody needed to chip in with an hour of night time guard duty so that the captain could get some sleep. The duty involved ensuring that we didn’t get run over by a cargo ship or any alarms to suggest that we might be sinking!!! This is going to be fun!

Guard roster!!!

Today was a slow day. Organising last minute details with regards to leaving Colombia, packing and walking around Cartagena one last time to see a few of the streets that I hadn’t yet seen. I also had a call from the Captain of Jacqueline today to say that unfortunately the boat was fully booked and my offer for the double cabin was unfortunately short of what they were able to sell it for to a full paying couple!! Guess I am sleeping in the open bunks!! Crap!!

Today was the last day of my trip in South America. I have loved every aspect of it and notwithstanding the many blogs and stories about corrupt police, frustrating border posts and dangerous cities I have encountered nothing but police courtesy, mostly expedient border posts and welcoming cities. If I have any regrets its that I didn’t do Bolivia or Brazil but I guess that just gives me an excuse to come back and do the parts of South America I missed.

Other than dealing with matters relating to the upcoming boat trip and customs exit procedures for the bike, the day has been pretty uneventful from a tourism point of view.

I met the Captain of the good Catamaran Jacqueline, Armin, at 12pm to look over the boat and to enquire about bike loading, securing, travelling conditions, food, water etc etc. The Catamaran itself looks seaworthy and perfectly capable of the voyage. The living quarters are however small, cramped and designed to accommodate as many people as possible in a relatively small space. The social dining area converts into a bed for the first mate and a separate bed for a traveller that doesn’t mind having his sleeping quarters invaded at any time. This WONT be where I sleep!! Other than that the boat has a bit of a “funky” odour although in fairness it hadn’t been cleaned yet since its arrival from Panama the day before with 15 guests onboard.

I have negotiated the double cabin for a little more money so will have a bit of extra space for the bike panniers and other personal effects. The bike loading and unloading are a little bit of an unknown at this stage although the procedures as discussed seemed doable. The BIG unknown is unloading in Carti in Panama. I am advised that if water conditions are no good then we cant dock which means the bike will need to be put onto a dinghy and taken to shore in that manner…hhhhmmmm??!! The securing of the bike onboard however looks fine although she may get the occasional spray of seawater which I will need to try and protect against.

The other area of concern is when I asked where customs was to clear the bike out of Colombia, Armins advice was not to worry with customs clearance and that I should just put it on the boat and go?!? Sounds like a recipe for jail-time or bike confiscation at best so I met with the “famous” German customs broker in Cartagena, Manfred, who operates out of the internet cafe at the back of a busy supermarket who interestingly enough gave the same advice and only when I insisted that the proper channels be followed did he agree to take the paperwork through customs on my behalf??!!

Apparently customs are reluctant to clear bikes out of Colombia that are not leaving on either a cargo boat or plane or by road. Catamarans and other small leisure craft are not considered fit for cargo and after the sinking of the catamaran, “Fritz the cat” last year which had a bike onboard, Colombian customs has started to “enforce” this rule which gets applied in varying degrees of strictness dependant on the size of the whisky bottle or brown envelope….Welcome to South America!

I will keep you updated on progress in this department but as things stand right now, Bike and I will be onboard on Thursday the 25th!!!

The meeting with the Captain of the good Catamaran Jacqueline that was originally scheduled for today has unfortunately been postponed until 12pm tomorrow. This is not a bad thing as it has enabled me to get through emails and other administrative duties undisturbed and also miss out on the heat of the day.

I went out of the hotel at about 4:30pm for the first time and the heat had materially subsided so as a result got to walk about 5 to 10km’s of just “zig zagging” my way around the streets of Cartagena and believe that I have now seen just about every street in the historic centre. Included in this wonderful evening of meandering was a 3 hour stop at the Cafe del Mar which sits perched on the city walls overlooking the Caribbean where a few beers, sunset and people watching was obligatory!!

Dinner was at a small seafood place and then eventually got back to the hotel at around 11:30pm.

More beautiful Cartagena street scenes….

A common mode of taxi transport…

The Cafe Del Mar with Modern Cartagena in the distance!!

And even in this remote corner of the world!!! Talking about Saffer impacts, see this interesting article!!

Sundays the world over are  lazy days and Cartagena is no exception!! I Went out early with a view to walk the perimitre of the walled city to see the variety of suburbs that exist within the walls and beyond the touristic streets of the old town, and Cartagena did not disappoint. Like any town or city, it has its poorer areas however the carefree, caribbean, Latin American culture of colour, music, games and family was a joy to witness.

Sunday is obviously wash day so all the clothes are out in the sun to dry alongside barbecues where the entire neighbourhood seems to have congregated, loud salsa music blaring out of the boot of a car and kids playing baseball and soccer in the street! A carefree lifestyle that had aspects that reminded me of my own childhood but which seems far removed from the paranoid and closed off society that white South Africans live in today.

The constant companion to being in this part of the world is the heat which hovers around 35 to 40 by midday plus the accompanying humidity which makes being outside oppressive and an exercise in massive fluid loss…especially for us porras!!

The day was amazing, I am blessed to be here and had a lazy lunch and a bottle of wine after the walk whereafter a siesta was compulsory! Tomorrow, I hopefully get to meet with the captain of the good boat Jacqueline and to decide if this is in fact a viable option to get to Panama. I will keep you posted.

Part of the original defence system built by the Spanish back in the 1600’s.

Typical Cartagena street sign..

The original circus. The wooden ruins of the tent structure can still be seen in the background. 

Super hot indian chick with great boobs!!

Guard outlooks..

Washday in Getsamani, the poorer suburb of old Cartagena.

Street games, barbecues and super loud Salsa music..

The new and modern face of Cartagena..

More beautiful old street scenes.

Another short run today into the world renowned, UNESCO protected and walled historic centre of Cartagena that has been making waves in travel magazines for the last couple of years, and deservedly so!!

The new part of Cartagena is modern and all about tall modern glass buildings, however, its the historic centre of the town that is really special. Quaint doesn’t begin to describe it and what was once an old decaying town has been sensitively refurbished without losing any of its original integrity. The hotels incorporate all of the original building and have managed to introduce the modern touches in order to make them super luxury but without the loss of what makes Cartagena quaint and special.

I am spending the next 5 nights here waiting for the boat that departs on the 25th so will be sure to post a lot of pictures of this beautiful place but here are a few from today in the meantime…

Below is The Hotel Casa San Agustin which is on par with any of the best hotels in the world….