I was up at 06h30 to pack, have breakfast and be at customs promptly at 9 so that I could hit the road to Boca Chica as soon as possible. By 08h50 as I waited for the gates to open it was already 33 degrees and I was in my full biking gear and feeling like I was in a sweat lodge!
I went in at exactly 09h00 and by 11h00 I was still waiting notwithstanding many pleas to hurry up! The Latin American wheels of bureaucracy turn very very slowly in this place!!!
By 11h00 the heat is unbearable. Imagine a 35 degree day and then you wrap yourself in a thick wet blanket and carry on with your normal activities! That’s what it felt like when I stepped outside with a spring in my step and an importation permit in my hand, however, the joy was to be short-lived! Hopped on the fat girl and she wouldn’t start? Fuel range indicator says she still has 95km of range worth of fuel on board so what’s up? Turns out the range indicator is faulty!, so borrowed a container from the gate guard at customs and took a taxi to the nearest petrol station to buy fuel. Head back, popped the fuel in and she fires up! Pheeeewwwww!! The problem is that it is now 12h00 and I still had 400km to do and unsure of upcoming road conditions not to mention the unbearable heat!
Fortunately, the roads turned out to be double carriageway for the first 250km and then a pretty decent single lane road thereafter and I made it to Boca Chica by around 4pm. I am spending the night at a great little place called Boca Del Mar which is right on the waters edge and brand new as its only been open since July 2012. I have a sea facing room with my own hot tub which I definitely took advantage of!
Hotel Boca Del Mar which is fantastic!!
The Hot tub and a beer were both necessary after today’s events!!
And, for Peta…the critter I nearly stepped on in my room tonight!!!
Something that occurred to me today whilst I rode is that I may have provided an impression that the boat trip from Cartagena to Panama was lousy! Although the sleeping conditions, cleanliness, overcrowding, food and manner in which the bike was secured left a lot to be desired, in retrospect I really had a good time. To be clear, this cruise was no luxury outing although it never purported to be one either but the group of people onboard were great and notwithstanding the basic conditions, I would recommend this route to other travellers rather than flying.
Tomorrow I head into Costa Rica.
