Colombia

Colombia:

Land of Contradictions

(30 September – 21 October 2009)

Our flight to Cartagena, Colombia went without incident (Figure 1). Poor Ewok, unfortunately, was quite uncomfortable in the baggage compartment. Amadeus went with us in the cabin. We collected our luggage and went to customs. Everything was OK, but we had to register Ewok and Amadeus. Of course, this took two hours.

Figure 1. Landing at Cartagena airport.

We finally arrived at our hotel “Balcones de Badillo” just at dusk. It is expensive ($90/night), but we have no choice with the “mascotas”. It is nice and centrally located in the old town (Figures 2 & 3).

Figure 2. Badillo Street from the hotel.

Figure 3. Hotel Balcones de Badillo (yellow building).

Our vehicles are scheduled to arrive on the 1st. We go to the shipping agent (King Ocean) with Nino and Jason (the other people who shipped with us) to see if everything is alright. It isn’t. Our ship has changed and it did not leave port on schedule. The clerks did not know when it would come. We should have predicted this. Not to go through all the details, as I did when we shipped out of Panama, I will cut it short (Figures 4 to 13). It took 7 extra days to get our vehicles. They were late by 5 days in transit, but then the clerical errors, buck-passing, and detailed paperwork cost us 2 additional days. Another couple we met was in and out in one day, on schedule. The difference (and it seems confirmed by talking to others) is that they used a shipping company and not a shipping agent. NEXT TIME!

Figure 4. John Waiting in King Ocean Agency.

Figure 5. Gary in Aduana waiting for paperwork.

Figure 6. Secretary in Aduana telling us what paperwork we need.

Figure 7. Waiting for paperwork in the wrong office.

Figure 8. More paperwork.

Figure 9. Waiting for more paperwork.

Figure 10. We have the paperwork. Now we wait for the cars.

Figure 11. Oops, not quite, there is more paperwork.

Figure 12. . Finally my car is free, almost.

Figure 13. My car is about to leave the port (started at 0800 hrs, finished at 1955 hrs).

Our stay in Cartagena was twice as long as we had anticipated. However, we are learning to not anticipate and just accept. Cartagena is a beautiful city (Figures 14 to 19).

Figure 14. Gary and Karla in front of a Wiskeria.

Figure 15. San Felipe Fort in Cartagena, not in the movie. That was in Puerto Rico.

Figure 16. Badillo Street in Old Town from our balcony.

Figure 17. Lunch in Old Town.

Figure 18. Cartagena fish market.

Figure 19. Bocagrande in the newer town.

We finally leave Cartagena after a 9 day wait for our cars. We drive the Pan-American Highway south. After two days driving we arrive in Medellin. We find the Rio Medellin Ecological Reserve where we camp for the night (Figures 20 & 21). It is a nice, but heavily used area south of Medellin.

Figure 20. Camp at Rio Medellin.

Figure 21. Sharon, Gary, and Karla at our camp at Rio Medellin.

On 12 October we head to Manizales. The road is very scenic, and we find a nice fruit stand (Figure 22) to buy fruit. It is a beautiful city but hard to drive in the town. We look for a place that will accept pets (one of our continuing problems). Gary’s car, Paco is having trouble again (Figure 23). We manage to make it to Chinchina, where we find a very fine coffee finca with a hotel, Hosteria Del Café (Figure 24). We stay two nights while Gary has Paco repaired.

Figure 22. Fruit stand along the road to Manizales.

Figure 23. Gary working on Paco.

Figure 24. Coffee Finca Hosteria del Café.

Sharon and I head on to Salento where a small hotel, The Plantation House, has been recommended. When we arrive, we find it is run by a Brit named Tim. It is a basic hotel used mostly by backpackers. It is early so we decide to drive up the road toward Nevados National Park, Bosque Cocora. We find several hotels just a few km up the road. We stay in one, Hotel Mis Bohios, for the night.

The next day we drive up to the end of the road to find nice camping areas. We return to Salento to look for Gary and Karla. They are having problems with Paco again (Gary is the eternal optimist, always thinlking the problem has been solved). We tell them about the camping areas. We meet there late in the afternoon. The camping is quite nice (Figures 25). The mountains surrounding the camp provide good views of Cloud Forest (Figure 26) and the Colombian National Tree (Wax Palm, Figure 27). The Bosque Cocora has several hundred species of birds. I was able to capture only a few of them on digital (Figures 28 to 34).

Figure 25. Our camp at Bosque Cocora.

Figure 26. Cloud Forest and the Moro from Trail.

Figure 27. Wax Palms, the Colombia National Tree, at Bosque Cocora.

Figure 28. Mountain Mot Mot at Bosque Cocora.

Figure 29. Long-tailed Slyph & Collard Inca at a feeder.

Figure 30. Black-thighed puffleg.

Figure 31. Sparkling violetear.

Figure 32. Sparkling violetear & Black-thighed Puffleg in fight display.

Figure 33. Sparkling violetear in display.

Figure 34. Long-tailed Sylph at feeder.

After three nights camping we head for the city of Popayan. It rains hard (I knew it would, as I am the eternal pessimist). Gary and Karla head off east to find camping. Sharon and I take a room at Hotel Colonial (they take pets).The next morning we drive on towards Pasto and Laguna de la Cocha where we are to meet up with Gary and Karla.

We arrive in Laguna de la Cocha late in the afternoon. It is a beautiful lake high in the Andes. We drive around to find a place to camp or a hotel that takes pets (that is always a problem). Finally, we find Chalet Guamuez (Figures 35 to 38). They have rooms (no pets allowed) and cabinas (pets allowed). We take a cabin for two nights. They have internet, so I email Gary. He has broken down again back in Popayan. The problem is the oxygen sensor. They have to send to Cali for the part. They will, try to join us tomorrow.

Figure 35. Laguna de la Cocha view from road at 3260 m.

Figure 36. The grounds at Chalet Guamuez.

Figure 37. Sharon in the chalet restaurant.

Figure 38. Laguna at sunset.

Obviously, Gary and Karla do not make it. After two days we leave the Chalet Guamuez and head to the Colombian/Ecuadorian border at Ipiales. The crossing there is very easy. Our total mileage in Colombia is 1131 miles. Colombia is a big country.

Our introduction to South America was spectacular.