Sincelejo

Pronounced Since hay' lay ho.  We left Santa Marta and the Dreamer hostel for Sincelejo.  We had not made any reservations for hotels or hostels, we just took off.  No one at the hostel who traveled all over Colombia, had even heard of this place.  Along the way to Sincelejo, we stopped in Caucasia (yes, that is the name) for lunch.  Nothing special about the town but we were ready for lunch.  Everywhere we stopped the bikes seem to always draw a crowd

One of my favorite pictures so far.  The owner was happy we were there.  That's him in the red shirt with the bag.

Normal view, with lots of trucks

 
Chuck finally found a safe lane to ride in.

We arrived in Sincelejo without a clue of were we were going to stay.  It was getting dark and it was a Saturday night.  Everyone was out on the road.  We tooled around downtown and found a hotel in the centro.  Chuck went in and I stayed with the bikes.  We spent the night in a relative modern hotel.  The costs are not as low for some of these places as I was told.  

We walked across to the mall and was going to have some fast food and a Cerveza.  Who knew that for three days at an election (for anything) that alcohol is not allowed to be served.  So we ended up with fried chicken (think Churches) and a coke and an early evening.

The next morning we heard about the bicycle team who had come to a race in Sincelejo.  They were staying at our hotel and checking out about the time we were going to breakfast.  Below are a few pictures from the hotel.

Bikes parked in secure parking, next to the bicycle team car.

Another shot of the second bicycle team car with bikes.

Chuck managed to get into the photo with some the support team SAG members.

Santa Marta

We followed our GPS maps to where the hostel The Dreamer was located, or so we thought.  We had heard about hostel living and the web site hostelworld.com through a couple of young people in Cartagena.  When I looked it up, The Dreamer got high marks.  But we decided to just go and not book, probably not the best choice.  As I said when we got to where it was supposed to be we could not find it.  Back and forth on the road, until a woman came out and waved us down.  She asked if we were looking for The Dream and then pointed at a sign about 30 feet away, that we passed every time we had turned around.  

Esther was the significant other of the owner of the Dreamer.  Ester is on the left.  She invited us in, told us what the options were and basically the only one that worked for us was the one with four beds and an air conditioner!  There were no suites available.  So we took what was available.  Honestly I was not prepared for roommates, that was not exactly how I heard Esther describe the room.  


So there were room mates.  Meet Maria and Regula (right).  We did not even meet them until the second day, other than a brief hi to Maria. We were asleep by the time they came back to the room on the first day.  They wanted the fan off and the air conditioner turned warmer.  We tried to accommodate but we were hot.  The next day when we finally met them, they said they both slept in sweaters, socks and caps.  Talk about making an impression.  :-)

Maria and Regula

Chucks bike in front of the office

Chucks bike right and mine in the bushes hiding

The gate that we had to get the bikes into and out off over the curb and step up

It was a tight squeeze

After staying for two nights in the hostel it was time to.  We agreed that adding an additional two people two our normally messed up schedules really made things more difficult.  If we stay at a hostel again, we will only choose one with no other gets in the room.

Puerto Colombia

PUERTO COLOMBIA

Chuck and I left Cartagena, headed for Santa Marta.  Santa Marta is five or six hours up the coast from Cartagena.  The rain began an hour or so after we left Cartagena and that really slowed us down.  We decided to start exercising our relaxed attitude and stop at a little town before Barranquilla called Puerto Colombia.  We drove around the city's streets and eventually found this place called the Pradomar Hotel.  The place was a little run down but still commanded higher prices.  We decided to stay rather than try to find something else.  After negotiating (yeah, right, with our grasp of the language) the best rate we took the room furtherest from the parking area, up the hill and to the right, quite a trip with all our luggage.  

After we parked our bikes, I found two of the office workers waiting for a bus and asked if I could take their picture in front of the bikes (really, again there was a lot of arm waving here!)     

 

Here is a picture of the name of the hotel with some art they were hosting.  We met the owner, but it was at dinner and I didn't manage to get a photo of him.

The view from the breakfast table

This was one of the workers at the hotel.  He and I seemed to get along pretty well even though neither of us understood a single word the other was saying. 

The beach left a little to be desired at this location if you were interested in getting into the ocean.  I saw a number of people gingerly walking our in the surf trying to protect their feet.

     

 

Our room is the first on right.

The premium view of the ocean.  Do you see it there?

 

We spent two nights in Puerto Colombia at the Pradomar.  It was time to get things repacked and do a little forward planning.  After that we took off on a back road to Barranquilla.

BARRANQUILLA

Barranquilla is a remarkably large town with lots of traffic.  It was the first place where we experienced some of the crazy truck traffic that would remain a constant.  When we reached Barranquilla the rain had caused what I thought was major flooding, but apparently is pretty common there.  Then we ran into road construction that blocked the route we planned, so we took the detour.  

I love OpenSourceMaps ("OSM") for our GPS's, and on my GPS it was clear that there was a very short six or eight block alternative to put us back on the route, not the two to three mile detour.  Now I would never complain about OSM because they are free, but sometimes they must loose a little in translation.  I new this wasn't a good idea the first block into the alternative, but it was so steep and rutted from the river running down the middle that there was no way to turn around.  These "roads" were as difficult as any "trail" you would find in Sam Houston National Forest.  I reached the bottom and would have driven right into someones house if I hadn't stopped.  He was on his porch, shrugged and waved me on down the hill.  Chuck said he really didn't like it!  

Barranquilla was like a series of rivers at every cross street.  Water up to the crankcase, flowing at break neck speed with plastic bottles, wood and every manner of trash.  Cars and motorbike alike wadded through like this happens every day, who knows may be it does.  I was to busy trying not to drown to get any pictures of this natural disaster.  After that a very long ride on pretty much open road with no real speed limit.  

THE DRIVING IN COLOMBIA

Now is probably a good time to tell you about riding in Colombia.  First off is the speed limit is 40kph you can be pretty sure if there is no traffic that someone is traveling at 90 to 100kph.  You either join them or get run over.  We passed a number of policia and para military at significantly above the speed limit and about the only look we got from them was the look of oddity in seeing two HUGE KTM motorcycles with two HUGE Gringos on board.  

The topes (speed bumps) are a trip.  Most every one of them have the topes vendors hawking water, food and probably anything else you can imagine.  The trucks slow down to about, well, nothing, really!  They barely cross these things, mean time cars and bikes are zooming around them at the topes on the left and the right, while the vendors play frogger to get to the truck driver wanting a bottle of water or something to eat.  A wild scene at almost every tope, but to maintain civility the government has a policia or soldier stationed at many topes with an AK47.

Driving through these little towns there are almost always topes, but if that didn't slow down the trucks the hundreds of pedestrians staggering around in the streets usually did.  To see this happening as an outside observer it looks like mayhem.  But once you start riding or driving, it all seems to make sense.  I think the people here all look out for one another and take everything in stride.  I have not seen one case of road rage in many, many situations that would have folks in Houston pulling guns on one another.  

I am not saying it is all roses though, there are so many trucks.  Trucks are everywhere, trucks passing trucks and lines of trucks for blocks.  If it weren't for all the trucks some of the roads would be outstanding motorcycle routes.

On to Santa Marta and the first Hostel that either Chuck or I have stayed in.

On Two Wheels - Finally

After posting the write up below, I thought I would take a minute and explain everything else that has happened.  We made it to Cartagena with really no significant issues.  We were staying at the Casa La Fe.  I guess we were so excited we didn't take any pictures of the Hotel, the owner or anything.  We did go to dinner with Ed and had an engaging discussion about the world in general.  Great meal!  Here we are, try to ignore the goofy picture of me, I don't know what the hell I was doing!

Ed, Joe and Chuck - left to right

We did visit the Castillo de San Filipe.  Quite a sight.  It was very hot but that did not take away from the amazing construction and significant size of the castle.  Here are a couple pictures.

Castillo de San Filipe from a distance

View of the entrance from the top

Canon on the upper wall

Based on the advice of Jeff the owner of Casa La Fe, after leaving the Port we decided to travel  through downtown Cartagena to get to the more scenic Ruta 90A.  Traveling through the city wasn't as bad as we anticipated, I actually enjoyed it a little bit.  It's sort of like playing frogger (if you remember that game), only we were in one of the vehicles that ran the frog down :-).  We left the city going north, stopped for lunch at a Subway, mainly because it had started to rain.  I took this picture from Subway, does anyone see an iPhone lying on the ground?

More to come!

Documenting the Muelles El Bosque Entry

I am going to try to document as best I can the process for retrieving shipped cargo from the port.  If you will NEVER need to do this, or don't care to hear the story of two bumbling illiterates, then may be you can just skip over this part.  :-)  We officially began the process of retrieving the bikes from the port on Monday, September 24th, 2012.  We arrived at the port around 9:30a.  Yeah I know, it is rather late, but we are getting into the Latin America swing of things.  Unfortunately, the DIAN Inspectors arrive promptly at 8:00a.

Chuck is posting more information on his write up over on Adventure Rider: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19687265#post19687265

We shipped through SeaBoard, whose ship, the Colleen arrived at Muelles El Bosque (muyes el bos'key) the week before and the cargo (our bikes) unloaded there on the docks. Okay so here is the first tip, this is a two day activity, don't even expect to get it done in one.

Allow some extra time, because apparently the taxi drivers in Cartagena have no idea how to find an address or read a map.  Learn the words "izquierda" (left) and  "direcho" (right or straight sometimes .. go figure?); straight can also be "recto".  And then bring your GPS or Smartphone and give them directions.  Allow a few extra minutes for the cab driver to randomly stop, ask a random individual if they speak English, have a brief conversation about "what?", nobody knows, then laugh and take off again to look for the next likely street candidate who may speak English.  Seriously, about five times in one cab ride.

Anyway, to get to Seaboard you must go through security at Port Operations:

Operadores Portuarios
Muelles El Bosque,
Pedro Velez # 48-14
(GPS N10' 23.745" W075' 31.393)

Go into the operation office, to the window present passport and ask to go to Seaboard.  They may also ask to see your bill of lading.  They will take your passport and give you a badge.  Go through security with your badge, turn left, go into the second security building and ask for SeaBoard.  You will go through the turnstiles and they may escort you through the security gates (two of them) or they may not.  If not you will have to coat tail through the gates when some else goes through.  Once through the two security gates, SeaBoard is the last building entrance on the left (see above).  Ask for Jesus, he is in IT but will help with the English.  You just got to love those IT guys, they are the smart ones :-)!

If your cargo is there, Seaboard will stamp your Bill of Lading and you now must go to DIAN in Manga to obtain your Tourist Vehicle Temporary Import (another taxi ride).  The rates range for taxi's from 6,000 to 10,000 pesos ($3.33 to $5.55 US).

Adunanas DIAN
Manga 3A, Avenida 28 No 25-76
(GPS N10' 24.578" / W075' 32.044")

Enter the first building, explain yourself to the receptionist if one is there, ask for Sandra.  Otherwise simply walk through the small barrier behind the reception area (and the guy with the very big gun).  Go back six or seven rows of desks and you should find Sandra.  Sorry I am not more clear here, but once you find the right person it has only begun. Try to explain yourself and you will be given a form to complete.  Make sure you get the RIGHT form and not the returning vehicle form.  We spent an hour filling out the wrong form, getting it stamped and collated only to find out we had to go through it again.  By the way, I cast no dispersion on DIAN, we had similar issues in Houston with Customs.

There is a little deli at DIAN where you can get some water, etc.  

Once you have the form, properly completed and authorized the DIAN agent (Sandra or someone else) will let you know when the paperwork will be back at the Operations Center in Muelles El Bosque, usually it will be the next day.  Now would be a good time to go get your SOAT required Colombian liability insurance.  You will need a copy of your Passport and your Title.  The best place we found was Suras / Sura east across street from the Zapatos Viejos statue.

Suras/Sura
After 18a on Calle 30 between the Chevy and Renault dealerships
(GPS N10" 25.248' W75" 32.232')

They will sell you a 3 month policy.  Most places say that a one year policy is the minimum.  Our policy was about $50 US per bike (999cc) for a 3 month policy.

The next day, return to the Operations Center at Muelles El Bosque to find the inspector.  Best to get there by 8:00a because the DIAN inspectors go to the docks at 8:00am and 2:00pm to do inspections.  Missing 8:00a and taking the 2:00p will probably mean another day to clear customs.  Once arriving at the Operations Center they may tell you to go back to the security building wait for the inspector.  TIP2: Don't do it, go to the Centro de Documentos building as you leave the entrance building.  First building on the right.

Now, here is the best tip I have for this whole process  TIP3: at the second window at the left as you enter the building, ask for Andre Bustamante (Servicio Al Cliente).  She will give you a form in English on what has to happen next, help you with payment of port fees and help you finding the inspector.  Without Andrea, it would have taken at least another day to get things done.  Our port fees were about $55 US per bike. In addition we had to pay the locals about $30 to uncrate the bikes.

Once you are ready to ride out of the port, don't put up your paperwork.  After we cleared the port there was a customs official and a police officer who wanted to see our documentation.  You will just have to unpack it again.

Total cost to ship bikes:  $3,213.00
Shipping:                                                           $2,368.00 US
Crating: Still unsure at this time but we estimate:    $700.00 US
DIAN Port and Uncrate:                                      $145.20 US

Running to and fro to do your own paperwork:    PRICELESS

On Your Marks ...

Going Away Party

So we invited a few friends to a little mom and pop Mexican restaurant we frequent.  We have known Javier and his wife Isaella for some time.  They own a small place called Mr. Sombrero's here in League City.  Here are a few pictures:

SHIPPING
The bikes are being loaded on the boat heading for Colombia.  They should ship out September 14th and arrive in Cartagena on the 20th.  We fly to meet them on the 21st.  We were not able to take pictures at the docks due to restrictions so here are a few while they are in the crates at the crate builders.

So here is a typical traveler in Houston.  I think his name was Jed and barely kept his family fed.  I saw him on I-45 while heading to meet Chuck.  I honestly don't know how he kept some of this stuff on the truck.