On Tuesday, December 1st Victoria, Nate & me arrived at the port at Cartagene around 9:00 to fill the formalities in order to recover our vehicles. Our forwarding agent, here, had provided us the list of the 25 tasks, here, to carry out. Moreover Victoria had found on Internet the report of the experiment of a traveller, here. We left the port around 15:00 after having made the first seven tasks according to same unfolding as the above mentioned traveller with same allers-et-retours, same incomprehension, same incompetence and especially same bureaucracy.
On Wednesday, December 2d we had appointment at 10:00 with the person of Sociedad Portuaria. We arrived around 9:30. After having received documents we went to the bodega 2 to exit the vehicles out the container in the presence of a customs officer. But it was necessary to move the back of the container so that the right door can open completely. The operation of extraction started little before 11:00. To slip between the walls of the container and that of my truck one should not be in overweight! When the vehicles had left, we inspected them. They had not suffered any damage. Moreover the customs officer affirmed us that transport by container was surer than by RoRo. The customs officer gave us documents, we parked our vehicles on an ad hoc lot. Then we went to seek documents in Global Shipping which we gave to the person of Sociedad Portuaria who required of us to come back at 13:00. At 13:00 he again is asking us to come back at 15:00 to take to us vehicles after having received the ultimate document to leave them out the port. It was 16:00. Finally Victoria found an insurance company to buy obligatory one in particular to leave Colombia. It was approximately 17:00. I left definitively my American friends Victoria & Nate. I must mention that Victoria, Colombian with the dual nationality, managed the process of recovery of the vehicles with much of effectiveness. Alone I should have taken a forwarding agent because it is imperative to be fluent speaking Spanish. During these two days there was much waiting time to obtain the requested documents, what a bureaucracy. For fuller information I reference the reader towards the website mentioned above. I parked my truck in a parking lot kept near to the hotel for the night. I returned to the hotel around 18:00, phew!
A few days later Victoria sent to me the report of the steps to get our vehicles, here
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On Thursday, December 31Ist was at Mercedes-Benz as of 7:30 for of my truck in order to carry out the revision. I had to provide the filter to gas oil which is not in stock. I recovered it around 11:30. I decided to remain on the spot and to find a bivouac at the edge of water.
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I left early morning from Cartagena before the rush hour and especially to make supply in food because the refrigerator was of course empty. I had found on Internet Los Chagualos at the exit of the urban area where I arrived around 7:30. Then I moved towards Aguachica. But the hour being late I stopped in San Roque at the exit of the city on the quay level of a gas station. Which was not my astonishment, there are tolls on the Colombian roads. The transverse road from El Carmen to Bosconia has a smashed roadway with pot-holes and topes. It is necessary to pay to have the honor to traverse it. Colombia makes more that Mexico.
On Saturday, November 5th I discovered at the edge of the road the Parque Nacional del Chicamocha at approximately 1300 meters of altitude. I entered and the employee informed that it was possible to bivouac on the carpark. I entered and I visited the park, BOF. But the highlight is a cable car which goes down in the canyon and goes up on the other overturning. The trip is twice 25 minutes. The cable car was built by Poma, French company specialized in type of material. Around 18:00 the visitors left the park, I were alone on the carpark guarded during the night.
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On Sunday morning I left the carpark before the day break because the 240 km swing in the mountain. Moreover it is attended by the heavy trucks going to Bogota. Little before Villa de Leyva I meet Francoise & Alain with their motor home on Sprinter. We exchanged information. The village of Villa de Leyva is registered with the national heritage of Colombia. It is one of the rare villages which preserved its colonial authenticity. There is no more camp-site. Francoise & Alain indicated the carpark of a hotel to me, out of price but with WiFi. I visited the historical center with many tourists in this weekend. Plaza Mayor is one of the vastest in South America, but the houses are transformed into hotels, restaurants and shops. I immersed myself in Museo Luis Alberto Acuna.
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