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Cartagena de Indias
We are greeted by "Graham" an Englishman who has been here for more than 30 years.
We are on a farm where barnyard, cows, sheep and pigs coexist ... and it is among this little world that we leave our traveling friend.
Heavy rains fall all late afternoon making the land very muddy, so we decide to spend our last night in town where we rent an apartment.
Not the best, but place next to the old rental and not far from the airport.
Return to France on the 31st
Cartagena de Indias
It’s Friday, and if it doesn’t come today, we’ll have to wait until Monday.
Our plane being Tuesday we will have only one day to storer our fellow traveler.
Phew ..... At ten o'clock Ana phones us .... it’s this morning.
We take a taxi that takes more than an hour to reach the new port which is very far from the city.
We are expected by Ana’s husband who asks Christophe to wear a construction helmet and put on construction shoes.
Jean-Pierre is not allowed in.
Head to the port office for authorization and once again Ana made a mistake ...she gave another client’s file!!!
A little panic and sending by email the file
Then we reach the parking lot where our old companion is parked.
We are a bit nervous because there are very often robberies in motorhomes during the crossing or in ports and often break-ins are done by breaking windows or skylights.
There is no break-in ... no theft ....
We are happy to find it in good condition because for us it means the continuation of our journey.
We reach the only storage place in the region: A "finca" or farm in the middle of nature.
The boat arrived in port at 4:30 a.m.
We spend the next three days waiting for news from Anna ...not very communicating!!!
Nothing happens .... wait and see ... we must be patient!!! We must constantly solicit her to obtain information
To get the motorhome out of the port:
1) obtain from the shipping company the "Bill of Lading"
but this one doesn’t happen .... the cause: no payment!!
Despite our proof of payment to the bank, the representative in Colombia does not find any trace of our payment and you should know that everything is processed in El Salvador!!! very practical.
We contact Thea in Panama to ask her for help.
Finally the "Bill of Lading" is published
(2) purchase insurance for the vehicle
3) obtain from the "DIAN" customs in Colombia the "TIP" document authorizing the vehicle to travel.
Well, nobody’s gonna believe us:
The registration is done in two times, because as usual, the information on the paper document is rewritten and we get 90 days, but by computer we only get 1 day!!!
Unable to edit database data.
No solution to modify; in short, the printed document is the most important ... to see
However, every day we receive an email telling us that our "TIP" has expired!!!
Ana offers to help us during the renewal ... well! If it’s like leaving the port, new adventures are waiting for us!!
4°) obtain from the port the day and time to recover the motorhome.
Confusion over the time of the employee in charge of setting the schedule!!! in the morning or afternoon?
.
We are exhausted waiting for each other’s good will, which also prevents us from not being able to schedule our day.
The last evening we attend the departure of the armada ... very beautiful show
Cartagena de Indias
The armada being docked for 5 days we take the opportunity to discover these school boats.
There are people and we have to wait to get on board.
This meeting, which takes place every four years, was born on the occasion of the celebration of the bicentenary of South American independence.
Known as "Sail Cartagena de Indias 2022", this great event is part of "Velas Latinoamérica 2022", in which tall ships make a course that began in February in the city of Rio de Janeiro, then Montevideo, Mar de Plata, Punta Arenas Valparaiso, El Callao, Guayaquil, Balboa, Cartagena, Santo Domingo, Curaçao and will finish the course in Veracruz.
We visit the Admiral School Ships "Juan Bautista Cambiaso" of the Dominican Republic, "Captain Miranda" of Uruguay, "Cisne Branco" of Brazil, "Cuauhtémoc" of Mexico and the ARC "Gloria" of Colombia.
Our favorite is the ship of Mexico ... majestic
We always follow our boat ... A little late but nothing serious
Cartagena de Indias
We continue our program of visits by the "Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas"
It is the largest fortress ever built by the Spanish in one of their colonies.
The original fort was commissioned in 1630 and was quite small. Construction began in 1657 at the top of the hill of San Lázaro, 40m high. In 1762, a vast expansion was undertaken, which resulted in the whole hill being covered with this powerful bastion.
He was never taken, despite numerous attempts to assault. A complex system of tunnels linked the strategic points of the fortress to distribute provisions and facilitate evacuation.
We decide to go on foot under a blazing sun, the purchase of a hat for Jean Pierre became mandatory, Christophe having bought it a few days before.
We join our apartment to wait for the parade of crews .... That we will not see!!
Cartagena de Indias
Today we change apartments.
We had reserved the first one for 3 days to see if we liked it and we did well. It was very far from the city center, by the sea but without beach, the view of the sea without much interest.
Finally we move for a beachfront accommodation in a lively neighborhood and closer to the old neighborhood. It is located on the 20th floor of a 45 storey tower. We have a superb view of the Caribbean Sea and the old quarter.
Before the move we walk through the neighborhood of "Getsemaní".
The narrow streets of this district are worth exploring to admire the "murals".
The "Plaza de la Trinidad" is one of the oldest squares and the starting point for discovering the increasingly important wall paintings and street art here.
It is very hot and after a stop to refresh us we join the old quarter for a late lunch and return to the air-conditioned apartment ... This is not luxury!!
We monitor on the internet the "Torino" our boat .... It is rather on time.
Meanwhile, starting today there is the "Sail" of Colombia or more exactly a South American regatta composed of five school ships (Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile). ... an armada that stays 5 days in the harbour.
ROAD BOOK 113
MAVROS ODYSSEE
