Driving to Colombia

Michael_B says on Oct 20, 2005, 07:35:

Site Search of "Darien Gap" (type DARIEN GAP into the Google box above)

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Estefania says on Oct 20, 2005, 12:03:

you must have seen motorcycle diaries. My brother wants to do this also...after he saw the movie!

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Brandon says on Oct 20, 2005, 13:25:

motorcycle diaries Uhhh no, I have only seen a few parts of the movie, but I have wanted to see both Central and South America since I was a kid. I think it started in 6th grade when I had this facination with the Incan, Mayan, and Aztec civilization. I recently got interested again when one of my best friends moved down to Buenos Aires and now teaches English to children. She mentioned that me and my best friend Javier should come visit her and I started thinking. What better way to do it than make a road trip out of it and get to see all the amazing countries along the way. My best friend however has seen the movie and has recommended it to me.

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Brandon says on Oct 20, 2005, 17:33:

driving We are starting in San Diego and driving down. I haven't decided which is best overall, car or motorcycle. I was thinking about taking a VW bug and dropping a rebuilt engine in it. They are small, light, good on gas, easy to fix, and very common. Finding parts would be easy. I used to have one and I can work on them pretty well. My biggest concern is crossing the Darien Gap. I have an entire year to plan and I am wasting no time. How would one get a VW around the gap and how much would it cost are my two biggest questions. If I find that motorcycles would be better, then I might decide to do that instead. I just do nt know all that much about motorcycles. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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bobbyb says on Oct 21, 2005, 05:24:

Great adventure You’ve gotta bring Kaopectate & Pepto Bismol. Eat fish, no meat. You gotta speak Spanish to cross the borders and ask directions. You get lost everyday. You will be surrounded by hordes of people that will scare the shit outta ya’. Get use to it. They all want your money. You’re a gringo and you can’t hide it. You’ve gotta pay a propina to all the officials and cops. I told one border patrol, “screw ya propina�, they let me through but 2 miles down the road they set up a road block, stopped me, threw my shit in the road, said I stole my jeep then they all jumped in and made me go back to the police station, they liked the AC so I turned it off and the CD player, made me sit on a rock while they called the FBI. I lost the whole day and ended up paying a propina 4 times the norm, 5 bucks each is good. Once you get into the country you will be surrounded by hordes of girls. Bring plenty of American rubbers. I brought a machete and everyone let me keep it. I kept it right next to me. But I never needed it. I did use it to crack open coconuts.
I met one other gringo driving a bike, he said next time he would drive an SUV. Thousands of miles of pot holes, one lane wooden bridges and not one sign. Bring a GPS system. American cash is good in all of Central America. It’s an expensive trip. Don’t let other people put their empty beer bottles in the box at your table, it’s not trash, you gotta pay for all the empties in it at the end of the night. Bring a nice jeep and sell it in Panama. Fly to Colombia and buy a Nissian SUV. Parts are more readily available in So. America.
It’s a blast and I’d do it again in a minute.

http://www.well.com/~dreyer/Drive_SA.html

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bobbyb says on Oct 21, 2005, 05:54:

a few more tips Everything we throw away goes south of the border. At one border they were using a typewriter that we threw away after world war 2. They make “Chivas� outta our old school buses. Before they paint ‘em they’re still yellow school buses that flash their lights and throw up the stop sign, it fools 'ya, You automatically stop and then see 40 people fall out the back door and the people behind you are yelling at you to keep moving. Don’t follow real close ‘cause their rear lights don’t work. There’s pigs, goats and cows on the road. People use the road as their social network, go slow. Everything needs to be vacuumed, pressure washed and painted. It’s filthy, trash everywhere. The main thing is just take your time and drive slow, you’ll enjoy it more.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 21, 2005, 06:11:

BobbyB I've done much of the drive you're talking about btwn the US and Central America. People hype the shit out of it like it's mission impossible. Here's the little secret: Thousands of cars, trucks and buses make that same drive EVERY month. It's no mission impossible. Just be cool, speak Spanish, have some patience, and don't do stupid things and everything will be A-OK.

Whatever car you take, make sure it's reliable and simple. Something like an older jeep or a landcruiser is great, though expensive to feed. I'd skip the VW but that's just my own bias against them. There are certainly shitloads of them throughout the region and plenty of parts and helpful mechanics.

If you don't know anything about motorcycles now, this is not the time to hop on one and try to ride through Latin America.

Also, don't fixate on the Darien. It's really just a simple shipping question or one of selling one car and buying another. Or consider doing the S. America part of your trip by public transpo. Anyway, by the time you've driven all the way to Panama you'll have a much better insight into whether you even want to continue and, if you do, a lot more personal resources to do it.

Have fun.

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pepster says on Oct 21, 2005, 09:51:

Fixate Don't fixate too much on Colombia but worry about central america.

I've personally known to sets of people that have done the trip from Argentina all the way to Alaska. Both with antique cars.

You will have major hassles getting your car through Costa Rica and Honduras. They will try to graft as much money out of you as possible. It's best you do your research in who is in charge in those countries in order to name drop.

The Pepster ColombianBlog.com

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Crazy4Cali says on Oct 21, 2005, 10:38:

Sound advice Mr. Hollywood advised: "Just be cool, speak Spanish, have some patience, and don't do stupid things and everything will be A-OK."

Throw all the guide books away and just follow those simple words of advice. They'll take you far.

I can't believe how American tourists seem to have an incredible lack of patience balanced by an incredible ability to do "stupid things" sometimes. Oy vey! (and they always seem to do them ahead of me in line making me wait. grrrr....)

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bobbyb says on Oct 21, 2005, 12:02:

Mr Hollywood I don't know about all the hype, I just know that it was a very safe and somewhat easy ride. Lots of great little places to hang out at for cheap. Hell, women and children walk the total length of the Pan Am highway. When you figure your budget you need to add extra for the propinas at the borders, I don't think there's anyway around not paying them. Patience is a big key at the borders I don't think you could make things go any faster by complaining.

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Brandon says on Oct 21, 2005, 16:08:

thanks everyone Wow, you guys have been very helpful so far. Alot of you have mentioned selling a car in Panama and then buying another in Colombia. How much money do you think this will cost? I am not going to leave for another year so I will have time to save. My best friend is fluent in Spanish and has lived in Mexico. I have taken Spanish all throughout high school and many of my friends are Mexican. I have a basic knowledge of Spanish and I have already ordered Spanish language tapes and books, and hopefully a full year will be enough to learn Spanish sufficiently. I am sure that I will learn tons on the trip down as well. I have also given thought to the waiting thing and am fine with that. I was in the Marines for 5 years and am accustomed to the 'hurry up and wait' mentality. We have also discussed the need for extra money for bribes and 'propina'. Having been to Mexico plenty of times I am used to this sort of thing. I just know that you can't appear weak or a push over or they will push it even further. My friend is really worried about the travelling through Panama and Colombia, and he is the one who is fluent in the language. I am not really that worried, but perhaps it is because I am the one doing the most of the reasearch and will make sure we are plenty prepared before we leave. I also have been through two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps and have seen some pretty bad shit and been to some really dangerous places. But maybe I am being naive. I will definately research the countries and their political and economic situations before we leave as these things seem to change alot in this part of the world. Alot of you seem to be suggesting a Nissan Pathfinder. How much could one sell this for in Panama, and how much would one be in Colombia? Anyways thanks again for the info and keep it coming. I have alot of stuff to learn about the area.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 21, 2005, 17:28:

BobbyB, are you Dreyer at well.com? Or are you just reposting from his site?

Brandon, one thing I swore after my last big drive through Mexico and Central America was that if I did it again I'd do it by bus. Why? Not because I love buses, but because I got really tired of always being tied to my truck. While it gives you a lot of mobility, you're also wedded to a very expensive and vulnerable piece of equipment for the duration of your trip.

What I meant by the "hype" by the way, is that there's a temptation to always describe the Pan-Am or any other drive "south of the border" in gonzo terms. The reality is it's just another drive through latin america. For every gringo in a souped-up 4wd with winch and gas cans on the roof who makes it to Panama, there are 10 panamanians driving toyota corollas and old plymouth valients who get there just as fast and well. I'd say that driving the whole thing might be a nice goal, but be open to all sorts of detours, loops and eddys. A straight line isn't always the most interesting path.

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Lucia Rojas says on Oct 21, 2005, 17:34:

Theres a ferry boat There's a ferry from Colon in Panama to Cartagena. This could let you avoid all the hassle of having to sell and buy and negotiate a car.

There are certain places that you must visit if you are interested in native american cultures. Its not like you're gonna find it everywhere. Also natives in some countries who are used to tourists like Peru and Mexico have a whole façade of ways they get money from tourists. The real thing is so much more interesting, beautiful and harsh.

I will PM you information tomorrow for I am short of time tonight.

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Crazy4Cali says on Oct 21, 2005, 17:37:

That's what I was thinking.... WRT all the Souped-up SUVs that head south from the U.S.

You hardly ever see them being driven by the indigenous population who, as Mr. Hollywood points out, do it 10x as often as any gringo.

ergo... if they don't need one, why should you?

Especially since anywhere you would need 4WD and a winch is probably already populated by people who are not going to be too thrilled to see you, but really thrilled to have your car. (if you know what I mean...)

So, whoever was thinking of taking a VW bug with a rebuilt engine might be thinking along the right lines (except for the absence of air conditioning).

So, to that end, what makes are common in the various countries so if you do break down, you could go to an autoparts store or a dealer and find a replacement?

I know I've seen lots of Nissans and in Colombia, Hundais and Kias are common. Others?

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bobbyb says on Oct 21, 2005, 18:31:

Mr Hollywood I'm not that other guy I only post here. As far as that ferry you are talking about, I believe that it stopped running a few years ago. But if I'm wrong please give me the information.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 21, 2005, 18:35:

Re. 4wds I wouldn't actually say that a 4wd is any more of a liability than any other car, and certainly they can get you to some beautiful places you won't see otherwise, but having ANY car means you have to perpetually think about where it's parked, is someone going to pull you over and demand a bribe, what if you get in a wreck, etc.

If I HAD to take a VW on a trip like that I'd at least make it a VW bus, so you can sleep in it.

Cars that are common throughout Mexico are Ford, Chevy, VW (Mexican built), Nissan, Isuzu, etc. Most of those are common through Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua Costa Rica and Panama. The mix of autos seems to change a lot in Colombia, with all the Korean and French cars you see here.

In truth, though, most good Latino mechanics can fix any car, unless it's too new and requires a lot of proprietary parts.

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Gator says on Oct 21, 2005, 18:36:

Others? At least in Bogotá: Loosely in order Chevrolet, Renault, Hyundai, Mazda, Toyota, Nissan, KIA, Volkswagen. Not a whole hell of a lot of Audi and Porsche

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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Mr. Hollywood says on Oct 21, 2005, 18:36:

Ferry Bobby B is right about the Ferry between Cartagena and Colon. It went bankrupt several years ago. Apparently there's just not that much demand.

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Brandon says on Oct 26, 2005, 00:04:

Does anyone have any idea how much money it might cost to ferry a small car across the gap and how much should I plan on saving for the entire trip. We are leaving this month next year so time is on my side.... for now.

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Boatygringo says on Oct 27, 2005, 10:39:

Cost to ship a car Panama to Colombia A Friend of mine shipped his Toyota 4 Runner from Colone to Cartegina in a container for $500.US. it took two days to find it when it arrived and no end of paperwork. If you go by motorcycle you can ship it by backpacker boat out of Porto Bellow Panama for $300 US and it will cost $250.US for you, it takes about 4 day and you will stop in the wonderfull San Blas Islands on the way, but the bike will be on the boat with you.

Boatygringo

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Tybombero says on Nov 13, 2005, 19:39:

I'm planning to drive down too hey brandon. yeah sounds fun to drive down there, eh? i'm planning the same trip and doing a lot of research. i'm budgeting for about $20k, though, if i'm gonna make it a round trip. I'll split by four with three other buddies. We're planning on going all the way down to tierra del fuego and back to Sacramento, Ca. Yeah, it looks like, from the research that i've done so far, that the border crossings and the darien gap are the biggest hang ups. So far, my plan is to take a jeep cherokee down with extra tools, parts, plugs, filters etc with roof rack from equip storage. I've got connections in chile, peru and cartagena colombia to stay at etc. So far it looks like it's about $1300 to take a container ship to cartagena from panama, including taxes, fees etc. although it seems that detailed search can find you other options not too obvious on the web. i heard you can check the monday newspaper of panama city to find out shipping schedules of freighters and hence possibly find a good ferry deal. i'm starting to think about the whole, sell in panama-buy in colombia deal. i dunno. let me know what information you come across. By the way i'd be going like jan or feb of 08 or 09 depending on how long it takes to save the money. (jan and feb are the best months to drive cuz it's the dry season)

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1975vwkombi says on Dec 20, 2005, 16:44:

car for sale hey Ive just done the drive. pulled in to ushuaia yesterday. jump on the next plane down and Ill give you my car to drive back.

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