highway Santa Marta

Gator says on Jul 18, 2005, 07:46:

Long and lots of mountains. By Road you have to go to Bucaramunga then back up to Cucuta. Big time mountains like 4.500 meters then you go down into on the Colombia-Venezuela border then over to Sanb Cristobal in Ven. I do not remember the name but I will ask Mrs. Gator.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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carolain11 says on Jul 18, 2005, 08:48:

If I'm not mistaken, that's the same troncal del magdalena, which goes along all the magdalena medio and connects cthe "interior" with the caribbean coast

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Copete says on Jul 18, 2005, 08:55:

Troncal del Caribe The name of the highway you're talking about is (Carretera) Troncal del Caribe. However, as of 10 years ago or so, the faster way from Bogota to Santa Marta takes the Troncal del Magdalena Medio, which then converges with the Troncal del Caribe up in Cesar province. The Troncal del Magdalena Medio has a steep 4-hour descent from Bogota (2600m) to the Magdalena River valley (~200m). Then the road becomes flat and fast, Magdalena River on one side, Cordillera Oriental on the other, hot and humid weather. After joining the Troncal del Magdalena Medio, you're in the middle of the Caribbean flatlands, until you reach the skirts of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on the right after the town of Bosconia (Cesar). Then you border the Sierra Nevada for a further 3 hours until you reach Santa Marta.

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Caballista says on Jul 18, 2005, 10:22:

Reserch? Maps? Where are you? Where are you from? do not to excuse "me", but I have a question: are you trying to write about Colombia, looking in the maps???? and you are asking people here or there, about the names and roads that you pretend other people to see through your writing? that is why so many people around the world have a different idea about Colombia. I'll be more than happy to know that you are there getting your feet wet, traveling the road and getting the names for yourself. If not, I'm sure I'll never buy your book.

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bufalo says on Jul 18, 2005, 18:14:

ditto Caballista. I am a "part-time" writer and even though an ametuer, would NEVER ask someone else to describe something like this. I could see looking up a name, interviewing someone who lived through an event, whatever, but if you need a description of a place or the "feeling2 of it, then experience it for yourself. Anything less wouldn´t cut it.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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lcmiller461 says on Jul 18, 2005, 21:31:

I agree, to a point. If you are a writer then you know that sometimes your characters get themselves into jams you didn't actually want them to get into. No I have never been in Colombia, although I have traveled into and around Venezuela many times. My character gets stuck in a resort on the coast of Colombia and has to get to Venezuela. Sorry you seem to have a problem with it, but it only takes up about one page of the entire book. And btw, there are no negative connotations in my writing, real or implied, about Colombia.

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Caballista says on Jul 19, 2005, 12:14:

Confusio-n perdone "mi ignorancia" ;) pero al comienzo usted dice que esta haciendo un estudio acerca de Colombia y que necesita saber el nombre de la carretera que va de SANTA MARTA a BOGOTA, y ahora dice que es un personaje que va de Santa Marta para Venezuela? Entonces para que el nombre de la que va a Bogota???? no me confunda por favor. Yo no soy escritora de oficio, pero soy lectora. Y se lo que es un personaje ficticio, y un nombre ficticio, y un sitio ficticio; entonces no diga que esta haciendo un estudio sobre COLOMBIAAAAA, y pongale cualquier nombre al fin y al cabo es ficticio, o no?

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rjstuff says on Jul 19, 2005, 13:03:

lcmiller do it as you want to If you have been to Colombia write from first hand experience otherwise through research - I commend you for asking locals about it! That will be more authentic information then just making it up which some writers do.
By the way I also write (not making any money at it but having fun) and how would anyone write about a colony on a moon of Jupiter without being there - yes they will make it up! If you have the money to do personal research - you can go ahead and do it first hand - but you need to be successful and be making money at it.
Ayn Rand drove through a stretch of Wyoming and Colorado to describe the chase of John Galt's plane that ends up in Galt's Gulch - she never used the real name of the town at the end even though she had first hand information - she used it just to describe the scenery nothing more! She called the town Galt's Gulch - in reality it is Ouray, Colorado!

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lcmiller461 says on Jul 19, 2005, 19:33:

Thanks for your comments. Of course if I had the money I'd be on a plane in a heartbeat. And keep writing--it is fun, it is hard, but if you love it...what else is there to do?
:)

And thanks to those of you that helped.

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bufalo says on Jul 20, 2005, 12:49:

I think you should have stated that this is only for about the length of a page. From your original posting it seemed that you were going to need a lot more info.

"If you don't like it - lump it, take it down the road and dump it." - Archie Bunker played by Carroll O'Connor

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