South America!
Motoring for an hour or so bought us to the island where we'd be staying the night. The Kuna indians control the San Blas Islands and some of the mainland nearby, and they make a little bit of cash by accommodating visitors on one of the islands.
For $25 a head we got a simple meal and a bed for the night in a bamboo hut.
But the bathroom facilities left something to be desired. It was literally possible to get "crabs" off the toilet seat!
The bikes were not yet covered for the trip across the open sea.
The Stahlratte at anchor off the Kuna island.
The Kuna still live a very simple lifestyle, based around fishing and growing some crops on the mainland. I was told that one reason they prefer living on the islands is that there are no mosquitoes.
The next day we set sail for a group of uninhabited islands where we snorkeled, BBQ'd, relaxed and partied for a day and a night.
Food on board the Stahlratte was fantastic.
Bikes were well protected for the rougher part of the trip.
After the fun at anchor on our own desert island, we had 30 hours of sailing across sometimes rough seas to get to Cartagena. Most people handled it pretty well, and I think we all were on some sort of anti-sea-sickness medication. It was a rather more subdued group of passengers than had been evident just the day before... After a full day of sailing I'd just about found my sea legs, nausea had subsided and I had a fairly good night's sleep.
We arrived at Cartagena at 11am on April 1, and made our way to a hostel that was organized for us by Ludwig. It's always going to be a problem finding somewhere with secure parking for 8 bikes, but this place has a central courtyard for them. Just a bit tricky getting them in, up a steep ramp and through the lobby. Nice place though, and it's good that all the gang from the boat can stay together.
Next problem is unloading the bikes... Cartagena has a large port, but berthing fees are unaffordable for a ship like the Stahlratte. That means loading the bikes into a dingy, and unloading them on a some jetty in the bay. Check this out!
The Tenere arriving at the jetty...
Five people to lift - two in the dingy and three on the dock... pretty nervous at this point!
But the pain was over in a flash.
Unloading the Super Tenere at Cartegena, Colombia
On dry land at last!
From the dock we had to go to Customs and get importation and insurances done. Ludwig had an agent organise this for us so it was pretty easy, certainly more relaxed than any of the border crossings so far.
I can't speak highly enough of Ludwig and the crew of the Stahlratte. Great fun, great food, well organized (Germans, y'know). No hesitation about recommending them for anyone thinking about this trip. Price has just gone up to $980 for person and bike, but still cheaper than flying and more of an adventure. Just book well in advance.
Cartagena is a great city, but now I'm ready to ride again. A week off the bike is enough. South America, here we come!
