Part 8 Crossing the Darien Gap, 18 May 17

Part 8: Crossing the Darien Gap

Day 45 Boarding the Stahlratte

We got to Panama House at 6 am and loaded the bikes. Then I brought them out to the road as the other two riders, Stefan (German retired surgeon) and Phil (Swiss, IT guy) arrived to meet up for the ride out. They joined Glen (American/Australian teacher) and us for breakfast and we got going at 7:15. There was a lot of traffic even though we were going out of the city in the morning. We were stopped several times at checkpoints and had to fish out our documents. We also had to pay a tax to the Kuna of 23 USD each for permission to enter their territory.

The final 45 minutes across the San Blas Hills and down to the coast was spectacular riding. The road was paved but had just enough disintegrated parts to make it fun to dodge the obstacles. The hills were steep and the curves were very tight. Second was the gear of choice. It provided great engine braking on the steep descents and it transmitted waves of smooth torque to the road on the “ups”. It is on this kind of terrain that our motorcycles were designed to excel. Even heavily loaded they were nimble and light, flicking left and right through the mountain road. The first time the toes of my boot scratched on the pavement came as a surprise. I hadn’t realised how far into each turn the motorcycle was leaning. The moto didn’t ever give a sign of not being able to handle what it was being asked to do. It was glorious riding and all of it was at slow speed.

Arrival at the Ocean and our ship, the Stahlratte

The final 500 meters were easy gravel and suddenly we were at the ocean. The Stahlratte was waiting off-shore and we were directed to the third concrete pier. All the big bikes needed to be narrowed so we set about removing the side cases and a few other things. Our luggage was put into “lanchas” by the Kuna workers. We rode the same long motorboats the short distance to the ship.

All the bikes before being stripped down

The Kuna made short work of unloading and storing all the bulky luggage from the stripped down motos. Captain Ludwig brought the 114-year-old steel hulled modified schooner to the dock and the motos were hoisted aboard. By this time two more BMW’s had shown up. It was fun to watch experienced hands perform the heavy task without causing even a scratch to the bikes. There were in total, two DR 650’s and five BMW’s that were roped to the exterior of the upper deck and covered with tarps against the salt spray.

Princess Leah gets a lift

Manhandling it to the deck

We motored for about an hour into the San Blas Archipelago. The entire area is controlled by the Kuna. We spent the afternoon swimming at the nearby reef, jumping off the ship on a huge rope swing and chatting, getting to know one another. We would be spending the next 5 days together in very close quarters. The heat in Panama City had been the worst so far. It isn’t really any better here on the sea so we kept cool by jumping off the ship every half hour. It was a great day, definitely a highlight so far.

 The top deck table, a gathering place

The bunkroom, ours is the first opening on the right

Day 46 San Blas Archipelago

We were among the first up and enjoyed a beautiful breakfast with the Captain and Glen. Swimming was next then the first of many visits from the Kuna. A two hour motor cruise brought us about 30 Km along the archipelago to a reef protected group of small islands. There are a few other smaller vessels here for afternoon and overnight. They too are taking backpackers to Colombia. The younger crowd is quite a bit noisier than us middle aged (and older) moto travelers. The afternoon filled out with much swimming and rope swinging and visiting by the Kuna and by people from other vessels.

Stow Away

The trip to the islands took us well out of the reef’s protection and the ship began to heave. And so did Isabelle. After the worst of it was over she went to bed and slept for a couple of hours. Her spirits improved throughout the remainder of the afternoon and evening. She ate dinner but did not feel up to going to the evening beach party. The Kuna had lit a fire for us and the ship’s crew had loaded beer, rum and food onto the dingy.

Kuna houses on one of the islands

Dinner was very tasty and we spoke at length with Captain Ludwig about the ship’s history and about life, economics and politics in this idyllic place. The evening seems cooler today, quite comfortable really in the breeze. I stayed on the ship with Isabelle and am enjoying the sound of the nearby surf while I write this entry. Soon we will leave this incredibly beautiful place but not before we get to enjoy it for 1 more day. The 30 hour sailing to Colombia is scheduled to begin during tomorrow night.

Enjoying the San Blas archipelago for a couple of days

Days 47-49 The Kuna bring dinner

There was a bit of a breeze today. The moving air and lots of swimming combined to help everyone keep their cool. There were several visits from the indigenous Kuna people who live on the islands in the San Blas Archapeligo. Sometimes they arrived in a dugout canoe and sometimes in a motor canoe. Sometimes they were selling groceries or sea food and sometimes they just came to visit. Dinner today featured grilled fresh fish and a stew made from huge fresh langoustine (sea prawns). Vegetables and the fish were all bought from the Kuna.

Grocery shopping from the Kuna

Just here for a visit

The anchor came up right after dinner and off we went. It became dark after 6, as usual at these latitudes but there was enough light to see the waves that were making the ship buck and roll so much. According to Captain Ludwig the sea was “dead calm” and the waves didn’t even register. Our perception, the 8 passengers, was a little different than that of an experienced man of the sea. It felt like a ride at the fair for the next 24 hours.

The main sail

Under way

The ship’s movements gave Isabelle a hard time. Gravol seemed to help but only to a point. Most people spent long periods of time on their backs, either in bed or on the upper deck. They seemed to be most comfortable this way. Walking around was challenging and required a hand or two for balance at all times. I made it through the crossing to Cartagena somehow unscathed. At one point, I too took a gravol but it was more for the sake of insurance than for need.

We arrived in Cartagena harbour in just 24 hours, the wind having aided our progress more than expected. We slept overnight in the harbour and Customs came on board the next day to process the motos. When they were finished we motored for almost an hour to a pier, Cartagena is a large harbour. We were released onto the pier at about 5pm, later than expected.

Cartagena seen from our ship anchored in the harbour

Huge "cigarette boats", very fast and expensive

Then came the ride downtown at rush hour! Traffic mostly moves well in Cartagena because so many people ride motorcycles but we have some new unwritten rules of the road (really conventions) to learn! Eventually (after two hours) we found our lodging for the night and collapsed in the air conditioning. Our northern blood still has trouble getting used to the heat and humidity. We can’t wait to get into the mountains and to a more temperate climate.

Day 50 Let’s get to the mountains!

The heat really was too much and we decided over breakfast to literally head for the hills. We started on our way towards Medellin. After leaving the city everything, including us, seemed to calm down. The scurrying motorcycles, aggressive cars and the constant beeping were gone. Even the heat seemed to ease a bit.

They were replaced by good roads, idyllic rural scenes and no road tolls! Motorcycles use a thin lane at the right side to pass through each set of toll booths without paying in Columbia. We rode only a short while before stopping at the “Malibu Hotel” which is very new, clean and cool with in room air conditioning. Tomorrow we will ride into the foothills. We spent the afternoon catching up with family and all things internet. It was a pleasant day.

Rural Columbia, coastal lowlands

Day 51 Columbian motorcycle culture

“Motorcycles in Columbia” will be the topic for just a little while, simply because it is such a big part of life here.

Taking a roadside break today

Small motorcycles, under 200cc, are everywhere. People are encouraged to ride them through various incentives because they help traffic move along and they are more environmentally friendly than single passenger cars. They often buzz around in local transportation hubs like wasps. With each other we call these places, “wasps’ nests”.

These hubs are where local and regional buses connect. They usually have a pedestrian crossing bridge that few people use. Buses bring in large numbers of people to these points on major roads. In Central America we have seen cabs, tuk-tuks, cars, animals and motorcycles bringing in even more people. It’s the motorcycles that are especially numerous in Columbia. Road-side shanty villages spring up here selling everything you can imagine. These hubs often feature multiple “gnarly” speed bumps that require almost a full stop. These obstacles make it possible for pedestrian vendors to filter through the traffic lines usually selling fresh fruits and vegetables but sometimes consumer goods too.

Small motos can easily go over or around the speed bumps, overtaking and filtering through lines of trucks and cars. On the faster roads the underpowered motos keep well to the right to allow the faster trucks and cars to easily pass them with almost complete disregard for on-coming traffic. It’s a good natured, well orchestrated and understood Crazy Dance! We are slowly learning some of the steps and may some day enjoy the dance too. Our hippo-like machines make much of it very awkward though.

Here's one chap with a load

We have seen small motos carry a passenger who might be holding pipes, plywood, sacks or the handles to a trailer being towed behind. We have seen motos carry an entire family at once. Today we saw four women individually dressed in white riding one. There might be bales of hay and other bulky agricultural products like sacked goods. Our sightings include stacks of caged chickens and trays of eggs on the rider’s lap up to his chin! There have been mountains of bread and buns, bits and pieces of furniture and of course the ubiquitous large tail-box on the delivery bikes in the cities. We have seen small motos towing other heavily laden motos, even two at once. The Police ride two up and use the second officer’s free hands for weapon carriage.

Happily putting along

Breakfast was at a roadside “restaurante”, the type that was called a “comedor” in Central America. Along with word usage and slang, accents have shifted too. We find it somehow more difficult to understand people here. We’ll adjust. Breakfast featured a very white potato-like vegetable, fried plantain, cheese and scrambled eggs. Oh, and coffee, Columbian coffee. Everything was freshly made and was delicious. We rode a few hours today and then just called it quits. There is no schedule now that the ship voyage is finished. We will simply ride south across the equator, chasing summer all the way to “the end of the world” and back.