Tag Archives: Colombia

Nels & Craig, Before & After Photos

“The road” takes it’s toll on everyone and in a lot of different ways. For us boys hygiene is often an afterthought, due to the extra effort required in grooming. So, we embrace our unshaven faces and unkept hair and try to look the part of the rugged wanderer. The following photographs reveal the physical results of the last 6-7 months of constant movement. Proceed with caution.

Better than Boutique

While approaching home and traveling through Central America, we have started to encounter many of our accommodations and activities being owned by expats or foreign owners, many times from the United States.

Done And Done

No more shipping the trucks! When we were in the planing stages of the expedition, we could not have possibly imagined how difficult, complicated, convoluted, annoying and downright painful the overseas shipping process could be. After four international, overseas container shipments during the course of the expedition, one would think that we are now knowledgeable experts when it comes to shipping vehicles abroad. The sad reality of the situation is the only thing we really know about putting a vehicle into a container and sending it to another country is that we never care to do it again.

Sailing the San Blas archipelago around the Darien

Point of Departure: Cartagena Yacht Club

Point of Arrival: Panama City, Panama via San Blas Islands

Mode of Transport: 30ft Single Mast Sail Boat

Approximate hours at sea: 41

Captain: A gregarious loose cannon named Hernando

Crew: 6 travelers entirely un-experienced in sailing and just trying to get to Panama

Getsemani and Casa El Carretero

For those of you that don’t know, the famed Pan American highway isn’t exactly a complete run from Alaska to southern South America, the road unfortunately lacks roughly 57 miles between Panama and Colombia. The reason being: a 3,000 sq/mi. area known as the Darien Gap.

Sailing The Gap

It has been a time consuming and difficult process trying to find a way around the Darien Gap here in Colombia, but we have finally managed to bypass the gap and are going to do it in an exciting way. Dealing with the shipping companies in Cartagena has been pretty much par for the course in terms of mind numbing complexity and ridiculousness. The first several quotes we received for our 40′ container were well over $3,000.

And back to New Years Eve, or should I say new years month?

As we approached Christmas, it seemed like nothing really changed. Being close to the equator, no snow was falling, no Christmas trees were decorated, and while the spirit of Christmas was still in the air, its presence was was more known than felt. South America seems to keep Christmas as more of a religious and family holiday, but the introverted family times turn into an absolute free for all once the bell rings in the new year. We believed the

Finally On Location

Colombia is always a place that has intrigued me for several different reasons. Maybe it is the lure of the jungle, maybe it the element of danger due to the longstanding presence of guerillas and revolutionaries, maybe it is the images of Juan Valdez and his coffee carrying mule, or maybe it is the curiosity generated by Pablo Escobar and the numerous cartels that put Colombia on the international map for less glamorous reasons.

Quick Update From the Road

Hello everyone, just wanted to fill you all in on what has been going on over the last few days. Currently, we are smack dab in the middle of Colombia in the amazing city of Medellin. Many of you may have heard of Medellin as a result of one of its most notorious residents, Pablo Escobar. Well, Pablo has been gone from the scene here for a while and as a result of a prolonged crackdown on crime and gangs by the current Colombian President Alvaro Uribe,(who also happens to hail from the area), Medellin is now a safe and surprisingly cosmopolitan city.

Keeping It Clean and Somewhat Dangerous

Traveling around the world gives you an unparalleled view into the daily lives of people in countless cultures around the globe. In many ways, people throughout the world do a lot of the same things, but the interesting part is how they go about accomplishing those things. Take for example the simple task of taking a shower.