The road chose me

It turns out there is a small problem associated with driving the entire Pan-American Highway from North to South; there is no road from Panama to Colombia, only 100 kilometers of dense jungle and swamp called The Darien Gap.

The Wikipedia article for the Darien Gap has all the details, which are pretty interesting. A couple of seriously equipped vehicles have made it across, so technically the Guinness Book of Records is correct in listing the Pan-Am as the longest drivable road, though it’s not something I’m about to tackle.

I hear the current president of Panama is very interested in building the highway through to Colombia, a topic that comes up every few years and has lots of opposition due to political, environmental and economic concerns.
I’m not holding my breath.

There are a number of common ways to cross the gap with a vehicle:

• Load the car into a shipping container and use traditional ocean freight, normally from the port of Colón in Panama to Cartegena in Colombia. Costs just under $1000 for a 20 foot container big enough for one vehicle.

• “Roll-On, Roll-Off” (RORO), similar to a ferry. The main difference is the port workers have the keys and drive the vehicle. This method appears to be cheap, in the $500 range, and is accompanied by many horror stories of theft. There are reports of a service from Costa Rica to Ecuador and other variations.

• “Lift-On, Lift-Off” (LOLO), similar to the above, where the vehicle is lifted with a crane on and off the ship, without handing over the keys. Clearly the best choice for a vehicle that doesn’t fit in a shipping container but expensive because it’s charged by the cubic meter (around $2000 for a big camper).

Notes:

• A traditional ferry used to make the crossing, but it went bankrupt a few years back.

• In all of the above only the vehicle is being transported – it is not possible for people to ride along so that’s a story for another day.

The motorcycle crew have a huge advantage here in that they can take advantage of the numerous small yachts making the crossing. Bikes are man-handled on and off at each end and ride on the deck of the boats covered in tarps. Almost all boats allow the rider to come along for the amazing trip through the San Blas Islands and some even take care of the customs paperwork at each end. I’m told costs are around $700 for bike and rider. Checkout Hostal Wunderbar who have tons of experience organizing this trip for riders and come very highly recommended.

Since meeting Rupert on the Belize/Guatemala border I’ve been thinking about and trying to plan ahead for the Darien crossing. A ton of travelers have ben exchanging emails trying to figure out details and dates and I’ve known about a French couple that have literally been only a few days behind me for the entire trip. Vince and Marie are driving around the entire world in their Land Drover and we’re really excited to share a a big 40 foot shipping container, which makes things slightly cheaper than going alone. More than saving money, it’s great to team up with other travelers I can relate to so well, and they fill my head with stories and adventures to come. Checkout their website, http://www.viamundi.fr/ (in French).
Absolutely amazing!

I very quickly have to learn a lot of new terminology related to shipping and Vince explains it’s all in the details. If we’re not careful and don’t negotiate everything in the price a ton of ‘extras’ will bite us later. We’ll pay extra to have the container moved to a location suitable for loading, we’ll pay extra to have the vehicles “lashed” in, we’ll pay extra for.. well, pretty much everything.

Here is a small explanation for anyone new to the process:
Ocean Freight: The cost of actually shipping the container from A to B.
Bunker: The cost of the fuel for the ship.
Stuffing: Getting the goods into the container and sealing it. The details here are important as this may include moving the container around or not.
Lashing: Physically lashing the vehicles into the container so they don’t move around.
Unstuffing: Getting the goods out of the container, which again may include moving the container from the port to the yard or not.
Documentation Fee: The cost of lodging all the paperwork with customs.
Bill of Lading: The official document describing the contents of the container.
Port Fees: The amount charged by the port to allow the container and it’s contents to pass.

Notes:

• All of the above may be charged per container or per vehicle and may cover both ends or not.

• Everyone seems to have a different idea about having separate Bills of Lading for each vehicle. If you do only get one, make certain it’s clear who owns which vehicle.

• Also make sure the Bill of Lading says “vehicle in transit”. We’re told this will make the process in Colombia much easier.

Lots more to come on this one.

-Dan

This story continues in Shipping across The Darien Gap Pt. 2

Bocas Del Toro is a seriously popular island just of the Caribbean coast and is a very popular stop along the backpacker trail. All reports say it’s a must see. I pay $3 USD a day to leave the Jeep in a secure parking lot on the mainland and pull a couple of fuses from under the hood for the extra piece of mind. We catch a water taxi out to Isla Colón, the biggest and most developed island in the archipelago.

We really have no idea what to do on the island, and quickly sink into the party atmosphere for a huge night. Nursing immense hangovers the following day we notice an abundance of SCUBA diving centers offering really good prices. After asking around the entire town we sign up for a PADI open water certification at “The Dutch Priate”, a course of six dives over three days. As part of the package we stay on Isla Bastimentos, a tiny island just a few minutes away from it’s bigger neighbor. The community and vibe are really different here – there are no roads and only very basic shacks for houses. We see only one or two tourists in three days, the polar opposite of Isla Colón.

The Dutch Pirate

The rain we had in Costa Rica has followed us down and it pours endlessly for days, not the best conditions for SCUBA diving. Our first few dives are all about skills where we sit on the bottom of the ocean practicing different things that need to be mastered like hand signals and buoyancy control. A big part of the course is paperwork and study, which we complete in the evenings. Once the basics are under control we move out and explore the coral and sea life, which is absolutely stunning. On one dive we go down to 18 meters for a few minutes, another we explore the wreck of a ferry and yet another we swim along a rock shelf that has all manner of creatures living in, on & under it.

Hanging out at the dutch pirate

The constant rain means the visibility is never great and we are constantly cold, though we’re both grinning like mad every time we come out of the water. I haven’t been SCUBA diving for quite a few years and I’d forgotten how amazing it is.
I’ll be going again soon, I’m sure.

Our house for a few days

Upon arrival back at the Jeep the only problem is the family of very determined little ants that have setup camp inside. Every time I kill off a group of a few thousand and think I’m finally done, another few thousand crawl out of a hole and keep me busy. It turns out the Jeep has a lot more little hiding places that I realized.
Luckily these ones don’t bite.
We camp a night at the beautiful Playa Las Lajas on the Pacific coast before a big day of driving to Panama City. At the edge of the city we drive over The Bridge Of The Americas which spans the Panama Canal and can clearly see enormous container ships coming and going. It’s hard to imagine the heat and humidity could get any more intense, though that is exactly what has happened.
I am extremely excited for adventures to come, more so than any other time of the entire trip.

The Bridge Of The Americas, over The Panama Canal

What might they be?
All will be revealed soon, while impatient readers should checkout this Wikipedia article.

-Dan

Mike and I move over to the Caribbean coast, past the grimy Puerto Limón and into the small town of Puerto Viejo. All throughout Central America the cities on the Caribbean coast have had a very gritty, seedy feel with abundant poverty and run down buildings. Puerto Viejo is certainly no exception. There are many English speaking locals here who are keen to sell us all manner of drugs and services we don’t want to know about. We camp at the massive “Rocking J’s” hostel, which has a bizarre feel and we soon refer to it as a ‘backpacker resort’. It’s in a huge fenced compound with a private beach, bar & restaurant and even has signs warning that it’s not safe to venture outside the compound.

Rain comes down in torrents hour after hour and word filters down that the only highway south to Panama has been washed out, so we spend a couple of extra days here, constantly struggling to fit in with the vibe.
On our way down to the border at Sixaoloa / Guabito banana fields stretch in all directions as far as the eye can see.

The line up waiting at a washed out bridge

The actual border is a huge old one lane bridge spanning an enormous river. It really doesn’t look in good enough condition to drive over, though the big trucks are having no problems. On the Costa Rica side we fill out another tourist card, get an exit stamp in our passports and I hand over the paperwork for the Jeep all in about 5 minutes.

Driving over the bridge is kind of a challenge because it’s very narrow and crammed with people walking in both directions carrying their worldly possessions. Every time a person wants to go in the opposing direction I have to stop so they can squeeze by without worry. Immediately in Panama I am directed to park literally in the middle of the road and pay $4 for the usual fumigation. The guy is so intent on doing a good job he sprays a small can inside the Jeep and says not to go in there for ten minutes, making me feel a bit uneasy.

I grab an entrance stamp for myself before getting the Jeep inspected by a military guy who pokes around for a long time, and seems somewhat disappointed when he doesn’t find anything. I walk down a little way and purchase a months worth of mandatory insurance for $15 USD. The guy behind the counter thinks he’s on a winner when he says it’s $30, not realizing I can read the sign in Spanish that clearly says it’s $15.

Questioning everything is becoming a way of life.

Back at customs I exchange copies of the Jeep documents for an official looking piece of paper allowing entry for one month. I have a good look over the form and am satisfied it’s correct before we drive off into country number ten after a very easy border crossing.

-Dan