Colombia_English

	Days 224 - 227 August 29th 2010 - September 1st 2010 Armenia - Popayan - Pasto/Laguna la Cocha - Ipiales We spent the last days on the road. Our first stop was supposed to be the site of San Agustin. After we checked the street maps and our GPS we drove south from Armenia to Popayan. From there we wanted to drive to San Agustin. Once in Popayan we found a gas station to spend the night. Next to the gas station was a restaurant with a "Mini-zoo" with a couple of animals like Donkeys, Cows, Horses, Emu, Lama and Goats. Marissa wanted to see those animals so we went and spent an hour there. After Dinner we went back to "our" gas station and asked the two attendants for the best way to San Agustin. They referred us to the son of the owner who just pulled in to fill up his tank. He told us that there were two options to go to San Agustin. First one was a big loop that included going back to Armenia and then turning back south towards San Agustin. If we took that option it would've meant at least 24 hours of driving. Second option was driving about 6 hours on a dirt/gravel road in bad shape. To make things worse he told us that there were recent guerilla attacks on that road. He told us that even he would not take this road.After that conversation we took San Agustin off our "must see" list and decided to keep going south towards the border. Next stop was the City of Pasto. We chose another gas station for the night because we wanted to change our tires and the Michelin shop at the station could do that on the next morning. I couldn't watch the mechanic changing our tires. He worked on a slope and balanced our 8000lbs vehicle on one jack and a couple block of wood. Back home this would've been a 15 min job. Here it took over an hour and I was happy when it was done. Well, I guess for $ 6 you can't really expect more. Once done we drove 20 miles to the Laguna la Cocha, a nice lake in the mountains. We stayed on the parking lot of a Hotel right at the lake and enjoyed the area. The owner allowed us to stay for free if we ate in his restaurant. We had to eat anyway, so that was a pretty good deal. Marissa was happy as well because the Hotel had an indoor and outdoor playground. She's been pretty lucky so far. Almost everywhere we go is a playground at least nearby. Since we wanted to get to Ecuador we left early next morning and found ourselves driving to one of the most beautiful areas of Columbia. Once we reached the border town Ipiales we parked once more at a hotel. This time they even allowed us to use the shower in one of their rooms - and we got free tea and coffee. The hotel was only half a mile from the border - perfect for us. We were able to cross the border early the next morning. More about that border crossing in the "Reports Ecuador" once they are online. Days 222 - 223 August 27th 2010 - August 28th 2010 Relaxing at Hacienda Bambusa. The owners invited us to their house where Marissa played with their son, Simon Days 219 - 221 August 24th 2010 - August 26th 2010 Bogota and Zipaquira Early Tuesday morning we took a flight from Armenia to Bogota. We chose to take this 40 min flight because we didn't want to drive 2 days. Flying in Columbia is not that expensive and might be even cheaper than driving. Bogota, located on 2600m is the capital of Columbia and is home to over 8 million Columbians. After we checked into our Hostel we took a taxi to the Gold Museum. It displays an extraordinary selection of its pre-Hispanic goldwork collection - the biggest in the world - in its exhibition rooms on the second and third floors. Together with other pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile archaeological objects, these items, made of what to indigenous cultures was a sacred metal, testify to the life and thought of different societies which inhabited what is now known as Colombia before contact was made with Europe. In 1939 the Bank of the Republic began helping to protect the archaeological patrimony of Colombia. The object known as Poporo Quimbaya was the first one in a collection. It has been on exhibition for 65 years. The museum houses the famous Muisca's golden raft found in Pasca, Colombia, that represents the El Dorado ceremony. The heir to the chieftaincy assumed power with a great offering to the gods. In this representation he is seen standing at the centre of a raft, surrounded by the principal chieftains, all of them adorned with gold and feathers. The museum has a collection of 50,000 pieces. After the museum we walked around in the newer part of the city. There was a demonstration of milkfarmers complaining about exports from Europe. Bogota is a big, modern city with lots of traffic, especially in the downtown area. Bogotá was originally called "Bacatá" (which means "planted fields") by the Muiscas. It was the center of their civilization before Spanish explorers colonized the area, and it sustained a large population. The European settlement was founded on August 6, 1538 by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and was named "Santa Fé de Bacatá" after his birthplace Santa Fé and the local name. "Bacatá" had become the modern "Bogotá" by the time it was made the capital of the New Kingdom of Granada, which was then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and later of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. The city soon became one of the centers of Spanish colonial power and civilization in South America. Simon Bolivar Park In 1810–11 its citizens revolted against Spanish rule and set up a government of their own, but had to contend with internal divisions and the temporary return to power of Spanish military loyalists who regained control of the city in 1816. In 1819 Simón Bolívar liberated it after his victory at Boyacá. Bogotá was then made the capital of Gran Colombia, a federation combining the territories of modern Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. When Gran Colombia was broken up, Bogotá remained the capital of New Granada, which later became the Republic of Colombia. See History of Colombia. Plaza Bolivar with Cathedral In 1956 the municipality was joined to other neighboring municipalities forming a "Special District". The Constitution of 1991 confirmed Bogotá as the Capital of Colombia, gave it the name "Santafé de Bogotá",and changed the category from Special District to "Capital District" (Distrito Capital). In August 2000 the official name was changed back to simply "Bogotá". On our second day in Bogota we drove to Zipaquira, about an hour north of Bogota. We met Rob, a retired US Army Pilot at the Hostel, who joined us for this trip. Zipaquira is one of the oldest towns in Columbia and is primarily known for its Salt Cathedral, an underground church built inside a salt deposit in a tunnel made as result of the excavation of the salt mines. Zipaquirá has a very interesting architecture, and the old city centre is a tourist attraction. Its main square is surrounded by old buildings in the Spanish Colonial style. Main Plaza, Zipaquira The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground. It is a very popular tourist destination and place of pilgrimage in the country.The name "Salt Cathedral" is mostly to attract tourists - while a functioning church that receives as many as 3,000 visitors on Sundays, it has no bishop and therefore no official status as a cathedral in Catholicism. The temple at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and death of Jesus. The icons, ornaments and architectural details are hand carved in the halite rock. Some marble sculptures are included. The salt mine will remain open until 2030. The area has one of the largest salt deposits in the world. The Cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of Rosary, Patron saint of the miners. On our last day in Bogota we first went to the Simon Bolivar Park. With 400 hectares this park is bigger than the Central Park in NYC. Our main reason to go there was the huge playground. Marissa had so much fun playing and meeting other kids (about a hundred Kindergardeners arrived while we were there.) After "playtime" we took a taxi back to La Candelaria, the old part of Bogota. This part of the city is a great example for colonial architecture and doesn't feel like its part of a city with 8 million people. Late in the afternoon it was time to take a taxi to the airport. The flight back to Armenia was quite an experience. It was supposed to leave at 5.55 pm. First it was delayed to 6.20 pm. The plane took off at 7.30 pm. We were almost in Armenia, the plane was already going to land, when it pulled up again. The pilot told us that "bad weather was the reason why they were not able to land. So we returned to the Airport in Bogota. We were told to get on the bus, drive back to the terminal and wait for further information. Back at the terminal we were told to get back on the bus, the plane had permisson to land in Armenia. Ok, better than stayin another night in Bogota...We finally arrived at 11 pm in Armenia. I was so impressed by the way Marissa handled that trip. She just had fun flying in a small airplane... I was also impressed by the way the Columbians on the airplane handled the situation. Very relaxed. I couldn't help but think about what would happen in NY or on Germany if this would happen there. Not one single passenger complaint about the whole situation. At 11.40 pm we were finally back at the Hacienda and our camper. Days 219 - 221 August 24th 2010 - August 26th 2010 Bogota and Zipaquira Early Tuesday morning we took a flight from Armenia to Bogota. We chose to take this 40 min flight because we didn't want to drive 2 days. Flying in Columbia is not that expensive and might be even cheaper than driving. Bogota, located on 2600m is the capital of Columbia and is home to over 8 million Columbians. After we checked into our Hostel we took a taxi to the Gold Museum. It displays an extraordinary selection of its pre-Hispanic goldwork collection - the biggest in the world - in its exhibition rooms on the second and third floors. Together with other pottery, stone, shell, wood and textile archaeological objects, these items, made of what to indigenous cultures was a sacred metal, testify to the life and thought of different societies which inhabited what is now known as Colombia before contact was made with Europe. In 1939 the Bank of the Republic began helping to protect the archaeological patrimony of Colombia. The object known as Poporo Quimbaya was the first one in a collection. It has been on exhibition for 65 years. The museum houses the famous Muisca's golden raft found in Pasca, Colombia, that represents the El Dorado ceremony. The heir to the chieftaincy assumed power with a great offering to the gods. In this representation he is seen standing at the centre of a raft, surrounded by the principal chieftains, all of them adorned with gold and feathers. The museum has a collection of 50,000 pieces Days 206 - 218 August 11th 2010 - August 23rd 2010 Cartagena - San Juan Nepumuceno - Planeta Rica - Medellin/Penas Blancas - Hacienda Bambusa/Armenia The last days were filled with a lot of driving and a little relaxation. We drove over 800 miles from Cartagena through Planeta Rica and Medellin to Armenia. We spent two nights in the beautiful Park Penas Blanca near Medellin. We didn´t really like our time in Medellin. So far we never had problems driving in big cities. But Medellin is different. Traffic is crazy and there is no parking for big vehicles like ours. At least we couldn´t find it - so we did our sightseeing through the car windows. What we saw didn´t let us jump up and down. Just a city like any other. But what´s amazing is the colombian people. They are the most friendly and helpful people we met so far on this trip. Everybody is going out of their way to help. We really feel welcome in this country. It looks like everybody is trying to do everything possible to change the bad image of the past. Medellín has 2,2 Millionen inhabitants and is the second biggest city in the country (after Bogota). Medellin was founded in 1616 byFrancisco Herrera Campuzano. It was and is an important coffee center. In the 1980´s the city was synoym for the Medellin Drug Cartel and all associated problems. After 2 days in and around Medellin we deceided to move on. Other overlanders recommended the "Hacienda Bambusa" Owner Santiago Montoya travelled a lot before he opened this Hotel and knows the needs of a traveler. So he offers a nice parking spot for RV including the use of a shower. By the way - the racedriver Juan Pablo Montoya is a cousin of Santiago Montoya. We did not want to drive through Medellin again, so chose to drive a loop around. This loop turned out to be a 200 mile detour and instead of 6 - 8 hours it took us full 2 days to get to the Hacienda. But at least we came past beautiful landscapes and drove over 10000ft high Mountains. During the downhill part of our drive to Armenia I realized that the brakes of our car became "non-existent. I was only able to brake with the engine. A little scary when you drive downhill for 40 miles from 10000ft to 3500ft.... After we finally reached the Hacienda we told Santiago about our problem and he called his mechanic. "Kojak" came by the next day and was amazed as he saw the brake pads - or what was left of it. The pads basically fell to dust in his hands. It turned out that we not only needed new brake pads but also a new brake disk. Kojak ordered everything and made sure everything was installed a couple of days later. The Hacienda is a beautiful place in the middle of a 200 acre banana and cattle farm. Perfect for relaxation. On August 24th we will fly to Bogota for 3 days. Days 202 - 205 August 7th 2010 - August 10th 2010 Cartagena After we were able to leave the Stahlratte on August 7th we took a taxi to “Getsemani” - the part of town were our hotel wa located. I also met the Agent who would help us with getting back the car after the shipping to Cartagena. At night we met with the other passengers and Ludwig, the captain of the Stahlratte who brought the passports for everybody with the immigration stamps. Castillo San Felipe The next day we visited the walled old part of town. Cartagena is a beautiful city and a must see for every visitor. We heard that Columbia is trying to keep things safe. There is police on every street corner. Also, we were surprised how clean Cartagena was. That was something new to us. We were used to rather dirty cities in most of Central America. The old town of Cartagena has great colonial flair. We also visited the imposing Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas – the largest fort ever built by the Spanish in their colonies. The basic structure was built between 1639 and 1657 on top of a 40-meter hill in the middle of the city.Five years later, they started an extensive enlargement, resulting in the entire hilltop being covered by the massive structure. This structure was the strongest fort ever and was never taken despite numerous attempts. Built into the fort is a complex network of tunnels connecting various strategic points. It was early in the morning when we visited but we were already sweating like pigs...It was soooo hot. Cartagena We met John & Sharan from the UK and Mark from the US on the Ship. They drive from North to South Amerika on their motorbikes. They checked into the same Hotel. They brought the Aussies Renee and Gerard with them - also from the Stahlratte. Together we enjoyed a nice evening at the Hotel and exchanged travel infos. With the new week the misson "getting the car back" began. We wanted to save time and hired Manfred Alwardt as Agent. Manfred has been living in Columbia for over 25 years and nobody knows better how to deal with Customs officials than he does. We met with him in his "office" on Monday. His office is the Internet Cafe of a Supermarket and the employees there are his assistants. Funny....After he had prepared all the paperwork we were ready to go to Customs and the port on Tuesday. It only took us 4 hours to get "Harrison" back. Four hours may sound a lot but we met a Swiss couple and they worked on their mission for the second day already...That shows that the fee for Manfred was a great investment. A little history of Cartagena. Cartagena de Indias is a city that since its origin until today has highly influenced the events in Colombia. In pre columbian times its coasts were inhabited by warrior indians of the Caribe race which would give problems to more than one colonizing expedition that dared to disembark in its beaches. The honor of the foundation was given to Don Pedro de Heredia, on June 1st of 1533 with the name of "Cartagena de Poniente", to make it different from "Cartagena de Levante", in Spain; both with similar bays. The rising population would be target of the greed of English and French invaders, and the fact is that its quality of slave trade port and commercial port made it very appealing to foreign eyes. Therefore their protection and defense were more than urgent, beginning with the Fuerte del Boquerón in the XVIth century (where today stands the Fuerte del Pastelillo). Then, slowly would come the different forts that would surround the city according to the requirements and the evolution of the military art in the XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries. Nevertheless, this would not save the city from demolishing invasions like the one of Barón de Pointis en 1697, that left it in ruins. In 1610 would arrive the first friars of the Tribunal de Penas del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición, (The Inquisition) that would extend its power of repression and vigilance until the time of the Independence. Cartagena de Indias was in occasions seat of viceroys such as Don Sebastián de Eslava, that governed almost ten consecutive years, replacing Santa Fe as the capital of the Nuevo Reino de Granada. On November 11th of 1811 the Acta de Independencia Absoluta (Act of Absolute Independence) from Spain would be signed, starting with this, ten long years to finally achieve the definite emancipation. Of the many blockades and sieges that the Villa of Heredia suffered it is necessary to emphasize the one imposed by Pablo Morillo, El Pacificador, in 1815, who had the task of recovering this important plaza for the Spanish Crown. "Cartagena de Indias, Ciudad Heroica", was the title it would win after holding up for more than three months of intense siege. In the Republican Period, the city would enter a long stagnant period product of its loss of strategic and commercial interest. The cartagenero Rafael Núñez can be mentioned, as one that during this time of "recession" of Cartagena de Indias, was elected President of the Republic in four occasions, directing the destinies of the Nation from the Heroic City, as some viceroys did in the Colony . The old town of Cartagena was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

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Frohe Weihnachten, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2011 !