After a red-eye flight from Seattle to San José, Costa Rica, I immediately went to the local BMW dealer to pick up my motorcycle. The dealer kept the Beast warm and safe. That’s amazing but nothing what the Beast seems to appreciate. Although the mechanics were able to solve the spluttering of the engine, it has new issues, which keeps me from sightseeing the upcoming cities. Too bad.
But first I ride over small, windy, sometimes dirt roads over the mountains in the South.
The Manuel-Antonio National Park offers a huge variety of animals on a small area…including tourists all over the world. I follow the suggestion of other tourists and join a guided tour. Armed with a big telescope the guide is able to show us even small creatures hided in the trees.
After seeing all these different kinds, it is for sure the the sloths are my favourites. Sleeping all day long up in the trees with a satisfied smile over the face (at least it looks like a smile), is something I envy.
As the passage from Panama to Colombia is already booked, I head towards my last country on Central America on this trip. Unfortunately I miss the opportunity to have a closer view on Costa Rica, which was pretty enough to stay longer. I also liked the people who were open, friendly and so tolerant to my bad Spanish. Well, there are always exceptions as the one car driver at a tollgate, who wanted to sneak in. He didn’t just come very close with his car but he touched the Beast, so that I had to fight to keep her up. Not sure if this effort was worth the price for him: The Beast left her marks on the whole side of the car…well, driving along an aluminum panier with close contact leaves scratches. He learned the hard way.
I only have a bit more than a day in Panama City. The list is long what I want to see. The list is short what I finally saw. It’s just as in a relationship: Both have to take care of each other. The Beast takes me through all the mud and dirt…and I take her to all the workshops when she coughs. The coughing is a bit strange as it turns off the engine while driving. After some time the right medicine is found…at least for this issue…and I hand her over to the air cargo company which fly her to Bogota, Colombia.
The sun sets early in Panama City, so I will experience the upcoming metropole at night. Especially the old town surprised me: I didn’t expect it like this. It reminded me on old towns in Italy. While walking through these old streets, you sometimes have a glimpse of the modern skyline of Panama City.
The next morning I head out to get to Cartagena, Colombia via the San Blas islands by sailboat. Together with 16 other travellers we get on a boat which isn’t small at all but doesn’t offer too much space for this big team. The only area where there’s enough space for all of us to get together is up on deck. That’s fine as long as the sun is shining and the waves don’t get on board. Later, after a few hours on the sea, the deck gets empty on its own. No group play, no party, no sun set can keep the majority of us on deck. The procedure is more or less the same: Become calm, become white-faced, get up, have a closer look to the sea, get down in your bed. Repeat.
Only five of 17 remain on deck, me included. Although it’s getting wet and cold up on deck, we stay up there. The sound of the waves and the smell of the sea is far more enjoyable than anything else we expect down in the boat.
Close to midnight we arrive at the first island of the island group, where we stop. The next morning we get an idea what we may expect the next days: Small sand islands with some palm trees on them, turquoise water and small riffs, which safe the islands from the waves. We hop from island to island, snorkel at some, party on another, play beach-volleyball on a different one, sleep covered with palm-leaves under the amazing night-sky on the last one.
It’s an experience on its own. We enjoy the whole time and sometimes it felt like a dream. But every dream ends at a certain time. Ours ends with a 30-hour trip to the final destination Cartagena, Colombia. Twice a group of dolphins escort us for a few minutes but these were the only highlights after leaving the islands. Around midnight, a few hours earlier than planned, we arrive at the northern harbour-city, where we anchor not too far away to huge container ships. The next day we spend our time by strolling through the beautiful alleys of the old town.
With far too less sleep I catch the first flight to Bogota, Colombia, where my motorcycle is already waiting for me. But for sure this isn’t an easy game: It’s not like “show up, sign some papers, pick-up the bike and leave”. It’s more like “show up, drink some coffee, talk to strangers, sign some papers, walk over the whole cargo area, wait for hours, talk to officers, sign more papers, wait some more hours, die of thirst, walk back over the whole cargo area, get through security, sign something, pick-up the bike, get stuck as trucks are blocking the exit, wait until the truck drivers come back from coffee, chat, answer silly questions, put on warm clothes (it’s cold in Bogota when I arrived) and drive off”. I have to dance off this experience…and that’s what I do: I dance until the sun rises. South America…here I come 😉
