Colombia awaits

Hi all,

Just a brief update about my experiences moving the bike to Colombia.

I'd got up a little late as I hadn't slept well in the hotel. Not sure why, I was on the 18th floor and well away from the traffic. I'd sat up watching a storm out over the Pacific through my huge hotel room window until I felt sleepy, then went to bed and lay awake again. When I finally checked out of the hotel I bumped into John, the chap from Bradford, and we shared another chat and laugh. He told me a little about himself, and that he was travelling with a guy that had sailed around the world for five years (now that takes guts). I gave him the blog address and as we went our separate ways, I realised with a smile that there is nothing like the English sense of humour. I'd not encountered a Brit since Yellowstone and I miss it.

My idea was to find a cheaper hotel, throw the bags in and then take Red 5 to the cargo terminal to see about shipping to Colombia. After about an hour of being hopelessly lost in some of the worst traffic I'd encountered, I found signs to the airport and figured I'd sort the bike, call a cab and let the cabbie find a hotel!

Planning, never my forte, again proved to be something I need to practice :) I arrived at Tocumen International Airport and saw signs for the cargo terminal so followed those, and found Girag, an air cargo company that had been recommended to me, after maybe a twenty minute ride. Unfortunately after queuing at the small window to talk to someone I found out that all the guys were at lunch for an hour. I also found out that the company only accepted cash and that the nearest cash machine was in the International airport.

I rode back to the airport, got some cash and a hot dog, and by the time I got back to Girag it was 2pm and everyone was back from lunch. The guy that dealt with my bike spoke no English, but we managed to bodge through the procedures with my Spanglish. A couple of gallons of fuel in the tank was ok, I had to take the mirrors off and disconnect the battery. He filled in the forms which was good news. The bad news, all US$900 of it, was paid in cash in front of several onlookers which was a bit unnerving.

Unfortunately I then had to walk the half mile or so to customs to get the airway bill stamped. Normally I wouldn't think twice about that distance, but it was incredibly humid, more humid than I can remember being before. And of course I was dressed in heavily armoured bike gear. I wasn't leaving anything valuable either so I was carrying my tankbag full of electronic gubbins. When I got to customs I handed over the forms and they were starting to fall apart as the sweat running freely down my arms had soaked them. Having obtained the stamps I set off back the way I'd come, watching a wall of dense black cloud approaching from the west.

I got back to the bike just in time, before the clouds dumped the entire Pacific Ocean on Tocumen cargo terminal. The formalities complete I asked one of the employees to call a taxi for me, as I was in the middle of nowhere with no wheels in a rainstorm. The Girag guys, the bike and I were all standing under a sloping corrugated roof outside the main warehouse, and work stopped as everyone watched the hardest rain I've ever seen. Two minutes later it got harder, and then, impossibly, it got harder still. Within three minutes of starting we were standing behind a waterfall, the rain had flooded any guttering and was cascading off the roof in front of us, and spray off the ground was soaking me. It was an awesome display of the power of Mother Nature. I felt a strange urge to whoop and stood there, arms outstretched, like a complete idiot and enjoying every second of it.

By the time the cab (a 4X4) showed up, an hour later, it crossed the car park up to it's axles in water and pushing a bow wave. Polystyrene cups floated past where I stood on slightly higher ground. "Playa" the cabbie said with a laugh, and I agreed with him. Girag had become beachfront property ;)

The bike should get to Bogota on Monday, and I'm going to book my fight the same day. Meantime I'm going to make like a tourist and visit the canal over the weekend ;)

Cheers,

Frase.