... Finally making my way down to ColOmbia. Been 5 months on the road. Bike on a 40 foot container with two other vehicles, and have found what sounds like a very nice 40 foot boat to Cartagena.

... so for those who who have been there, drop a line with what must be seen, done and where must be stayed at. I have a month in ColOmbia so plenty of time. Prefer to spend money on food and travel rather than fancy accommodations. Backpacker is fine but I will splurge on a great meal.

First stop, Cartagena. Suggestions on where to kick my feet up for a few days?

Pura vida, Que sopa . . . . and on .

Thanks in advance.

P.

first recommendation, call it ColOmbia !!
Columbia is a few thousand km North!

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Point well-taken.

Anything else to point out . . . like something productive that relates to my original question?
I'll be in Venezuela as well (correct spelling?) on my way down to Brazil. I've been warned to steer clear of Caracas. I notice you are from there. Any points to mention on Venezuela?


P

The Shamrock
Carrera35 #8a-11
El Poblado
Medellin
We get all the ADV crowd here!
Al

sorry for my previous comment, I was acting like a Colombian...
in Santa Marta I recommend La Casa de Felipe in Taganga, it is a nice hostel and there is parking for your bike.

You should not miss Venezuela: Merida, Choroni, the beaches of Mochima, the Gran Sabana and more.
As for Caracas, I am not from there, but I lived there for the last 15-20 years and I am still alive and don't feel threatened, that tells you something about the danger of the city. I guess there is no point in staying there a long time though, if you don't have a friend to visit or something like that, because there is not that much to do as a tourist. If you definitely want to bypass the city a nice road is to exit from the highway at La Victoria (this is between Maracay and Caracas) and head to Colonia Tovar, overnight, then to Chichirivichi de la costa on the coast, follow the coast then all the way to Higuerote and then you merge again on the main highway going East towards Barcelona/Puerto La Cruz.

btw you forgot to correct colOmbia in the title too

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Stay at 'La Media Luna' in Cartagena, it's an awesome hostel with pool and is very good value.

Not a problem. Just being testy as I'm on the road at the moment. Getting the bike out of Colombian customs? A serious DRAGG!!!.
Thanks for the comments and pointers. Santa Marta definitely been recommended to me but appreciate the place to hang.
Still trying to decide whether to make the Venezuelan crossing or not. Talking to travelers and old latin American hands down here and everyone says to stay away. Sounds like a mix between (radical socialistas) Water World and Mad Max. Shores are teeming with 'pirates' and corrupt violent cops and criminals everywhere. Talk is cheap though . . .
P

I won't say it myself:

here from safety in venezuela - ADVrider

"My wife and I are currently (Feb 4, 2010) sitting in Santa Elena de Uairen on the border between Venezuela and Brazil waiting for Brazil to approve visas. We found Colombia so tame that it was spooky. It was like visiting the suburbs. If we had listened to the Colombians, we would never have come to Venezuela. We are traveling on two KLRs, and while we have avoided the coast and big cities like Caracas, we have found Venezuela to be amazing. We’ve only spent just over a week here, but wish we had planned for longer. As for gas, no problem in Venezuela and we fill both tanks for under a dollar. That is not a typo or exaggeration. Nine gallons is about 65 cents. As Americans, we were expecting a little hostility, but that was definitely not the case (except for one extremely rude woman tourist from Belgium). The fact is in the Llanos and the Gran Sabana where we spent most of our time we were treated like rock stars. I think it has to do with so many uninformed people scaring other tourists off. We were kind of a novelty. It is most definitely a place where it is wise to have your wits about you, and we don’t drink so that in itself is a big part of the battle. My advice is brush up on your Spanish, and don’t miss it. http://www.sapoyrana.net "

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I (and everyone else to whom I've spoken, emailed or posted) found Venezuela just fine. People who haven't been there, people who live there and are quite wealthy, people who travel there on international business, and people who cruise in yachts seem to tell terrible stories....but their experience doesn't really apply to riding around on motorcycles.

I didn't think the corruption was a problem, either. People in uniforms at roadblocks were generally fascinated to meet an actual American, and when they did ask for some sort of mordida they never actually sounded like they meant it: it was more like they were asking if I could buy them a cup of coffee if I ever got the chance.

I had no problems with crime, no problems with other drivers (in the context of driving around Latin America all year), no problems with the roads--although when it rains you need to watch out for spilled fuel and oil, which is so cheap no one cares if they're sloshing and leaking copiously. The currency exchange was simple and made things affordable, people were friendly, the landscapes stunning.....what more could you ask?

Whoever you've been listening to ("old Latin hands"), stop paying attention. Find better sources of information or you'll end up frazzled and paranoid. What's the use of that?

Hope this helps.

Mark

Very helpful Mark. Thanks for taking the time to write. I was all set to go and then little fairies started to creep in with bad stories of the place.
I've lived across Asia and worked in Afghanistan as a (non-armed) civilian for 9 years. Now solo in Latin America for many months on the Buell. Not one for alarmist tales, but as I get older (35 now) I try to be more of a safe(r) traveler, stay modest, alert and take a clue when I can get it.
Yours is a clue in the right direction. I'm fascinated to see what's going down there in Chavez land.
Many thanks and adelante!
P.

Yer welcome. I think that fascination is the appropriate attitude. I hung with some wealthy Venezuelans who seemed without exception stunned and bitter....yet the world they were describing, in which they bought new houses and cars every year while all around them the poor people struggled, made the rise of someone like Chavez almost inevitable. Then they complained about Chavez buying the loyalty of all those same poor folks cheaply--with free cell phones and such--without realizing that they could've done the same thing at any time, were they not so greedy.

But anyway: fascination. Go with it!

Mark (also older now, at 55, and I was alone on my bike in Venezuela just last year--you can't use your age as an excuse)

you got a pretty good understanding of the situation Mark.
the only thing I would add is that chavez actually bought the loyalty of the poors (80% of the population) offering them better services: education, health, subsidized basic food stuff, land reform, etc...

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You can stay with Miller Bravo in San Agustin in far south, he owns Miler Motos, certified Suzuki mechanic but works on everything, also is lotsa cheap camping there and nice drive over from Popoyan...and it's on the back road to Ecuador.
Got to Cali ??? Stay at CasaBlanca Hostel say hi to Mike and fam !
Bogota ?? the Cranky Crok hostel also has moto parking cheap
Camping at El Solar and others in Villa de Leiva north of Bogota.

Zig

Hi,
Casa Blanca Hostel, Cali ...................Heard great things about the place, have not been there yet.............Jan-Feb 2012, I should be heading through
http://www.casablanc​ahostel.com/

I agree about the Casa Blanca - it is a must in terms of a place to stay when in Cali.

When you get to Ecuador - come by my office at Ecuador Freedom Bike Rental in the Mariscal section of Quito. I will be very happy to give you some routes and program your GPS with some awesome things to see in Ecuador.

-Court at FreedomBikeRental.com