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December 25, 2017
Day 43 [Mon 12/25/2017] - Christmas in Hell (Turbo, Colombia)
Day 43 [Mon 12/25/2017] - Christmas in Hell (Turbo, Colombia)
I am alive and well and resting peacefully in the Hotel Costa Del Sol in Turbo, Colombia.
If ever there was such a place as Hell on Earth, Turbo is certainly it. Or, if Turbo isn't hell, then maybe it was the model for it.
The sole form of transportation appears to be scooters, which was clearly not the case in Sapzurro or Capurgana. In Sapzurro, I think that there was only one motorcycle in town. And in Capurgana, they had Cargueros, and that was it.
Now, it's very dangerous to cross the street here. You have to look both ways, and then just start walking across the street and try to walk in a predictable, steady pace, so that you're not run over by the hordes of motorcycles that terrorize the streets.
There are no lines painted on the streets. Some drive on the left. Some ride on the right. There's no set pattern to the chaotic madness.
Horses pulling carts walk the streets, like a scene from the civil war.
It's not unusual to see a family of 4 on one motorcycle with no helmets.
The loudspeakers up and down the street are constantly blaring out very bad music. Very loudly.
We're staying here because the police said it was safe, and it's close to the police station. The police ride by and honk a horn. I look, and they are waving at me. These are the police that escorted us down to the docks last night wherre we unloaded our bikes. Very cool cops. Nothing like the police in the United States. Nothing remotely like the police in the USA. In this case, the police actually helped us instead of trying to rob us. The Morrison police could learn a thing from them.
I walk outside just long enough to go find something to eat. A fried chicken stand on the corner. People are all freaking out on the streets. They're shaking their heads at me, indicating that I have to lose the camera. This is what I hate. More than anything. I'm fucking this bull. You just hold the horns.
So, I hide my camera, and continue my walk to the chicken stand for lunch.
The man in front of me orders some chicken, but then doesn't give her enough money when it's time to pay. So, he returns the chicken. It's impossible to know how much anything costs, really. I've just given up. The 3:000 to one exchange rate is just too much for me. Whatever they ask for, I just hand it to them. I hate changing currencies all of the time like this. This is one of the least rewarding aspects of the trip. Constantly changing currencies. Learning new exchange rates every other day. Panama spoiled me. Technically, they use the Balboa as their currency, but the exchange rate is 1:1 with the USD, and they don't print bills. They only mint their own coins.
So, that was nice when we were back on U.S. dollars. Now, if only we could teach the Panamanians to speak engish and get off of the metric system, we'd be home free.
We have WiFi at the hotel, and it has A/C. But no hot water.
Next door, they have something called Helado y crema. Basically, a frozen snow cone with cream poured over it. Delicious. Mostly, I see this trip as an exploration of snacks and candies of Latin America. One of my favorite past times is to sample all of the treats I've never seen before.
So yesterday, when we found an ATM, I took out 600,000 pesos. I hate to be short on cash in these little third world villages.
Tomorrow, we will go to Aduana and try to get our motorcycles cleared through Aduana. Then, if we are successful, I will take off for Quito, Ecuador.
Toon and I shared a room. We were here for 2 nights. The total bill is 90,000 Colombian Pesos. So, 45,000 pesos each, which is $15 USD each...total....for 2 nights. So, it was $7.50 a night per person. Hard to grasp, really.
After we check out, our plan is to roll over and try to clear Aduana in the morning. After we clear Aduana, then I will hit the road for Quito, Ecuador, a 3 day ride, roughly.
Posted by Rob Kiser on December 25, 2017 at 6:17 PM
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