Firstly the bad news, I was robbed in Bogota, or more precisely I was a victim of a three man con team. The first introduced himself as a Venezuelan tourist who asked me the way, then we were joined by a man who answered the first mans question then identified himself as a policeman. He even showed identification and said he was with the immigration and narco division, and said we needed to go with him to register in Bogota. To cut a long story short the third man pretended to be a local resident of the block of flats and confirmed that the police station was across the road. By the time I suspected there was something really wrong and tried to chase the “policeman” across the road to the station he was around the corner and gone! He had taken a small amount of American cash, and my computer. I can’t run (those who know me know that I can hardly walk properly) so that was that. The police (real) treated the whole thing as a waste of their time, but after insisting, I did get an official report of the crime. With the loss of the computer it also means that all the photo’s and video (with the exception of Argentina) are gone. I thought I had backed up more than I had. Now I know how Mike Green felt in Islamabad. Luckily I still have this blog.
The good news is that I am now in Panama. I delivered the Wombat to Girag at the cargo terminal in Bogota who immediately set about the process of getting the bike into the system to be flown to Panama City the next day. They were very efficient unlike the Colombian Aduana and the Airport Police (police again!!) who made the next eight hours a painful and frustrating time. Finally I got the paperwork for exportation complete, and the inspection done, and walked up to the International terminal to buy myself a ticket and catch a taxi back to the Hotel. Total cost $750 for the bike $370 for me and eight hours of my life that I can’t get back!
Right were here all we've got to do is get it up that step
And in the left corner, weighing in at 280kg
My flight the next day wasn’t until 16.30 so it was dark by the time we got into Panama City. From the chilly altitude of Bogota you are suddenly plunged into the tropical heat and humidity again. The taxi ride is expensive because the Airport is twenty kilometres from the city and there are no Hotels that I could find around the airport. But the city itself is very impressive at night, the huge skyscrapers all lit up along the coast. It was still impressive the next day as I returned to the cargo terminal to get the bike back. One and a half hours later I had cleared customs and I was on my way back down the expressway to the Hotel. What a difference a day (and a country) makes. That afternoon I made a phone call to Bavarian Motors who are the local BMW agent, and confirmed that they could service the bike and change the rear drive shaft seal the next day. So after that I went out for a walk around the old town, unfortunately I didn’t quite make it back to the hotel before three o’clock and spent an hour sheltering as the afternoon tropical downpour washed the city clean. I haven’t seen rain like that since I left Airlie Beach!!
The new Panama City
The old part of Panama City
A lot of these old houses are being renovated
I was there at 08.00 on the Friday and the Womat was soon in the loving care of Glen Martinez Anez and his boys, who changed the seal and serviced the bike very quickly and efficiently while I waited. So now the Central American adventure begins.
A new seal in and new diff oil
The good news is that I am now in Panama. I delivered the Wombat to Girag at the cargo terminal in Bogota who immediately set about the process of getting the bike into the system to be flown to Panama City the next day. They were very efficient unlike the Colombian Aduana and the Airport Police (police again!!) who made the next eight hours a painful and frustrating time. Finally I got the paperwork for exportation complete, and the inspection done, and walked up to the International terminal to buy myself a ticket and catch a taxi back to the Hotel. Total cost $750 for the bike $370 for me and eight hours of my life that I can’t get back!
Right were here all we've got to do is get it up that step
And in the left corner, weighing in at 280kg
My flight the next day wasn’t until 16.30 so it was dark by the time we got into Panama City. From the chilly altitude of Bogota you are suddenly plunged into the tropical heat and humidity again. The taxi ride is expensive because the Airport is twenty kilometres from the city and there are no Hotels that I could find around the airport. But the city itself is very impressive at night, the huge skyscrapers all lit up along the coast. It was still impressive the next day as I returned to the cargo terminal to get the bike back. One and a half hours later I had cleared customs and I was on my way back down the expressway to the Hotel. What a difference a day (and a country) makes. That afternoon I made a phone call to Bavarian Motors who are the local BMW agent, and confirmed that they could service the bike and change the rear drive shaft seal the next day. So after that I went out for a walk around the old town, unfortunately I didn’t quite make it back to the hotel before three o’clock and spent an hour sheltering as the afternoon tropical downpour washed the city clean. I haven’t seen rain like that since I left Airlie Beach!!
The new Panama City
The old part of Panama City
A lot of these old houses are being renovated
I was there at 08.00 on the Friday and the Womat was soon in the loving care of Glen Martinez Anez and his boys, who changed the seal and serviced the bike very quickly and efficiently while I waited. So now the Central American adventure begins.
A new seal in and new diff oil
 |
| The service boys hard at work |
Chrispy,
ReplyDeleteDisaster! I'm sure you'll recover your trust in the locals, now that you are out of the crime capital of the Americas. Applause for going there anyway.
From what you have written it appears that Columbia has had some of the best bits and the worst bits. A place of contrasts. It wouldn't be an adventure without that.
Maybe in future you can upload some of your more treasured photos and videos to a 'net based store like Google Picasa. I know that represents time and bandwidth, though.
Are you planning to replace the netbook? Insurance? Everything else OK - camera etc?
It must be nice to get some professional service for the bike. Those guys certainly looked the part.
Keep smiling. It isn't far now until you get to where they speak the same lingo!
Tenere Mike has struck time issues. Work has been in the way, but I have a full week off now to finish it and fabricate the pannier guards / racks. I need a tube bender. These will be protos for the ones I make for your bike and my second one.
Keep that Wombat rolling.
Tenere Mike