Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Hi!
Absolutely no problems, not a single issue of any kind since I bought it, and it's no daily driver.
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days
- Thread starter Tucan viajero
- Start date
Hi!
Absolutely no problems, not a single issue of any kind since I bought it, and it's no daily driver.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Hi,
Now that's an interesting trip. We have been watching Panoramio photos of the Vichada area on Google Earth for some time, and have been thinking of going there soon. As a matter of fact, a couple friends already made an exploration trip last December and found out that it's possible to cross the river to Puerto Carreño by barge after obtaining authorization from the military.
The entire area looks really promising and a great place to explore.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Thanks for your kind comment. I'm glad you like it.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days. Day 13
Thursday December 15, 2,011
From Huaraz to Chiclayo
Distance: 365 miles (588 Km.)
Total Time: 13 hours
Average Speed: 28 mph (45,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 103.5 mph (166,5 Km/h)
Early morning departure from the Andino Hotel in Huaraz. This was a really nice hotel with very good facilities and great food.
Huaraz, located at an altitude of 10,000 ft., is the largest population center in the important agricultural area of the Callejón de Huaylas. The Callejón (alley) is a large valley bounded by the east by the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range) characterized by its glaciers and permanent snow, and by the west by the Cordillera Negra (Black Mountain Range) without glaciers or permanent snow.
It’s the capital of the Ancash Department, and is a major tourist center focused on hiking. For decades, the mountains of the area have served as practice sites for climbers planning expeditions to the Himalayas.
It’s known as the Switzerland of the south for the beautiful snow-capped peaks visible from the city center.
In the background, the snowy peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.
On May 31st, 1971, an earthquake with an intensity of 7.6 in the Richter Scale, caused a great flood that devastated the town of Yungay in Callejón de Huaylas and also caused a great deal of damage in neighboring Ranrahirca. Altogether, 67,000 dead, 150,000 injured and more than a million homeless are estimated.
The Peruvian government banned excavations where the city of Yungay once stood, and declared the area a national cemetery.
Part of Duke Energy works to harness the hydroelectric potential of the Santa River in el Cañón del Pato.
This is good reason to dislike sunroofs.
The Cañón del Pato (Duck Canyon) is a narrow, rocky valley on the Río Santa, in the northern part of Callejón de Huaylas. It was formed by the river where the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra converge.
You can drive through it on a dirt road, marked by 35 tunnels dug directly into the exposed rock. Its walls are too steep and barren as to allow the development of any agricultural activities, and as a result, it takes an interesting arid look. The infrastructure works of the Huallanca Hydroelectric Central , fed from the same river, can be seen along the way.
Leaving El Cañón del Pato.
Once they were back on the paved road, Gabriel made a comment about an abnormal vibration he could feel coming from the front of his 71 series. However, a quick inspection didn’t show anything wrong.
The last 125 miles of black road to Chiclayo were very slow because of the large number of towns they had to drive through and the heavy traffic.
For more about this day’s trip, and many more pictures of the Cañón del Pato, please click here, here, here, here, here, here and here. That’s more than 150 photos, if you'd like to know.
Thursday December 15, 2,011
From Huaraz to Chiclayo
Distance: 365 miles (588 Km.)
Total Time: 13 hours
Average Speed: 28 mph (45,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 103.5 mph (166,5 Km/h)
Early morning departure from the Andino Hotel in Huaraz. This was a really nice hotel with very good facilities and great food.
Huaraz, located at an altitude of 10,000 ft., is the largest population center in the important agricultural area of the Callejón de Huaylas. The Callejón (alley) is a large valley bounded by the east by the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range) characterized by its glaciers and permanent snow, and by the west by the Cordillera Negra (Black Mountain Range) without glaciers or permanent snow.
It’s the capital of the Ancash Department, and is a major tourist center focused on hiking. For decades, the mountains of the area have served as practice sites for climbers planning expeditions to the Himalayas.
It’s known as the Switzerland of the south for the beautiful snow-capped peaks visible from the city center.
In the background, the snowy peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.
On May 31st, 1971, an earthquake with an intensity of 7.6 in the Richter Scale, caused a great flood that devastated the town of Yungay in Callejón de Huaylas and also caused a great deal of damage in neighboring Ranrahirca. Altogether, 67,000 dead, 150,000 injured and more than a million homeless are estimated.
The Peruvian government banned excavations where the city of Yungay once stood, and declared the area a national cemetery.
Part of Duke Energy works to harness the hydroelectric potential of the Santa River in el Cañón del Pato.
This is good reason to dislike sunroofs.
The Cañón del Pato (Duck Canyon) is a narrow, rocky valley on the Río Santa, in the northern part of Callejón de Huaylas. It was formed by the river where the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra converge.
You can drive through it on a dirt road, marked by 35 tunnels dug directly into the exposed rock. Its walls are too steep and barren as to allow the development of any agricultural activities, and as a result, it takes an interesting arid look. The infrastructure works of the Huallanca Hydroelectric Central , fed from the same river, can be seen along the way.
Leaving El Cañón del Pato.
Once they were back on the paved road, Gabriel made a comment about an abnormal vibration he could feel coming from the front of his 71 series. However, a quick inspection didn’t show anything wrong.
The last 125 miles of black road to Chiclayo were very slow because of the large number of towns they had to drive through and the heavy traffic.
For more about this day’s trip, and many more pictures of the Cañón del Pato, please click here, here, here, here, here, here and here. That’s more than 150 photos, if you'd like to know.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days. Day 14
Friday December 16, 2,011
From Chiclayo to Zorritos
Distance: 310 miles (498 Km.)
Total Time: 11 hours and 16 minutes
Average Speed: 27.5 mph (44,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 97 mph (156,1 Km/h)
Leaving early from the Gran Chiclayo Hotel.
Again Gabriel informed the rest of the group about the increasing vibration he could feel coming from the front of his Land Cruiser, only that this time the cause became evident immediately. The front left tire, a Dunlop MT2, was clearly deformed. The actual cause of deformation, similar to what is normally caused by under inflation, is not clear, since upon inspection, the tire was found to be inflated to 50 psi.
Either way, it was not deemed prudent to continue with the tire in this condition, so they decided to try to solve the problem in the nearby city of Piura.
They found a store that had the same size and model tires as the one that had failed, and considering that they already had to replace one in Cusco, decided to buy the other three, in order to have a complete new set for the trip, and keep two as spares.
In this photograph, the blister that appeared on the defective tire’s innerliner can be clearly seen.
As far as we know, this type of tire failure, consisting un the separation of the plies in the tire carcass, is usually due to fatigue or weakening of the adhesion between rubber and the cords because improper (low) inflation pressure / overload, excessive speed or friction due to quick turns. Although this time it’s not possible to clearly relate this problem to any of these causes, in this case, we’ll have to conclude that the tire failures were caused by the winding roads that they enjoyed during these last few days. This makes us suspect that these tires might not be suitable for prolonged use on road.
Having solved the tire problem, and after a quick lunch, they were soon back on the road.
For more pictures of this day, please click here and here.
Friday December 16, 2,011
From Chiclayo to Zorritos
Distance: 310 miles (498 Km.)
Total Time: 11 hours and 16 minutes
Average Speed: 27.5 mph (44,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 97 mph (156,1 Km/h)
Leaving early from the Gran Chiclayo Hotel.
Again Gabriel informed the rest of the group about the increasing vibration he could feel coming from the front of his Land Cruiser, only that this time the cause became evident immediately. The front left tire, a Dunlop MT2, was clearly deformed. The actual cause of deformation, similar to what is normally caused by under inflation, is not clear, since upon inspection, the tire was found to be inflated to 50 psi.
Either way, it was not deemed prudent to continue with the tire in this condition, so they decided to try to solve the problem in the nearby city of Piura.
They found a store that had the same size and model tires as the one that had failed, and considering that they already had to replace one in Cusco, decided to buy the other three, in order to have a complete new set for the trip, and keep two as spares.
In this photograph, the blister that appeared on the defective tire’s innerliner can be clearly seen.
As far as we know, this type of tire failure, consisting un the separation of the plies in the tire carcass, is usually due to fatigue or weakening of the adhesion between rubber and the cords because improper (low) inflation pressure / overload, excessive speed or friction due to quick turns. Although this time it’s not possible to clearly relate this problem to any of these causes, in this case, we’ll have to conclude that the tire failures were caused by the winding roads that they enjoyed during these last few days. This makes us suspect that these tires might not be suitable for prolonged use on road.
Having solved the tire problem, and after a quick lunch, they were soon back on the road.
For more pictures of this day, please click here and here.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days. Day 15
Saturday December 17, 2,011
From Zorritos to Riobamba
Distance: 271 miles (436 Km.)
Total Time: 9 hours and 27 minutes
Average Speed: 28.7 mph (46,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 83.8 mph (134,9 Km/h)
Zorritos is a small seaside resort town with long sandy beaches bathed by the Pacific Ocean. They saw many hotels along both sides of the road, which suggested that it may bustle with tourist activity during the holiday seasons.
Group breakfast at the Costa Azul Hotel in Zorritos.
There was a huge population of these small crabs on the beach, forcing hotel employees to clean it constantly, in order to avoid large concentrations of these crustaceans that would come looking for scraps or dead fish thrown by the sea.
Costa Azul Hotel in Zorritos, Peru.
After breakfast, and spending some time at the beach, they began their drive toward the border.
They exited Peru from Tumbes and entered Ecuador by Huaquillas. All immigration and car customs paperwork was handled in a quick and smooth manner.
(Sign: Warning! No matter how carefully you hide it… We´ll find it). This must be when they are actually searching. In our friends’ case, they didn’t bother searching or checking anything.
Ecuadorian truck front bumpers are worthy of mention. They are present in almost all of them.
Under this awning they quickly took care of vehicle customs paper work to introduce the vehicles in Ecuador.
PDV (Venezuelan state owned oil company) gas station in Ecuador. Unfortunately, prices weren’t even close.
These banana plantations stretched for many miles. They also saw some large teak fields by the side of the road.
Stop! Give yourself some pleasure.
Roadside lunch at La Cueva del Cangrejo Restaurant (the Crab’s Cave). They had fish and Ecuadorian style cebiche, quite different from Peru’s. Everything was good, and very cheap.
While on the road, they could listen to the equivalent of Chavez’s Aló Presidente (a weekly, almost impossible to describe ridiculous show, in which he talks nonsense, crap about the U.S. which he calls The Empire, blames the CIA, oligarchy, capitalism and iguanas for everything that goes wrong with his government and tells lie after lie, for hours) on the radio. On this show, Correa supposedly delighted Ecuadorians with the same lies, nonsense speech and anti-imperialistic crap. If at least they had and original message. They all cheat and deceive trying to remain in control of power, with the same old, worn stories.
The same story as in Venezuela. As far as they could see, the revolutionary tale differs only in small details. In this photo. The world Citizens’ replaces Bolivarian as an adjective to describe their “revolution”.
Again, the road climbed to take them close to 12,000 ft. The moving speed with slow, with rain, so they decided to abandon their plans to reach Quito today, and spend the night in the city of Riobamba. So far roads have no been perfect as in Peru, but have been very good, at least a thousand times better than in Venezuela.
Judging by what the saw, the truck market in this country belongs to Hino, which seems to own the road in terms of number of units. There is also a marked presence from International and Freightliner.
For more photos, you can click here and here.
Saturday December 17, 2,011
From Zorritos to Riobamba
Distance: 271 miles (436 Km.)
Total Time: 9 hours and 27 minutes
Average Speed: 28.7 mph (46,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 83.8 mph (134,9 Km/h)
Zorritos is a small seaside resort town with long sandy beaches bathed by the Pacific Ocean. They saw many hotels along both sides of the road, which suggested that it may bustle with tourist activity during the holiday seasons.
Group breakfast at the Costa Azul Hotel in Zorritos.
There was a huge population of these small crabs on the beach, forcing hotel employees to clean it constantly, in order to avoid large concentrations of these crustaceans that would come looking for scraps or dead fish thrown by the sea.
Costa Azul Hotel in Zorritos, Peru.
After breakfast, and spending some time at the beach, they began their drive toward the border.
They exited Peru from Tumbes and entered Ecuador by Huaquillas. All immigration and car customs paperwork was handled in a quick and smooth manner.
(Sign: Warning! No matter how carefully you hide it… We´ll find it). This must be when they are actually searching. In our friends’ case, they didn’t bother searching or checking anything.
Ecuadorian truck front bumpers are worthy of mention. They are present in almost all of them.
Under this awning they quickly took care of vehicle customs paper work to introduce the vehicles in Ecuador.
PDV (Venezuelan state owned oil company) gas station in Ecuador. Unfortunately, prices weren’t even close.
These banana plantations stretched for many miles. They also saw some large teak fields by the side of the road.
Stop! Give yourself some pleasure.
Roadside lunch at La Cueva del Cangrejo Restaurant (the Crab’s Cave). They had fish and Ecuadorian style cebiche, quite different from Peru’s. Everything was good, and very cheap.
While on the road, they could listen to the equivalent of Chavez’s Aló Presidente (a weekly, almost impossible to describe ridiculous show, in which he talks nonsense, crap about the U.S. which he calls The Empire, blames the CIA, oligarchy, capitalism and iguanas for everything that goes wrong with his government and tells lie after lie, for hours) on the radio. On this show, Correa supposedly delighted Ecuadorians with the same lies, nonsense speech and anti-imperialistic crap. If at least they had and original message. They all cheat and deceive trying to remain in control of power, with the same old, worn stories.
The same story as in Venezuela. As far as they could see, the revolutionary tale differs only in small details. In this photo. The world Citizens’ replaces Bolivarian as an adjective to describe their “revolution”.
Again, the road climbed to take them close to 12,000 ft. The moving speed with slow, with rain, so they decided to abandon their plans to reach Quito today, and spend the night in the city of Riobamba. So far roads have no been perfect as in Peru, but have been very good, at least a thousand times better than in Venezuela.
Judging by what the saw, the truck market in this country belongs to Hino, which seems to own the road in terms of number of units. There is also a marked presence from International and Freightliner.
For more photos, you can click here and here.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Hi!
The green Land Cruiser is a FZJ78 assembled in Venezuela. In our country, Toyota manufactured the 80 series Land Cruiser until 2,007 and the 71, 78 & 79 series until 2,008, the latest ones were sold as MY2,009 LCs.
All were available with different 1FZ engine variations (no diesels here), starting with the carbureted 1FZ-F in the early nineties to the latest iteration of the 1FZ-FE engine, which from 2,002, for use in the 7# series, was equipped with the distributorless ignition system. 2,002 was also the year when the front coil suspension replaced leaf springs in these vehicles as well. In the case of the 80 series, the 1FZ-FE engine always had a distributor.
The one you see in these photos is one of the latest units sold in our country. Therefore, it has coil springs at the front and the three-coil ignition system. It’s a very well cared for, low mileage vehicle, in which most mods, from the suspension to the front bumper, have been custom made by its owner.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days. Day 16
Sunday December 18, 2,011
From Riobamba to Pasto
Distance: 341 miles (549 Km.)
Total Time: 13 hours and 1 minute
Average Speed: 26.2 mph (42,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 78.2 mph (125,8 Km/h)
El Molino Hotel, in Riobamba, Ecuador.
In Riobamba they stayed at Hotel El Molino, which had and underground parking garage whose entrance hardly had the necessary clearance to let the FZJ78 in. It happened to be an excellent hotel, run by its owner, who took personal care of or group of travelers.
Leaving early and avoiding Quito’s city traffic was the plan for today. The whole point was trying to make it as soon as possible to the border and make it to the other side.
55 miles north Quito, they arrived to Lago San Pablo. Very close to here, sits the city of Otavalo. Even though it was Sunday, there didn’t seem to be too many people around here, which caused some surprise, as the area seems to be dedicated to tourism activities. This could be a place to consider if a stay in this area is needed sometime in the future.
Another day on the road with lots of rain and heavy traffic. The roads are still much better than in Venezuela. They are continuously watching road repair and improvement works being done. If Correa has invested all the money he has obtained by flattering Chávez in the construction and maintenance of roads in his own country, as seems to be the case, then its fine, since he is fulfilling his duty to protect the interests of Ecuadorians, instead of stealing all the public funds, as seems to be case in Venezuela.
Border post in Tulcán, Ecuador.
Unfortunately, they could see little of Ecuador. They committed to solve this problem as soon as possible.
The border facilities at the Colombian side, in Ipiales.
One of the things you normally have to do at borders in this type of trip, is purchasing currency of the country you are arriving to, at least enough to meet the initial expenses, such as tolls and fuel. Usually this entails the risk of having to deal with the guys that offer money exchange services in these places.
In this occasion, a member of the group that exchanged $200 was very close to being ripped off with a very simple ploy. Our recommendation is to try to avoid making these transaction on the streets, but if you have no choice, exercise caution. They deal with these exchanges everyday, and know hundreds of ways to trick you.
Upon completion of the standard procedures at both sides of the border, they started looking for a place to purchase the SOAT (Compulsory Transit Accident Insurance) whose obligation is taken very seriously by the Colombian authorities. However, it was impossible to get, since they were informed that they would have to pay 500,500 Colombian pesos for each vehicle. This amounts to what the insurance costs for one year of this type of vehicle, which didn’t make any sense, since they planned to drive in Colombia for just a few days. Furthermore, they had been able to get the insurance for shorter time periods, in accordance to their planned stay, during previous visits to this country. The acquisition of this insurance policy would have to wait until they got to Pasto.
Colombian roads, at least in this area, are also in better condition than in Venezuela. They went through several tourist areas of great beauty. On the other hand, the expensive Colombian toll booths started to appear.
Having dinner in Pasto.
Ribs with potatoes and Pop Corn!
They reached the city of Pasto under a heavy rain, which further complicated their search for lodging. After much searching, they had to stay at Hotel Morasurco, although it was really expensive. This would prove to be a mistake.
If you’d like to see more pictures of this day, you may click here and here.
Sunday December 18, 2,011
From Riobamba to Pasto
Distance: 341 miles (549 Km.)
Total Time: 13 hours and 1 minute
Average Speed: 26.2 mph (42,2 Km/h)
Top Speed: 78.2 mph (125,8 Km/h)
El Molino Hotel, in Riobamba, Ecuador.
In Riobamba they stayed at Hotel El Molino, which had and underground parking garage whose entrance hardly had the necessary clearance to let the FZJ78 in. It happened to be an excellent hotel, run by its owner, who took personal care of or group of travelers.
Leaving early and avoiding Quito’s city traffic was the plan for today. The whole point was trying to make it as soon as possible to the border and make it to the other side.
55 miles north Quito, they arrived to Lago San Pablo. Very close to here, sits the city of Otavalo. Even though it was Sunday, there didn’t seem to be too many people around here, which caused some surprise, as the area seems to be dedicated to tourism activities. This could be a place to consider if a stay in this area is needed sometime in the future.
Another day on the road with lots of rain and heavy traffic. The roads are still much better than in Venezuela. They are continuously watching road repair and improvement works being done. If Correa has invested all the money he has obtained by flattering Chávez in the construction and maintenance of roads in his own country, as seems to be the case, then its fine, since he is fulfilling his duty to protect the interests of Ecuadorians, instead of stealing all the public funds, as seems to be case in Venezuela.
Border post in Tulcán, Ecuador.
Unfortunately, they could see little of Ecuador. They committed to solve this problem as soon as possible.
The border facilities at the Colombian side, in Ipiales.
One of the things you normally have to do at borders in this type of trip, is purchasing currency of the country you are arriving to, at least enough to meet the initial expenses, such as tolls and fuel. Usually this entails the risk of having to deal with the guys that offer money exchange services in these places.
In this occasion, a member of the group that exchanged $200 was very close to being ripped off with a very simple ploy. Our recommendation is to try to avoid making these transaction on the streets, but if you have no choice, exercise caution. They deal with these exchanges everyday, and know hundreds of ways to trick you.
Upon completion of the standard procedures at both sides of the border, they started looking for a place to purchase the SOAT (Compulsory Transit Accident Insurance) whose obligation is taken very seriously by the Colombian authorities. However, it was impossible to get, since they were informed that they would have to pay 500,500 Colombian pesos for each vehicle. This amounts to what the insurance costs for one year of this type of vehicle, which didn’t make any sense, since they planned to drive in Colombia for just a few days. Furthermore, they had been able to get the insurance for shorter time periods, in accordance to their planned stay, during previous visits to this country. The acquisition of this insurance policy would have to wait until they got to Pasto.
Colombian roads, at least in this area, are also in better condition than in Venezuela. They went through several tourist areas of great beauty. On the other hand, the expensive Colombian toll booths started to appear.
Having dinner in Pasto.
Ribs with potatoes and Pop Corn!
They reached the city of Pasto under a heavy rain, which further complicated their search for lodging. After much searching, they had to stay at Hotel Morasurco, although it was really expensive. This would prove to be a mistake.
If you’d like to see more pictures of this day, you may click here and here.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days. Day 17
Monday December 19, 2,011
From Pasto to Cali
Distance: 246 miles (396 Km.)
Total Time: 11 hours and 54 minutes
Time Moving: 7 hours and 12 minutes
Average Speed: 21.9 mph (35,3 Km/h)
Top Speed: 78.2 mph (125,8 Km/h)
Morasurco Hotel in Pasto, Colombia. The worst price-value relation found during the entire trip.
The Morasurco Hotel ended up being really expensive. Not only because of its rates, but because its facilities seemed old and neglected. Also, their staff appeared to be totally out of place in their jobs, lazy and uninterested in anything that could pass as guest service.
So far, the tactic used to find a place to sleep in any city, simply consisted in checking out the closer hotels or those with the most attractive names as they appeared listed in the GPS devices.
Lesson learned. The selection of places to spend the night must be selected with a little more care. Technology gives us the tools to accomplish this. We know well that in these trips is not always possible to tell in which town or city we are going to end up sleeping. In the cases where its not immediately evident that we have found the appropriate place to spend the night, the best thing to do is to go to a restaurant with WiFi service, and to use the internet to research the lodging options that could fit our needs (parking always the most important) and budget.
They delayed their departure from Pasto, since they decided to wait for a MAPFRE (large insurance company) office to open, with the intention of purchasing the SOAT, something they hadn't been able to do yet. Again, it wasn't possible, unless they were willing to pay for a full year of insurance for each car.
SOAT publicity sign at a selling point. The information received here, also indicated that there was no option than to pay an entire year of insurance for each vehicle, making this an expensive proposition for the group.
One of the famous Colombian “chivas”. Every time we come, we see less of them servicing freight and passenger routes on the roads of this country. Already on their way to extinction, most of the survivors seem to be working in small rural towns, and as a curiosity or tourist attraction in larger cities.
Another rainy day and many interruptions for road repairs along the way. The road is in terrible condition, and it's also evident that the harsh weather that has struck Colombia this winter (rainy season) has taken its toll.
For more photos of this day, you can click here and here.
Monday December 19, 2,011
From Pasto to Cali
Distance: 246 miles (396 Km.)
Total Time: 11 hours and 54 minutes
Time Moving: 7 hours and 12 minutes
Average Speed: 21.9 mph (35,3 Km/h)
Top Speed: 78.2 mph (125,8 Km/h)
Morasurco Hotel in Pasto, Colombia. The worst price-value relation found during the entire trip.
The Morasurco Hotel ended up being really expensive. Not only because of its rates, but because its facilities seemed old and neglected. Also, their staff appeared to be totally out of place in their jobs, lazy and uninterested in anything that could pass as guest service.
So far, the tactic used to find a place to sleep in any city, simply consisted in checking out the closer hotels or those with the most attractive names as they appeared listed in the GPS devices.
Lesson learned. The selection of places to spend the night must be selected with a little more care. Technology gives us the tools to accomplish this. We know well that in these trips is not always possible to tell in which town or city we are going to end up sleeping. In the cases where its not immediately evident that we have found the appropriate place to spend the night, the best thing to do is to go to a restaurant with WiFi service, and to use the internet to research the lodging options that could fit our needs (parking always the most important) and budget.
They delayed their departure from Pasto, since they decided to wait for a MAPFRE (large insurance company) office to open, with the intention of purchasing the SOAT, something they hadn't been able to do yet. Again, it wasn't possible, unless they were willing to pay for a full year of insurance for each car.
SOAT publicity sign at a selling point. The information received here, also indicated that there was no option than to pay an entire year of insurance for each vehicle, making this an expensive proposition for the group.
One of the famous Colombian “chivas”. Every time we come, we see less of them servicing freight and passenger routes on the roads of this country. Already on their way to extinction, most of the survivors seem to be working in small rural towns, and as a curiosity or tourist attraction in larger cities.
Another rainy day and many interruptions for road repairs along the way. The road is in terrible condition, and it's also evident that the harsh weather that has struck Colombia this winter (rainy season) has taken its toll.
For more photos of this day, you can click here and here.
Last edited:
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Caracas to Cusco in 7 days. Day 18
Tuesday December 20, 2,011
From Cali to Sopó
Distance: 325 miles (523 Km.)
Total Time: 13 hours and 4 minutes
Time Moving: 10 hours and 12 minutes
Average Speed: 24.9 mph (40 Km/h)
Velocidad Máxima: 79,2 mph (127,5 Km/h)
Preparing for an early departure from Cali.
In Cali they spent the night at The Obelisco Hotel. Dinner, just across the street in some tables set by the restaurant on a walk that borders the Cali River. The famous “chivas”, colorful old buses, used for rolling partying in many Colombian cities, passed by to the loud and cheerful sound of cumbia and vallenato.
The Beatles seem to have forgotten this Ford Transit here many years ago.
This FJ40, in almost perfect condition, save for the Corolla steering wheel, which is completely out of place in this vehicle, was kept in the hotel parking lot. Seems to have been stored here for a long time.
Here you do have to pay for CNG (in Venezuela, it’s free), but it seems to be available in many parts of the country.
The gauge indicates 2,500 psi. In Venezuela, the Standard filling pressure used to be 1,800 psi, but only in rare occasions can a compressor be found in a service station that can bring the gas pressure to such a high level.
The “butterfly house” at the Botanical Garden of Quindio. Here, colorful butterflies for any occasion or event, are available for sale, at 4,000 pesos each, provided they are ordered at least 8 days in advance.
The presence of the military guarding the roads is constant. It was surprising to see how all of them greeted every incoming car with a thumbs up sign. This is done to highlight their role as friends of the people they are meant to protect.
They move on, still enduring the terrible road conditions and heavy traffic. With its progress and economic growth, Colombia is in desperate need of new road. Clearly, this will be a very difficult and expensive endeavor, due to the country’s mountainous topography, but this wonderful country really deserves a modern road network that also offers increased capacity.
The heavy rains that have been hitting the Colombian territory, are not helping at all with the road conditions here.
Waiting patiently for the rest of the group.
This road would allow our travelers to surround the city of Bogota by its west side, avoiding the time waste and the traffic so typical of any large city, The idea was to go to Chia, north of the city, to dine at the very famous Andrés Carne de Res restaurant. However, this was not possible, as it was Tuesday.
Interesting fact: Andrés Carne de Res is open only from Thursday to Sunday.
That’s how they decided to continue to Sopó, instead of heading back to Bogota in search for a place to sleep that night.
Dinner that day was at a chicken restaurant in Sopó, where chicken with some unfamiliar side dishes were to be had. The boy that was serving the table had a very expressive reaction, and seemed to be genuinely surprised, when after waiting for a few minutes, they requested some cutlery, “Ahhhhhhhhh….. So you really need cutlery?” Evidently, your hands are the preferred eating method here.
There are many more pictures of this day here, here, here and here.
Tuesday December 20, 2,011
From Cali to Sopó
Distance: 325 miles (523 Km.)
Total Time: 13 hours and 4 minutes
Time Moving: 10 hours and 12 minutes
Average Speed: 24.9 mph (40 Km/h)
Velocidad Máxima: 79,2 mph (127,5 Km/h)
Preparing for an early departure from Cali.
In Cali they spent the night at The Obelisco Hotel. Dinner, just across the street in some tables set by the restaurant on a walk that borders the Cali River. The famous “chivas”, colorful old buses, used for rolling partying in many Colombian cities, passed by to the loud and cheerful sound of cumbia and vallenato.
The Beatles seem to have forgotten this Ford Transit here many years ago.
This FJ40, in almost perfect condition, save for the Corolla steering wheel, which is completely out of place in this vehicle, was kept in the hotel parking lot. Seems to have been stored here for a long time.
Here you do have to pay for CNG (in Venezuela, it’s free), but it seems to be available in many parts of the country.
The gauge indicates 2,500 psi. In Venezuela, the Standard filling pressure used to be 1,800 psi, but only in rare occasions can a compressor be found in a service station that can bring the gas pressure to such a high level.
The “butterfly house” at the Botanical Garden of Quindio. Here, colorful butterflies for any occasion or event, are available for sale, at 4,000 pesos each, provided they are ordered at least 8 days in advance.
The presence of the military guarding the roads is constant. It was surprising to see how all of them greeted every incoming car with a thumbs up sign. This is done to highlight their role as friends of the people they are meant to protect.
They move on, still enduring the terrible road conditions and heavy traffic. With its progress and economic growth, Colombia is in desperate need of new road. Clearly, this will be a very difficult and expensive endeavor, due to the country’s mountainous topography, but this wonderful country really deserves a modern road network that also offers increased capacity.
The heavy rains that have been hitting the Colombian territory, are not helping at all with the road conditions here.
Waiting patiently for the rest of the group.
This road would allow our travelers to surround the city of Bogota by its west side, avoiding the time waste and the traffic so typical of any large city, The idea was to go to Chia, north of the city, to dine at the very famous Andrés Carne de Res restaurant. However, this was not possible, as it was Tuesday.
Interesting fact: Andrés Carne de Res is open only from Thursday to Sunday.
That’s how they decided to continue to Sopó, instead of heading back to Bogota in search for a place to sleep that night.
Dinner that day was at a chicken restaurant in Sopó, where chicken with some unfamiliar side dishes were to be had. The boy that was serving the table had a very expressive reaction, and seemed to be genuinely surprised, when after waiting for a few minutes, they requested some cutlery, “Ahhhhhhhhh….. So you really need cutlery?” Evidently, your hands are the preferred eating method here.
There are many more pictures of this day here, here, here and here.
Tucan viajero
Adventurer
Hola!
Thanks for the kind comments. It's always nice to get comments from fellow Venezuelans wherever they are.
