Toll booths are in all the countries we’ve been through in South America, with the most being in Chile and Columbia, and here we are waiting in line just outside Medellin, heading for Cartagena. Each toll in Columbia is between $2.50 and $4.00 Canadian, and we must have spent about $60 in all by the end of the trip. There’s a woman in the blue car to the right with a dog which keeps hanging out the back window!
We pass lots of houses like these ones,
and when people have gardens, they really stick out.
The views are breathtaking
especially if you love lush green tropical countryside.
We stop at a car wash on the side of the road to clean the car before we ship it, and pay the equivalent of $7.00 Canadian to have 5 people wash the car (they even scrub the wheels with a brush, shake out the mats and offer to wipe down the dash). Definitely a time to tip!
It’s steamy hot and muggy here, and one of the car washers cools himself off after finishing the job.
The countryside changes to fields and trees.
Lots of cows have their ears going down, which brings back memories of India!
Just like in the picture on Columbian coffee bags, many people wear straw hats here – not just in the ads!
Life takes place outside, with people often sitting outside their houses or selling their wares on the side of the road. Columbians seem to be very sociable and to enjoy life, this despite the suffering caused by guerrilla groups like FARC and the drug war that until recently raged in Columbia. It’s amazing how friendly and kind most are! We’ve had great experiences, such as a driver passing us on a dirt road asking us where we’re from and saying “Great to have you here,” or a mechanic who after doing some minor work on our camper got in our van to show us the way to a welder who could attach our muffler for us properly – just going out of their way to be kind.
Ken and Sarah ~ Overland 