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07.03.2020: Santa Marta to Mompóx
We had another hot night and didn't sleep much despite having our new fan on all night. We got up early to watch our football team. Unfortunately our connection wasn't good enough to actually watch live so we had to make do with reading the live ticker. At least we won 2-1 but it was close!!
We set off at 9-45 am and took a different route south which goes down the eastern side of Colombia. It was a very good road with far less traffic. Wow! Far more relaxing than the last few days. We made very good time and, after a lunch break, got to our turn off to head for Mompóx at 1-20 pm. We had no idea how good the roads to Mompóx are when driving from the eastern side. We had read a report from one travelling couple that this route was doable but our maps said it was all gravel. So we were off on an adventure!!
After turning off the main road we drove through a very dusty town (Bosconia) but then ... hit a brand new dual carriageway!! Wow! Super road! Well ... at least for 40km!! Then it turned bad for the last 15km along what was obviously the old single carriageway road. Then we turned off onto another good road. Our GPS took us through a town whereas we could have bypassed it to get to a bridge across the river. Then we drove the last stretch into Mompóx and arrived at 3-45 pm.
It was extremely hot - 39°C - and the first thing we did was to check out various possible overnight stops. The first hotel was closed down, the second wanted over $60 for the night, and the third spot was too loud!! Hmm ... not looking good. So we parked up on a side street and went off on foot. Kirsten went first and scraped her door when she opened it - the pavement is raised so high that it's like being parked next to a mini wall!!
Mompóx is a tourist trap because it's a lovely colonial town. Unfortunately the heat makes it unbearable!! Kirsten managed to get some photos whilst I drank copious amounts to stave off heat stroke!! And I'm not joking!! Then it was my turn to go for a walk around to check for any other possibilities of where we could park for the night. I finally found a side street that might be less noisy. We drove there and parked up at 6-25 pm.
It was still 39°C!! We took it in turns again to wander around a different area where there were several busy restaurants with tables and chairs out on the pedestrian area. We went for a meal at a smaller place where we'd parked and had savoury crepes - spinach and tomato, and mushroom and tomato. For dessert we shared a yummy banana and chocolate ice cream crepe!!
We really enjoyed our meal but it was still 33°C at midnight!! (What we didn't know was that there was a pandemic overtaking the world and Colombia was about to go into lockdown for 6 months! We are extremely lucky we didn't get stuck here in Mompóx - the heat is unbearable! I think we would have shriveled up!!)
08.03.2020: Mompóx to Morrinson
We got up early at 8 am to go out for final walks around and left at 10 am. We drove the same way back and our GPS thought we were getting a ferry across the river ... we were driving over a bridge!! We got back to Bosconia and then headed south on the main road again. There were lots of areas under construction so it meant we had very good stretches of new dual carriageway interspersed with very bad and bumpy single carriageway.
There was also a lot more traffic and we got stuck in a couple of traffic jams. We drove through several villages where people were selling food and drinks etc at the speed bumps. This is common practice in South America (and Central America). Everyone was really happy and one man even blew me a kiss!! I blew him one back!! The Colombians are very happy people!
We stopped at a large petrol station with a big restaurant - Kirsten wanted an ice cream! Not surprising in this heat. It was only 5-45 pm and a bit early to stop for the night but I ended up talking to a police officer who said there wouldn't be a problem to stay overnight and said we could park in a covered ambulance bay that wasn't being used. We could also use the showers!! Very welcome but unfortunately it never went below 34.2°C overnight so our clean feeling didn't last very long! We shared a portion of chicken and chips at the restaurant and stayed up fairly late waiting for cooler air that never arrived!
09.03.2020: Morrinson to Piedecuesta
The next day we drove along a very good dual carriageway for 45km and then had a choice of routes south. We took the one that didn't go over the hills but it still went up to 1200m. At least it gave us a bit of respite from the heat. We had to go through a very confusing construction site. All the road signs were saying we were on a dual carriageway but then we saw oncoming traffic in what should have been the second lane going in our direction!! Extremely dangerous!
Then we came to another confusing area. The signs weren't correct, we went wrong, and I had to drive the wrong way on a short section to get back onto the proper road. Obviously, when the construction is finished, this will be a very nice dual carriageway. The problem is that they have already put up the signs for a dual carriageway but it is currently being used as a single carriageway. I'd hate to ask how many accidents have already happened!!
We finally got through that part and also had to go through 4 tolls which were quite expensive. It was still really hot so we welcomed going up into the hills. Unfortunately the respite was only short lived and we headed down to a town we wanted to see.
Girón has a Basilica and Kirsten wanted to take photos. We had difficulty finding a parking spot in the narrow streets. We finally found one which was a very tight squeeze for us and a very grumpy man dealing with a parking area for mopeds directly behind us, did everything to make it as hard as possible for us. Once we'd parked he even deliberately moved a moped so that it was virtually touching the back of Winnietwo - effectively blocking us in!! What an A*$%#*!!!
I stayed with our vehicle which is our usual practice and it turned out the Basilica wasn't worth it! Getting out of our tight spot meant at least a 7 point turn action going backwards and forwards. But I managed it and we left the grumpy old man behind!
After a stop at a supermarket for supplies we headed south to a campground that was marked incorrectly on MapsMe and not easy to find. Eventually, Kirsten went out on foot and found the entrance! It was 5 pm when we arrived and we spoke to John - the manager. We got a deal for $9 per night plus $2 to use the washing machine.
We parked up under a tree and opened all our doors, windows and skylights to let out all the heat that had built up inside. We needed our transformer to plug into the 110 volt electricity and went for a shower that is cold but very welcome! And the temperature finally went down below 30°C. Yippee!
10. - 14.03.2020: Piedecuesta
It was generally cooler here with an average high of 30°C. I found a really good cycle path nearby that we used for walks. I also did 2 loads of washing and just about managed to get it dry before it started raining. Unfortunately it rained for several days and the road further south got damaged. A major landslide occurred flooding the river along the road with trees, mud and other debris. The road was closed for 4 days!
We were also tracking the other bad news about the Corona pandemic. The number of cases and deaths in Italy was shocking. The USA banned flights from Europe. Guatemala was shutting its borders. Kirsten's brother was skiing in Austria but they were closing down the slopes that weekend. Fortunately it was the end of their holiday anyway. (Later we realised how lucky they were that they didn't catch the virus as the Austrian ski slopes were already a hotspot that no one knew about at the time!)
Kirsten's niece had just started her first job and was working in Holland. She was sent back to Germany to work in an office there. One of my nieces is a nurse but the scientists were saying that England was 3 or 4 weeks behind Europe ... they were wrong. The virus had already got to the UK before Christmas! That was from a band who had played in Wuhan and flew back on 22nd December 2019. Two of them had symptoms and one died on the 6th February but no one knew much about the virus at the time and it didn't even have a name yet!!
Janette, who we'd just met in Cartagena with their motorhome group, had already got their vehicles shipped to Panama. She'd already heard about Guatemala closing it's borders and they were looking for places in Costa Rica where the two large groups could stay. Our friends in Argentina were planning to stay in Argentina for another few weeks then cross into Uruguay to spend time at the thermal pools. We've been there too and it's a great place to stay. (They didn't get there. They got stuck in Argentina!)
John, the campground manager, told us that the road might open the following day but it rained too much so we stayed for another night. That was our 6th night. It was Saturday 14th March, the same day Colombia closed it's border with Venezuela and it was the first time we realised that we might get stuck in Colombia.
I phoned my brother in England. He works in a supermarket and they'd already closed down the deli section. Only self service tills were open, and they were leaving fruit and veg in their boxes in the aisles, to prevent handling! His wife, my sister in law, was going to lose her job organising trips for Alzheimer patients in nursing homes. Everyone had already been told to stay at home, pubs and restaurants would be shut on the 16th March and a full lockdown would follow on the 23rd March.
I sent a Whatsapp to Kika - we had stayed at their campground in Silvia, just north of Popayan in Colombia a month ago - and she told us that Colombia had just closed the border with Ecuador!!! Kirsten didn't believe it, so we checked online. Yep, the border to Ecuador is also closed!
Our world seemed to be closing in on us. Were we living in some kind of disaster movie? It all seemed so unbelievable and we seemed to be living through Breaking News every hour!! What on earth is happening??
Needless to say, we didn't sleep much that night, too much bad news going on around the world. The heavy rain until 3 am didn't help either!
