Cartagena.

Sam is there, good Sam! He made his mind up for riding the northern Columbian coast and then will be looking for a sailing boat to get to Panama, as well as what I am now doing.

No road going from South America to Central America, that’s my trouble. The so-called “Panamericana road” stops before the Colombian-Panamean boarder.

It’s cut by a narrow and dangerous jungle gap between South and North America. Do not pretend that CIA and geopolitical interests are not into this! Blocking illegal immigrations from South America to USA is much more convenient with this closed ‘gate’, blocked by guerilleros that no one really want to be out of the way.

A big business with sailing vessels had been set up. Sailboats captains charge not less than 350US$ to cross for 3 days cruising and 2 days relaxing in San Blas Islands. A lot of travelers pay for it.

Plane is much cheaper but I have no choice… my friend Franck-Olivier will arrive soon and I have to get across ASAP without petrol.

I meet Lee, from the USA, young captain circumnavigating the world mainly solitary. He likes my trip and offers to take me there without charging me. Unfortunately some technical points make him leaving far too late for my schedule.

At last I find two young French ex-cannabis dealers sailing the world on their rusty sailing boat, the Virgilion.

They charge me a bit less than the usual price. Seeing the boat I understand why. No light, no navigation instruments apart of a handy GPS working only with a needle put in it, hardly a compass half broken with 30° maximum of precision, no mattresses in the cabins, we call it the pirate boat of the Caribbean Sea. I love it!