Every commercial vehicle has a sticker asking people to call the ministry of transportation to tell them how the driver of that vehicle is driving.
Breakfast in Quibdó
Gold! Mined close to Quibdó. There’s supposedly quite a lot of it.
Even more space-efficient than in Africa!
While I was walking along the road, I didn’t even have to wave for these guys to pick me up and give me a ride… Previously I had tried waving at cars but no one had stopped. Maybe it had to do with that I had just gotten a haircut, so I looked less of a bum than before…
I wasn’t even planning to go to Quibdo that day, but then, while waiting for the road to be cleared up after a landslide, they found a truckdriver who was going there, so I joined him:
Notice the police. Previously there were hardly any police controls, but as soon as we entered the department of Chocó, which everyone says has guerilla presence, there were lots of them.
Cheese. Doesn’t taste much.
Boats on the Rio Atrato.
Breakfast, about $2.5.
In quibdo, 90% of people are black. On black guy said that white and black get along perfectly, they live in the same parts of town, marry each other, etc, but most commerce is run buy the whites, which he thinks is a bit off since the black people are more intelligent 😀
Is stayed with this guy, Darío, yesterday. (I mean the live guy, not the dead guy). The dead guy is his nephew, 21 years old, who was shot on the street last night by gangsters, probably because they confused him with someone else. Luckily, he says that this happens very seldomly. Me too, I could see that this is not a bad place. People are out on the streets and even women walk around alone. No one seems afraid.
Lunch in Darío’s home. Very delicious.
Playing an internet trivia game with Darío’s brother and sister in law.
Dario uses these huge concrete weights to keep in shape… I better not mess with him.
“Droga para la potencia sexual”…
The police is very strict with requiring that al motorcyclists wear helmets, which makes it impossible to hitch-hike with them if you don’t have a helmet yourself.
Growing coffee and bananas in the same field. Seems efficient.
Scenic road between Viterbo and Apía.
Cozy central square of Apía.
Funny they have a display showing the speed of the bus. Seems very accurate.
Lots of indigenous people in Pueblo Rico. They like to wear nice colourful dresses.
These indigenous girls are carrying big bones in improvised backpacks to their home outside town…
I went to the police hre in Quibdó to ask if I can have an exit stamp in my passport. I was honest to them about going to Panama over land, and they didn’t even say it’s dangerous or anything! After some running around between the police and the immigration offices, they finally told me that the immigration is closed today but that I don’t really need a stamp anyway. I hope they are right!
Next time I write I’ll hopefully be in Panama. I’m going to walk a bit along the river. Taking the boat is ridiculously expensive, about $70 from here to Riosucio.
Philip in Central America 
Sad about his nephew. My condolences.
Lunch looks delish.
Carta abierta a la familia de Jan Phillip: Desde este lejano terruñito, llamado Colombia, lleno de color y de folclor único, invariablemente mestizo, no solo en raza sino en pensamiento, tristemente corroído por el poder del dinero, donde no existe ni la derecha ni la izquierda, donde los que luchan por el pueblo lo masacran cada día a punta de balas y de bombas, donde los que constitucionalmente deben defender el pueblo, lo masacran día a día con corrupción y represión, donde los buenos somos más, pero padecemos del miedo que nos causan los pocos malos, donde no es posible alzar la voz porque tarde o temprano nos callarán a las buenas o a las malas, desde acá, en el extremo noroccidental de sur-américa, desde Antioquia mi tierra querida, con el más profundo respeto por el dolor de su familia, quisiera pedirles perdón por ser colombiano, perdón por quienes naciendo en esta tierra exótica y multicolor, convierten el gentilicio en un defecto, perdón por quienes ante ustedes nos “representan” y nos hacen quedar como lo que el mundo cree que somos, perdón por quitarle la vida a su hijo pues tan responsable me siento, como el mismísimo patán que lo enterró, culpable por callar lo que pasa, culpable por soportar en silencio y con la cabeza agachada, culpable por votar por esta horda de mequetrefes gobernantes que tenemos y tal vez nos merecemos, espero que desde la lejanía, estas palabras puedan llegar a ustedes y las comprendan por encima de la enorme barrera idiomática y cultural que nos separa, no tengo rostro para mirarles, solo palabras para suplicarles PERDÓN.
Que tristeza, también me uno a Armando y quisiera que la familia de Jan comprenda que a pesar de aquel desafortunado suceso, el venía cumpliendo un sueño aunque su vida fue arrebatada por la torpeza de esta guerra sin sentido, ojalá que no sea en vano y su nombre no sea olvidado
Una lástima que familias en el extranjero tengan que recibir estas noticias, lamentablemente los colombianos estamos en un conflicto interno que por casi medio siglo nos ha agobiado, esperamos tarde que temprano, tener que dejar de dar estas noticias tan dolorosas para todos, desde Colombia, mando fuerzas a la familia de Philip, para superar tan bochornoso suceso. saludos.
Amigo paz en tu tumba, pido perdon como Colombiano por lo q te paso en mi pais, fuiste un capo y viviras por siempre como ejemplo para muchos viajeros, paz en tumba 😥