And, Another Flag for the Troopy

We cross the border into Colombia at Ipiales. Friendly staff, but we have to sit there for 4 hours due to an electricity outage. It gives us time to find our final South American flag for the Troopy.
Now, that’s a Church!

Our first tourist attraction across the border into Colombia is the “Sanctuary of our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Las Lajas”. A great title for another amazing church. And, yes, the site of anotherLeer más
The White City

Our first major city in Colombia is Popayan, the “White City” (named for its many white churches and buildings in the city centre). We really enjoyed it. Nice people and a really pleasant vibe inLeer más
Cali

We make our way up the every thin corridor that DFAT deems safe in southern Colombia (worth noting that they have no representation in Colombia) to the city of Cali - Colombia’s third largest city.Leer más
Valle de Cocora

Valle de Corcora is part of the broader Los Nevados National Park and home to the largest remaining groves of Quindio Wax Palms (which can grow up to 60m high and is the national tree of Colombia).Leer más
Great Statue

If you travel through the northern countries of South America you will be hard pressed to find a city or town that doesn’t have a statue of Simon Bolívar. But none have interpreted his greatnessLeer más
Coffee Country

The Central Colombian highlands is home to Colombian coffee. Cute little towns set on ridiculously green hills where coffee dominates everything and everywhere.
Medellin

Not long ago Medellin was the centre of the world cocaine trade with an alarming death rate as Pablo Escobar controlled much of the city. While it still has its problems, the city has undergoneLeer más
A Rock with a View

A couple of hours drive from Medellin is La Piedra del Penol. It’s not as massive as Ayer’s Rock, but is an amazing geological feature, sitting on its own, with no similar mountains in theLeer más
Made it to the Caribbean

After the low, highlands of the Medellin region, we head north. The mountains are replaced by hot, humid, green, wet lowlands. Not a lot of tourist value, but a lot of sugar cane. We eventually hitLeer más
Colombian Beaches

Much of our time over the past couple of weeks has been consumed by efforts to confirm shipping of the Troopy to the US. We are stunned how difficult it is been (and we come to the conclusion thatLeer más
Santa Marta

We finally have some firm(ish) shipping dates, so we turn around and head back down the coastline towards Cartagena. On the way back we stop at the port city of Santa Marta. The city centre isLeer más
Cartagena

Our time in Cartagena is largely consumed with preparing the Troopy for shipping, but we still find time to have a good look around. During our travels we had heard mixed reviews about Cartagena -Leer más
Land Phase Complete

After a last minute delay, we deliver the Troopy to Cartagena Port to get loaded into a container bound for Miami. It’s a long, very hot and humid day (with a lot of waiting), but we finally get allLeer más
San Andres Island

Now that the Troopy’s fate is beyond our control, we have about two weeks to kill before we pick it up in Miami. First stop - the San Andres Islands. A little known province of Colombia, this smallLeer más
Our Last Days

After our time in the tropics, we fly to the capital, Bogota, for our final days in Colombia and South America. It’s a very appealing city. Vibrant nightlife, hectic pace during the working hours,Leer más
Made it to the US

A little Luck is on our side and we manage to skirt a couple of hurricanes and have an uneventful trip to the US. We arrive in Miami and the Troopy is cleared by customs two days later. A couple ofLeer más
Southern Florida

After the spectacular drive along the Keys we have a couple of nights at Key West. We were last here about 20 years ago, but nothing has changed much. Party town at night, with some nice beaches toLeer más
West Coast Florida

We keep a watchful eye on the weather (Hurricane Francine is crossing the Louisiana coastline), as we head up the Gulf Coast of Florida. We get some repairs done near Tampa and enjoy the coastlineLeer más
The Oldest US City

We decide to see the Pacific one last time and cross northern Florida to end up at St Augustine. This is the oldest, continually occupied city on the US, first settled by the Spanish in the mid 16thLeer más
Cape San Blas

We head West, slip past Jacksonville and Tallahassee and end up on the Gulf Coast at Cape San Blas. The aftermath of the direct hit from Cat 5 Hurricane Michael 6 years ago is clear - there are noLeer más
Party Town

It was 20 years ago when we last visited New Orleans! It hasn’t changed much. Not the most attractive city on the fringes, but the French Quarter has some interesting history to keep us occupiedLeer más
Mouth of the Mississippi

Well, it used to be the mouth of the Mississippi. We take the fascinating drive south from New Orleans through the swamp and marsh country of the Mississippi delta. Amazing engineering, that only theLeer más
Glen Campbell Country

It’s worthy of a Glen Campbell song, so we put it on our list. Galveston! It has the infrastructure to support a large influx of tourists and the long straight beach runs for miles (many miles). ButLeer más
Our Last Days on the Gulf

Before we head inland, we have a final couple of nights on the Gulf Coast. This time on Padre Island, the long protective barrier to the Southern Texas Coast. The water was clearer here than our lastLeer más