Wed 17/04-2013 Day 456

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uNEyp_LPR4E/UW9E-QM-DFI/AAAAAAAAUvg/zt2nZZSikAg/s144-c-o/P4170058.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984675778989138″ caption=”Thanks to the city of Santa Marta, the young band, dancers and schoolgirls and to the Colombian Navy to organize such a nice welcome party tonight!” type=”image” alt=”P4170058.JPG” ]

 

Pos: here
Loc: San Fernando
Acc: Coast Guard room Santa Marta

My kayak got well repaired by a bunch of friendly helpers here at the coat guard station in Santa Marta. It was the best place to get the job done, as they had a bunch of more “patients” from their own range of boats standing on the courtyard and all tools and materials ready to do the job.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-c_6IIlcJ0sE/UW9EyKVkH8I/AAAAAAAAUvg/hDFuN22EG-4/s144-c-o/P4170024.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984468045995970″ caption=”Press conference in Santa Marta, organized by the Armada de Colombia of Santa Marta with First Commander Mario Cely. Left a representative of the City of Santa Marta, to the right my German translator” type=”image” alt=”P4170024.JPG” ]

As well as the widespread crack in the stern hull, the bow hull also had a long split, plus the small bulkhead in the stern was quite chipped out and some smaller damages here and there. I think it is all fixed now! My kayak probably is also now 2 kg heavier or such :-). But rather a heavy and dry solid kayak, than always wet and still creaking…thanks to all the helpful hands to do the job!

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-lomW60O8Rk8/UW9Ex7lgXbI/AAAAAAAAUvg/SazcgmpntpA/s144-c-o/P4170012.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984464086326706″ caption=”The Coastguard of Santa Marta lined up for the press conference, to the left Second Commander of the Coast Guard in Santa Marta, Ana Gomez” type=”image” alt=”P4170012.JPG” ]

Besides my online work, I was driving in the afternoon into the city again to eventually buy some new resin to have some in stock again, just in case…the resin shop was quite interesting, small like a garage as most of the specialised shops here, but the sales went through a closed gated with enough space in between to reach the things out. Security first…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-I7uwNMC3fO4/UW9E11lBh4I/AAAAAAAAUvg/sGMY4pkDiCc/s144-c-o/P4170030.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984531193169794″ caption=”Press conference in Santa Marta, Colombia” type=”image” alt=”P4170030.JPG” ]

 

We also tried to find someone to change my batteries on my sports watch, and my Navy guide Philippe found one of the many many street vendors selling watches who tried the job on my expensive brand sports watch…I had rather envisioned a jewelery shop who also carried this brand, but obviously this kind of shops are do not exist here. So I had to trust the skills of the guy unscrewing the back of my watch with a bunch of not that bad looking tools available, all done over a piece of cloth on a wooden chair. Just the wind was at some point close to blow the tiny pieces and screws away… just not. But he only found out the batteries are still ok, and he was unfortunately not able to get the watch to work again. Well, a good try at least… I obviously have to live with no watch the next weeks. No more time to maybe find another dealer who may be able to repair my watch…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/–6SUSVpoZJo/UW9EytPet9I/AAAAAAAAUvg/VME_7jl_YXg/s144-c-o/P4170028.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984477415716818″ caption=”Santa Marta sport school girls with a special made banner for my welcome. Thanks!” type=”image” alt=”P4170028.JPG” ]

 

My spare camera also plays up occasionally, and the one of the same brand Uli’s gave me with best intentions, turns out to have a colour problem – all pictures are tending to be green. But at least I can use his charger for the similar model batteries, which was a built in charger in my old broken camera. Hope it will work for some more weeks! Electronics are just not working all the time, and this is also putting quite some stress on my trip. At least my computer survived the last sweet water dunking and even the heavy ride on the boat. My first GPS will also die one day, as you can not prevent the contacts to corrode over the time when changing batteries on the water. Hope my cell and sat phone have no issues on the long run…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eEUZ0-Gli8k/UW9E1_30xmI/AAAAAAAAUvg/dBBKt4xvOHg/s144-c-o/P4170035.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984533956380258″ caption=”All the pretty young sport school girls were welcoming me with a beautiful flag parade” type=”image” alt=”P4170035.JPG” ]

 

There was a press conference and city reception planned for 5 pm, and they wanted me to paddle the one km from the coast guard jetty to the fancy city marina. Well, ok, my freshly repaired kayak was just about dry, and we can also water test it on this occasion…

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-nGZWJ88gEmo/UW9E1jLr5ZI/AAAAAAAAUvg/3l4BrQP05s0/s144-c-o/P4170037.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984526255056274″ caption=”A band of five young local musicians playing traditional Colombian music for my welcome!” type=”image” alt=”P4170037.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Efm9_x_rRno/UW9E4QecU-I/AAAAAAAAUvg/Q8KEwDgi5fA/s144-c-o/P4170040.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984572773061602″ caption=”I am really honored by this welcome in Santa Marta!” type=”image” alt=”P4170040.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B_utAwUXxhc/UW9E5YXeLII/AAAAAAAAUvg/uZBM9gtvXeg/s144-c-o/P4170042.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984592071175298″ caption=”They urged me to join the drummer for a while…” type=”image” alt=”P4170042.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-OcKwDIPFc3Y/UW9E6oxXwsI/AAAAAAAAUvg/147QYLRfGg4/s144-c-o/P4170045.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984613654643394″ caption=”… well, with some practice… but the young drummer looks quite sceptical…” type=”image” alt=”P4170045.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1m73DMsIjOA/UW9E7z_x8eI/AAAAAAAAUvg/na3O9A0bJ3Q/s144-c-o/P4170049.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984633847738850″ caption=”…I rather do the model job.” type=”image” alt=”P4170049.JPG” ]

The reception was very nice and well organized, with a bunch of TV crews, press photographers, a German translator, a large group of sport school girls with blue and white uniform waving flags, and a band of five young men playing local music, accompanied later by a young pretty display dancing couple. They asked me to replace the drummer at some point, and after some coordinating where the boy simply guided my hands I was kind of able to keep the rhythm myself for a while. But later, when the young dancer invited me also to join in, I felt horribly under dressed next to the pretty young woman in her blue and golden dress and sneaked away after a few seconds… If I would have just kept my new dress from Cartagena… but unlikely I’d have paddled into the marina party in that one… 🙂

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HqSndZNnXHM/UW9E9uGaQgI/AAAAAAAAUvg/LaDgrhnE6tw/s144-c-o/P4170057.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984666624672258″ caption=”The next program point was a beautiful traditional dance, performed by a young very attractive couple” type=”image” alt=”P4170057.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JamZ8jJsfdc/UW9E9soxpNI/AAAAAAAAUvg/IYRneNBzEjQ/s144-c-o/P4170056.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984666231940306″ caption=”I couldn’t keep up with that pretty young girl! :-)” type=”image” alt=”P4170056.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5AsGz-GwS3U/UW9E7uBukXI/AAAAAAAAUvg/wXWMFPoPU-c/s144-c-o/P4170054.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867984632245293426″ caption=”Hola, hola!” type=”image” alt=”P4170054.JPG” ]

 

 

Overall, I was very impressed what the Colombian Navy with First Commander Mario Cely and Second Commander Ana Gomez were able to organize here with no notice, together with representatives of the city of Santa Marta, the girls from the sports school and the young music and dancing artists. A BIG thank you for that honour, I am really feeling very much welcomed in Colombia, especially here in Santa Marta!

10 comments on “Wed 17/04-2013 Day 456

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Randall Lackey

Very glad to hear all repairs are made on the kayak.It does sound like the cost gaurd and city went all out for this outstanding lady; that you are. Enjoy your time there and rest well.Loved the nice pictures.I’d rather see you modeling as well.

Frances Price

After your harrowing ride, it’s nice to see that your kayak is well-repaired and that you are receiving some positive attention! Thank you for including photos so quickly.

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