PART 15: In The Land of Patrols - December 2014We left Quito rather quickly. Since we had made the decision to sell the Patrol, we wanted to get to Colombia and get the whole thing rolling. So we said goodbye to Pancho and Ruzha and thanked them for all their help and hospitality. Truly good people. And we recommend any patrolling traveler to make a stop there in Quito.
Going north, we only made a few stops, driving more or less straight to the border. We were a bit anxious about crossing into Colombia. We were not the legal owners of the car, and we had no idea what kind of questions they would ask. Normally, you just go to customs and do the paperwork, but now we would go to where the Patrol was registered. What about insurance? Technical inspections? Taxes? We could only go and find out.
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We set out early in the morning. If we were going to be stuck for several hours in some bureaucratic void, better get started early. When we got to the border, there were only a few people, so no long waiting lines. The Ecuadorian side was over in just a few minutes. Exiting with the vehicle only meant that we handed the paper they gave us upon entry back to them. They just waved us on. But what about Colombia? This was the possible hurdle. After taking care of immigrations, we asked for the office to go for vehicles. They pointed up the road, so we got back in the truck and headed up there. When we stopped next to the guards on the road, they looked a bit surprised. Even more so when we asked where to handle vehicle entry. The guard took step back and checked the license plate again. "But you are in a Colombian car. You just enter!"
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How great was that. They did not even want to see our license. And in the days to come, we had no problems with Colombian bureaucracy. First, we got our insurance. This went smooth - the only thing was that it was very expensive. They only sell insurance for a whole year, so we had to splash out $270. What a bummer. In comparison, the three-month insurances we had bought in Ecuador and Peru cost $17 and $27 respectively. At least we got it. The next thing was having a technical inspection, which had not been done since the former owners bought the Patrol in Colombia. But this went smoothly as well. Now, we were completely legal, not having to come up with any stories while stopped at one of the many police or military checkpoints that are scattered across Colombia.
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Which was nice, because we drove some good distances. Colombia is a beautiful country. It has the same mix of coast, mountains and jungle as Ecuador. Only Colombia is much bigger. The people we met there seemed more eager to talk to strangers than what we had experienced earlier on. Of course, we also got in touch with their workshops. The lights went out during some heavy rains, so we had to get them repaired. It was just the light bulbs that needed to be changed.
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Maps are not always to be trusted when you drive on these parts. Driving in the southern part of the country, we found ourselves going 100km on slim, winding mountain dirt roads. Another time, a roadblock stopped us. A construction company had closed down the road for eight hours because of repairs. Therefore, the journey is never quite what one expects.
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Nevertheless, it was great to drive in these conditions. It really brings out the best in the Patrol. All of a sudden, it is the fastest car on the road, not taking much notice of the rocky, pot-holed path it covers. After the repairs and check-up in Quito, where Pancho and Esteban's brother helped us fix the brake as well as get new tires, we felt a lot safer driving the Patrol. Also when getting back on the paved roads. When you push it a bit going round the curves, you can feel what a remarkable car it is. The Patrol is something like the bastard offspring of a tractor and a Ferrari.
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Even though there are not as many as there used to be, you still see quite a few Patrols on the Colombian roads. A National Park guide we talked to explained how the Colombians view this as a very good truck, especially because of how powerful it is. The reason they are slowly being replaced by trucks from the end of the last century is simple: fuel economy. It is not that the Patrols are unreliable or demand too much maintenance. It is just a matter of high Colombian fuel prices.
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We were, however, a bit worried if the bad bearing shells would take us all the way to our destination. This was, after all, the reason why we had to sell the Patrol. We wanted to get that process started as soon as possible. In the very scenic mountain village of San Agustín, we got around to giving the Patrol a good washing, and some paint for the front, in order to look good for the camera. We took some pictures and wrote some ads on the Patrol-forum as well as a few travelers-forums.
Meanwhile, Leslie had put us in contact with Charlie, and American who spends half his time in Medellin, Colombia. He buys old cars and restores them before shipping them for selling in the States. We wrote a bit back and forth with him, and he was very kind in advising us on the situations of repairing as well as shipping a truck from Colombia.
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We quickly got some replies on our ads. First, a German couple already in South America asked about it. But they were all the way down in Paraguay and did not have the money to splash out on plane tickets. Then, one of the Patrol-forums own asked us. Ravi, who lives in Texas, asked about the price and the conditions of importing and shipping. Again, Leslie was very kind in giving some advice and, meanwhile, we started getting quotes from shipping companies and inquired about the legal stuff.
All this took place while we traveled on. Bit by bit, we made it all the way to Medellin, which we had put a ring around on the map as the place where we could take care of the whole situation, maybe with the help of Charlie. As we did the final 450km stretch, we grew anxious on the state of the engine. The crankshaft front seal had started leaking oil again, and the engine rumble seemed to be increasing.
We were beginning to doubt that the Patrol could make it all the way to the Caribbean coast. As we had also gotten some severe warnings from Charlie about the bureaucracy of exporting a Colombian vehicle, we decided it was not a good option to ship it. We wrote Ravi and told him the bad news. Sadly, because we had really wanted the Patrol to end up with someone from the forum.
But being in Medellin was great. It has a perfect climate: hot during the day, but chilled during the night. We celebrated Christmas there on a hostel with the staff and the Japanese guests. The Colombians are known for their knack for partying. So it came as no surprise that Christmas in Colombia is really just a big party with salsa music and lots of
aguardiente - the local strong liquor of choice. We had a great night, if not a great morning after.
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Moreover, it seemed like we would be able to pass the Patrol on to someone who could greatly enjoy it. An American couple contacted us and asked us a bunch of questions on the state of the car and all the equipment that comes with it. After that, they said they wanted to buy it. The agreement was that we would take care of the repairs to get the Patrol fully ready for traveling before they arrived by the end of January. Even though this meant one more round of finding mechanics, negotiating with mechanics, overseeing repairs and all that, we were still happy about it. We would get to see the Patrol in perfect shape and make sure that the next couple to travel South America in it would not get the start that we got. What's more, they told us that they plan to take it back home with them, take of the hardtop, and turn it into a beach vehicle.
So this is where we are now, a few days before New Year's Eve, almost a year into our travels. Shortly before Medellin, we passed 10,000 kilometers in the Patrol, so it is safe to say we did it all the way. We are happy with the prospects of the Patrol, so great a traveling vehicle as it is, will be touring the Andes Mountains once again, before it gets to spend its retirement years on some North American beach.
Happy New Year!
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