We leave Panama with a sense of relief, but more than three months later than we had originally planned. We’ve elected to minimize our remaining time on this side of the Pacific because the islands on the other side offer far more for us. The cyclone season down there will force us to depart the South Pacific by mid-December, so we value each day there. The Perlas Islands, just 40 miles south of Panama City, deserved much more than the two days we gave them, particularly with the incredible whale watching during this time of the year. But with clear weather ahead and all ship systems ready, we decided it was time to sail.

And so we begin our second ocean crossing of our around the world journey. At 3700 nautical miles, the Pacific is an even bigger challenge than the Atlantic. Like the Atlantic, our focus is again on the weather, particularly the wind. We benefit greatly from the experiences of mariners who’ve thoroughly explored these waters over the past several centuries and contributed to the encyclopedia of knowledge we rely on modernly…. without them our current task would be unthinkable.

The area we’re now sailing through, immediately southwest of Panama, is known as the doldrums – an band of low barometric pressure known for its light (or nonexistest) winds that, on this side of the American continent, extends south to about the 0 degree line of the equator. Our goal now is make southerly progress towards the equator where we’ll pick up the “trade winds” that blow dutifully from the southeast throughout the year (named that way for their value to the old trading ships). Until we reach the equator, we’ll likely be spending plenty of time on the motor and dealing with potentially squally weather, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the horizon. We’re also avoiding the temptation to stay too close to the South American coast… the strong onshore currents have been known to trap many sailors (sometimes for weeks at a time) in what’s known as “the Fishbowl”, where many unscheduled trips to Colombia and Ecuador have begun. There’s just one scheduled stop on our Pacific crossing, which will be the Galapagos Islands now about 600 miles ahead of us and resting directly on the equator about where we’d want to go anyway.

The only other land mass between Panama and French Polynesia is the tiny isolated Colombian island of Malpelo (~1/2 mile long and 900 feet high) which is a UNESCO wildlife sanctuary and is known for its massive population of sharks and other underwater wildlife. As we passed just 5 miles from Malpelo a few hours ago, we requested entry with the Colombian Navy stationed there, but our request was declined and we were told to keep 25 miles away… a request we complied with after getting our photo. Our cold reception was probably the result of a well-known 2009 incident there, when a Costa Rican fishing fleet slaughtered over 2000 sharks in a single profitable night (shark fin soup reportedly sells for nearly $100 per bowl in some Asian restaurants).

It should be another five days of sailing before we reach the Galapagos. Our sat com is on the edge of its coverage area, so updates from here may become more sketchy.

Our heads are pounding, eyes bloodshot, hotel room looks like a train smashed into it. If we didn’t have to catch a flight in a few hours, we wouldn’t even get out of bed today. We’re in the Poblado district
of Medellin, known for being Colombia’s nightlife capital, and with a situation like ours you’d expect some epic stories from the past couple nights. But we have the flu, and for the spectacular mess we’re in, it feels like we’ve been a little cheated.

But we did sneak in a couple good days before this virus showed up, and we can report on a few interesting things about Medellin. First and foremost, it’s true that Medellin does have a gorgeous female population. We think its the Colombian genes we can thank for that, not some clever scheme of the old Medellin drug lords, because we see beautiful women in Cartegena and in the surrounding cities too…. all of Colombia probably deserves a spot on the list, not just Medellin. Other places already on the list include Bdvha (Montenegro), Kiev (Ukraine), Miami, and Malaga (Spain), among others.

Medellin is a city of extremes. It’s high in the mountains so relatively cool all year round, yet also sits in a valley and surrounded by towering peaks in all directions.. The airport is on the top of the mountain so as you drive into the city you get a spectacular view while winding your way down. A river runs through the center of the city, to the west is poverty and to the east affluence, particularly in some parts, like the Poblado district where we’re staying (the nightlife is all around here, so this is the home base for most travelers). The metro is awesome, the city is very clean and safe, and the extraordinary police presence everywhere actually made us feel safer (unusual because normally when we find a heavy police presence they end up robbing us in one way or another…. not so at all in Colombia).

For us though our field trips outside the city were the highlight. The gondola ride up to the Ayvi regional park (which is part of the metro system) shouldn’t be missed. The views are amazing and a walk around the hillside towns is unique. Once you arrive at the Ayvi park though, it’s a bit puzzling because there’s not much to see other than a bunch of trees, making you wonder why they bothered with this incredible gondola system. So unless you’re interested in things like fauna, flora, and what not, you can just stay on the gondola and head back down.

But far more exciting is the Guatape lakes area, which you can get to by bus two hours away. Once you climb the 740 steps to the top of the biggest rock we’ve ever seen (more fun if you don’t have the flu) the view from the top is something of a phenomenon. Do it.

Ok taxi is probably already downstairs so time to get out of bed and start packing…. our time in Colombia has come to an end and the San Blas islands off the Panama coast are waiting.

It’s common knowledge that the United States is the world’s largest economy and by most measures the world’s richest nation. What most people don’t know is that, despite some of the strictest drug laws in the world, the United States also remains the world’s largest cocaine consumer. These facts combine to drive up the value of cocaine, and by high I mean around $50,000 per kilo once it makes onto US soil. And while that might seem like a completely irrelevant factoid to you, it’s very relevant to many people here in Colombia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine. With production costs around $1500 per kilo, the big money at stake has made more than a few millionaires here. It’s also had a profound impact on the country’s internal power structures, created a violent and complex national history, and defined its relationship with the United States and, by extension, the rest of the world.

The effects of the illegal drug trade seem to pop up everywhere here, and for us it began with warnings from other travelers the very first moment we stepped ashore. Guerrilla groups like the FARC and ELN (major drug producers with small armies) maintain control over much of the drug production and trafficking in some parts of the country, and as a general rule those areas are to be avoided (partially because hostage taking is a revenue generator for them). As an American traveler here, a general safety tip we’ve received is to avoid admitting to US citizenship – the US’s history of meddling in Colombian affairs has created a few hard feelings in some circles (thanks partially to its successful disintegration of the powerful drug cartels of prior decades, including Pablo Escobar’s famous Medellin Cartel, its support of violent military operations against peasant farmers, its continued financial and military support to the Colombian government in the war on drugs, etc.). A dinghy ride around the harbor proved to us that all this war-on-drugs nonsense isn’t just mumbo jumbo…. sitting just a few hundred yards from our anchorage in the Bocagrande harbor is the Colombian Coast Guard facility with a waterfront literally packed with seized drug running boats and submarines – a fascinating sight and testament to how sophisticated this “industry” is (see pic). Our casual walk through the historic city center was also made interesting by the occasional approach from friendly Colombian drug dealers who wasted no time letting us know they can “get everything”.

None of this is of even the slightest concern to us… in fact the opposite is true, it makes the experience here unique. The cities (especially Cartegena) are very safe, we get a free glimpse into how this whole drug world operates, and we had no interest in wandering around in the FARC controlled farming areas anyway, so there’s no loss from a practical perspective. Everything we’ve seen so far here we love – the Spanish influenced culture, beautiful historic architecture, fun backpacker-style nightlife scene, friendly and virtually hassle-free vibe, and the easy access to everything by dinghy makes it ideal for those of us coming to Cartegena by boat.

Colombia is big and we’ve got just a little over a week here, so we’re sitting down now to map out our itinerary. We’ve heard some interesting things about Pablo Escobar’s hometown, Medellin, where rumor has it the drug lords of years past “imported” the most attractive women from around the country and “exported” the uglier ones, creating, the story goes, the most attractive female population in the world (what exactly import/export means isn’t clear). And even though this whole story sounds doubtful, and even though we’re firmly against the importation and exportation of women, we’ve decided to do a little research mission into this subject to learn more…. we’ll report back with our findings in a few days.